A Little Bit Naughty (11 page)

Mason let out a sigh, and for a minute, reconsidered that drink. He gave Matt the condensed version of his dilemma over Oscar Davis’s tax havens.

“The CPA sounds like a prick,” Matt remarked.

“He’s been the biggest pain in my ass,” Mason said. “The thing is, I brought this client in expecting him to be my ticket to a partnership.”

“But…?”

Mason glanced up at his friend, then brought his eyes back to the fleur de lis napkin ring he’d been fingering. “I’m not sure I can look past the gray areas, and it’s driving me crazy,” he admitted. “Remember when I vowed to be this cutthroat attorney back when we were in law school? What happened to
that
guy?”

“You were never that guy,” Matt said. “Being cutthroat just isn’t in you. And contrary to popular opinion, you and I both know that lawyers actually do possess souls.”

Mason nodded. He looked over at his friend, his brow quirked in inquiry. “What about politicians?”

“Some of them do.” Matt tipped his head back and emptied his highball. “And I haven’t decided about the senate race, so don’t ask.”

Mason rolled his eyes. He knew Matt was holding out on him, but he had too much on his own plate right now to press him. If and when Matt called on him to help with a possible senate bid, he’d be there to offer assistance.

“Back to the reason you asked me to meet you for dinner,” Matt continued. “I can tell this tax haven situation is weighing on your conscience.”

“Of course, it is,” Mason said. “I just keep thinking about how disappointed my dad would be if I sold out.”

“You don’t need to hear my opinion on this; you already have your answer.”

“But I want that partnership,” Mason said.

He just wasn’t sure whether he was willing to pay such a high price. What good was a partnership if he wasn’t able to look himself in the mirror?

When he woke the next morning, Mason moved on autopilot, getting dressed and doing what he had done nearly every Saturday morning for over a decade. He headed to his mother’s for a pancake breakfast.

He entered the house and his mouth instantly watered at the aroma of spicy breakfast sausage.

“Good morning,” Mason called as he walked into the bright yellow kitchen of the house his mother bought after their childhood home burned to the ground. His mom had been here longer than she’d been in their first house, but his father had never lived here, so for Mason, it never quite had the same feeling of home.

He walked over to his mother, who was at the stove nudging fluffy pancakes with her spatula, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, baby,” she said, returning his kiss.

Kiera sat at the round breakfast table, clipping coupons from a stack of circulars. A few months ago, his mother had embarked on a coupon craze after seeing a show on television. Her garage was now packed with a bunch of stuff she didn’t need, but that she insisted would one day come in handy.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving this morning?” Mason asked Kiera as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee. “We could have ridden over here together.”

 “I left your house since before six a.m.,” she answered. “I’ve already put in two and a half hours at my kitchen this morning. I need to head back there in a little bit.”

“Not until you’ve eaten breakfast,” his mother said, carrying a platter piled high with pancakes and sausage to the table.

As they dug into their breakfast, their mother regaled them with the bargains she found at the outlet mall. She pointed at the circular Kiera held. “Cut out that coupon for two dollars off on diapers.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “You do realize that if you’re buying stuff you don’t even need, it’s not really saving you money, right?”

“I’m stocking up for when I finally have grandkids.” She shot Mason a pointed look.

“Hey, why’re you looking at me? You have a daughter right there who is more than capable of giving you grandkids.”

 “You’re the oldest,” Kiera said. “You’re responsible for the grandchildren.”

 “I agree,” his mother said.

“That’s the most unfair thing I’ve heard today,” he said. He gestured to Kiera. “FYI, that party you had last night won’t help in the baby-making department.” He looked over at his mother, his eyes creasing with mischief at the corners. “Do you want to know what kind of party your daughter had last night?”

 “Oh, yes, the party! How did it go?” His mother asked. “I still need to put in my order.”

Mason choked on the coffee he’d just sipped, and his mother and Kiera burst out laughing.

“Don’t ever say that again,” he warned.

