Page 63 of Unburied

Her eyes turned glassy as they searched his. “Really?”

He was dimly aware of Knox leaving the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

“Really.” He touched his forehead to hers and tenderly brushed a kiss over her lips.

Her hands curled into the fabric of his shirt. “I love you, too.”

He held her for several more minutes until he could put it off no longer. They needed to see if they could figure out what had happened and who’d come after Vivi. Knox stood next to the bar, and he threw a look their way as they rounded the corner. His gaze dropped to Mason's hand where it was entwined with Vivi’s before meeting Mason's gaze again.

“Any footage?” Mason kept Vivi’s hand wrapped in his, unwilling to let her go.

Knox shook his head. “None on the bar.”

“Maybe we can check the plaza, see if anyone will grant us access.”

Knox walked with them out of the parking lot. “I'll see if Aiden can dig anything up.”

Mason gave a little nod, though he wasn't terribly hopeful. Given what she’d said about the man wearing a dark ski mask, it was unlikely they'd be able to find anything worthwhile. He paused next to her car and used the fob to unlock it, then held the door open for Vivi. He hadn't been able to let go of her since they left the bar, and even now, he kept one hand braced on her hip as she slid into the seat. He waited until she was buckled in, then handed over her purse and started to close the door.

“Mason?”

He leaned back inside and rested a hand on her knee. “Yeah, babe?”

“Can we stop for a cappuccino on the way?”

He knew after her scare earlier that she'd be up half the night anyway. “Whatever you want,” he readily agreed. If it made her feel better, he’d wrangle the moon for her.

She shot him a little smile, and he shut the door. Knox eyed him, an enigmatic expression on his face. “I always wondered what that looked like.”

Mason flicked a look his way. “What?”

“Being whipped.”

He rolled his eyes. “Hilarious.”

He couldn't deny that it was the truth, though. He would walk through fire for her, and they both knew it.

Knox paused by the rear fender and tipped his head toward Vivi. “She acts tough, but she’s still my baby sister.”

Mason gave a little nod, unsure exactly what to say.

Knox’s expression turned serious. “I don't know what's going on, but… take care of her.”

“I will,” Mason promised. She was so strong, and for some reason, it only made him want to protect her even more.

With that, Knox disappeared, presumably to find his own SUV, and Mason climbed into his truck. He immediately fell in behind Vivi as they pulled out of the parking lot, and he kept an eye on their surroundings as they headed to his place. One cappuccino later, they pulled into his apartment complex.

Even though barely a half hour had passed since they’d left the bar, it’d been too long since he’d touched her. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he led Vivi up the stairs to the third floor, then unlocked the door to his apartment. She'd only been there one other time, and he took a second to clean up the random stuff he'd left lying around the living room. Recently, they had been spending most of their time at Vivi’s place since it felt more like home.

With a little sigh, Vivi sank into the middle cushion on the couch, and he took the seat beside her, then spread his arm out over the back and around her shoulders. The dip of his weight caused her to lean into him, and she snuggled even closer, her hands still wrapped around the disposable cup of cappuccino.

“Want to talk about it?”

He was always cautious whenever Vivi got quiet; he never quite knew how to read that side of her. It meant there was a lot going on in her mind that she hadn't quite come to terms with or didn't know how to verbalize.

“I don't know,” she finally admitted slowly. “I feel… angry. Scared, like he's going to pop up again when I least expect it.”

He didn't like the way she said that. “I'll keep you safe,” he promised.