Page 3 of Forbidden Cravings

I followed him into the house, my eyes taking in Mason’s world and wondering how the cute older brother of my friend had amassed so much power. As we walked further into the home, I spotted Mason. His green eyes met mine, and I tried to breathe. Everything I remembered about Mason Brinkswas a distorted memory to the man who sat before me. He was gorgeous, and the way those eyes devoured me left me completely drenched. His black hair was messy, as if he’d combed his hands through it, and I wondered what it would feel like to have my fingers running through it. He put his glass aside and stood, the rolled sleeves of his black button-down revealing sexy tattooed arms that looked strong enough to hold my body in place as he pounded me.

“I’d ask if you lost your sister along the way and picked up a treat, Ty, if that hair wasn’t the same mop of curls as yours.”

“Fuck you, Mason. That’s disgusting,” Tyson grumbled.

Mason laughed, his eyes sparkling with humor, and I struggled to find my voice. I was wondering how inappropriate it would be if I took my clothes off and straddled him.

“You look good, Casey,” he said, waking me up.

“The Armina sun helps,” I muttered, trying to get a grip. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Mason. I see you added some ink since the last time I saw you.”

“Damn, has it been that long?” he asked.

“Fifteen years and enough time for me to get my own ink. It’s good to see you, Mason,” I said, giving him a hug and questioning why the feel of his arms around me had my thighs quivering.

“You what?” Tyson asked.

“Let her be. She’s not a kid anymore, Ty.” His voice sent butterflies soaring through me.

“And what if Riley got a tattoo?” Tyson asked as I shook my head at his overprotective behavior. I was twenty-eight, not eighteen.

Mason shrugged, a move that made him even sexier. “I’d say that would be the least of my troubles with her.”

His face dropped, and I could see the toll this had taken on him.

“Well, I’m here to help and if I have my way, she’ll be back to her normal perky self before you know it.”

“Just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Mason joked, his smirk returning.

“Too much of that west coast sun.” I elbowed my brother playfully for the comment. All the while, Mason’s sage eyes burned into me, turning my legs to jelly. “She still in her room?”

“Yeah, she’s sleeping. I tried talking to her earlier, but she made me leave.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, making it messier. The look only enhanced his sex appeal. “When I checked back in on her, she was asleep.”

“Did she take the ring?” Tyson asked.

“Ring?” I asked. Tyson had filled me in on the situation and we’d chatted about it on the way, but there had been no talk of a ring.

“He sent her a ring,” Mason said, his teeth slightly gritted. I noticed the pulse of the large vein in his neck. He was angry about the situation still, and I couldn’t blame him. Greyson Tides was a legend among the bosses, a feared, deadly, aggressive boss who no one crossed. Tyson had told me how they’d tried to cross him years ago, on edge since then that he’d strike back. I’d cussed him out, calling them both fucking idiots for doing such a stupid thing. They were both cocky, thinking they could outplay someone like Tides, who was older and wiser than both of them. He’d been in the business a lot longer and there was a reason no one crossed him.

It made me more in awe of Riley. Greyson wasn’t one to slip up, and he had with her. Something had happened between the two of them that had morphed whatever plan he’d had and left them both broken. I was curious to hear her side of the story, but I knew better than to ask Riley right away. She’d be in no condition to tell me. And I certainly couldn’t ask Mason or Tyson. The situation had them both pissed. Clint Randall wasdead by Greyson’s doing, and he’d done it to protect Riley. That was the only reason he was still alive. He’d been vulnerable the night they found her, and they could easily have killed him, but they hadn’t. And that was saying a lot. Although I didn’t live near them, Tyson kept me informed and I knew from everything he’d told me that Mason didn’t play. He was a younger version of Greyson Tides. Just as deadly.

“An engagement ring,” Tyson said.

My mouth gaped, and I closed it quickly, not wanting Mason to see me dumbfounded. “He wants to marry her?”

“Wanted,” Tyson said. “I opened the box. It’s clear from the note he left that he bought the ring before things went south.”

“Shit,” I muttered. “That’s serious.”

Mason clenched his hands, and I tilted my head, studying him. “And if she says yes?” I asked him.

His eyes darkened, his sculpted jaw, which was covered by a few days' growth, tensed. “We’ll make it work.” But I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t blame him. Having your younger sister marry your enemy would be an awkward position to be in. “Why don’t you show Casey to her room, Ty.”

“She staying near Riley?”

He nodded and Tyson grabbed my bags. I lingered for a moment, lost in Mason’s eyes, until I forced myself to follow Tyson. I could feel his eyes on me, watching each step I took, and I wondered why my body was suddenly craving my brother’s best friend and what I was going to do about it.

Chapter Three

---