“You awake, Cowboy?”

  Mason’s grunt was cute.

  “We should get up.”

  “No. I don’t think we should. I think we should stay right here, like this.”

  Lucky chuckled. “Nice try, Cowboy. ¡Vamos, levántate! Necesito café.” He smacked Mason’s butt and made to roll away when Mason caught him around the waist. He rolled onto his back, taking Lucky with him. “Mason,” Lucky scolded, his reprimand not sounding much like one, considering he was laughing. “Suéltame.”

  Mason pretended to give it some thought. “Nope. I don’t think I will let you go. I reckon I’ll keep you.” He popped a kiss on Lucky’s cheek. “I like you.” He wrapped his arms tightly around Lucky, keeping him from going anywhere, not that Lucky couldn’t get loose if he wanted to.

  “You’re maybe a little bit crazy, you know?”

  “Maybe.” Mason shrugged. “Doesn’t change what I said.”

  Lucky stopped struggling, and with a resigned sigh lay sprawled over Mason’s larger frame, his face tucked against Mason’s neck. “I guess this is nice.” He felt Mason’s rumble of a chuckle all over.

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Can you free my arms please?”

  “I can. The question is, should I? Are you going to try and escape?”

  “I need coffee, Mason. It’s essential to my well-being.”

  “And you’ll get your coffee. I promise.”

  Lucky sighed. “Fine.”

  Mason released him, but not completely. He slid his arms under Lucky’s to hug Lucky to him. “See. I can compromise.”

  It was Lucky’s turn to chuckle. Dios, ayúdame. This man was going to kill him. It struck him then that they were in bed together with Lucky on top of Mason and they weren’t having sex. They weren’t even moving or kissing. They were simply enjoying the closeness. It was incredibly intimate. His lips were so close to Mason’s skin, his stubble wonderfully thick. He was one of those guys who had to shave every day or he’d have a full beard by the next morning. Mm, he smelled good.

  ¡Ni lo pienses! Don’t even think about doing what you’re thinking of doing. Lucky ignored the little voice of reason in his head and flicked his tongue out, loving Mason’s sharp intake of breath as he licked a trail up to Mason’s jawline before nipping at the stubble there. Mason groaned.

  “Okay, you need to get up. Fast. Or I’m going to have you flat on your back waking up the guests.”

  Lucky rolled off him, landing on his feet beside the bed. He chuckled at Mason’s pout.

  “You’re an ass,” Mason growled.

  “You mean this ass?” Lucky turned, lifted his arms, and shook his ass.

  “You little shit.” Mason jumped out of bed, and Lucky made a dash for the bathroom and shut the door before Mason reached him.

  “You can’t stay in there forever, Morales. That’s going to cost you!”

  Lucky leaned against the door. “Oh yeah? How?”

  “A kiss at the very least.”

  “I don’t know. That’s a pretty steep price.”

  “You shoulda thought about that before you went wavin’ that red flag in front of this bull.”

  Lucky snickered. “Okay, Cowboy. One kiss. But I choose when.”

  “You have twenty-four hours.”

  “Fine. I’m going to shower now.”

  “Unlock the door. I gotta take a piss.”

  “Such a gentleman.” Lucky opened the door, shaking his head in amusement only to have Mason cup his face and take his lips in a kiss that made his toes curl. Lucky’s brain shorted out and his body took over, opening his mouth so his tongue tangled with Mason’s. When he pulled back, he was floating.

  “Did I say twenty-four hours? I meant twenty-four seconds.” Mason smacked Lucky’s ass playfully before turning and heading back into the room.

  “I thought you had to piss?” Lucky called out, shaking himself out of it.

  “Nope. Just needed you to open the door.”

  “Cabrón.” Lucky closed the door but didn’t lock it. He turned on the little shower radio he traveled with and stepped into the shower, all the while wondering if Mason was going to try and join him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he would certainly not be opposed to having Mason naked and wet in front of him. On the other hand, having Mason naked and wet in front of him would lead to other things, and he was trying to keep things nonsexual between them, though he wasn’t really doing a very good job. If he wanted to keep his distance from Mason, this was not the way to go about doing that. He needed to do better. If they kept this up, one or both of them would end up hurt.

