The white door to the lounge led into a small hallway that opened up into a large space with vinyl flooring resembling wood. To Lucky’s right were two round tables in a lighter wood color with chocolate-colored bases matching the four brown chairs around each one. Next to it sat a matching coffee table, and across from it two comfortable lounge chairs with a taller coffee table in between. Positioned beneath the large double window was a plush cream-colored couch with throw pillows, and against the far wall across from it, a large mirror hung on the wall above a sturdy wooden bench. The white door beside the bench led to a bathroom.

  The table Mason sat at was long and white, with four yellow chairs on each side, and behind that was a full kitchen, with white cabinets, stainless steel stove, and full-size two-door refrigerator. Potted plants added color, as did the sunny yellow canvas paintings on the white walls. The room was immaculate. Cleanliness was not optional at Four Kings Security. Even Joker, the messiest of them, led by example, making certain to always clean up after himself when at the office.

  “It’s kinda strange being here in your territory and all.”

  How did Mason know Lucky was there? He hadn’t made a sound or walked in far enough for Mason to see him. Not to mention that getting into places undetected was something he’d been trained to do. Lucky entered the kitchen and took a seat opposite Mason.

  “How did you know I was there?”

  Mason shrugged. “A feeling.”

  “What happened at work?” Lucky wasn’t about to comment on Mason’s words.

  “Didn’t King tell you?”

  “I want to hear it from you.”

  Mason sighed, long and weary. It squeezed Lucky’s heart. King was right. Mason looked terrible. His bright blue eyes—which were still focused on the window and not on Lucky—seemed tired, and Lucky missed their usual sparkle.

  “I fucked up. I got picked for a random drug test at work and forgot all about a prescription cough medicine I’d taken a few days before. I didn’t list it. When my test came back positive, I got suspended.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?” Mason moved his eyes to Lucky. “Why did I get suspended?”

  “No. Why did you forget to write down the medicine?”

  “Oh, I, um….” Mason cleared his throat and averted his gaze again. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping, but you know how it is. That’s the job, right?”

  “So, what you’re saying is you weren’t sleeping because of your job?”

  Mason worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

  “Mírame.”

  Mason did as Lucky instructed, lifting his gaze. Fuck, why did Mason have to be so damned handsome? It wasn’t like Lucky hadn’t had plenty of good-looking men before, but Mason Cooper was different. Every rugged inch of him was mouthwatering, from his chiseled jaw and sinful body full of rippling muscles, to his huge biceps, thick neck, and long legs. His hair was long enough to tuck behind his ears, but did he? No. He let it fall over his brow, taunting Lucky. It cascaded forward when he looked down, the soft strands calling to Lucky. His fingers itched to touch.

  “Lucky?”

  “¿Que? Oh, I want the truth from you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Always.” Lucky tapped the table for emphasis. “From this moment on, always the truth.”

  Mason hesitated. He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, nodding instead.

  “The reason you weren’t sleeping, was it the job?”

  “No.”

  “What was the reason?”

  “You. But my fuckup is on me. I shouldn’t have let it interfere with my job. What I did was stupid, and now I have to deal with the consequences. I’m not here to make your life difficult, I swear.”

  “How long will the investigation take?”

  “A few weeks, a month, who the hell knows? Your guess is as good as mine.”

  The room plunged into silence again. Having Mason here threw Lucky off-balance, but King was right. Carajo. He hated when King was right. Normally, Lucky wouldn’t have any remorse for Mason. Everyone was responsible for their own actions, but Mason wasn’t just anyone, and as much as Lucky hated to admit it, he cared. Before he could speak, Mason stood.

  “Listen, I understand if you don’t want to work with me. I was a real asshole and said some shit things. I lie awake thinking of all the words I should have said instead, what I might have done differently.”

  Lucky wanted to ask what words Mason would have used instead, or what he would have done differently, but it was best he didn’t. If he kept his distance from Mason, they might make it through this unscathed.

  “This was a bad idea. I’m sorry I troubled you.” Mason turned toward the sink, his back to Lucky as he washed his cup.

  “It’s okay,” Lucky said, standing. He walked around the table. “We’re two professional adults. Besides, if we don’t do this, then one of us will have to tell King, and that won’t be me.”

  Mason finished washing his cup and placed it on the dish rack before wiping his hands on the small towel. He turned, his lips curled up in a smirk as he leaned back against the sink, his arms folded over his chest making his biceps stretch the material of his button-down shirt within an inch of its life.

  Never had Lucky wanted to lick someone so badly. Lick, nibble, do all kinds of terribly naughty things. That sparkle of mischief was back in Mason’s eyes, and it took everything Lucky had not to march up to him, take hold of his face, and kiss him until they were both weak in the knees and gasping for air. What would Mason do then? Would he retaliate? Spin Lucky around, bend him over the table, and shove his pants down to his knees? Wonderful. Now all he could picture was Mason fucking him.

  “Well, I sure as hell won’t be the one to do it. I’ve asked him for enough, and I ain’t the begging kind.”

  Lucky grinned wickedly. “You’d be surprised what a man is capable of when faced with the right motivation.”

