Part 17 (2/2)
”Okay, fine, what else do you want to know?” He scowled, reminding her of a grumpy child.
She shrugged. ”Tell me about your childhood.”
”Why?” he asked, his face clouding.
She smiled. ”Humor me.”
The flamboyant arrival of their dinner-three waiters dropping off plates, refilling water and wine-prevented Mason from answering. She let him take one bite of his steak and shrimp before fixing him with a pointed stare.
He sighed. ”Born and raised in Texas. Parents are very A-type personalities, very success oriented. They see everything as a negotiation or transaction. They're decent enough people, just not very warm, if you know what I mean.”
Kevan nodded. She understood that kind of person completely-driven, emotionally disconnected. Mason didn't seem like that at all. He was stoic most of the time, but when he felt strongly about something, he burned brightly with pa.s.sion.
Clearing her mind of Mason and pa.s.sion, she asked, ”Is it because of their marriage that you don't do relations.h.i.+ps?”
”Let's talk about you. You're much more interesting.” He flashed his wicked grin, the one that routinely melted her panties.
Reaching across the table, he offered her a bite of his shrimp; delicious garlic and b.u.t.ter exploded on her tongue. ”Mmmmm,” she groaned, maybe a little more l.u.s.tily than she'd intended, but the darkening of his eyes was the reaction she'd been aiming for.
”Your turn, Bettie.”
”I used to work tricks out of the Tiki-”
”What the f.u.c.k?” His mouth dropped open, transforming his rugged features into a more fishlike gape.
She laughed loudly. ”I'm kidding. Making sure you're paying attention. I run the front desk and do the books at Tatuaggio part-time. I earned extra money doing pinup modeling and tattoo magazine shoots. I made enough to get myself through community college and then Portland State with a degree in business marketing, but I still have to work part-time at the shop to make ends meet. Had Tina helping out part-time, but I couldn't keep her on. Sindra is technically an intern, so she works for free.” Hopefully, he'd leave it at that instead of digging up all the ugliness of her life. But he calmly c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and waited. The man was exasperating.
”I told you about my family. Basically it's Bowen and the guys at Tatuaggio.” She tried to hide the tears in her eyes by blinking rapidly and turning toward the window a little too late. He saw them.
”I lost my mom to cancer when I was eleven. A little girl still. Bowen is only five years older. He stepped into the roles of Mom and Dad while still a child himself.” She paused, letting the past wash over her. ”He protected me from my dad's anger and from his creepy friends who noticed when I started filling out and wasn't just a pudgy little girl with fat lips anymore.”
Mason's jaw tensed, and she felt the ache of acid in her gut, knowing he felt anger at her past. The shame she usually felt was completely overshadowed by relief. Mason was, at heart, a good man, and sharing her story was the right thing to do.
”Tony has always tried to be there for us. Gave Bowen a job when we needed money. Taught him his trade. Keeps me on when he really doesn't need my help. But really, until now, it's always been Bowen and me as a team. I miss him. He has a gift for creating beauty from nothing-music, painting, mosaics, murals, you name it.” Her throat suddenly felt tight, like the present and past had collided and were choking her.
She reached for her wine and took a sip. The sharp but fruity coolness soothed her rising tears. For someone who never cried, she seemed to shed a lot of tears around Mason.
”And now he's fallen into the same pit every other f.u.c.ked-up man in my family has. Booze and drugs have stolen him from me. Now everything he touches turns to s.h.i.+t.” She was about done with the gloom and doom taking over their conversation.
Only after blurting out her entire life, did she worry she might be sharing too much information. But she wanted him to know. She wanted to tell someone about her life.
”Tell me about your sister,” she said.
Mason's smile grew wide. ”JamiLynn. Jami. She's a pain in the a.s.s.” His words contradicted the warmth cascading over his face. ”But I love her.”
She imagined briefly a little girl with traces of Mason's strong features, and her heart clenched a little. Just a little. Nothing to worry about.
”Is she like you?” she asked, taking another sip of wine. She rarely drank but was enjoying the warmth and serene coc.o.o.n the alcohol created.
His eyes looked directly at her but seemed focused on something far away. After a moment, he answered. ”No. She doesn't really look like me. She's short and much prettier. And blond.”
Kevan giggled. ”I don't know, cowboy, you're one of the prettiest men I've ever met.”
His eyes sparkled, reflecting the candles in the dining room, and he laughed. ”You have no idea how truly beautiful you are, do you?” Again. This man and his words.
She shrugged. ”We're talking about you. Tell me about Jami.”
”Jami's younger. As kids we fought. A lot. She was spirited and creative. A little impulsive.” His grin widened, barely showing his dimple as he took a bite of his steak. ”I think you'd like her. As least how she used to be. In a way you're a lot alike. Anyway, she used to drive me crazy, sneaking out and getting in trouble with her boyfriend, Dallas.” He cleared his throat.
”After Dallas, it got really bad for a while, then he bailed. Then she got serious, and school became her priority.” He picked up his winegla.s.s and swirled it before bringing it to his lips, lips she wanted to taste again, to feel brus.h.i.+ng against her neck.
”I take it you didn't approve?”
”It's not that. I'm glad she stopped partying and was taking her life seriously. But she changed so much. It was like her light just died. My parents didn't approve of Dallas, so they weren't very helpful. They were thrilled when she started acting like them. Jami managed to get through college and then law school.” The look of love that shone in his eyes when he spoke of his sister made her heart hurt a little. Oh G.o.d, what would it be like to have that intense affection directed solely at her? She mentally shook her head. Now she was jealous of a woman she'd never met?
”What happened?” Kevan asked.
His sigh carried the weight of whatever memories he was holding back. ”She got pregnant. He hurt her, and she lost the baby in a bad car accident.”
She teared up and reached across to pat his hand. He smiled, a faraway look in his eyes.
”I'm so sorry.” They may come from different worlds, but the way he felt about his sister was exactly how she felt about Bowen. This was getting more and more complicated.
Chapter 18.
After dinner, Mason talked Kevan into kicking off her shoes and walking down the dark beach. The moon shone brightly on the water as the waves lapped at their feet. When she pulled away and suddenly twirled around with her arms out, his breath caught in his chest. Her simple joie de vivre made his lungs hurt. G.o.d, can she be more beautiful?
When was the last time he'd felt such simple joy for anything? Never. She loved life and had no problem sharing her emotions. He believed the world, with him at the top of the list, spent far too much time calculating risk and measuring outcomes. Instead of worrying about odds and repercussions, Kevan Landry lived her life full throttle with no apologies.
Running up, he grabbed her hips from behind and lifted her up before a wave crashed over her legs. Her laugh sent tingles of electricity from his heart to his d.i.c.k. It seemed that just about everything she did made him as hard as steel.
He set her down, and she turned toward him to wrap her arms around his waist. He dropped a kiss on her pert nose, and she blinked as if considering something. They stood for a moment, the cold water tugging back and forth at their feet, swirling foam and sand in cool circles.
”I'm sorry,” she said quietly, barely audible over the cras.h.i.+ng waves.
Confused, he asked, ”For what, darlin'?”
”For prying. For asking about your job. I know we promised not to talk about the tour or the band tonight, but it's all getting to be a little much. A little confusing.”
”Yes, it is.” They walked, holding hands, to where they'd dropped their shoes. The cold sand felt good on his feet. Somehow grounding him there in that moment with Kevan.
She dipped down to grab her heels. ”It was really sweet of you to bring me here. I promise I won't borrow trouble for the rest of the night.”
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