Part 23 (1/2)

”It means you have one hour to read this and then we're going to talk.” And G.o.d willing, f.u.c.k like rabbits until the end of time.

She took a long, deep breath and sighed. ”But I need to tell you how I feel. About you.”

Was that bad or good? How did she feel?

”You have an hour, beautiful, and then your time is up. I'm not waiting any longer.” He turned and walked to his car. Only this time, he glanced back at her over his shoulder, held up his index finger, and gave her his best, most rea.s.suring smile.

Then he got into his car and drove around for a while before pulling into a guest spot in Kevan's apartment building parking lot.

Mason glanced at his watch. Only thirty-seven more minutes to go. Tick. Tock.

Chapter 25.

Kevan stared at the silent television across the small room. She should probably read the papers before Mason showed up. And she knew he would show up. What was it in his eyes? A new challenge? A certain way to tell her he was finished with her and cut her loose for good? She deserved that after a.s.suming he'd broken their deal.

She should be prepared for whatever he wanted to discuss. But she couldn't bring herself to read the stack of neatly printed pages sitting on her lap. So afraid of what they might contain, she laid them facedown.

Just in case.

When she'd marched out of the conference room, she'd been ready to have it out in that parking lot again. Only this time, she was going to be brutally honest-tell him the real and the ugly. Mason needed to know that he owned her heart and that she was dumb drunk crazy in love with him. No more holding back. But she hadn't gotten the chance.

When he'd handed her the stack of papers and left, she'd worried she'd read him all wrong. He could be looking for closure and, being the kind of man he was, he wanted to face her when he told her.

d.a.m.n. d.a.m.n. d.a.m.n.

What if it wasn't love she'd seen in his eyes at the meeting?

f.u.c.k. f.u.c.k. f.u.c.k.

She was sure she couldn't live the rest of her life with this horrific, gaping, heart-shaped hole in her chest. Nope, that would suck. If he didn't want to work together, if he couldn't love her like she loved him, what was she going to do? The thought of continuing on like she had the last few days made her groan aloud. That wasn't living. When had she turned into such a friggin' pansy?

She took a deep breath. No, she'd be fine. Sad, but fine. She'd figure out how to work with him on the Manix account, and she'd get her brother back.

Kevan jumped when her phone buzzed on the table. Thinking it might be Mason. Or Joe. Or Bowen. She picked it up to read the text. Mason. Eight simple words that could mean so much.

Time's up. I'm coming for you, mo chroi.

Well, there it was. Time to face the music. She was going to lay it all out for him. Tell him she loved him too much to accept anything less than the same from him. Or, maybe she wasn't. Maybe she was too afraid of the pain.

Two minutes later, Kevan stood staring at the gorgeous man in front of her, shoulders slumped forward, eyes red, lips thinned and grim. Even miserable, he was the most handsome and masculine man she'd ever seen. Everything her body and heart had ever desired.

She was done pretending she didn't want him, that she didn't need him. She was done pretending to be someone else to protect her tender heart. She was hopelessly, madly, insanely in love with this bossy, maddening, brilliant, kind man.

And she was going to tell him. She just hoped it wasn't too late. How could she ever have thought she could live without him? Without his fancy suits and manly man smell of woodsy goodness and fresh soap? Without his wolfish smile and the predatory way he looked her up and down before devouring her? This man had gotten into her blood from his first overwhelming kiss. No, before then. If she was honest with herself, she had belonged to Mason Dillon as soon as he'd brushed his beautiful mouth across her knuckles and said, ”I've got you. Don't worry. I won't let you fall.”

Because she fell and he caught her. That's what he did. Every. Single. Time. She'd pushed him away, chased him off, as often and aggressively as she could, and he'd still come back every time.

He stood there, expectantly. Waiting for her to say something. Or to invite him in. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and live the rest of her life there, but she knew he wasn't ready for it. She wouldn't be able to hide her true feelings for him for long, but she loved him enough to know she couldn't keep him. She loved him enough to take the ride with him and then let him go.

They needed to talk about the papers he'd shoved into her hands. He'd looked as if he needed a response to them. But she'd been too afraid to look at them.

He scrubbed his hand down his weary face, and the side of his perfect mouth curled up slightly. ”You didn't read the contract, did you?”

Shaking her head, she stepped back to let him in before she humiliated herself by groveling at his feet. She motioned to the vintage lilac-colored couch she'd picked up at an estate sale two years before.

”Why, Kevan? Why didn't you read it?”

She swallowed down her fear and cleared her tear-clogged throat. ”I was afraid.”

”Of what, darlin'?”

He looked almost sad as he moved to sit on the farthest end of the couch. Was he trying to get as far away from her as possible? Maybe she should have read the papers, prepared herself a little more.

”Of you, Mason. Of my feelings for you.” He moved to say something, but she held up her hand to stop him.

”I think you like me. And I think you might even want us to work together.”

The smile spreading across his face made her heart sink.

This was it. Regardless of what was printed on the small stack of papers, she needed to tell him how she really felt. ”I'm so sorry. I know I have no claim on you, but you have one on me. On my heart.” She looked down at her hands, afraid of the truth in his eyes and what it would do to her. ”I'm crazy stupid in love with you, Mason. I have been since that first night at the club when I practically fell into your lap. I'm so in love with you my heart hurts when you're not near, and I can't stand one more moment without telling you the truth.”

The tears were coming now. Great, she was telling him how madly in love with him she was while her face was beginning the contortions of the most epic ugly cry ever.

When he didn't say anything, she sighed heavily. What did a woman like her-chaotic, messy, loud, impulsive-have to offer a solid, professional man like Mason Dillon? Diddly squat. That's what.

She looked at the papers scrunched in her hands and then risked a glance at him. He sat there staring at her, his expression unreadable. He nodded at the papers.

”Read the contract, Kevan,” he said simply.

She nodded. I can do this. She laid the paper-clipped stack on her lap and tried half-heartedly to smooth the wrinkles out. His long hand touched hers gently, stopping her movements. ”Read it. Please.”

She did. She read every single word through the blur of her tears. She sloppily wiped her nose on the sleeve of her silk blouse, ignoring the deep chuckle from the elegant man sitting by her side.

When she reached the end of the doc.u.ment, she took a deep, shuddering breath. And reread it from the beginning.

Mason sat as quietly and patiently as possible, hoping the legalese of the contract would sufficiently explain how he felt about Kevan. His pounding heart threatened to jump from his chest, and his lungs refused to breathe evenly. He needed her to know that regardless of how she felt about a long term-relations.h.i.+p, he was ready for one. In more ways than one.

Would she want the same thing? She'd said over and over she couldn't trust a man like him-someone not from her inner circle, someone from the more traditional business world she liked to keep herself separate from. What if it wasn't a cover to protect her battered and lonely heart? What if she really wasn't interested in something more? He couldn't even imagine a world without Kevan Landry in it.

The d.a.m.ned insufferable woman slowly read over each page as if savoring every word. And when she reached the end of the doc.u.ment, she flipped it back over and started reading it again. On the third time through, he grabbed the doc.u.ment off her lap.