  Mason pushed away from the sink, his powerful, sleek body moving with unexpected grace as he stalked forward, like a lion hunting its prey. He stopped so close to Lucky their bodies almost touched, sending Lucky’s temperature soaring. Mason’s lips pulled into the kind of smile that promised wicked things, and he tipped his head to one side in observation. His bright blue eyes darkened, and he dropped his gaze to Lucky’s mouth as he brushed those calloused fingers down Lucky’s jaw. Refusing to show Mason how his touch affected him, Lucky remained unmoving, even when Mason slid his fingers beneath Lucky’s chin and tipped his head back so their eyes met. “Cuidado, Cariño. You keep playin’ with fire and you’re gonna get burned.”

  Oh, this motherfucker did not just speak Spanish to him and call him sweetheart. Lucky would never ever admit it, but he loved hearing Mason speak Spanish. Loved that every time they spoke to each other, Mason had learned to say something new. It would be easy for Lucky to fool himself into believing Mason was learning for him—since Lucky was the one Mason always tried his new words out on instead of Ace—but it was more likely down to the fact Lucky spent more time speaking Spanish than Ace. Also, Mason had lived in Florida for years now. As a member of law enforcement, it made sense he’d want to pick up as much of the language as possible.

  Mason’s fingers trailing down the side of Lucky’s neck snapped his attention back to whatever madness was happening right now. If he didn’t do something, the rising inferno inside him was going to erupt, and he couldn’t have that.

  “But then you like playing with fire, don’t you, Querido?” Mason murmured, his voice a low seductive rumble.

  Lucky parted his lips, his eyes on Mason’s tempting mouth. He held back a smile when Mason’s breath hitched. “I don’t play with fire,” Lucky whispered, leaning in. “I am fire.” He flicked his tongue out, licking a trail over Mason’s lips from bottom to top, then walked away, smiling at the sound of Mason’s growl.

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’? Get your ass back over here.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Cooper. We’re on the clock now.”

  “Little shit,” Mason grumbled with a huff. He caught up to Lucky, his pout endearing. “You’re not sorry at all.”

  Lucky chuckled. He was most certainly not sorry. Maybe working alongside Mason wouldn’t be so bad. At the very least it would be entertaining.

  They headed to Jay’s desk, and Lucky thanked him for the contract before heading to the elevator. The top floor of the building housed the executive offices belonging to the Kings, Jack and Joker—who headed their own departments—along with the executive assistants, the human resources department, conference rooms, and an impressive reception and waiting area.

  Their first stop was to the security office on the ground floor near the entrance of the building so he could add Mason to their security system and have a badge and key card made for him. Everyone who worked for Four Kings was in their system, and a key card was required to access nearly every room in the building. Each key card varied in the level of security assigned. Only the Kings, Jack, and Joker were cleared to add or make changes to personnel on the system, one that had been designed by Jack himself. The kind of client information in their possession was worth billions, and they took the responsibility of looking after that information incredibly serious.

  Once Mason had his ID clipped to a lanyard that hung around his neck, they headed back upstairs, where Lucky showed Mason to the desk he’d be using.

  “You can use this desk in the meantime. Here is the contract. Take your time reading it.”

  Mason nodded and took a seat. He started reading it when he noticed Lucky was still there. “This has several pages.”

  “I know. I helped create it.”

  “Do you want to come back? I can grab you when I’m finished.”

  Lucky shrugged as he leaned against the desk, his arms folded over his chest. “You’re going to have questions.”

  Mason frowned. “Uh, okay.” He went back to reading, and Lucky waited patiently. Employees always had questions regarding the contracts. Not because they were opposed to anything, but because they had trouble believing what they were reading. As expected, two minutes into reading the contract, Mason frowned. He looked up at Lucky, his brows furrowed. “It says this includes gym membership. Is that deducted from the salary?”

  “No. Certain positions are physically demanding, which means staying in shape. We don’t expect our employees to have to pay for something that is a job requirement. Gym membership is included along with all your equipment, weapons, and uniforms.”

  “Meals are included?”

  “While on the job, yes. Keep your receipts and submit them to your boss.”

  “Who’s my boss? King?”

  Lucky shook his head, his smile wicked. He laughed at Mason’s wide eyes.

  “You?”

  “Sí, señor.”

  Mason opened his mouth to reply, then seemed to think better of it. He went back to reading the contract. “Wait, canine insurance?”

  Lucky chuckled. “Yes, that was Joker. We have several bomb sniffing dogs on staff. Joker said they need benefits too. There’s a canine perks package if your job includes your furry friend.”

  Mason flipped to the next page, his eyes lifting to Lucky’s. He craned his neck, then lifted up as if searching for something, his eyes narrowed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m looking for the halo.”

  “What?”

  “You fellas created your own charity?” Mason dropped back down into his chair. “If I didn’t know you all as well as I do, and the fact you’re all a few pickles short of a barrel, I’d have thought you were a bunch of saints.”

  Lucky squinted at him. “Pickles? I don’t like pickles.”

  “Forget the pickles. Tell me about this charity.”

