Veiled, p.15
Veiled, page 15
She crinkles her nose. “Gross. I would never.”
I laugh. “How about dinner instead of the getting laid part? And we need to look for jobs tomorrow.”
She groans loudly. “You, Mason, are a fun ruiner.”
“I know. But that’s why you love me.” I sit up and grab her hand, pulling her up while she moans and groans, bitching all the way to the front door.
But my heart races with excitement.
This is the beginning of something great.
I just know it.
DISCOVERY CHAPTER THREE
Owen
For the Ozarks being a big geographic area, it has some serious hometown feels. When I walk into my restaurant, I’m greeted by the same faces. I’ve hired each of the waitstaff specifically because they know how to be friendly.
This is a tourist spot, after all. We thrive on tourism and our reviews. We cannot have a bad experience.
So when I see Patty chatting up an older couple in one of the wooden booths, I smile as I walk past, giving her a happy nod. Then I grin at Silvia as she helps out a family with two young kids who will, no doubt, give her a run for her money.
I’m about to head into the kitchen to check on the cooks when the front door opens and my attention is totally stolen. Two people walk in with bright smiles on their faces and laughing as they tease each other.
The girl wears a pair of shorts overalls and a tank top, her hair in a ponytail with orange sneakers. But it’s the guy who catches my attention. He looks straight off the farm in tight jeans, a muscle shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a backward black baseball cap.
His brown eyes are full of wonder and mischief and are set into the prettiest face I’ve ever seen on a man, and I’ve seen a lot of beautiful men in my day. I’ve owned this barbecue restaurant for five years now. Hot tourists come through here every summer, looking for a good time, but this one has me in a trance.
Instead of letting Patty seat them at a table, I swoop in, telling her I’ve got it. She looks suspicious but then shakes her head at me with a knowing smile. “Sure thing, boss.”
I ignore her teasing tone and look back at the strangers. “Booth or table?”
The guy appears frozen for a moment, his dark eyes locked on mine, kicking my smile up into a smirk. I think he likes what he sees.
Hopefully, this will be easy.
“Booth,” the girl answers for him, and he startles a little, then nods in agreement.
“Right this way,” I say, motioning for them to follow, not missing the way his eyes lock on my bicep as it flexes with the movement.
Yeah. Totally easy.
I get them settled in a booth with a menu in front of each of them. “Here for vacation?” I ask, trying to sound casual and friendly, when really my stomach is dancing with nerves. I don’t think they’re together. They have more of a brother and sister vibe than a dating one, and if they are, he has some explaining to do with the way his eyes have been roaming over my body since he got here.
“Nope. We’re new residents,” the girl supplies, and my smile instantly fades.
Oh. Not tourists.
I force a smile back on my face and try to be polite. I look over at Mr. Hottie, mourning all the things I could have done with that sweet body. But it wasn’t meant to be. I never fool around with locals.
It’s just not smart.
“Well, welcome. I’m Owen. Owner of this fine establishment.” I wave my hand, sweeping it out to show the restaurant.
“Nice to meet you, Owen. I’m Sarah.” The girl motions to herself and then points at the man across from her. “This is Mason.”
Mason.
God, he’s hot. His cheeks blush slightly as his big brown eyes look up and meet mine. “Hi. Yeah, nice to meet you.”
Damn it. We could have had so much fun.
“What can I get you guys to drink while I give you some time with the menu?” I gotta get moving because his smile does things to me I don’t completely understand.
They give me their order, and I head over to grab their drinks as Patty joins me, a smile on her face. “Is he going to be the next notch in your bedpost, boss?”
She waggles her eyebrows at me, and I grumble, “You know I really am your boss, right? And I can fire you.”
She doesn’t look concerned at all. “You would never, and what’s wrong? You looked totally smitten.”
“I’m never smitten,” I argue instantly, and she just scoffs. “He moved here. He’s a local.”
Her eyes roll so hard at that, and she huffs at me, “Sooooo?”
“So you know I don’t do that.” I hand her the cups for Sarah and Mason. “Can you take over for me? I have some stuff to do.”
“You are utterly ridiculous,” she scolds, but I just wave her off as I head back into the kitchen, like I should have done in the first place.
No point in teasing myself.
Mason is off-limits. No matter how insanely hot he is.
DISCOVERY CHAPTER FOUR
Mason
That may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen up close, and I don’t know what to do about it. I feel like a mindless zombie, just watching him walk away.
“Jeez, Mace. You’re drooling.”
I look over at Sarah and huff like a child. “I am not.”
“Are too. I told you, you should get laid.”
I can feel the blush creep up my cheeks and glare at her. “Shh.” I look around and see Owen is busy grabbing our drinks and not paying any attention to us before I eye my best friend. “And yeah, right. That guy is insanely hot. He’d never look twice at me.”
He looks a little older than me, probably mid- to late-twenties with dark-blond hair and green eyes. The guy is huge. I mean, I have defined muscles from working out on the farm and playing football, but I’ve always been on the skinny side. This guy—goddamn, he’s built. With those firm strong muscles, he could, no doubt, toss me around.
