She snorted at that, deserved better? Who the hell did he think he was kidding with that?

But he followed it up with something that made her stop short, Mason seemed to pick up the vibe and for once stopped with her.

"You...love me?" She was just staring at him, her shoulders softened and she froze. Her brain worked in milliseconds but it felt like an eternity before she reacted.

Tex covered the distance between them and wrapped arms around him, careful moderate the pressure to not damage him. "You stupid asshole."