“I don’t have anything that soon. Can you do the week of the 23rd?”
“I guess so. Rather get it done here than anywhere else.”
“Excellent, you’re all booked in. Just drop the car off in the morning, should only take a day to get done. If the guys find anything unusual or need more time, they’ll give you a call.”
“Thanks, darling. Hope you’re not planning on taking another holiday anytime soon.”
“No worries about that.”
“Good to hear. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
He left and I started cleaning up the schedule. It took me hours of swapping appointments and calling clients to fix everything. I didn’t mind though, even if I wasn’t supposed to actually work today.
The door to the garage opened again for the first time since Landon had left. I guessed he was hoping I’d had time for a donut run. Too bad he would be disappointed.
I looked up but the smile slipped right off my face when I saw Mason walk through the door. His eyes were on me, and they looked angry. He stomped his angry stomp in my direction, his intentions unclear. I stood up and stepped back, stumbling over the chair that rolled off to the side.
“Mason,” I breathed and backed up further.
He didn’t say a word, just continued stalking closer, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Willa said it was okay to come back.” I searched for an escape route, my eyes darting around the office. “Did you change your mind?”
I was ready to climb over the desk and bolt out the door. He made it to me, and I tilted my head back. We studied each other, our eyes roaming, our breaths short.
“Why did you get engaged?” he finally asked.
“It was the right thing to do.”
“How romantic.”
“I don’t need romance.”
“Since when?”
“Since reality knocked me on my ass and refused to let me get back on my feet unless I grew up.”
“So you don’t love him?”
I swallowed and shook my head. No use lying about it. And my answer wouldn’t change anything between us anyway.
“I spoke to Willa. Enlightening conversation,” he said.
“Fuck. She needs to learn to respect the ho-code,” I said and finally his face relaxed. He reached out a hand and brushed my hair behind my ear. The side of my face tingled at the contact. His hand travelled down my arm and stopped at my hand and his fingers tangled with mine.
“You should have told me about the contract.”
“And when would I have done that? When you disappeared on me? Or when you fired me?”
“I’m sorry,” he said and looked down to where he held my hand. “I act before I think and usually regret it afterward. I thought you were engaged while we were together and playing me. But I have never regretted anything as much as my actions after I saw you up on that stage, kissing that asshole.”
“You should have let me explain.” I tried to step out of his reach to clear my head but he didn’t let me go but pulled me closer instead.
“I know.” He looked at our intertwined hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you talk and instead fired you. And for what it’s worth I didn’t mean anything I said to you. Not a word.”
He lifted his head and our eyes met. His apology meant more to me than I could ever tell him. But I also knew that we could never be together again.
“Friends?” I asked, the word tasting foul on my tongue.
“Fuck no,” he answered and my heart dropped. Fuck me, but his rejection hurt. And even though he’d already pushed me away once, this time it seemed to cause even more pain. He didn’t even think about his answer.
He dropped my hand and I pulled it back, debating whether it would be worth the damage it would cause to my hand to punch him. Hurting him wouldn’t help with the sense of loss I felt, but it would certainly make me feel better.
Before I had a chance to decide whether I wanted to go down the path of insanity, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. As soon as he made contact, my arms wound around his neck and my body stepped closer. His kiss felt like ecstasy, his hands roaming my body making me sigh in pleasure. I savored every stroke of his tongue, every touch of his lips.
I pulled him closer, thinking the whole time that this was what happy felt like.
He eventually broke the kiss and buried his nose in my neck. “Stella, tell me this isn’t over between us.”
“I’m engaged.”
“Then get unengaged. You don’t have to marry him. I can take care of you.”
I stepped back, getting the distance I needed to think clearly.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Mason, I can’t break this engagement. It’s too late.”
“Nothing is too late. You aren’t married yet. Is it because you don’t want us to happen?”
“I want this so much. I think about you every second of every day. It hurts to be away from you. I want to be able to touch you whenever I want. Kiss you when the mood strikes. But I can’t.”
He looked angry again, his short temper flaring.
“That’s bullshit. Just break off your contract.”
“It’s not that easy.”
He stepped back, already retreating. The physical distance he put between us hurt. “It is exactly that easy. Looks to me like you just don’t want to.”
He turned his back to me and left, not giving me a chance to say anything else. God, his temper was going to get him slapped one of these days.
Seemed like I was just as impulsive as he was, because instead of leaving it alone I stormed out after him.
“Don’t you run away from me, you coward,” I yelled at his retreating back. He stopped, his posture rigid, his head hanging low.
“It’s pretty clear who the coward in this scenario is,” he responded, not turning around but also not running
