Chapter One

MASE

The damn dog was at it again. My basement windows faced the side yard where it liked to play, and Sunny, my pet duck, couldn’t resist sitting in the little alcove and quacking as it ran back and forth on the other side of the fence a couple of feet away.

The dog always barked back. I was starting to think they planned it for the times when I just wanted some quiet.

Christmas had passed, finally, and my roommates were busy upstairs with the New Year’s Eve party they’d planned. In their defense, it wasn’t a party so much as them and their girlfriends sitting around drinking fancy wine in the living room. Even Gavin and Eva had come, but I was feeling claustrophobic.

Too many people and not enough space—even if they were people I liked.

Dark had fallen a while ago, and I’d made my requisite appearance before returning to my room in the basement to try to clear my head. For the millionth time, I wondered why I didn’t just get my own TV and move the game system down here.

Then again, I’d rather do a week of bag skates than give Reece and Cole regular access to my area. Gavin had converted the entire basement into a single room with an attached full bath, which gave me plenty of space to stretch out. I did yoga most mornings—since I rarely got a full night’s sleep—and I appreciated they left me be.

Tonight, I’d sprawled out on the bed in my underwear to catch up on a Twitch livestream I’d missed. Sunny squawked at the dog as it started another lap, and I grimaced, pausing the video.

I threw on jeans and a hoodie from the floor. Walking next door and calmly explaining their dog was a menace didn’t require clean clothes. Or shoes. Yeah, it was after eleven, but tonight was New Year’s Eve. Someone was probably awake.

Eva smiled at me as I slunk through the living room, but no one else said anything as they watched a special for Next Best Ninja. Cold wind whipped around me as I crossed the short distance between the two houses. When Gavin had offered his house in the quiet suburban neighborhood, I’d thought I’d last maybe a week before he kicked me out, but almost four years later, I couldn’t imagine spending my college years anywhere else.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I’d have made it without the safe space Gavin had given me.

The tradeoff was neighbors who insisted on being neighborly. I rapped on the door, then shoved my hands in my pockets. The wood creaked open a sliver and half a woman’s face peeked out.

“Yes?”

I knew I was a big guy, and when I showed up unannounced, people tended to get nervous—especially women. As much as I wanted to deliver my message and go back to my game, the best bet to get what I wanted was asking nicely. Or as nicely as I could manage. I hadn’t had to deal with people outside my circle in a while.

“I’m Mason Black. I live next door.” I pointed over my shoulder, and the door swung open the rest of the way.

The girl, about my age, smirked as she leaned against the doorframe in a black tank top and sweats. “Yes, we’ve met.”

I narrowed my eyes. She didn’t introduce herself, and I’d swear I’d never come over here before. I didn’t socialize at parties or go out on my own. Despite the sheer lack of opportunity, she did look familiar.

A vague image surfaced from the day I’d let the demons win and driven my truck into a ditch—a sharp, pretty face dominated by blue-gray eyes and framed with dark purple hair. This girl’s hair started as deep teal at the top and shifted to pale aqua at the tips brushing her shoulders, but the eyes were the same. The color reminded me of pond ice from my early days.

A memory I thought I’d burned from my mind.

“Whatever,” I tried to keep my tone level, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded. “Your dog is causing problems. It runs around and barks in your side yard.”

She raised a dark brow. “You don’t remember my name, do you?”

“If it makes you feel better, I also don’t care. About your dog…”

Her arms crossed, propping up her impressive chest. “I’m Taryn, and Hudson is running around in our backyard.”

I snapped my gaze back up to her face. “Which is connected to my backyard by a fence that sadly isn’t soundproof.”

“Hudson isn’t usually out at night.”

“Who said I only slept at night.”

“Why would I assume you’d be sleeping during the day like a vampire?”

I ran a hand through my hair, tired of the same vampire joke. “I sleep at random times, basically whenever I’m not playing hockey or video games or in class. It’s not like I’m into blood play.”

Our gazes clashed, and a faint flush painted her cheeks. “Fair enough, but I’m not sure what you want me to do about your squeaky-clean bedroom time.”

The wind gusted past us, and I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to restore feeling in my toes. “I want you to keep your dog quiet.”

Taryn frowned down between us, then propped her hands on her hips. “Are you barefoot?”

My dick chose that extremely inconvenient moment to notice the strip of skin showing at her stomach and the way her lush hips curved into her waist.

“Yeah, this was a last-minute decision.” I curled my toes on the cold concrete, hoping the chill would calm the heat in my blood.

She glanced over her shoulder, and a pained look crossed her face. “Why don’t you come inside.”

It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t sound too eager for me to actually cross the threshold.

“No need. I just want you to get a handle on your dog. It—”

“He,” she interrupted me.

“He aggravates my duck and keeps me from sleeping.”

Her teeth sank into her full lower lip with a half-smile. “Your duck?”

“Yes, my duck. She gets excited easily, and my room is right on the other side of that fence.” I pointed, and she followed the line of my arm. When her gaze crashed back into mine, I nearly took a step back at the mischief in her eyes.

“That does sound like a problem. I’ll make you a deal, Mason Black. If you can beat me at Citadel, I’ll only let Hudson outside during supervised times and keep him away from your room. If I win, Hudson gets free reign of the backyard, and you have to bring your duck over for a pet playdate.”

Citadel was my game of choice for a solid year when I’d first moved into the house. I never lost. Reece swore I cheated, but he simply didn’t appreciate the amount of time I spent trying to get my brain to shut the hell up so I could sleep.

The match wasn’t fair, and I knew it. Normally, I’d be merciful and decline—ask her to work out a schedule or something with the dog so I could go back to my room in peace—but something deep inside wouldn’t let me walk away.

A faint, electric buzz of excitement coaxed me forward. I hadn’t felt the budding thrill in a long time. If I wasn’t going to sleep, I might as well find a different distraction. Like chasing the spark Taryn had ignited.

I pursed my lips and decided I wasn’t feeling merciful tonight. “You’re on.”