The Mercenary Next Door (Rogues and Rescuers #2) - Lucy Leroux Page 0,3

fuck. Mason could feel himself swelling as she patted and caressed the fruit. Then she moved on, picking up the watering can while humming a tune he didn’t recognize. Pivoting on her heel, she turned to face the stairs, opening her eyes. Screaming, she dropped the watering can.

“Hey,” Mason said, unable to stop his slow grin.

Laila pulled the earbuds from her ears with a quick jerk.

“Hi!” she said in a loud voice, her golden-brown eyes wide.

She quickly glanced down and then up, color staining her cheeks. Mason rubbed the back of his neck, belatedly realizing he was wearing nothing but a snug pair of boxer briefs that left little to the imagination.

For a moment, he contemplated going for a pair of pants, but, in the end, he shrugged and stood his ground. People wore less on the beach.

“I got back late last night. I meant to text you, but I forgot. Sorry about that.”

Still blushing, Laila cleared her throat. She picked up the watering can, twisting and spilling water on the floor.

“Here.” Mason went down the steps, going to the kitchen to fish a towel out of one of the cabinets. He handed her the towel. She took it without looking at him, and he realized how fucking rude he was being. The girl was ready to bolt out the door.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, hurrying upstairs for pants, kicking himself for embarrassing her. He also dug around his room for the cash he owed her, but he came up short.

Mason hurried back down, pulling a plain t-shirt on over his jeans. He thrust his hand out, offering her the cash just as she was about to bolt out the front door.

“I need to hit a cash machine later, but here’s a down payment on what I owe you.”

She turned around, peeking at him from under her lashes. “You don’t need to rush. I can wait for it.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m going to be running errands all day, getting restocked.” Turning, he caught sight of the fruit tree. “And by all means, take the oranges. They look ripe. I’m sure you’ll make better use of them than I can.”

He’d just eat them. But Laila could turn them into something mouthwatering.

She was about to refuse the offer, but he forestalled her argument by picking the oranges himself. He stacked them in her arms.

“You can return the key later,” he told her.

“Sure thing,” she said, struggling to hold onto the fruit. He opened the door for her, debating taking them back. But he didn’t want to risk touching her bare arms. Something told him skin-to-skin contact would be a bad idea. Instead, he ushered her out and shut the door behind her.

An orange rolled out of her arms and hit her foot. Accidentally kicking it further, she sighed, convinced Mason thought she was an idiot.

That’s because you are one.

In her defense, nothing would have prepared her for the sight of the man in his underwear. Those abs alone were worth the price of admission. Who could blame her for gawking? Sure, there were plenty of attractive people in the world. Supposedly they were crawling all over Los Angeles. According to the gossip blogs, a rock couldn’t be thrown without hitting a model or a starlet in this town, but Laila didn’t travel in those circles. Despite living here for years, she’d never seen a celebrity, with the possible exception of Mark Ruffalo at an environmental rally. At least she thought it had been the actor, but she wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

Nudging the fallen orange inside with her foot, she let herself into her cramped apartment. Her tiny studio was wedged into the corner of the building. It boasted a small, high window so that even on the brightest day, it was always dark. That was why she used a halogen lamp, even in the afternoon.

Gathering the fruit on the counter, she bent and took a deep sniff. Their fragrance had been teasing her for weeks, the scent more powerful than any fruit she bought in the store.

Laila had some time before her shift at the grocery store, enough to make something special with Mason’s gift.

I can give it to him when I return his key. The key exchange was part of the routine…

Lips pursed, she wondered why that was the case. Mason was unfailingly polite, but the one time she’d suggested holding onto his spare key, so they wouldn’t have to keep passing it back and forth, he’d shut