“Mom’s only teasing,” Kiera said. “She put her order in since last week.”

Mason dropped his fork and shoved his plate away. Who in the hell could still have an appetite after hearing that?

His mother and Kiera both laughed until they had tears rolling down their faces.

“I’d love to continue the torture,” Kiera said, “But I need to get back to my kitchen.”

She rose, kissed their mother’s cheek, and carried her plate to the sink.

“Mason, the party I’m catering doesn’t end until one a.m., which means I probably won’t get in until close to three.”

“Be safe, baby,” her mother called.

Mason waited until he heard Kiera’s car pull out of the driveway before he looked over at his mother and said, “Something’s going on with her. She’s been acting strange since she came to stay at my house.”

 “I think she’s just stressed over everything happening with her condo. She also has some pretty big catering jobs coming up, and did she tell you that she may have a food booth at Jazz Fest? That’s big time.”

“It’s more than that,” Mason said. He hesitated a moment before he asked, “Has she mentioned anything to you about needing a loan?”

“A loan?” His mother’s forehead furrowed. “Why would Kiera need a loan?”

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “That’s what I want to know. A loan company called my house asking to speak to her. When I ask her what’s going on she tells me that everything is fine, but it’s obvious that something’s up.”

“You don’t think she’s in any kind of trouble, do you?”

Mason saw the brief flash of fear in his mother’s eyes and his gut twisted. “It’s probably nothing,” he said, not wanting her to worry. “But just to make sure, I’m going to find out.”

He started to rise, but his mother grabbed his arm. “Mason, don’t go butting into your sister’s business. You know what that will lead to.”

Yes, he did. The last time he called himself helping Kiera, it did not end well. A rival catering company had put out false information about Catering by Kiera in an attempt to win a contract with a local film company. Mason had threatened to file a slander lawsuit, going so far as to have papers written up.

Kiera was furious. She accused him of treating her like a child and insisted he let her fight her own battles.

Since that incident Mason had done his best to maintain his distance when it came to Kiera’s affairs, but dammit, he’d been stepping in to fight her battles ever since Buster Robinson tried to steal her snack money back when she was in the third grade. He was bound to slip up every now and then.

Something told Mason that whatever was happening with his sister right now was way worse than anything Buster had put her through.

He’d promised his dad that he would take care of both his mother and sister. It was a promise he’d kept for twenty years, and he wasn’t about to go back on it now.

Kiera may not tell him what’s going on, but he knew one person who likely knew the real story behind his sister’s suspicious behavior.

The only question was, would he be able to convince her to tell him?

Chapter Seven

Jada tilted her head back and let the warm spray wash over her. She grabbed the shampoo from the shower caddy and worked up a lather, groaning with pleasure as she massaged her scalp.

She’d stayed at Mason’s until midnight helping Kiera clean up after the party. She refused to acknowledge that she had, at any time last night, stared toward his front door in hopes that he’d walk through it. In the same way she refused to acknowledge that she felt anything whatsoever when he hadn’t made it back home by the time she left.

“Stop this,” Jada warned herself.

Why should it matter to her whether or not Mason stayed out on a Friday night? Just because they’d shared two rock-her-world kisses, it didn’t mean she had any say in what he did with his free time.

She blamed Eric for this. She had never been this insecure until she found out that bastard had cheated on her. Now she was feeling insecure about a man that wasn’t even hers.

Jada rinsed out the shampoo. As she reached for the conditioner, the stream of water coming from the shower turned from warm to ice cold. She yelped, jumping away from the spray. She got out of the shower and reached back in to turn the water off.

At least this time she was able to rinse out the shampoo. The last time this happened she had to finish rinsing out her hair in the kitchen sink. She pulled a bath towel from the shelf above the toilet, but before she could dry herself, furious pounding on her front door had her jumping out of her skin for the second time in less than two minutes.

