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  “Whatever you say, Mason. You believe what you want. I’ll believe what I see. And right now, I see the Mason I like. And thank you for taking care of me, for making sure I was all right, and for staying with me.”

  He shook his head in frustration, but didn’t respond. She was sure he probably saw no point in arguing.

  “You are right though, I’m still feeling pretty beat. I’d ask you to join me in a nap since I really did feel safe with you here, but I have a feeling you’ll either pass out or choke me with that request. So let’s pretend I never woke up and you never got out of bed.”

  “I’m not your friend, Kat.”

  “What does that have to do with me getting better? You want me better faster, you said so yourself. Well, I’m cold, you have body heat, and I know you must be tired. So take your own advice and help me get better.”

  “You are lucky I don’t hit women because you are frustrating the crap out of me right now.”

  “Well then why don’t you shut me up and get in bed?”

  “Oh, for the love of God!” he cried and thrust his hands up. “You’ll shut up if I lie down?”

  She nodded, and he hesitated before climbing in bed.

  “This doesn’t mean anything, Kat, so don’t get any ideas.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she replied with a lie. This was going to be easier than she thought.

  Chapter 24

  Kat woke up a few hours later, but she was alone. She wasn’t sure how long Mason had stayed with her, if he had stayed at all. For all she knew, he could have waited for her to fall asleep and then slipped out. It didn’t matter though. The fact that he was willing to get back into bed with her to comfort her spoke volumes. He obviously cared about her even if he wasn’t admitting it to himself. Sure, he was moody and yeah, he was clearly a kidnapper, but he had never truly hurt Kat. She technically had a roof over her head, food to eat, a nice clean bed, and a bathroom of her own. He never physically hurt her; hell, he barely did mentally, and he never tried anything inappropriate on her. Mason even technically took care of her and protected her, first from Junior and now from whatever viral infection she had. Of course, if she wasn’t here in the first place, she probably wouldn’t have been in the situation with Junior, and who knows if she would have gotten sick. If you forgot about the being forced to be here part, it almost sounded like she was doing pretty well. And if she truly looked deep inside herself, she cared about Mason as well.

  He was obviously broken and damaged. He was holding her prisoner, because he thought that she was the cause of all his pain and suffering. She still couldn’t figure out how the hell that happened. But underneath all that, he wasn’t a bad guy. He had shown her kindness when she didn’t expect it. He protected her when she needed it. He opened up to her when she persisted. She blamed this entire situation on the evil person that put him behind bars in the first place. She had seen enough abuse and crazy family situations to know that nothing was black and white. She had worked with people who believed life was against them and they deserved whatever they got. As a social worker, she had always told her clients that everyone deserved a second chance. And Mason deserved the same. He was clearly someone who thought he needed to make things right on his own. She didn’t blame him for that type of thinking, especially after what he had been through. She understood that every person has a breaking point. He snapped. He took his need for revenge out on her, but as far as revenge schemes go, this wasn’t all that horrible. Well, at least from the outside looking in. For her, it totally sucked; she wanted out.

  Her grand plan for freedom was to seduce Mason, even though manipulating him went against everything that she was taught. Yes, it most certainly did, but she was dying to get out. Just because she was a compassionate human being that cared about Mason and truly wanted to help him deep down didn’t mean she was crazy enough to sacrifice herself for it. She wanted to come and go as she pleased. She wanted to go outside whenever she wanted. She wanted to answer to herself and no one else. She wanted to depend on herself for food, shelter, clothes, a job, the list went on. She deserved freedom, and maybe once she got it, she could help Mason. But until then, she was getting out.

  The only real thing bothering her was the actual seducing part. She realized just being her natural self was enough to get to Mason, but it wasn’t enough to get him to fall for her. She had always been incredibly shy, so she wasn’t quite sure how was she going to become a seductress. She’d have to remember just about every movie and book she ever read and hope that helped. But she wasn’t sure exactly what seducing entailed. Oh God. She hadn’t thought about the fact that she would probably have to offer her body. She wasn’t sure she could really use her body for something like that. She wasn’t a virgin, but she had only had one partner – Seth. And he was her long-time boyfriend, a man she loved, someone she thought was her future. She couldn’t believe she was thinking about just having casual sex with someone. And this wasn’t even just casual sex. This…this was something else. She would essentially be offering herself in exchange for something else. She wondered if that was technically a form of prostitution. She decided that she didn’t care.

  Maybe if she thought about how nice it felt to be in Mason’s arms and how she actually cared about him, this wouldn’t feel so bad. Yeah right. Who was she kidding? This situation totally sucked. But she didn’t have a choice. If she wanted out, she had to work the angles she could and, apparently, she was the angle this time. She would just have to suck it up.

  She didn’t know how long she had been thinking about all this when Mason interrupted her thoughts. “Oh good, you’re up. How are you feeling?” he asked as he buttoned up his shirt, stepping closer.

  He put a hand to her forehead and all lingering thoughts trailed away at the feel of his gentle touch on her face. “You’re not hot, but you did toss and turn while you were sleeping. You feeling rested?”

