Emma drove to Mason’s. After she’d showered, pulled her hair back into her signature pony tail and then let it back down again. She hadn’t missed the way it directed Mason’s eyes down her body as it hung over her shoulders. Not that she was going over there for that. She was going over there because she needed someone to talk to who wasn’t a part of the clan business. Who could distract her and make her laugh.

Now, as she stood outside his door, hand raised to knock, she was completely second guessing herself. She hadn’t called. Hadn’t sent a message. She’d just showed up.

Because if she sat at the cabin, at… home, she was just going to drive herself crazy thinking about him anyway. They had left things hanging, for lack of a better explanation.

Emma sucked in a deep breath and made sure her hair was split over either shoulder, so it didn’t sit funny on the hood of her sweatshirt. Then she raised her hand again to knock, just as it opened.

Mason didn’t look any different than when she’d seen him earlier. Same shirt, pants, no shoes, but he was at home, so that wasn’t surprising. If she hadn’t been able to pick up on the fresh scent hanging over him, she wouldn’t have been able to tell he showered.

He crossed his arms over his chest. Two of the buttons were undone, showing a little bit of his chest hair through the gap. “I was making bets with Bones on how long you were going to stand out here before you knocked.”

Shit. Two days ago, he couldn’t tell the difference between a mundane and a shifter.

“Were you?” Emma hoped her voice sounded like… anything other than the nerves and self-doubt that were close to boiling over.

“Bones thought you were going to run.”

She’d considered it. “Why would I do that?”

“Beats me. Do you want to come in?” Mason stepped back and gestured toward his living room.

Emma nodded and stepped inside, scrambling to come up with a good excuse for just showing up on his doorstep. She had her own excuses, but they weren’t really great conversation starters.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you. I take it you got your calls made?”

She nodded again. Come on, Emma. Find your damn voice. You’re a freaking alpha for shit’s sake. “Yes. Only a few minor disasters while I was gone.” She shrugged. “For a whole, two hours or whatever it was.”

“Four and a half.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Nerd.”

Mason still stood in the door, leaving her in the middle of the living room.

She looked around. He only had the couch and two chairs for a small table to sit on. The couch was covered in notebooks and papers again, all but one cushion.

She hadn’t intended to drop a hint, but her glance sent Mason into host mode. “Here, have a seat.” He picked everything up off the couch, moving it to the small table instead of the coffee table like he had last time.

“Thanks.” She watched him scuttle around the room, picking up a couple of dirty dishes and a white something that could have been a sock or a pair of underwear. She didn’t get a good enough look at it before he snapped it up in the same hand as a half full milk glass.

“You don’t have to do that, Mason. I grew up with a bunch of boy bears. This is spotless compared to what they can do.” Emma settled herself onto the couch, to the inner side of the cushion. “Seriously, would you come sit down. You’re making me anxious running around like that.”

He stopped mid track, his hands full of other random stuff she hadn’t even seen where he grabbed it from. Glancing around, his shoulders fell slightly. He dumped the armload of crap onto the table. “Can I at least get you something to drink?”

“I’m fine.”

“Right.”

“I hope Mal didn’t damage your notebook too bad earlier. Were you able to salvage your notes?” Small talk. Really?

“For the most part.”

“That’s good.”

Mason sat down next to her, leaning all the way back and resting his head on the cushion. “You know, I could sense you out there, on the step. I’ve never been able to sense another shifter before.”

“You could? I thought for sure my headlights had given me away.”

“Give me a little credit.”

“You realize that an eight-year-old can already do most of what I am showing you?”

“That’s something you’ve made pretty clear. Thanks for that.” He was smiling, but it didn’t quite carry over into his voice.

Emma really had been hard on the poor guy. “Well it’s great you could sense us. It means you are bonding.”

“I wanted to ask, though.” Mason looked up at the ceiling and clenched his hands together over his stomach. “This is going to sound stupid, probably.”

“What do teachers always say? There are no stupid questions? Or something like that.” Emma thumped him a couple of times on the knee in encouragement. “You got this.”

