Page 45 of Playing with the Boss
My breath hitches when I catch sight of him in the break room—alone. This is it. No backing out now.
“Mason?”
He spins at the sound of my voice, a coffee stirrer in hand. “Lisa.” His gaze flicks behind me. “I was on my way to see you.”
I turn to check there isn’t anyone within earshot. “I need to talk to you.”
He steps around me, pushing the door closed. His masculine smell invades my senses, making what is already an emotional conversation ten times more intense.
“Is this about yesterday?” His eyes search mine as he moves to stand before me. “Because I haven’t been able to stop worrying.”
I nod, unable to speak when faced with him in all his glory at such close proximity. I mean, the man is a dream. What if this all is too?
“Talk to me, baby,” he urges. “Whatever it is, we can deal with it.”
His hand slips to my face, caressing my jaw. I lean into his touch and pull a deep breath. Does he really mean that? No matter what, he’ll stick by me?
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” I assure him, “but I’m on the pill.” I swallow, searching his eyes. “I… I need to know if you’re clean, though.”
“As a whistle.” He visibly relaxes.
“Did you really mean what you said, though?”
He watches his thumb as it traces my bottom lip. “Mean what?”
“That you’d work through whatever came up?”
He chuckles. “I meant it. I only want you. However, that happens.”
“I want this too,” I admit. “All of it. I’m sorry I judged you.”
His sigh tells me instantly that something is off.
“What’s happened?”
He pulls his hand from my face and steps back. I don’t like the separation one little bit. Has he changed his mind? Did he speak in the heat of the moment, and now he regrets it?
“That meeting I had?” His hand rubs the back of his neck as he paces the break room. “I was told to let you go if I wanted to keep my job.”
“I know.”
He stops moving, his brow showing his apparent confusion. “You do?”
“Alf told me the same thing.”
He steps toward me, taking my arms in his hold. “You know they can’t do that, right? Block us from seeing each other?”
I nod. “Yeah, I do.” I frown. “Why are you worried about it then?”
“I pushed back.” He sets his hands on my chest, fingering the sides of my blouse. “I told them I wanted this bullshit agreement in writing.”
“Why?” He’s not thinking of going along with it anyway, is he?
“I want them to load their own gun. I thought if I had it in writing that I could sue their asses.”
Smart man. “But?” I trap his hands against me before he can pull them away.
“In the heat of the moment, I didn’t think it through. All I wanted was to get payback for treating me—us—unfairly.” His eyes search mine as he pulls a deep breath. “I don’t want to work for a bunch of assholes who’d try to deny me you,” he says. “I walked back in there and quit.”