“Jesus, you’re seriously leaving a puddle of drool on the table,” Sarah observes, and I huff again, trying to shake it off.
“Look, I’m eighteen and haven’t kissed anyone. Let me fantasize.”
She points at herself. “Hello? Same boat. And I’m the one who told you to go for it.”
Before I can throw another argument out there, our drinks are placed on the table but not by the owner. Instead, it’s a nice brunette waitress with a high ponytail and bright smile. “Here you go. Have you decided what you’ll be having?”
Disappointment courses through me as I order from our waitress. Owen clearly has more important things to do than take our order. Damn it. I wanted to stare a little bit more. Get some more fantasy material for later.
We eat the delicious barbecue, and I’m once again disappointed when I don’t see Owen one more time before we leave. But oh well. I’m still in a good mood when we leave the restaurant and instead of going straight to the car, we walk around a little, taking in the small shops in town.
We grab some homemade ice cream and then head back to the cabin. Sarah found a shop she wouldn’t mind working at—a cute store that has made-from-scratch candy and soaps and stuff like that. She even had to fill out a paper application because they don’t have a website, but I think she may have found a great place to work.
When we get back to the cabin, we’re both beat from the long drive and minuscule exploring. We sit on the couch together and find out my grandpa actually still had cable.
We find something to zone out to, and I put my feet up on the coffee table. “I saw a sign for some cool caverns on the way home. We should check them out tomorrow.”
Sarah laughs. “Yeah. No way in hell am I going under the earth. You’re on your own there.”
“Chicken.”
Peer pressure doesn’t remotely work with Sarah. She just settles into her spot on the couch even more and scrolls on her phone as the TV plays in the background. I look around the cabin—our first night in our new home, and I feel more settled than I ever have.
What an odd feeling.
DISCOVERY CHAPTER FIVE
Owen
I’ve lived here for a while now, and I’ve pretty much been everywhere in the surrounding area. So it probably seems a little weird that I’d spend one of my days off going on a cavern tour I’ve been on many times. But what the hell, I kind of love it here.
It’s dark but sparkly at the same time when light bounces off the rocks in the cavern. Plus, I like the tour guide, Kevin. He gives it his all as he goes through the same tour every day of the damn week. But I am 100 percent shocked when I see the guy from last night join the line to go down into the caverns.
Mason.
That’s his name.
Today, he’s wearing a pair of black athletic shorts, a purple muscle tee, and the same hat. He looks even better today in the bright morning sun than he did last night. This is so not good.
He shoots me a bright smile when he sees me standing near the front of the group, and I toss him one back, looking away quickly because this cannot happen. It just can’t. He lives here. I’d see him all the time.
Kevin starts the tour, and we all head in. I try not to look behind me, but after less than five minutes, I can’t help myself. That’s when I notice that Mason isn’t moving.
He’s standing pretty far back from the group, and he’s breathing heavily. My legs are moving before my brain can catch up. “Mason. Are you okay?” I ask him worriedly.
His big eyes meet mine, and I see he’s rapidly breathing and panting. When I look down at his hands, I notice they’re shaking. Oh shit. He’s having a panic attack.
“Mason, it’s okay. Just breathe for me.”
Kevin walks to us, his eyes on Mason and then me. But we aren’t far from the entrance, so I wave him off.
“I’ve got this. Go ahead.” I nod toward the group, and Kevin gives Mason another once-over before nodding his head in acknowledgment, then taking off with the rest of the tour.
“You want to get out of here?” I ask Mason, whose breathing is still pretty damn rapid.
He manages a nod, and I walk next to him as close as I can without touching, just in case he’s feeling woozy. We exit the cave back out into the bright sunlight.
His breathing starts to slow, and he takes one deep shuddery breath before looking into my eyes. “Thank you.” He takes another breath, and his voice is raspy when he says, “Huh. I guess I don’t like small, confined spaces. Who knew?”
I smile at that because he’s too damn adorable. “Lots of people have that affliction. It’s okay.”
He looks back at the cave and then at me. “Oh no. You missed the tour. I’m so sorry. Maybe you can catch up to them.”
“No, that’s okay.” I grin. “I’ll just go again next week.”
“Next week?” He’s grinning back at me now, and it lights up his entire face. Oh boy, I’m in trouble with this one.
“Yeah. Kevin has me enthralled.”
That doesn’t get the smile I’d hoped for. Instead, it’s more of a pout, and even though I’m confused as to why, it’s also hot as hell. “Yeah. He’s . . . something.” He’s frowning now, and I’m trying not to laugh about how cute he looks when he’s irritated.
“So why the caverns today? Trying to get acclimated to the town?”
He nods and takes another step away from the cave, like it might bite him. “Something like that. I wanted new adventures. But I should have started small.”
“How about breakfast?” I blurt out the invitation before I can stop myself.
His eyes widen, and I don’t have it in me to regret it. “Breakfast?”
I grin and start walking toward my Jeep, happy when he walks next to me. “Yeah. Have you been to Mable’s yet? The French toast stack there is quite an adventure.”
He chuckles, and it’s a beautiful sound. “No. I haven’t.”