  “There are many excellent charities for military veterans and their families, but we would rather have the money go straight to the soldiers and families who need it, without any overhead, executives to pay, or fund-raising expenses. We created our own very small nonprofit charity, which generates very large donations from clients and employees—the employee donations we match at the end of the year—and every penny goes to support military veterans, retirees, and military families. Our accountability and transparency are one hundred percent.”

  Mason looked thoughtful. He nodded before returning to the contract, and Lucky smiled, waiting for the next question he knew Mason would ask as it was the same one all new employees asked.

  “It says here there’s no vacation or paid time off programs.”

  “No. We expect the best results from our employees, and that is how performance is measured, not by how many hours you work. Employees are free to take time off as needed. No guilt. You need a day to go to the doctor or get your car fixed, just speak to your boss. You need to take a week to relax at the beach, just ask for it.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  “Don’t people abuse the system?”

  Lucky arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Right. Like someone would be stupid enough to try and take advantage of King.”

  “We have the best employee perks and benefits in the state, but our employees work very hard, and the job is not without risk.”

  “Gotcha. Work hard, play hard.” Mason signed the contract, then handed it to Lucky. “Well, I’m all yours.”

  Those four little words hung in the air between them, and Lucky forced himself to look away from Mason’s penetrating gaze. He moved from the desk and cleared his throat. “Follow me.”

  They stopped by Jay’s desk, and Lucky handed him the signed contract to file, and then they headed into King’s office. Lucky smiled at Jack. “Hey, look who it is.”

  “It’s not my fault.”

  Lucky peered at his friend. “What’s not your fault?”

  “I’ve got a job for you two,” King said from behind his desk. “Jack has to take off with his team to Clearwater for a complete overhaul of a client’s security system.”

  Lucky’s brows shot up near his hairline. “Something’s wrong with one of your systems? Are you broken?”

  “No, ass. The client thought he’d save money by having someone else install a cheaper system than the one I installed in his corporate headquarters at one of his other businesses, and holy fuck, what a disaster. The alarm goes off at all hours.” Jack ran a hand through his black hair, his gray eyes narrowed. “The guy who installed it is an asshole, and he clearly has no idea what the fuck he did or how to fix it, and instead of bringing someone in to help, he’s blaming the security guards, saying it’s their ineptitude that keeps fucking things up. The client finally called me.” Jack’s smile was huge. “The ass-kissing wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want to interrupt him while he was telling me how amazing I am. So, I need you to take my CTSCM job downtown.”

  “Fuck, bro,” Lucky said with a groan. “Can’t Red or Ace do it? You know how much I hate your corporate surveillance cases. Why would you send me to do this?”

  “Because it’s important, and there’s no one else. I know you hate all the cyber stuff, Lucky, but we’ve been planning this for months, and this is the first real shot we have to bring this fucker down. I need a King on this job, so it’s you. I’ll be in your ear the whole time in case you need me.”

  “Fine. It’s not like I have a choice.” Lucky enjoyed technology as much as the next guy, but he wasn’t big on figuring out how it all worked. That’s what he had Jack for. Though Lucky wasn’t as bad as King. No one was as bad as King. His friend had a serious aversion to technology and hated social media, which was probably a good thing. Too many stupid people online, and that didn’t mix well with King and his inability not to tell people what he thought of them. It was in everyone’s best interest he not have access to them.

  Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He held them up to Lucky, but when Lucky reached for them, he snatched them away. “You treat her like a lady and not one of your dates, you hear me? No making a mess of her only to leave her wrecked for the next guy to worry about.”

  Lucky put a hand to his chest. “Sir, I am a gentleman.”

  “You’re a cad.”

  “A cat? Is that like a Tom cat?”

  “A cad.”

  Lucky whipped out his phone and googled it. He frowned at Jack. “Fuck you. I’m not dishonorable.”

  “You’re a player.” Jack tossed him the keys, and Lucky swiped them out of the air before shoving them into his pocket.

  “I’m a lover,” Lucky argued, glaring at Mason when he scoffed.

  It quickly turned into a cough, and Mason shook his head. “Sorry, um, throat’s still a little scratchy from that cough I had.”

  “Mm-hmm. Let’s go, Cowboy.” Lucky left the office with Mason in tow. He gave Mason the side-eye as they got into the elevator. Is that how Mason saw him? As a player? Lucky had many sexual partners, but he never played anyone. He never took advantage of anyone, pretended to care about them, or be interested in more. From the moment they met, he let them know he was only interested in a night of hot sex. Lucky never lied. He hated lies. What was the point? In the end the lies would catch up with the liar.

  “What’s CTSCM?” Mason asked as the elevator doors opened up to the garage beneath the building.

  “Corporate Technical Surveillance Countermeasures.”

  “Which means?”

  “Sitting in one of Jack’s surveillance vehicles for hours hoping some corporate asshole fucks up so we can take him down.”

  “Corporate espionage?”

  “Yes.” Lucky headed for the end of the garage and the truck parked near the exit. Mason stilled, his eyes going huge.

  “Holy fuck! When you said surveillance vehicle, I was expecting a van or something, not a thirty-foot truck.”

  “Not quite thirty, but almost.”