Page 62 of Forget Me

A few minutes later, he turned up the hill onto the driveway of Cooper’s opulent mansion on the edge of Pacific Heights where the houses had a little more room to breathe. In the daytime, we’d have been able to see the ocean.

“Don’t get excited.” His lips twisted. “I live in the guesthouse.”

“You live with Cooper?”

“Yes. We decided it would offer an extra level of protection for your brother.”

“Ben?” My insides went cold. “Why do you think someone would want to hurt Ben?”

He shrugged, steering the Jeep down a narrow lane past the main house. “I don’t. I think what happened on the island was a mistake. A one-off. But my cousin protects those he loves.”

“Wait, what happened on the island?”

“Ben didn’t tell you?”

“Obviously not.” He’d come back from his getaway with Cooper broken-hearted because his boyfriend hadn’t stood up for him when he should have. But physically, he was fine.

“A man attacked him. We think he was only supposed to be following Mi—Cooper. Something about his company. But then the guy started freestyling. That little dog, Coco, saved your brother.”

“He said that. That Coco rescued him. But I thought he was talking about something emotional.”

“Coco bit the guy hard enough that he limped for weeks. The attacker followed them to the U.S., according to my cousin. But then we lost him here in San Francisco. So Lito likes having me close. Just in case.”

“I do, too, then.” I squeezed his hand, glad my brother had someone looking out for him. “Thanks for protecting him.”

“It’s my pleasure. I care about him. Your brother is a good man.”

Mateo parked the car on the concrete pavers that separated the main house from the modest guesthouse. The smaller building matched the mansion with its light-colored stucco and those rectangular-block moldings sticking out under the roof. The exterior lights on the main house shone onto a row of tall bushes that shielded the guesthouse from its large windows.

I leaned across the console to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for watching out for us both. But that’s not why I’m here. Understand? I’m here because I like you.”

He turned his head and cradled my jaw, holding me in place. He brushed his lips across mine. “I like you, too.”

Sunshine bloomed in my chest. But just as I pressed forward to deepen the kiss, my stomach growled.

He chuckled. “No more kissing until after I feed you.”

He opened my door and helped me descend from the Jeep. Then he used a keypad to unlock the front door and let me enter first. The house was compact, though it was larger than my one-bedroom apartment. To the right was a modern kitchen and dining area. Straight ahead was a cozy living room with a desk in the corner. And to the left was a hall that, I assumed, led to a bedroom or two.

The furnishings were modern, done in simple shades of gray better suited to someone cool and professional like Cooper Fallon than to sunny, colorful Mateo. And it was immaculate. Not a pair of shoes or stray T-shirt was in sight, and the glass table in the dining area was shiny and smudge-free.

The exception was a long stretch of what looked like toilet paper that ran from the hallway across the living room, over the sofa, and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Did you get TP’d?” I asked.

He clucked his tongue. “Roger.”

Something jingled in the hall, and then a flash of black streaked in and twined around Mateo’s leg.

“Is that—?”

He scooped up the tiny kitten. “I checked this morning after I came off my shift, and the little girl—”

“Tara.”

“Tara’s family took home a different cat. That big tabby you had yesterday.”

“Mrs. Butternut?” She’d been sweet and calm; I could see why they’d chosen her over a rambunctious kitten.

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