high ponytail on the way.
I opened the door and instantly beamed. He stood there with his charming fucking smile, a Yankees hoodie to go with his jeans, and he held up a tub of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream.
It was a thousand times better than one of his sexy suits.
“Hi.”
He didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he stepped inside and immediately leaned down to kiss me. A firm kiss, then a slow, softer kiss, a deeper one where he teased my tongue with his and rendered me breathless, followed by gentle, unhurried pecks that made me sigh like a girl with a crush.
“Stunning,” he murmured.
“It would be rude of me to call you a liar.”
He smiled into another tongue-teasing kiss. “Not to mention you’d be wrong.”
I shivered at his skill and eased away, pinching my lips together. He was oh-so dangerous. And I wondered where else he’d be good with that tongue of his. After closing the door, I offered to take the ice cream.
He gave it to me before shedding his hoodie and shoes.
“Coffee, beer, soda…?” I asked.
“Coffee sounds good.”
I led the way into the kitchen, and he took a short detour to peer into the living room before joining me.
“I like what you’ve done with the place, Lis. You’re welcome to put your expertise to use across the street soon.”
I chuckled and brought out a new mug for him. “I assume your house looks much the same.”
“Far from it, actually.” He sat down on one of the stools. “I have to redo the kitchen and one of the bedrooms upstairs.”
“Oh? I’m sorry. But you can move in right away, can’t you?”
He nodded. “Partly why I bought it. I get the keys on Tuesday, and then I can get Tristan and Katie settled in after next weekend.”
I was suddenly even happier that he was here, because I had so many questions. “I thought they just moved to Vancouver—or Victoria?”
“Vancouver,” he confirmed. “They’ll go back after the baby’s born, but it’ll be easier for them to get dual citizenship for the child if she’s born in the US.”
“Aww, they’re having a girl.” I refilled my own mug too before I joined him at the island. “That’s smart thinking, though. In case they ever want to move back.” Besides, it wasn’t a crazy-long commute, and it could be nice for Katie to rest up in a quieter town after the birth. “I hope you won’t stop me from visiting. Frequently.”
Mason laughed under his breath and blew some steam from his beverage. “I don’t see that happening. What I do see happening is me coming over here to beg for your assistance. It’s been a while since I was around babies.”
I grinned and snatched up the honey. “I actually have a photo upstairs of you holding Tristan, but he was around three, I think.” I’d turned the wall between Aurora’s room and mine into our “family through time” space. If there was a baby or a toddler in the picture, it went up.
He hummed. “Fuck, that’s good coffee.” He took another sip before he set it down. “I miss having pictures everywhere. If only I knew a beautiful woman with a design degree…”
I let out a laugh at his rueful smirk. “I don’t think putting pictures on the wall requires a degree, but I’ll help you, you poor, helpless man.” I patted his hand.
He flipped his hand and caught mine, then brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles firmly. “You can’t blame me for trying to find a hundred reasons to bring you closer.”
My humor faded, and I took an unsteady breath. He couldn’t say those things.
“Now I remember why I always heard internal warning bells when you were near,” I said.
He straightened in his seat but kept my hand in his on the island top. “You did, huh? That’s interesting, because I heard them too.”
I shook my head, refusing to go there, and felt the need to joke it off. “So, we agree. You’re dangerous.”
He studied me pensively and raked his teeth across his lip. Then he smiled faintly and nodded once. “We’re in agreement.” Then he gestured at the ice cream and rose from his seat. “I spied a comfortable-looking couch in your living room. Where do you keep your spoons?”
“I’ll get it. You go have a seat.” I left my stool too, and I welcomed the quick reprieve. Around this man, it was becoming abundantly clear that I had to stay on alert.
As Mason left the kitchen with