The rest of the room went quiet while Daisy unbuttoned her dress to show them her wound. Even though it was covered with waterproof dressing, the size of the bandage around her torso made them all gasp in horror. Daisy was thankful that they were spared from the sight of the actual wound—a long, vicious-looking cut that curved up from her hip to just a couple of inches below her breast. She had been shocked by the size of it and grateful that it had required only a few stitches. It could have been so much worse, and she was so grateful to the people of Inkululeko for saving her.
Daisy’s eyes lifted to where Mason stood in the doorway. He was staring fixedly at the covered injury, his eyes burning and his jaw clenched. When he looked up to meet her gaze, she was shocked by the raw emotion she saw swirling in those beautiful green eyes of his. He looked furious, but he also looked . . . anguished.
His lips thinned, and he cleared his throat, breaking eye contact with her.
“That looks huge; you’re going to have a badass scar,” Daff stated, trying to sound cavalier but defeated by the wobble in her voice and the haunted look in her eyes.
“I think it’s time Daisy gets some rest,” Mason recommended gruffly, and Daisy was stunned when her family seemed to defer to him. They all hugged her and filed out of the room.
“Wait, why are they leaving?” Daisy asked after a moment’s shock. “Who’s taking me home?”
“I’ll get your stuff, and then we’re leaving.”
Five minutes later they were back in his car and once again stewing in grim silence. This was getting a little old. If he didn’t want to talk to her, he should probably stop acting as her self-appointed protector. It was bizarre and confusing.
“Why are you turning here?” she asked in alarm when he turned onto the path that led up to his house. “I’m tired; I want to go home.”
“You’re staying with me tonight.”
“I can go home and Lia or Daff can stay with me. I can’t leave Peaches alone overnight.”
“Peaches is here, Daff brought her, and before you say anything, she packed a bag for you too.”
“But why?”
“Somebody needs to keep your ass out of trouble.”
“And you think you’re the man for that job?” she asked incredulously. He didn’t reply, merely stepped out of the car and rounded the front to open the passenger door for her. When she stubbornly refused to move, he sighed impatiently.
“If you don’t get out, I’ll pick you up and carry you to the . . . fuck it, never mind.” He slipped one arm behind her back and the other beneath her thighs and very carefully lifted her out of the car.
“Mason, I’m too . . .”
“If you say ‘heavy’ again, I’m going to drop you on your butt,” he promised grimly, and she prudently shut her mouth. He carried her to his front door without breaking a sweat and carefully lowered her to the doormat while he reached above the doorway and lifted down a key.
“That’s so unsafe,” she observed, and he let out a sharp laugh.
“Says the woman who just drove into a township alone at night?”
“Touché.”
The dogs were both going crazy, and when he opened the door, Peaches made a beeline for her while Cooper happily greeted Mason. He patted his dog affectionately before moving to pick up a wriggling Peaches just as Daisy was leaning down to get her.
“You want to bend down with those stitches? And you wonder why you need a minder?” He handed her dog to her, and she glared at him before limping her way into his house, while murmuring little love words to Peaches. She spared some love for Cooper too; the bigger dog seemed more relaxed around Peaches, so maybe they had come to some kind of canine truce in the short time they had been left alone together.
“Are you hungry?” Mason could see Daisy was exhausted and—despite her defiant front—in some serious pain. He should probably just have let her family take care of her, but—and even though it had seemed like the wisest course—he just couldn’t stand the thought of not being with her right now. He was angry with her, sure, but he also wanted to cling to her with every fiber of his being. Just hold her close and never let her go.
“Not right now,” she said. “I just need a really long shower.” He nodded.
“The bathroom’s upstairs; I’ll help you.” He settled a hand around her waist, taking Peaches and putting the dog back on the floor in the process. She went rigid beneath his touch and stepped deftly away from him.
“I’m sure I can manage.”
“I told Daff to put your bag on the bed.”
“You only have one bed, don’t you?” she asked wearily.
“Yeah.”
“Are we sharing?”
“I—” He should have thought about this earlier and felt like an idiot for never considering the obvious flaw in his plan. “I can take the sofa.”
“Hmm.” She sighed tiredly and started to drag herself up the staircase, leaning heavily on the banister. Mason followed her closely, worried that she’d lose her balance.
“Stop hovering,” she snapped uncharacteristically when she finally got to the top. “It’s annoying.” Her gaze started to rove around the loft. Mason was happy with the airiness he’d achieved in this space; from the tall, panoramic windows to the skylight and the gigantic bed, everything just felt roomy yet at the same time—because of all the wood—cozy and warm. The loft overlooked the living area of cabin, but if one glanced up from below, the tucked-away aerie could barely be seen.
“Shower’s through there.” He pointed toward the frosted-glass double doors leading to the massive full bathroom and clenched his hands to prevent himself from reaching for her as she limped her way toward it. “I’ll get some dinner on. Your appetite may come back a little later. Call if you need me.”
She didn’t respond, and he reluctantly turned away and left her to it. The dogs were stretched out on their tummies in front of the cold hearth, facing each other with their wet noses touching. Coop looked smitten but confused, while Peaches looked smug.
“You too, huh, boy?” Mason said in quiet sympathy. “Trust me, it won’t get any easier. She’s going to drive you completely crazy.”
Neither dog acknowledged him, and he left them to it.