Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men, #1)(57)

Grin growing, his eyes warmed. “You’re the best.”

Disappearing too briefly for Eva to say anything to me except, “Oh, no you didn’t,” he returned, drinking heartily from his to-go container. After snagging a doughnut out of the baggie on the table, he stamped a brief kiss to my cheek. “Thanks. For everything.”

As my cheek tingled from where he’d pressed his lips, Mason turned toward the door but paused when Eva crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, refusing to move out of the exit.

Lifting one eyebrow, he rumbled out a gruff, “Excuse me.”

“Oh, that’s not going to happen. After what you did to my cousin—”

“Eva, leave him alone. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” When she sliced me with an incredulous glance, I muttered, “Nothing happened. He fell asleep on the couch.”

There was no reason to mention he hadn’t stayed there.

“You know what,” E. snapped. “It doesn’t matter if you two stayed up all night sitting on opposite ends of the room, reading the Bible together. Alec saw his Jeep parked outside your apartment when he brought me home last night. You know he’s going to tell everyone.”

I sighed. “I really didn’t care who Alec tells. I’m not going to un-friend Mason just because some stupid, ignorant people think I’m some skanky whore now.”

“Whoa,” Mason broke in and spun toward Eva, looking freaked. “Are people actually saying that about her?”

“He is my friend,” I railed, “and he really needed a friend last night. It’s not easy for him, you know.”

“Oh. No, you’re right, ReeRee. I can’t imagine how awful his life must be. I mean, rich, swanky women flock to him, tucking hundred dollar bills down his pants on a daily basis. Yeah, that sounds….awful.”

“You don’t know anything, okay. With medical bills and his mother’s crappy jobs—”

“Look, I’ve heard about his home life already. I know the whole story of his sad, depressing childhood. But I also know a lot of people have it hard. A lot of people go through just as much shit—if not more—and they aren’t selling their bodies for money.”

“You’re just jealous,” I muttered, turning away.

“Jealous?” She cracked out a surprised laugh. “Of what?”

Swinging back, I pointed at Mason and yelled, “Of that fact that he wanted nothing to do with you, only to turn around and become my friend.”

“Friend?” Eva gave a harsh laugh. “He doesn’t want to be your friend.”

“Actually,” Mason started, but E. rolled right over him.

“And the only reason I came onto him that day in the library was because I knew you were watching. I wanted to show you how much he couldn’t be trusted.”

I let out an unladylike snort. “Too bad that thoughtful gesture blew up in your face.”

As if giving up hope on winning any argument against me, Eva swung toward Mason. “You,” she sneered. “You stay away from Reese. She’s so far out of your league you aren’t fit to lick her shoes. In fact, if you go anywhere near her again, I’m heading straight to the police station and telling them what you are.”

Mason’s face drained of color. His eyes were already bloodshot, but they seemed to go extra moist as he glanced helplessly at me.

“That’s enough!” Charging forward, I shoved Eva’s shoulder, nudging her with a little too much force away from the doorway. Then I grasped Mason’s forearm. “Don’t listen to her. She will not be telling the police anything.”

“I wasn’t—” he started, but he still wasn’t having any luck about getting in a word edgewise this morning.

I talked right over him as I opened my apartment door. “You and I are friends, and we’re going to stay friends.” Silently excusing him, I stepped back to let him leave even as I looked him in the eye and murmured, “I’ll see you at two o’clock.”

When he stared back, I had to hold in the urge to hug him. He looked devastated. Unable to help myself, I popped forward, lifted up onto my tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, since we seemed to be cheek-kissing friends now. He turned his face in just enough to make our skin brush for a second longer than necessary, causing heat and affection to roar through me.

Neither of us spoke as I drew back. We stared at each other a moment, and then he nodded and left the apartment.

After closing the door behind him, I turned to Eva slowly, ready to do whatever was needed to protect Mason. “I swear to God, E., if you do anything to hurt him—”

Eva burst into tears. “Oh, shut up. I’m not going to hurt your precious gigolo. Jesus.” Burying her face into her hands, she sank onto my couch and began to rock herself back and forth. “I mean, I am worried about you, and I wanted to warn you away from him. But I was bullshitting. I just don’t want anything to happen to you, ReeRee. There’s still hope for you.”

A little thrown by the tears because Eva was by no means a crier, like ever, I neared her slowly, not sure what to think of her overly dramatic, out-of-character outburst.

With hesitant fingers, I reached out and touched her hair. “Eva?”

She looked up. I don’t think she’d washed off her club-hopping makeup yet because huge black trails of eyeliner leaked down her face. “I messed up,” she sobbed. “I messed up big. And I don’t want the same thing to happen to you too. Be careful around him. Promise me.”