Page 34 of I Need You Tonight
Chapter 12
Mason
TWO DAYS LATER
I was dreaming. That much I knew because in reality I wasn’t married…and definitely not to Nicole. Nor did I have any kids.
Yet here I was walking down the street with Bernie on a leash and some little dude strapped to my chest in a baby carrier, fast asleep.
Somewhere in the distance a cellphone rang. And then to further confirm I was dreaming, the warm body in my arms stirred and pulled away from me. I opened my eyes to find Nicole reaching for her phone on the nightstand. The alarm clock numbers glowed red, as if in warning. It was 2:06 a.m.—seven hours before I was planning to drive back to L.A.
What the fuck?
“Hello?” she said in a drowsy voice that was this side of sexy. My cock sat up and took notice, despite the fact that no one called at this hour unless they had misdialed the number or something was wrong.
Nicole’s body stiffened as she listened to the person on the other end, then she scrambled out of bed, naked. “I’m on my way.” She ended the call.
“What’s going on?” I asked, sitting up, as she disappeared into her closet.
“The store’s on fire.” Her voice cracked, and I was instantly out of bed, snatching my clothes from the floor.
She emerged fully dressed as I was pulling on my jeans.
“I’m coming with you,” I told her.
“You don’t have to do that, Mason,” she said, walking toward her bedroom door. “You’re hitting the road soon. You won’t be able to drive if you’re too tired.”
“You don’t have to do that” was a phrase I’d heard quite a few times since arriving at her house four days ago. That’s right. Four days. All those “Heck, what’s one more day?” added up. Zack knew that I was still here. But he had no idea I’d been fucking his sister. It had been Nicole’s idea not say anything to him—and considering that I valued my life, I completely agreed with her.
I grabbed her arm, stopping her. I could see the panic in her eyes. “Yes, I do. You can’t go there on your own. And no way am I returning to L.A. until I know everything is okay.”
“I won’t be alone. The firefighters will be there, as will Heidi.”
I released her arm. “That’s not what I meant.”
My words weren’t enough. She ran out the door. I raced after her, still shirtless. She flew down the stairs and snatched her keys from the hallway table next to the front door.
I parked myself in front of the door and held out my hand. “Let me drive.”
“I can drive.”
“I’m driving, Nicole.” My tone didn’t leave room for argument. She was barely holding things together as it was. I couldn’t risk her getting behind the wheel.
“Fine.” She handed me her keys. After we put on our shoes, I opened the door and followed her outside, pausing long enough to lock the door behind us.
Two fire trucks were parked in front of the strip mall when we arrived, as was a police car. No flames were visible, but a heavy smell of smoke hung in the air. I took the lack of flames to be a good thing. If the sprinklers had done their job, Nicole and Heidi would be facing just smoke and water damage instead of something more serious.
Heidi was standing to the side, face pale, tears staining her cheeks. Her arms were wrapped around herself, as were the arms of a man who I could only guess was her boyfriend. It didn’t look like he was trying to comfort her as much as hold her back from rushing into the building.
“What happened?” Nicole asked, her face equally pale. She hugged her friend.
“I don’t know. I got a call from the building manager saying the building was on fire.” Heidi glanced over at an older woman a few yards from us, standing next to a gray-haired man. Both were wearing light jackets.
“How bad is it?” Nicole asked, staring at the row of stores. The night was cool and she had nothing more on than a short skirt and tank top. Goosebumps covered her arms.
“I have no idea. No one is telling us anything.” Heidi flashed me a grateful smile. It wasn’t a huge smile, but it was enough to thank me for being there for Nicole. “Mason, this is my boyfriend, Chris.”
“Good to meet you, man,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Heidi’s a huge fan of the band and of you. So much so that I’d be jealous if I didn’t know how much she loves me.”