  “Feeling much better. Thank you, Mason. Thank you for taking care of me.” She was putting on the charm, at least she hoped she was. But secretly, it was easy to do around Mason. She felt so comfortable around him lately. And the way he was staring at her now, like she was more than just a plot point in his revenge scheme, like she was more than just a passing acquaintance, made her almost blush. Damn! Maybe this seducing idea was bad news. She cared about him without any signs of a relationship, especially a physical one. She didn’t know if she could really just cut her feelings off and sleep with Mason without getting attached. But she would have to. It was so easy to see him as just “a plan” when he wasn’t around. But when he was near her, he was human, he was real, and he was an extremely complicated but beautiful man. She would just have to push all that aside.

  “Like I said, you’re my responsibility.” She smirked to herself, wondering how long he was going to keep telling himself that was the reason for his actions.

  She looked down at herself and then back up at him. “How did I get dressed? I mean, I remember being near the closet, but I don’t think I was dressed.”

  Mason’s eyes shifted away from Kat. He couldn’t look at her and Kat had her answer. He had seen her in her underwear. Well, he practically saw everything on display on a daily basis when she wore that stupid little maid outfit, but this was different and she blushed. She actually blushed.

  “I dressed you, but I didn’t look,” he answered and Kat snorted. His eyes snapped to hers, and he looked a little flustered.

  “I think I can overlook you seeing me like that considering the circumstances but you can trust I’ll repay the favor.” She didn’t know how she did it, but that sounded an awful lot like flirting to her. She mentally patted herself on the back as she watched Mason’s eyes bug out of his head. She waited for some reply, but he clearly wanted to pretend she hadn’t said anything, because he changed the subject quickly.

  “I have to go to work, but Benny will be here soon to look after you. You stay in bed and rest. He’ll get your meds and make sure you ea
t something. There are a few different types of soups in the fridge. I’ll be back in a few hours or so.”

  “Not that I don’t enjoy Benny’s company, but I’m fine Mason. You don’t have to baby me. Really, I’m feeling much better. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I’m not worried, just making sure you can get back to cleaning this place up as soon as possible. So rest up, stay in bed, maybe get up and walk around a bit, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Doctor’s orders.” He smiled.

  “Well, if it’s doctor’s orders, then I’ll be sure to follow everything you said.” She smiled back.

  “See you soon,” he called out as he left.

  Shit! He really was a ridiculously nice guy when he wanted to be, so much so that her heart actually fluttered when he just spoke. She couldn’t wait until Benny got there. She needed a distraction.

  Chapter 25

  Kat didn’t have to wait long before Benny showed up.

  “I hear you’ve been sick. Personally, I think you just got fed up taking care of Mason and wanted some love in return,” he joked as he walked into her room.

  “Yep, that’s it. I made myself sick so I could get a vacation from being a prisoner,” she only half-joked back.

  “Oh hell, Kat, don’t think you can do that with me. I know you better than you think and I know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That prisoner bullshit comment you just made.”

  “It’s not the truth?” she countered. “Can I come and go as I please? Can I go outside without Mason letting me out like I’m some dog? Can I pick my own clothes to wear each day? Can I make my own decisions? And let’s not forget the fact that I was brought here without my permission in the first place.” Her face got a little red as she huffed out the last words.

  “And yet you take it all and still come out cheery and smiling. Can’t say I’m not in awe of you. You’re pretty special. Knew it the first time I met you. I even told Mason that. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you act around Mason and how he is around you.”

  “How you can get me riled up and calm in the span of a minute, I don’t know, but that’s why I consider you my friend, Benny.”

  “Yep, Kat, I am your friend. But I’m also Mason’s friend. He tells me just about everything. And I know he cares about you. You should have heard him freaking out when he found you. He was so worried. Of course, I’ve only known him a few years, but I’ve never seen him like that. But that’s not what I’m interested in. What I want to know is how much you care about him.”

  She wondered why he wanted to know and how much she should tell him. She considered him a friend, which wasn’t necessarily saying much. She didn’t really have the opportunity to make many friends being stuck in this place. But he was right; he was Mason’s friend too. In fact, his loyalty remained solely to Mason. If not, he would have helped Kat get out of this place a long time ago. No, she couldn’t confide her true plans to him. She couldn’t tell him everything that was in her heart and mind, but she could give him a big part of the truth. It wouldn’t hurt. And maybe, if he ever told Mason, it might work in her benefit.

  “All right, fine. Having no freedom completely and totally sucks big time. But, as bad as this situation could have potentially been, it’s not that bad. When Mason’s not being an ass, I like being around him. He’s surprisingly gentle and caring. He has a sense of humor, or well, he tries to. He’s taken care of me and protected me. He’s easy to talk to. And I see why he did all this, which doesn’t mean I agree with it, but I understand. I understand him. I see that he’s damaged, and I want to help him break free of the chains that drag him down. So if you are asking me if I care about him, yes, I do.”