His exhale was only half exasperated.

She squeezed his knee and let her hand come to rest on the top of his leg. As close as she could get it to the knee and be comfortable in her position. He hadn’t sat as far away from her has he could get, but they weren’t touching.

He glanced at her hand but didn’t move. He didn’t relax either. “I was wondering if I could sense you so easily because of…well.” He ran his hands over his face, running his fingers under his glasses until they fell onto his chest. “Because of earlier.”

Emma tried to hold back a smile. He really was a prude. Or shy. Or whatever. But it was cute. “I’ve never really thought about it, if I’m honest. I mean, normally, we’re bonded with our animal spirit by the time we sleep with somebody.” She tilted her head to the side and let her hand slide a little way up Mason’s leg.

He stiffened as she moved. Even if he wasn’t looking, he was aware of her touch.

With a laugh, Emma sat up straight, drawing back her hand and turning on the couch so she was sitting cross-legged facing him.

He rolled his head towards her, green eyes glowing.

“Well, I don’t think we mated.”

He frowned. “What’s that?”

“Well, it’s when two people have sex and then…bind their souls to one another. It’s kind of intense.”

He picked up his glasses and put them back on. Putting his hands on his knees, Mason smiled with one corner of his mouth, bunching up his eye until it was almost a wink. “My parents are mated. I get it.”

Emma had to restrain her relief. “Right. So, I guess my point is that unless we—you and I—mated, you shouldn’t be able to sense me any more than anyone else.”

“It makes sense.” Mason looked away, studying the corner of the coffee table. “I know this was supposed to be tomorrow’s agenda, but things changed today, with me and Bones. I had really accepted the fact that after all this time, things were just going to be the way that they were. So, I wanted to thank you.”

“Only with you and Bones?” It came out before she could stop it. What was wrong with her mouth lately?

Mason’s eyes shot up and his cheeks turned red. Goosebumps shot up his arms.

Emma realized belatedly, that they were his quills, sitting just beneath the surface.

Mal reared up, connecting her realization and preparing to pounce.

“Okay, everyone calm down.” She said it out loud, even if she was mostly talking to Mal and Bones.

Mason seemed fine, aside from the color of his face. Maybe they didn’t have to talk about it. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just sex. They were friends. She liked him. He liked her. It was fine.

They were still sitting cross-legged on the couch, facing each other. They had both moved their hands, subconsciously or not, to their knees, leaving less than an inch between them.

Emma made a decision. Designed a test.

The test was simple. She tightened her fingers over her knees and met Mason’s eyes. Leaned forward, just a little bit. Then a little more. Emma imagined an imaginary wall between them. She couldn’t move in any further than that. He had to meet her halfway.

She wasn’t going to give him a hint. She wouldn’t close her eyes. If she did and he just left her sitting there, she was going to be humiliated. And as she sat there, leaned in and waiting, she thought for a moment that he was actually going to leave her hanging.

Emma’s lips parted, ready to excuse herself and apologize for coming by unannounced. The words disappeared as his mouth finally met hers. The tension in Emma’s body melted away and she knew in that moment she had made the right choice, even if just for now.

When they separated, Emma smiled and sucked in a grounding breath.

Mason’s hands pushed through the invisible wall and found Emma’s. She could feel them trembling, and she almost laughed out loud. They were acting like teenagers who had just shared their first kiss. But in a way, it had been that.

Which was so completely backwards that she did giggle. “What are we doing?”

“Living.” He said it without hesitation, with such sincerity that she knew he believed it.

Emma nodded, promising herself to do just that.

Unlacing their fingers, Mason readjusted himself on the couch until he was lounging, his feet propped up on the coffee table. He lifted his arm, opening a spot for her to snuggle in.

She moved toward him, amazed again at how well they seemed to fit together.

“So,” he said, once she’d settled in. “Was this why you came over here tonight?”

“Not really.” At least, she didn’t think so. “I—things are complicated in my life. To put it simply.”