“See? First mistake. You can’t go in the cave on an empty stomach.” I pull my keys out and open my car door. “Follow me?”
He nods, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “O-okay,” he stutters nervously.
We drive the five minutes to Mable’s and both walk in together, me holding the door open for him. The sweet smell of syrup hits my nose, and my stomach grumbles.
“Hey, boys. Take a seat anywhere.” An older woman waves us in, and we do just that, finding a cozy spot in the corner to settle in.
“Was that Mable?” he asks when he scoots into the seat in the booth across from me.
“Nope. Mable retired last year, but Krista has been here for a while. We’re in good hands.”
We order—Mason taking my advice and getting the French toast—and then we’re just sitting there, waiting for our orders. I find myself wanting to ask him all sorts of questions, but getting to know him isn’t what I should be doing.
I can’t take it anymore though. “What brings you to the Ozarks?”
“My grandfather passed away.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer my condolences.
“Yeah. Thank you. I didn’t know him well, but he left me a cabin here. I graduated from high school a few days ago and thought”—he shrugs like it’s no big deal—“what the hell?”
My mind is stuck on the high-school part. “You just graduated?” He nods. “So that would make you what . . . eighteen?”
He smiles shyly and nods. “Yeah. I’ll be nineteen in September.”
As if that makes a difference. Jesus Christ, he’s a fetus. “Wow.”
“Why? How old are you?”
He seems way too intrigued. “Twenty-seven,” I supply, and he only smiles.
“Not quite a decade older than me then. And here I thought you could help me with my daddy issues.”
I really wish I hadn’t taken that moment to take a sip of my coffee, but it goes everywhere when I spew it out. “W-what?”
He laughs at that and hands me a napkin. “Kidding. I don’t have daddy issues, but twenty-seven is a good age, I think.”
“It’s been doing okay for me,” I say with a grin, wiping up my mess just as Krista puts our plates down on the table.
“I can see that.” He’s definitely flirting with me, and I like it way too damn much.
“How about after this we go swimming in the lake?” I suggest, and yes, I know it’s stupid.
But when he agrees with a shy nod, I can’t bring myself to care.
So I’ll be a little stupid for now.
This is fine.
DISCOVERY CHAPTER SIX
Mason
Okay, just relax. So he’s totally hot and charming and funny and . . .
No. Just stop. He’s just a guy. This is totally fine.
“You ready?”
Owen looks over his shoulder at me, his bare back on full display, muscular and tan with a tattoo on his right shoulder.
Good lord, the man looks good without a shirt.
He’s wearing a pair of black swim trunks and nothing else. And let me tell you, the view of the front is even better. He has a sleeve of tattoos on his left arm and one over his right pec. Just a little dark-blond hair sprinkled between those pecs and a thin line from his belly button dipping into his shorts.
Phew. My teal trunks will never hide the boner I’m sporting, just thinking about him. I really need to get control of my hormones.
“Y-yeah,” I barely squeak and want to slap myself when he chuckles, probably brushing me off as an inexperienced kid. But I’m not.
I’m eighteen years old, damn it. A homeowner even.
I can keep up with him.
“Come on, Mason. The water’s great,” he says, his feet dipping into the lake just behind his house. Yes, we went to his house after stopping by my cabin very briefly to grab my trunks.
Sarah wasn’t there, but she’d texted me that she had an interview at the store where she applied, so that wasn’t a surprise. But if she’d have been there, I have no doubt she’d have been all over this.
But I’m not here to get laid.
I mean . . .
No.
I try to shake off that thought. I’m absolutely not here to get laid. It’s just a new experience. Obviously, I’ve been swimming before, even in a lake, but not the Lake of the Ozarks. And with a totally hot guy who—okay, I’ll admit it—makes me drool.
I finally get my legs to work and wade into the warm water. “It’s really great.”
He smiles at me, the water now stopping at his waist, and I try like crazy not to stare at the sculpted muscles of his abs and pecs and arms . . . Yeah, I’m not doing such a great job at not staring.
“So you think you’ll like it here?” he asks conversationally as we splash around in the water.
“Yeah. I like it so far. And I think Sarah has a job locked down already.”
“What about you?”
I shake my head, going deeper into the water. “Not yet.”
“Any thoughts on what you want to do?”
I haven’t really thought about it. When I was growing up, I assumed I’d work in the oilfield or maybe farming, but now I’m not so sure. “I don’t know.”
He shrugs like that isn’t a big deal at all. “You’re eighteen. There’s plenty of time to figure it out.”
“Did you always want to own your own restaurant?” I mean, for twenty-seven, that’s pretty impressive.
“Nah. I went all over the map with career choices. From teacher to sports agent. To wanting to be an accountant.” I snort a laugh because I can’t really picture him being any of those things. “But when I moved here, I worked at that restaurant and worked my way up to manager pretty fast. When the owner decided to sell, I just went for it.”
“That’s kind of incredible.”
He just grins at me before using his hand to splash me with water, and then it’s on. We chase each other in the water, splashing and laughing for a really long time before I call a truce, and before I know it, I’m in his strong arms, his mouth a breath away from mine.