  After a quick shower, Lucky dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. He trimmed his stubble and put on some deodorant and cologne, all the while singing to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” It was the one thing they hadn’t been able to take from him in Cuba, his love for music. Growing up, there were days where they had no food, but they had music from the old radio his abuelo had gifted his father when he was a boy. His father would play it low enough so no one outside could hear and know they still had the little radio, and when the president or his men came, his father would hide it in an old beat-up coffee can.

  Music was a part of him, a part of his soul. From his parents’ old favorites like Celia Cruz, Beny Moré, and Tito Puente, to artists like P!nk and Adele, music had always been in his life, and always would be.

  “Are you singing Madonna?”

  “Yes. She is my queen. Next to Celia Cruz, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé.”

  “Really? Makes sense.”

  “Oh?” Lucky arched an eyebrow at him. “What are you trying to say?”

  “That it takes a diva to know a diva.”

  Lucky opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. “You’re right. Also, I’m fabulous.” He tossed his nonexistent hair back.

  “No denying that, darlin’.” Mason leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, his biceps stretching the fabric of his white V-neck T-shirt. Lucky was onto him.

  “Stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?” Mason blinked at him innocently, but Lucky knew better. Mason’s bright blue eyes were filled with mischief. He smiled, causing little lines to form at the corners of his eyes. “Not fooling ya, am I?”

  “Nope. You’re flexing to tempt me.” Lucky stopped on his way past, jutting a finger at him. “I will not be tempted.”

  As he walked by, Mason yanked his towel away.

  “¡Ay, cabrón!” Lucky cupped himself and spun around to glare at Mason, who threw the towel over his shoulder with a laugh. The laugh quickly died down as he blatantly raked his gaze over Lucky from head to toe. He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth and groaned.

  “Shit, my little prank backfired.”

  “That so?”

  Mason nodded. “Oh yeah. Baby, you are fuckin’ beautiful.”

  Lucky lifted his chin arrogantly. “This is a fact I know.”

  “And that’s what makes you dangerous,” Mason said with a huff. “Can I see your tattoo?”

  “Some other time. Go shower. That is your punishment for that little stunt.”

  “Goddammit.” Mason turned, grumbling as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

  “Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain. I will tell my mother on you.”

  Mason poked his head out of the door. “Wait, does your momma know about what’s going on with us?”

  Lucky rolled his eyes. “Mason, I talk to Ace about everything, and Ace talks to his mother almost every day. His mother is my mother’s sister. The whole of Miami and Cuba know about you.”

  “Fuuuuck.”

  “Yes, very much so. Everyone in my family refers to you as ‘ese vaquero que le rompió el corazón a Chulo, y ahora está detrás de Candi.’ The cowboy who broke Chulo’s heart and is now after Candi. But my mother still thinks you’re very handsome, even if she wants to throw her chancleta at you. Fair warning, if you see her, she may do so.”

  Mason’s eyes were huge. He quickly closed the door, as if doing so meant he was protected from Lucky’s family.

  Once they were both ready in their suits, they headed downstairs for some breakfast. Lucky always ate breakfast. It was a Cuban thing. Meals were never skipped unless absolutely unavoidable. Lucky said a little prayer of thanks that the restaurant had espresso.

  “I never understood that,” Mason said, pointing at Lucky’s café con leche. “The whole tiny cup of espresso before you have a latte that also has espresso.”

  Lucky shrugged. “I don’t know. My parents have always done it. El buchito de café is something you have first thing in the morning before anything else.”

  “Let me get this straight, you make a coffee in order to be able to start your morning and then you make another coffee for breakfast?”

  “Something like that. Except el buchito is straight up espresso. Café con leche is less café and more milk. I don’t know. Don’t question tradition, man. It just is.”

  Mason laughed. “Okay, okay.”

