A fire flickered in his eyes. “And do you like feeling wicked?”

“Yes,” I exhaled, watching his reaction.

He leaned over me, his mouth finding one breast while his hand fondled the other. Then his mouth trailed down my abdomen and lowered between my legs. He hooked my leg over his shoulder, and I closed my eyes and gasped, overwhelmed with what his mouth and hands were doing.

Doing this on the kitchen table was so wrong, but that only excited me more. It didn’t take long before I needed more.

“Mason.”

But he continued to work wonders with his mouth.

“Mason, please.”

“What do you want, Rose?”

“You. I want you. Now.”

He slid up my body, his face hovering over mine, his eyes burning with intensity. “Don’t you know that you already have me? I’m hopelessly and unceasingly yours.” Then he entered me, and I clung to him as we showed each other how desperate we were for each other.

Afterward, Mason rolled onto his side, bringing me with him so that I faced him, my leg slung over his hip. His hand stroked my cheek as he searched my eyes.

I grinned. “The next time your momma comes over for dinner, we’re gonna have to eat in the dining room, because I’m not sure I can sit at this table with her without blushing.”

He grinned, looking wicked. I loved the contrast of good Mason, who wore dress shirts and ties in the office, and naughty Mason, who made me want to do things I’d never considered.

His fingertips stroked my shoulder in lazy circles. “I mean it, Rose, I want you to go away with me. I’ll grab my laptop right now and book two tickets for Saturday. Where do you want to go? Rome? Venice? Tuscany? We can visit all of them. Hell, we can move there.”

I pulled back. “Where is this coming from?”

“I already told you.”

He had, and while I believed him, I knew there was more to it. “I can’t go to Italy. I don’t have a passport.”

He slid his finger up and down my arm. “Then we’ll go somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here.”

“We don’t have to go away to spend time together, Mason. We can do it right here.”

“I could spend time with you in a cave and be perfectly content. But you deserve so much more than that, Rose, and I want to give it to you.” He propped himself up on an elbow, brushing the hair off my neck and lowering his mouth to my collar bone. He worked his way up until he abruptly stopped, lifting his head. “Why are there bruises on your neck?”

“Tabitha.”

“What?”

“There’s a big bad world out there, Mason Deveraux, and try as you might, you can’t keep me safe from all of it.”

Tears filled his eyes. “But I’ll die trying if I have to.”

I cupped his cheek in my hand. “That’s enough talk about dying. Tonight is all about living.”

He tugged me against him, kissing me with a ferocity I didn’t expect. Then we did things on that kitchen table and a couple of chairs that made it clear that it would be Easter before Mason’s mother could come close to the kitchen.

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning, Mason still wanted to go away, but I finally convinced him that neither of us could just pick up and leave. He had his job, and I had promised Neely Kate I’d help her find Dolly Parton. And true, there wasn’t much going on with the business, but I didn’t feel right about leaving Bruce Wayne to deal with anything that might pop up. He might be my partner, but I needed to pull my weight.

We ate breakfast together, and Mason was quieter than usual, but I knew he was still spooked about the break-in.

“I’m going to see if I can get an alarm system put in today. Until then, I don’t want you here without me.”

I buttered a slice of toast. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

“No.”

I put my knife down on my plate. “Mason, do you really think they’re coming back? They either found what they were looking for or they didn’t. They only searched the office, which means they didn’t expect to find it anywhere else. They’re not coming back.”

“I know you’re helping Neely Kate today, but try to be more careful than usual.”

“I will.” I took a bite of my toast, looking down at Muffy, who sat on the floor next to me, waiting for scraps. “I can’t bear to leave Muffy alone today, but I don’t want to take her on the road with me either.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Maybe I could see if Violet will watch her,” I said.

“Isn’t Violet planning to be at the nursery for the next few days?”

“Ugh. You’re right.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I forgot. I could ask Bruce Wayne, but he’s looking at a lawnmower and an edger this afternoon. He got a lead on an estate sale.”

“I’m sure Mom wouldn’t mind watching her. We’re going by her house to get my car so it wouldn’t be out of the way.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to impose on her.”

“Mom loves that little dog, and I suspect she wouldn’t mind the company. I’ll ask her if you’d like.” He shot me a grin. “She’s not afraid to tell me no, so you’ll know she really doesn’t mind when she says yes.”

Maeve was thrilled at the idea of having Muffy spend the day with her, and I was relieved to know my little dog was in good hands. Muffy was excited to see Maeve, whom she greeted with lots of kisses, and Mason walked me out to my truck once she was settled.