Page 40 of Bang

Mason paid for everything – the groceries, the utilities, and even gas for my vehicle – okay, notmyvehicle officially, but rather the one I drove as part of the job.

Turns out, it was the orange SUV he'd driven up to Petoskey, and the vehicle was actually growing on me. It had tons of safety features, and was perfect for shuttling Willow to and from school and to wherever else she needed to go.

In so many ways, I was living the dream.

Except for one thing.

Mason.

The longer I stayed here, the more I couldn’t stop thinking about my boss.

Although we never spent time alone, I saw Mason quite a bit while spending time with Willow.

When he was in town, the three of us ate breakfast together – well, whenever Mason didn't go into the office early, that is. We ate dinner together, too, except for all those times when Mason decided to work late.

And then, there were the weekends. Even though Mason was home more frequently on Saturdays and Sundays, he still spent long hours inside his home office while Willow and I did whatever around the house.

We played board games. We baked cookies. We put together lots of puzzles, and read a ton of books. Sometimes, they were thesamebooks – kids' books that we'd take turns reading to each other.

Or sometimes, Willow and I would each have our own book, and we'd lounge side-by-side on the couch or, weather-permitting, out on the back patio, reading in easy silence.

But when it came to Mason, there was nothing easy abouthim.

He made me think of things I shouldn't,dangerousthings that only fueled my fascination, especially one Saturday night, when I happened to catch him alone for the first time since my arrival.

Chapter 15

Mason

With a quiet curse, I stopped in the kitchen doorway.

Cami looked up. At the sight of me, she froze like I'd just caught her stealing the silverware. She was standing in front of the fridge, holding a pint of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. "Oh, hi." She winced. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

She had, but not in the way she thought. Choosing to keep it simple, I replied to the gist of her question. "No."

My bedroom was located a long way from the kitchenandinsulated for sound. But it didn't matter. Lately I hadn't been sleeping so great, tossing and turning in my oversized bed. And the reason forthiswas standing a few strides away.

The time was just past midnight, and Cami was wearing little white shorts and a thin pink T-shirt. Her hair was tousled, and her face was scrubbed clean of all makeup.

The lack of makeup wasn't a surprise, and her face didn't look much different than it had over dinner with me and Willow.

Unlike the last few nannies, Cami favored a more natural look.

I liked it.

In more bad news, it wasn't the only thing I liked, especially now as I eyed her from across the kitchen. Her clothes – they were skimpy enough to sleep in.

Hell, maybe shedidsleep in them.

In her bed.

Just down the hall from my own.

Fuck.

Nowthatwas a thought I didn't need.

From the open doorway, I told her, "I came down for water."