  They finished breakfast and used the restroom before heading up to Sienna’s room. The guards greeted them pleasantly, and Ryan opened the door for them when they knocked and announced themselves.

  “Good morning!” Sienna was bright and cheerful, looking beautiful yet casual in her designer jeans, comic book T-shirt, and leather jacket that matched her leather boots. Her red hair cascaded around her shoulders, and her bright pink lipstick gave her a playful look.

  “Ready?” Lucky asked. Today was going to be longer than yesterday since it was several hours of posing and taking pictures with fans.

  “Let’s do this.” She held her fist out to Lucky, and he bumped his fist to hers.

  “Where’s your dad?”

  Sienna rolled her eyes. “I sent him out. He’s the reason people found out about where our room was.”

  “Yes, but it was a simple mistake,” Lucky soothed.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Sienna replied, her frown deep. “He did it on purpose. For publicity. He thought ‘the excitement’ would make me more popular.”

  Lucky gritted his teeth. If he opened his mouth, unpleasant words would come out, and he didn’t want to ruin Sienna’s good mood. There was a time and a place, and this was neither. Sienna was geared up and ready to greet her fans. He wouldn’t take that away. Pasting on a smile, he motioned to the door. “Time to shine.”

  The trip to the conference hall was thankfully uneventful.

  After the photo session, Sienna had a couple of panels along with some fellow actors, but she would be done by dinner. She’d be taking photos with fans for several hours with breaks in between sessions. Her hope was to get everyone in to see her, but with a line that was several people wide and reached halfway down the room, it was doubtful.

  Lucky and Mason stood side by side to her left, just outside the camera’s view, while two other guards stood to her right. The rest of the team was divided up, some close by while others made rounds, walking down the line of people and keeping vigilant. Every few minutes they checked in with Lucky. Fans of all ages from all parts of the world had come to see Sienna and take their picture with her. She took pictures hugging people, making funny faces, doing silly poses, pretending to be her character in the movie. Some people came dressed up, others wore T-shirts with her character on them. A few teens had to be warned and reined in, but for the most part, people were respectful.

  A man in his early fifties waved a greeting at Sienna as he stepped up for a picture. She smiled sweetly, and he leaned in to murmur something in her ear. The color drained from her face, and her eyes widened. She darted her gaze to Lucky, her eyes filled with fear, so much so it was clear she’d forgotten the safe word. Lucky sprang forward, snatching the guy’s arm as he pulled his hand out of his pocket, aware of Mason grabbing Sienna and hauling her away from the guy. Knowing she was safe, Lucky twisted the man’s arm, knocked the scissors out of his hand, and kicked at the back of his leg, ignoring the man’s yelp when Lucky slammed him into the carpet face-first, his arm twisted up behind his back.

  “I just wanted a piece of her hair for eBay!”

  “She’s only a kid, you piece of shit,” Lucky spat in the man’s ear. “You should be ashamed of yourself.” He pulled a zip tie from his pocket, and bound the guy’s wrists together before hauling him to his feet as event security ran over. Lucky talked to security, waiting with them until the police arrived to take the guy off their hands.

  Lucky joined Mason and Sienna in the dressing room. She was on the couch, her face buried in Mason’s chest as he held her, offering comfort.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” Sienna threw herself into Lucky’s arms and burst into fresh tears. Judging by the black streaks running down her cheeks, she’d already had a good cry.

  “It’s okay, love,” Lucky soothed, hugging her tight as she cried into his chest. He ran a hand over her hair, speaking softly. Mason brought over a box of tissues, and Lucky thanked him as he took one. He handed it to Sienna, who blew her nose.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry. I know it’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid,” Lucky assured her. “No one has the right to make you feel how you felt out there with that man.”

  Sienna nodded. “I know. I just… nothing like that’s ever happened to me before.”

  Lucky’s heart went out to her. From here on out, her encounters with fucked-up people was only going to get more frequent. Her career was taking off, and that brought out all the nut jobs.

