Page 19 of Without Judgment

Jesus. Focus, Avery. I was here to wake him up out of a nightmare, not drool over the poor guy because he had the sexiest body I’d ever seen. “Mason. Wake up, please.”

He jolted upright in the bed, his eyes wild and apparently trying to focus on me. “What the hell? What’s wrong?”

“You were having a nightmare. I wanted to wake you.”

He raked both hands over his face as if he was trying to wipe the lingering dream away.

“Are you okay?”

He was taking deep breaths, as if trying to calm himself from whatever hell he’d been in. “Fine. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” he snapped. “And it’s not safe for you to come close to me when I’m having them. I could’ve lashed out. Next time, keep your distance and—I don’t know—throw something at me if I’m interrupting your beauty sleep.”

I wanted to throw something at him right now as I didn’t deserve his temper. But at the same time, I couldn’t escalate it. Not after what I’d witnessed. So instead, I muttered a “fine” and stalked out of his room.

***

The next morning, I went downstairs, already dressed and ready for my one and only appointment. I hadn’t slept well. Instead, I’d been thinking about Mason’s nightmare. I knew from my brother that his friend had been in Iraq with the Marines. From what I’d caught of his mumbling, he’d lost someone. Then again, perhaps his dream hadn’t been about the war.

“Would it be too much to ask for some prior notice when it comes to your appointments, princess? I thought we agreed that letting me know the night before would be preferable.” Mason met me in the foyer as I’d requested by text.

Though his tone was business-as-usual, I noticed he wouldn’t meet my gaze, and he certainly didn’t mention last night. I wondered if he was embarrassed or if he simply wanted to reinforce the subject was off-limits.

“The place had a cancellation and called me this morning. Did you have somewhere else you need to be?”

I could practically hear him grit his teeth. “No, but I prefer details. Ahead of time, so I can plan.”

He was adjusting the holster under his jacket, and my line of sight trained on the gun he carried. I’d noticed he was armed since day one, but watching him strap it on made the seriousness of the situation hit home. That it wasn’t only babysitting.

Suddenly he was in front of me, a breath away, fingers lifting my chin. “Eyes here. You okay?”

I nodded though I was still a bit weirded out that he was carrying a gun for my protection.

“You sort of went pale. Don’t tell me you managed to grow up in Texas with an aversion to guns?”

“No. I guess it sunk in that you having a gun means real danger.”

He shook his head. “It simply means extra precaution. And I’m never not armed. It’s my job.”

“Do you think you could teach me how to shoot it?”

He stepped away, shaking his head. “Not a chance in hell. Now are we leaving, or what?”

I rolled my eyes at his refusal. Then again, he wouldn’t want to spend time showing a princess how to shoot a gun. Spoiled royalty was obviously the way he continued to view me. To be fair, I was going to a spa. I didn’t have a job. And I supposedly had a sex video made with my cheating fiancé.

Forget my friends suggesting I do a reality show—I was already living one.

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