“That isn’t the first time you’ve described things that way.”

Emma shrugged into his shoulder. “I can’t really think of any other way to describe it.”

“Try?”

“You know some of it. Alpha. Cheryl. Jordan.”

“By some you mean a tiny fraction of chaos. If I were to venture a guess.”

“More or less. At least, now that I am alpha, things should settle down there a little bit. Assuming no one tries to challenge me right away and no one starts trouble over what happened with Cheryl. And no one contracts rabies again, and whatever Dexx and the Red Star are into doesn’t get completely out of hand. Things will be fine.” She accented the word with air quotes. When she laid everything out like that, even on a surface level, it seemed ridiculous. “And funny enough, that’s not even what I needed to talk to someone about.”

“Really.” He didn’t even sound surprised.

“I might also be a bit of a do-gooder.”

Mason raised an eyebrow.

“Which, I was doing before all this clan shit started and everything with Brett. I have been volunteering around town for years. Most notably, I volunteer at Troutdale Springs. Which you would have figured out anyway since your parents are there. I do my part at Svelte, even though I don’t have any kids. That is only half volunteer, with clan duties and expectations and all that. I enjoy working with the kids, especially the young ones, so I don’t count it as an obligation.” She drew in a deep breath. “And, seven or eight months ago, I started volunteering at a program for at-risk youths.”

“You’re kind of amazing, Emma.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Then you’re too hard on yourself.” He squeezed his arm around her shoulder.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But anyway, there’s a kid, Zander, who is an otter shifter. Basically, he got himself into some trouble with the Sisterhood and ended up in the program. I call him on Wednesdays. I am not licensed or anything. I am just there to offer an ear or a shoulder or a cookie or whatever. But I like to check in. When I got home, I had a message from him. He hasn’t messaged me out of the blue in months, and I dunno. I just have a bad feeling about it.”

Emma tucked herself deeper into Mason’s side. He was warm. Comfortable. Sitting next to him, she felt like maybe she was overreacting a bit to Zander’s call. She might be, but just as easily, she could be reacting just right. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“I assume you called him back. What happened?”

“He said he was having cravings. Went for a swim with his otter and was feeling better.”

“Well, at least he found a way to move past the cravings. I wonder, and I could be jumping here, but it seems like having a spirit animal might help with addiction. I assume that’s what he’s dealing with, since you mentioned cravings. But think about it. In my experience, which I will admit is limited, the times when addicts need someone the most are the times they inevitably won’t be able to get a hold of them. If the addict has a spirit animal, he still has somebody. As long as he isn’t me and waited thirty years to bond with the thing.”

Emma sat up and pulled away from Mason, turning to study him. “I had never even considered that. You are right. It makes perfect sense.” She smacked a hand to her forehead. “Maybe you should mentor this kid.”

“This is probably going to sound terrible, but I did my time in DC. I worked at a rough school. Saw too much. In a weird way, I suppose it makes me uniquely suited to work with a bunch of paranormal kids, but I don’t think I need more than that on my plate for the time being.” He motioned for her to settle back into his side. “Besides. He seems to have figured out my one grain of wisdom on his own.”

“He did. I’m still worried about him. But it does help to think that he isn’t completely alone. He is supposed to come into the bakery tomorrow.”

“There you go. He’ll show up and everything’ll be perfectly fine.”

“You’re probably right. Thank you.”

They settled into a contented silence, and Emma adjusted herself so her head lay more in Mason’s lap. He absently traced a finger through her hair, and she closed her eyes, letting the movement relax her. It only took a few minutes before she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

She didn’t know how long they sat there, and she had no idea when she fell asleep. But a snore from Mason started her awake, and it took a second to orient herself to remember where she was. Her abrupt movement shook Mason awake.

“I must have been more tired than I thought,” he said through a yawn.

“Me too. I should probably get going.” Emma started to get up, but Mason pulled her back down.

“Hold on, Skippy.” He leaned over her and picked up his cell phone off the coffee table. “It’s one-thirty in the morning. You aren’t going anywhere.”

