Page 56 of Broken Trust
“Come on, man. Chase said you left breakfast like someone lit a fire under your ass, and she bolted before that. Plus, you’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The ‘I finally got the girl and now I don’t know what the fuck to do’ look.” Con grinned. “It’s very becoming on you.”
Mason set down the clipboard. “Drop it.”
“Why? She’s good for you. Makes you almost human.”
“Con—”
“Seriously, though.” Con’s tone shifted, losing the teasing edge. “Don’t screw this up. Elin’s solid. Smart as hell, doesn’t take shit from anyone. So what’s stopping you from getting her back?”
“I don’t know.” The words came out rougher than intended. He thought he had her back, but he’d read their entire night wrong.
“But you want her back.”
He wanted her back so bad that his chest was at the point of bursting. “I’m trying to let her adjust to knowing I’m alive. That had to screw her up. Hell, it would screw any of us up. Remember when we learned Apollo was really alive?”
At the mention of Apollo, Con’s lips whitened at the corners. None of them had truly processedthoseemotions. They’d believed their teammate dead, but later discovered he’d faked his death and gone even deeper underground to find a terrorist. Now he was on the Alpha team…and he had a wife.
“Exactly my point,” Mason said. “I just don’t—” He stopped, jaw working. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“Have you talked to her about what she wants? How she feels?”
“I tried to last night.”
“And?”
He sent his commanding officer a look that Con understood.
“You ended up in bed instead.”
Mason groaned. “I’m pretty good at the action side of things, so I tried to show her.” He and his brothers-in-arms didn’t talk about women or feelings—they roasted each other over poker and cutthroat games of water volleyball in the pool.
Mason thought about the previous night. He’d definitely shown her. But in the cold light of day, when the team wasaround and real life intruded—how was he supposed to act? What was he supposed to say?
And why had she looked through him like he was invisible?
Movement caught his eye through the window. A man crossed the courtyard toward the mansion’s side entrance. Gray hair, medical bag, purposeful stride.
“Is that Dr. Patir?” Mason sat forward.
Con glanced out the window, something flickering across his face. “Yeah. Routine checkup stuff.”
“We don’t do routine checkups.” Mason stood, moving to the window. “Who’s hurt?”
“Nobody’s hurt.”
“Then why’s the doc here?”
“Mason.” Con’s voice carried a warning. “Leave it alone.”
But Mason’s mind was already spinning. The team was fine this morning. No training injuries, no one limping or favoring anything. Which meant—
“Is it one of the women?” Mason turned to face him. “Is someone hurt? Because if something’s wrong—”
“Everyone’s fine.”
