Yeah, he’d been obsessed with her body—no surprise that hadn’t changed—but it had taken her a while to realize that he was embarrassed by his obsession, because she wasn’t the kind of girl his friends had considered suitable for a high-profile athlete. Her throat threatened to close over, and her cheeks burned with a rising tide of mortification. She glanced at the exit, willing it to suck Mason back out and deposit him on the street. Better still, in the middle of the countryside, with no car and no wallet.
When that didn’t happen, she searched the people around them, many of whom had paused to watch. Tears burned in her eyes. They’d all be gossiping after this. Usually, she loved a bit of gossip, but this level of interest felt threatening and malicious. A hand alighted on Faith’s arm, and she flinched.
Shane snatched it back. “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t tell him. He didn’t know what had happened to her, and for her dignity’s sake, she’d prefer to keep it that way.
“I know this must be a shock.” Mason’s expression had softened. “But I’d like to speak with you in private.”
Shane’s musclesstrained from holding back his desire to take Faith in his arms and shield her from this guy, whoever he was. He’d never seen her like this. The moment the stranger approached, she’d shut down. Her face had become even paler than usual, and her shoulders had rolled inward like her subconscious was trying to help her disappear. She didn’t want anything to do with him, that much was obvious, but she wasn’t acting anything like he’d have expected her to. She had no sassy quips or condescending brow raise. Instead, she looked to be on the verge of tears.
Who was this guy? An ex?
He couldn’t think of anything else that would make sense.
“Faith, can I talk to you in private?” the man repeated when she didn’t answer.
With apparent effort, she straightened her shoulders, her eyes continuing to dart around like a scared rabbit’s. “No, I’d rather not.”
Shane’s concern faded. That was more like the Faith he knew. Little arms wrapped around his leg, and he looked down to see Hunter hanging off him, biting his bottom lip. Shane stroked a hand over his head. His son hated conflict and could no doubt sense the tension in the air. If he didn’t move on before long, Hunter might start crying, but he didn’t want to abandon Faith when she clearly needed support.
“I get that,” the guy said, although his frown indicated he didn’t like it. “But I need to talk to you, and I really don’t think you want to do this in public.”
“Do what in public, Mason?” she asked sharply, anger flashing in her eyes. “From what I remember, making things public was always your thing. Especially when they ought not to be.”
The man—Mason—flinched as though she’d slapped him across the face. Shane had no idea what was going on here, but he felt like Faith had scored a point in some kind of ongoing battle. He wanted to cheer her on.
“Don’t be like that,” Mason said. “Come on. Just give me ten minutes. For old time’s sake.”
Shane could see her wavering. She scanned the onlookers as though wary of the attention they were garnering. She didn’t want to make a scene, which was interesting in and of itself because Faith never feared making a scene. He could also tell that she wanted this encounter to be over and might agree so it would end sooner. But she shouldn’t have to do something she didn’t want. He weighed the pros and cons of intervening. He’d never been particularly aggressive, and Mason had thirty pounds and several inches on him, but he didn’t think the guy would retaliate physically in public. Even if he did, Shane couldn’t stand to see Faith hurting.
Still…. She was usually so self-assured that he didn’t want to interfere if she really did have everything under control.
“Faith,” he said quietly. “Do you want this guy to leave you alone?”
Her eyes caught his, and she gave a slight nod. Sucking up his courage, he put himself between Mason and Faith. “Back off. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Finally, Mason seemed to notice him after ignoring him even when they’d stood near enough to almost touch. He’d had eyes only for Faith. He sneered down at Shane, and the expression twisted his handsome face, adding a hint of nastiness. Shane stood firm and prayed to God he didn’t look as petrified as he felt. Oh well, at least he was teaching his sons a valuable lesson about standing up to bullies.
“Who are you?” Mason demanded, stepping closer.
If Shane had harbored any delusion that he might be Faith’s type, it vanished in the shadow of this Greek god who obviously had a past with her. He was Shane’s complete opposite. But regardless of that, she needed a friend, and that job fell to him.
“I’m the man who’s looking out for Faith’s best interests. I want to keep her happy, and seeing you has upset her.”
Oh, Mason didn’t like that. His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, and he took another step forward. Shane refused to back down, even though they were now standing chest to chest like a pair of gladiators sizing each other up. Then Mason shook his head and looked over Shane’s shoulder.
“Faith,” he said. “Call off your attack dog. I never meant to upset you. I just want to talk.” He smiled, and Shane wanted to plant a fist in his face to wipe that tender, too-knowing grin away. “It’s been years. Surely we can be civil about this.”
“Leave. Her. Alone,” Shane growled. He could really use backup right about now. Unfortunately, none appeared.
“Shane is right,” Faith said, her voice stronger. “Please go away.”
He wanted to turn and see how she was doing but didn’t dare remove his attention from Mason.
“Go on,” she continued, with a dismissive hand gesture. “Shoo.”
Cursing under his breath, Mason swung around and stalked off, glaring at everyone he passed on his way outside. Shane released the breath he’d been holding and shrugged, working the stiffness out of his shoulders. Summoning another burst of courage, he faced Faith. Now that Mason had gone, she’d deflated.