The man’s chest was searingly hot. Holding her felt like warming an entire pool of spring water.

But when Eve Vaughn remembered him being all lovey-dovey with Regina Shaw at lunch, even giving her roses, all the joy from his sudden arrival vanished.

She pushed him away and retreated to the farthest corner of the pool. Her shimmering eyes watched him reproachfully. "Did you come to the wrong place?"

A faint smile touched the man’s handsome face. He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I did. No wonder it reeked of jealousy the moment I walked in. The air is practically sour."

With that, he stood up, pretending he was about to leave.

Eve Vaughn saw this and hurried over to grab his hand.

She glared at him indignantly, enunciating every word. "You dare leave. Just you try it!"

Mason Lawson was taken aback for a moment. This Eve Vaughn was adorably fierce, like a little hedgehog with no real bite.

In fact, her possessiveness, as if she were guarding a treasured meal, was utterly tantalizing to him.

Mason Lawson decided not to tease her anymore.

He had a feeling that if he kept joking with her, he would actually make her cry from frustration.

"Okay, okay, I’m not leaving. I came here just for you."

Mason Lawson pulled her into his arms, sitting with her in the pool, and asked softly, "Are you very angry?"

Eve Vaughn shot him a glare. "Duh! If I lied about being busy, then turned around and took off to a hot spring resort with some pretty boy, would you be angry? If you’re okay with that, then I’m not angry anymore."

"You wouldn’t dare!"

Mason Lawson’s handsome face instantly darkened. "If I ever found out you were with some pretty boy, he’d be a dead man!"

"Him?"

Eve Vaughn paused. "He’d be a dead man? Not me?"

She thought Mason must have misspoken.

To her surprise, he simply held her close, burying his face in her neck. In a low, husky voice, he said, "That’s right. He’d be dead. Because, as you know, I could never bring myself to hurt you. So I’d have to take my anger out on someone else."

A wave of warmth instantly flooded Eve Vaughn’s heart.

’I’m so spineless,’ she thought. ’So pathetic!’

’I should be furious, but all it took were a few simple words from this man—not even sweet nothings—and my heart just melted.’

She stopped resisting his embrace, but a hint of sadness tinged her voice as she asked, "You and Regina Shaw... how far have things gone between you?" ’If they’ve made their relationship official, then it’s time for me to leave.’

’Eve Vaughn always knew this day might come, but she never expected it to be so soon.’

’He had only just returned to the Lawson family, and they were already arranging his marriage.’

Mason Lawson gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

The steam from the pool had flushed her face a deep pink, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red, making her look incredibly fragile.

But Eve Vaughn’s gaze was filled with defiance. She stared at him, unblinking. "Mr. Lawson, this question is very important to me. You and Regina Shaw... exactly how far have things gone? Have you... made things official?"

By the end, her voice had dwindled to a near-inaudible whisper.

Mason Lawson’s expression hardened. "If I had made it official with her, what would you do?"

Eve Vaughn flinched, a flicker of pain in her eyes, but she forced a brave smile. "Then I’d leave you, of course. And I’d wish you and your other half a lifetime of happiness."

To Mason Lawson, her smile looked shockingly sincere. There wasn’t a trace of resentment in it, nor did it seem like she was just saying it out of spite.

Mason Lawson dropped his hands from her shoulders. Visibly displeased, he let out a cold laugh. "How generous of you."

"I truly mean it," Eve Vaughn said softly.

’If Mason really found his other half one day, she would genuinely wish him well.’

’He had been so good to her.’

’When she was at her lowest, stuck in the mud, he was the only one who had reached out to pull her up.’

’She could never bring herself to curse a man like that, even if he one day belonged to someone else.’

’She would only be envious of the woman who got to spend the rest of her life with him.’

’But why was Mason suddenly so serious? He seemed angry.’

’Wasn’t this a good thing?’

’She wasn’t making trouble for him or throwing a dramatic fit that would put him in a difficult position.’

But now, Mason Lawson’s lips were pressed into a thin, tight line. He was silent, and the chill radiating from him seemed to cool the otherwise warm air.

Heartache and conflict welled up inside Eve Vaughn. Finally, she moved toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and initiated a kiss.

For the first time, however, Mason Lawson didn’t accept her affection. He pulled her away and said coldly, "Eve Vaughn. So you’ve always been prepared to leave me? It was just a matter of time? If that’s the case, why are you still throwing yourself at me? Is it to please me? Or are you afraid I’ll abandon you and stop helping you with your family’s problems?"

The barrage of questions made Eve Vaughn’s face turn deathly pale.

She choked back a sob, her voice trembling as she asked, "You think I’m only with you to use you, to have you solve my problems for me?"

Mason Lawson remained silent, his expression like ice.

’He was only just realizing it now. All this time, the girl had her own plans all figured out, and he’d never had a clue.’

In the past, whenever Eve Vaughn cried, his heart would ache, and he couldn’t stop himself from comforting her.

But now, Mason Lawson just watched her coldly. "If you’re unhappy, just say so. I don’t want you forcing a smile for my sake, and I certainly don’t need you to demean yourself just to please me!"

Eve Vaughn sniffled. "I’m not trying to please you. I just don’t want to waste a single second of the time I have with you, Mr. Lawson! I figure, rather than spending it being angry or throwing a tantrum at you, it’s better if we just get along. At least that way, when you look back on our time together, you’ll remember us at our best."

The moment she finished speaking, a searing heat flared in Mason Lawson’s eyes. He finally pulled her into a tight embrace.

It dawned on him then. This girl seemed so carefree, as if nothing in the world ever bothered her.

’But deep down, she understood everything.’

’She was young, but sometimes, her way of thinking was more mature than most adults’.’

’She was just trying to preserve a shred of dignity for them both.’

’It was just like when Julian Lawson had betrayed her. She hadn’t thrown a tantrum or made a public scene. She had maintained her composure and gracefully exited the relationship.’

This realization made Mason Lawson see that perhaps he had never truly understood her.

And that was why he had said such hurtful things to her just now.

"I’m sorry, Evie..." His voice was low. "I’m the one who hasn’t given you enough security."

’He knew the root of the problem, but he couldn’t give up the search for his mother, and he couldn’t just easily sever his ties with the Lawson family.’

Eve Vaughn leaned against his searing chest, feeling the powerful beat of his heart. She gave a bitter smile. "I know you have your own struggles, Mr. Lawson. I understand."

Mason Lawson’s brow furrowed tightly.

He didn’t want to hear another word from her. Her maturity was simply heart-wrenching.

He gazed quietly at her delicate face, then gently kissed her sorrowful eyes, followed by the space between her brows, the bridge of her nose, and the corners of her lips.

Each kiss was filled with endless, lingering tenderness.

She tilted her chin up slightly, meeting his kiss, and began to kiss him back in the same way he was kissing her.

A flurry of soft kisses and a passion that followed as naturally as a river finding its course stirred the waters of the spring.

This was the second time she and Mason Lawson had been together in the water.

Eve Vaughn’s face was completely flushed, but she couldn’t stop herself from meeting his advances.

Gazing at the girl’s dazed eyes, the man gave her earlobe a playful bite. His breathing was heavy with restraint as he whispered, "Evie, say my name... good girl..."