She sat up again. “Mason, I have to get up in three hours.”

“Which will be two by the time you drive home and get ready for bed.”

He had a point. But…

“If you’re worried, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Why would I be worried about that?” Emma failed to keep the indignance out of her voice.

“Why are you worried about staying here in the first place?”

She really didn’t know.

“Come on. I’ve never been a fan of bondage or whatever, but I will tie you to the bed if that is what it takes to get you to stay the night.”

“Are you forgetting that I’m a grizzly? Ropes aren’t going to hold me.”

“Shit. Well now what am I going to do?”

Emma snorted a laugh and stood up, stretching. “Fine.” If she was honest with herself, she really didn’t want to leave anyway.

Mason led her across the room, pointing first to the right with a nod at the bathroom, and then opening the door to his bedroom. With the way he behaved about the minor clutter in the living room, she half expected him to jump around the room and start burying things under the bed. But his room was immaculate. The bed was even made. Emma couldn’t remember the last time she had made a bed. Especially in her own, private room. And somehow, the fact that it was made didn’t surprise her because it was Mason. She also noticed the heap of pillows at the head. She loved pillows.

“Well, welcome. I guess. Casa de Mason. In all its glory.”

Emma suddenly felt like a thirteen-year-old girl invited into her crush’s bedroom for the first time. She could still her Cheryl yelling about keeping the door open to the hallway.

Emma pointed at the bed. “Which side’s yours?”

“Um, I don’t really have a side.”

“You sleep in the middle?”

“I’ve never paid that much attention, if I’m honest.”

Emma shrugged and stepped to the left side of the bed. She set her cell phone on the side table and pulled off her hoodie. Static shocked the back of her neck as her long hair clung to it. She had forgotten why she didn’t leave it down when she was clothed. Pulling a hair tie off her wrist, Emma pulled her hair back and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked once over her shoulder at Mason, who was still standing in the door. Then, she leaned back on the bed and unbuttoned her pants, kicking her feet up in the air to get them off. It might have been dramatic, but she really did need to get to sleep, and Mason was just standing there. She thought maybe he would take a hint.

So, she reached behind and undid the clasp on her bra, pulling the straps off her shoulders until she could pull her arms out. Then she plucked the bra from the front of her shirt. Just as she readied to pull the shirt off entirely, Mason spoke up.

“At the risk of sounding, again, completely prude, I must ask that maybe you keep your shirt and, um… panties… on.”

Emma shot a look over her shoulder. “Mason, I sleep naked.”

“I understand that.” He adjusted his jeans from inside his pockets. “But, if I crawl into that bed with you and you’re naked, we aren’t going to get any sleep tonight.”

Emma considered, and then let go of her shirt. “Only because I need to sleep.” She winked at him and stood up. “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”

Mason looked at the ground. “I don’t. I don’t get many overnight guests.”

He was so dejected about it, Emma almost laughed out loud, but managed to contain herself. “Well, are you just going to stand there? Or are you coming to bed?” She was starting to wonder if he was actually considering sleeping on the couch.

“I’m coming.”

Mason stepped up to the bed and removed his shirt, which immediately made Emma grumble. She hated sleeping with clothes on. Why did guys get to run around shirtless like it was no big deal? Emma flopped back on to the bed and shimmied under the covers. He really did have a lot of pillows, and Emma fluffed the one immediately under her head, and then pulled two of them from their spot against the headboard. She laid them lengthwise down the center of the bed. When Mason raised an eyebrow at her, Emma retreated under the covers and pulled off her tank top, careful not to reveal too much skin from under the covers. Then she pulled one more pillow from the top of the bed and stacked it on the one lengthwise by her head. If he couldn’t see her being naked, they had nothing to worry about.

Mason only shrugged, laughed, and crawled into bed. “Good night, Emma.”

“Good night, Mason.”

Emma lay on her back for about half a second before sliding her underwear down her legs and dropping them on the floor. Smiling to herself, she rolled onto her side and went to sleep.