  Ryan was on the phone chewing someone’s ear off. He was so pissed, he was practically vibrating. Whoever was on the other end was in big trouble and rightfully so, because no one should have gotten into the conference hall with a weapon. Ryan tried to get Sienna to cancel the rest of the event, but she shook her head.

  “Those people have waited hours to see me. I’m not going to disappoint them because of one asshole.” She stood, her hands balled into fists, her expression one of determination. “Get me makeup.”

  Ryan hopped to it, and the makeup crew was in the dressing room within minutes. They redid Sienna’s makeup, and she was raring to go. Lucky was so very proud of her. She wasn’t about to be deterred. In fact, she seemed more determined than ever. As soon as she stepped outside, the crowd roared with cheers. She waved at them as she walked back in front of the camera, opening her arms to a little girl dressed in her superhero costume.

  The rest of the event went off without a hitch, and Sienna stayed to take photos with everyone in line, finishing far later than was required, but she’d insisted. They escorted her up to her room, and she hugged them both.

  “Thank you, guys. I don’t know how I would have done this without you.”

  “You would have been equally amazing,” Lucky said. “We were just backup.”

  “If you’re ever in Cali, look me up.” She winked at them, then disappeared into her room.

  “I hope Hollywood is good to her,” Mason said as Lucky let them into their room.

  Lucky hoped so too, but it wouldn’t be an easy road by any means. He had a couple of friends trying to make it into show business out there, and it was hard for young stars not to lose their luster.

  Man, he was beat. He turned to ask Mason if he wanted to use the shower first when Mason exploded.

  “What the hell is wrong with people? I mean seriously? Attacking a young woman to cut off her hair so you can sell it online? How does that make any fucking sense? Like, who thinks that’s a good idea?”

  Lucky took a seat on the edge of the bed as Mason paced in front of him. “More people than you think.”

  “Fucked-up people. I mean, if he’d, I don’t know, gone to her hairdresser or something after she’d cut her hair or whatever. I mean it’s still fucking weird, but okay. How the fuck did the guy even get that past security?”

  Wow. That was a lot of “fucks” in the span of a few breaths. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling someone is about to lose their job.”

  “Christ.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Mason stopped and blinked at him. “What?”

  “You’re worked up about this.”

  “Of course I am, I mean…. Shit. I know I shouldn’t be because it’s the job, but….”

  “You care, and that’s okay. This is good,” Lucky said, patting his shoulder when Mason joined him on the bed. “Out there, you did what you had to, and you were professional. Here, now, you can lose your shit. It’s what you do as a cop, no?”

  Mason sighed. “Yeah.”

  “On this job, you won’t see the kinds of things you see as a homicide detective, but you’ll still meet monsters. It’s our job to protect others from those monsters.”

  “You know, I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “What?”

  “My cases involve people who didn’t have anyone to stop the monsters from getting to them. You stand between the monsters and the people they’re looking to turn into my cases.”

  “We do our best,” Lucky said quietly.

  “What you do matters. A lot. Jesus, Lucky. You get to save lives. What I do now…. Those people…. It’s too late.”

  Lucky didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t as if Mason didn’t know what his job entailed. Maybe he was seeing things differently? “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I…. I guess I’m a little in awe of you right now. I can see why you fellas started this company after serving. You might not be doing whatever it is you did out there, but you’re still helping people. I gotta admit to bein’ a bit of an asshole. I mean corporate espionage? That’s a bunch of rich white guys stealing from other rich white guys, but fuck, I was so wrong. Mr. Ruiz? Techu Technologies is his life’s work. It’s how he feeds his family, how his employees feed their families. It’s a whole system of people, not just some corporate assholes. I know there are corporate assholes out there, but Mr. Ruiz wasn’t one of them, and we saved his business. And now, we stopped some sick bastard from hurting an innocent girl. Granted, she’s probably going to have nightmares about that fuckwit for who knows how long, but he didn’t take a piece of her.” He flew off the bed. “Shit, I’m rambling. I’m sorry. I…. Wow.”