  “Oh, Kitty Kat, you don’t have to be blind to see you care about him. That wasn’t my question. I asked how much, but I think I just got a pretty damn good idea.”

  She didn’t know what Benny meant by that. It was obvious she cared in the sense that she was human after all. She did have a heart, but she didn’t know if it was more than that. And she questioned what he meant when he said that he got a pretty good idea of how deeply she cared. Of course she cared. As much as anyone else would. Mason truly wasn’t a bad guy. But the smug expression Benny was giving her was turning her stomach into knots.

  “And what’s that good idea, huh Benny?”

  He just smiled wider. “I just saw some wheels turning in that head of yours, Kitty Kat, and now my hunch just got stronger. Doesn’t matter though; it won’t do you or Mason any good hearing it from me. You’ll realize it yourself soon enough. So now a change of subject. How you feeling?”

  Kat didn’t want to change the subject, but if she had learned a few things about Benny, she knew once the topic was done, it was done with him. She sighed and figured she’d ponder what he told her when he left.

  “Much better, but I think I could use some real food. You mind?”

  “Nope, not at all.” He fed her, helped her walk around, and kept her company until Mason got home.

  *****

  Mason didn’t technically have to go to work. He could have just said he wasn’t taking this job, but Kat was getting to him and he needed out. He had called Benny to take care of her, and he left. That hadn’t really done him much good seeing as he couldn’t get her out of his mind the entire day. He hated to admit that Adam was partially right about him. He had clearly been in an emotional state with Kat, and that’s why he didn’t see her illness for what it was. Of course he was emotionally involved; he had lived with the girl for months. They weren’t friends, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any compassion. That also didn’t mean he cared about her in the way Adam had implied.

  He really did like the way she felt in his arms when he held her as she gained her strength. He liked the flirty playful nature that came out when she realized he had taken care of her. It made him feel alive, and he hadn’t felt that way since before he took Kat for his little revenge plot. And that was something he sure as hell hated to admit to himself, so he tucked that little nugget of information in the back of his mind. It wasn’t her, he told himself. It was the fact that things were working out in his favor. He had successfully captured Kat, and she was living as his personal slave. That had to be the reason he got glimpses of his old, happy, normal self. It had to be. Because there was no way he had feelings for the woman who ruined his life, at least not those kind of feelings.

  He made it home in one piece, despite barely remembering the drive home. When he walked through the door, he saw Benny on the couch.

  “Honey, I’m home,” he joked as he sat down next to him. Benny just smiled.

  “How’s the patient doing?” Mason asked.

  “Oh, you mean the one you ran away from?”

  “What are you talking about? I had to work. And keep your voice down.”

  “She’s in the shower, man. She’s doing much better. Let her rest another day and she’ll be back to her normal self. But no changing the subject. We both know your jobs are just day to day bullshit. You didn’t have to go if you didn’t want to. You could have stayed and taken care of her yourself, seeing as how worried you’ve been. So tell me, why’d you run?”

  “I didn’t run. I haven’t gotten many jobs lately. And I was going a bit stir-crazy, so I had to get out.”

  “Oh? And what was making you crazy? Huh? Was it the sexy little Kat that has been getting under your skin for a while now?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” Mason countered.

  “Don’t you? Damn, man. You care about her something fierce. It’s as plain as day. Why you don’t see it, I don’t know. But who could blame you? She’s got legs for days and a body worth killing for, not to mention she’s hot. But forget all that. She’s fun and feisty. She’s sweet and caring. And when she turns those sweet innocent big hazel eyes on you, man, you melt.”

  Mason glared at Benny.

  “What? Don’t look at me like that. I’m a man after
all. Shit, you think I’m blind?”

  “So you have a thing for Kat, huh?”

  “Don’t go getting jealous on me, Mason. That girl’s only got eyes for you. Anyone can see that just as clearly as they can see you pining away for her. Every time you are around each other is just pure entertainment. I never know whether I’m going to see the ‘let’s pretend we hate each other’ show or the ‘oh man, if we don’t kiss, I’ll burn’ show. Don’t get me wrong, you guys are a blast to be around, but as your friend, I think it’s time I clued you in on something you haven’t figured out yourself. You love her.”

  “Ridiculous,” Mason interrupted.

  “Is it? Look, I know why you feel like you can’t love her. But whoever she was in the past, that ain’t her anymore. You have to let go of this need for revenge you’ve been carrying around and let her know how you feel. Hell, allow yourself to realize how you feel.”

  “Let go of the revenge? Really, Benny? You know how much I went through. You saw it. And if I remember correctly, you helped orchestrate this revenge. So how can you tell me just to let it go?”

  “Because, Mason, the game has changed. Tell me, honestly, are you going to feel good about yourself, are you going to be happy and satisfied, if you break her down? And then what? Let’s say you do. Let’s say all your dreams come true and she’s just as broken as you want. Then what? You just going to let her walk out that door like nothing happened? You going to forget she existed? Or is she going to forget you existed? How about all this? You think she’s going to be happy about it all?”