Shelby - Mandy Harbin Page 0,59

Nothing like a flash of reality to lift the sleepy fog from her brain.

Moving off the bed, she tested her muscles and her lightly aching back. Hmmm…not too bad. After what she’d gone through, she expected more stiffness or even downright agony. The whipping had hurt like a mo-fo. There was no preparing for something like that. It had been blinding pain from the moment Emory had started…until Mason had shown up.

Mason.

She glanced around the room only to find that she was alone. It was dark, no light shining in from outside. The clock confirmed the insanely early hour. Where was Mason? Did he leave the bed after she’d fallen asleep? Had she slept alone all night?

Her heart fell as she accepted that possibility. She’d been too worn out and had literally crashed after he’d made love to her.

Made love? Oh crap. She couldn’t think of it like that, no matter how caring he’d seemed last night.

And he had. God, he’d treated her with kid gloves. Not even that…he’d handled her as if she’d been precious to him. But she’d been through a difficult scene and needed tending to. Had it all been a reaction to some obligation he felt toward her, nothing more? If so, it made sense why he wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as her. Besides, he didn’t want a relationship. He’d made that perfectly clear, so why would he feel compelled to hold her all night?

But he’d asked her to spend the day with him. She felt so confused. Asking her to spend time with him had to mean something, right?

It doesn’t matter, dumb ass. He’s a mark. She shook her head to clear it as she looked for something to put on. She wasn’t wearing the costume she’d worn last night. Hell no. She needed to get dressed in something more comfortable and call Viola. Mason wanted to spend the day with her—regardless of his reason—and she had to report in to let her team know she wouldn’t be at the office. Viola was the only one she could risk contacting, and knowing her, she would track Shelby’s every move today. She was a-okay with that. She was too conflicted to be left to her own devices.

Mason was an enigma. She couldn’t begin to guess what he had planned for today. Knowing Viola had her back would make this easier. It would be even easier if she knew what Mason was thinking because she really had no idea.

Maybe he’s falling for me? She cursed her speeding heart. She couldn’t afford anything like that. She was already too connected to him, and this wasn’t a normal situation. If he wanted her beyond their four scenes, she would have to…what? Hell, she didn’t know, and that was the problem, one of many, actually. What she did know was that she liked him. A lot. Too much. Way too much. Then again, Rick would probably like it if Mason was enamored with her. Her boss didn’t give a shit about her love life.

Love? Oh hell. This was all kinds of messed up…because she was well and truly falling in love with him. Mason, a man who’d stolen her heart faster than any other before him. A man who might be a murderer.

If her boss found out, he’d sack her. If her brother found out, he’d go AWOL just so he could toss her in a room and stand guard outside of it twenty-four-seven. If more powerful people found out, she’d be put under a microscope for sure with every decision she had ever made analyzed for anything illegal. She knew how it worked. Hell, she’d just worked on the case in Arkansas investigating the Bang Shift crew for that very reason.

She was so screwed no matter how she looked at it.

Shelby grabbed Mason’s shirt from the floor and put it on. If she shut her eyes and inhaled his masculine scent, she pretended it never happened.

She tiptoed out of the bedroom in search of where he went. This place wasn’t huge, so if he hadn’t slept with her, he’d be on the couch. She didn’t know what she expected to find or if she’d even do anything but watch him while he slept. God, she had it bad if she’d rather stay awake and be near him than go back to bed and sleep.

She froze when she heard muttering.

“I told you, I’d take care of it.”

Mason. He sounded pissed.

Shelby took another step closer, but something inside told