Mason: #6 (Allen Securities) Read Free Page B

back from what had happened so easily. It was not like she was used to dealing with being shot at and running through the forest for her life.
    She was going to be a grade-school teacher for crying out loud. She was more worried about kids clogging toilets or taking a tumble from the monkey bars.
    So she found herself adrift, not sure what she wanted to do in the meantime. When the chance to watch Mason’s two kids had come up, her friends pushed her to take it.
    It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted the job. She loved the times she’d been able to play with the kids at the Allen family home, but there was still a large part of her that was afraid, and not of what lurked in the dark. It had been months since she’d even thought about the dangerous biker gang. No, she was more afraid of her own feelings.
    There was no question Mason was attractive. He had the sort of carefree boy-next-door look that weakened her knees, but he had two children and was split from his wife. She was certain a final divorce was on the way, but Mason didn’t seem interested in anything. Aside from last night, he’d never given any hint he was over Sarah.
    Victoria looked down at her simple black leggings and t-shirt. Dowdy was the only word that came to mind.
    She shook her head. It didn’t matter in the end. She wasn’t driving to Mason’s house to go on a date. She’d say goodbye to the children and then head on to her physical therapy. As it was, she was cutting things close by even stopping by, but she just had to see them before they left.
    Victoria pulled up behind a shiny red Porsche outside the house.
    She swallowed hard at the extravagance and quickly made her way up to the house.
    Before she could even knock, Mason opened the door. His face looked pinched, and for a moment, she wondered if she shouldn’t have stayed away.
    He stared at her for a moment, his eyes following the length of her body. Her face flamed.
    “I have therapy,” she said. His eyes came back up to hers, and for a moment, she wondered if she saw the same heat from last night.
    “Tori!” Lucy shouted and pushed past her father to grab Victoria’s hand and pulled her inside.
    Victoria brushed past Mason. Her face heated once again as his comfortable scent of mint and soap washed over her.
    “Mommy has a new friend,” Lucy said excitedly. “He’s taking us to meet movie stars.”
    Mason grunted in irritation, and Victoria could guess his thoughts on the subject.
    Unsurprisingly, Sarah was stunning as always. She wore tanned flowing pants that Victoria knew only from fashion magazines to be palazzo pants and a shear gold sequined top. The woman screamed glamor, and next to her, Victoria felt about as small as the look on Sarah’s face suggested she felt about her.
    Victoria held out her hand and smiled. “Your children are amazing.”
    Sarah wrinkled her nose and looked like she’d rather eat rotten eggs than shake her hand.
    A warm, soft hand slipped into hers.
    “It’s nice to meet you.”
    She stared in surprise at the man standing next to Sarah. He was quite a bit older than her. Gray was already starting to show through the dark brown hair around his temples. Still, she smiled back at him. His welcome was far more charming than Sarah’s.
    “I’m Sam. I’ve been working with Sarah on the set of my film,” he said. The lines around his face creased as he smiled. “And you must be Tori. The children have told us all about you.”
    Tommy pushed between them, forcing their hands to separate. He pulled her back until she was standing next to Mason.
    She glanced over to Mason, but his eyes remained fixed on Sarah. Victoria felt her heart fall a little.
    “So now that the kids have seen the babysitter,” Sarah said, “I think we can go.”
    She stepped over to the door like she knew the whole room was watching. Something about the way she spoke filled Victoria with irritation.
    The children walked quietly to the door and followed their mother