Page 45 of Making It Burn

I froze.

That voice.Deep, controlled, professional.The same voice that had said my name in a completely different tone two nights ago, rough and wanting and—

I turned around.

Mason was standing there in a charcoal suit, his hair perfectly styled, and his expression was completely neutral.Like he was looking at a stranger.Like we hadn’t had our tongues in each other’s mouths forty-eight hours ago.

“Mason.”My voice came out weird.Too high.I cleared my throat.“Hey.Morning.”

“Morning.”He didn’t quite meet my eyes.“Lisa.”

“Mason!How was your weekend?”Lisa was looking between us with way too much interest.

“Fine, productive.”Mason’s jaw was tight.“Beau, do you have a minute?I wanted to go over some of the MediCorp documents before the meeting.”

“The meeting?”

“Carter called one for nine.Didn’t you get the email?”

I pulled out my phone.Sure enough, there was an email from Carter sent at 7:15 this morning: MediCorp team meeting, 9 AM, Conference Room B.Mandatory.

Shit.

“Yeah, I got it.Sorry, just haven’t checked my emails yet.”

“Clearly.”Mason’s tone was clipped.Professional.Like I was just another colleague he was mildly annoyed with.

Something sharp twisted in my chest.

“I’ll meet you in the conference room in five,” I said, matching his tone.“I need to drop my stuff at my office first.”

“Fine.”Mason nodded at Lisa—actually nodded, like she was a stranger—and walked away.

Lisa waited exactly three seconds before grabbing my arm.“Okay, what the fuck was that?”

“What was what?”

“That!”She gestured in the direction Mason had gone.“The tension!The way you two were looking at each other, like you wanted to either kill each other or—” Her eyes went wide.“OH MY GOD.Mason!It was Mason!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Beau Thatcher, you look me in the eye right now and tell me you did not hook up with Mason Price this weekend.”

“We didn’t hook up.”

“But something happened.”

I opened my mouth.Closed it.Opened it again.

Lisa’s face transformed into pure delight.“I knew it!I knew there was something going on between you two!The way you argue in meetings, the way he looks at you when he thinks no one’s watching—”

“He does not look at me when no one’s watching.”

“He absolutely does.It’s like he’s trying to figure you out.Or murder you.Sometimes both.”She squeezed my arm.“So what happened?Did you kiss?Please tell me you kissed.”

“Lisa—”

“You did!You kissed Mason Price!”She was practically vibrating with excitement.“Was it good?It was good, wasn’t it?He seems like he’d be a good kisser.All that repression has to go somewhere—”