Jada dropped the towel and grabbed her bathrobe from the hook. She pictured her neighbor on the other side of her front door, preparing to tell her that this dump of an apartment building was on fire.

She raced through her tiny living room and yanked open her front door, taking a step back when she discovered who was waiting on the other side.

“Mason,” she said breathlessly. Whether it was due to her mad dash from the bathroom or just the sight of him, she didn’t know. “What are you doing here?”

He just stared at her, his eyes traveling from her wet hair to her bare feet. Goose bumps instantly pebbled along her skin.

“I, uh, I came to ask you about Kiera,” he said.

Jada’s stomach bottomed out. “What about Kiera? Is something wrong?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Mason said, walking past her and into the apartment.

Jada closed the door and turned to him. He stood in the small space between her coffee table and TV stand, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes re-embarked on that journey they’d taken just a moment ago, once again traveling the length of her body. His nostrils flared as he stared at her. He shucked out a weary breath and ran both palms down his face.

“God, you’re naked under there, aren’t you?” he said in a tortured voice.

Jada pulled the robe more securely around her neck. “I was getting out of the shower when I heard you knock,” she said. “What is it you want to know about Kiera?”

“It can wait,” he said, stalking toward her.

“Mason.” She’d meant to say his name in a warning tone, but it came out more like a plea.

He stopped a hairsbreadth from her and brought his hand up to caress her cheek. The feel of his fingers on her bare skin sent a streak of desire shooting down her spine. How did he do that with just a simple touch?

Mason traced a finger along her jaw line. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kiss you right now,” he murmured. “And don’t say it’s because we hate each other, because we both know that’s not true.”

Jada pushed out a ragged breath. “Damn. That’s all I had.”

A quick grin traced across his lips as he leaned over and connected them to hers. Jada released a soft whimper at that first contact. The minute his lips touched hers, she knew exactly what it meant for the rest of her day.

This time things were going much farther than just a kiss.

Mason shoved his hands in her hair, holding her head in place while his mouth plundered hers. In and out his tongue moved, invading her mouth, taking complete control of it.

Jada sensed when his left hand moved from her hair and traveled down her side. Then it moved to the front. He flattened his palm against her stomach before tugging on the sash at her waist. Seconds later, her robe fell open.

A moan climbed up her throat as Mason’s palm snaked up her midriff to her breasts. He pinched and plucked and massaged her nipples, causing them to ache with a hunger Jada wasn’t sure could be slaked. When had she
ever
felt a hunger like the one he was stirring within her?

“God, Mason,” Jada groaned, her head falling back as his parted lips made their way up her neck.

She closed her eyes and focused on the incredible sensation of his warm, wet mouth against her skin. Each gentle bite, sexy tug, and indulgent lick set off a cataclysmic reaction within her. She felt his kiss all the way down to her toes. It made her belly quake and caused the spot between her legs to grow damp with want.

Their mouths never leaving each other, Mason shoved both hands inside her robe and clutched her ass, pulling her against him. He picked her up and Jada wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her those few precious steps into her bedroom. For the first time, she was happy her apartment was so tiny. She couldn’t survive a long trek to the bed.

Mason’s lips traveled down her body as he laid her upon the bed.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured against her stomach.

His thumbs swept back and forth over her nipples as he continued moving down her torso. Once he reached the aching spot between her legs, he wasted no time, using his fingers to spread her open and going straight for her clitoris. He sucked the throbbing nerves into his mouth, and Jada’s back bowed off the bed, the motion pushing her further into Mason’s face. He took full advantage, seizing her at the waist and holding her body still while his tongue lashed her with stroke after decadent stroke.

Her legs began to shake. Jada wasn’t sure how much longer she could last before her entire being burst into flames.

It happened even quicker than she anticipated.

Mason drilled his tongue inside of her, and her body lit up, her release echoing throughout every corner of her body. She slowly opened her eyes to find Mason kneeling on the bed between her legs, yanking his shirt over his head. Jada made a feeble attempt to help him undress, but she was too weak to move.