Page 49 of Making It Burn

Mason’s hands clenched on the table.“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, Mason.Maybe something?Anything?We kissed, and it was—” I stopped, not sure how to finish that sentence.Incredible?World-altering?The best moment of my entire weekend?

“A mistake,” Mason whispered.

The word hit like a slap.

“A mistake,” I repeated.

“We work together.We’re on the same case.Getting involved would be—”

“Complicated.Yeah, I got that message when you ran out of the bar.”I stood up, needing to move, needing to do something other than sit there and watch Mason shut down.“So what’s the plan here?We just pretend it never happened?”

“That would be ideal.”

“Ideal.”I laughed, but it came out bitter.“Sure.Totally ideal.We’ll just spend a weekend in New Orleans together, working side by side, pretending we didn’t—” I stopped.Took a breath.“Fine.You want to pretend it never happened?We’ll pretend.”

I grabbed my laptop and headed for the door.

“Beau.”

I stopped, my hand on the doorknob but didn’t turn around.

“I’m sorry,” Mason said, his voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.

I wanted to tell him that sorry wasn’t enough, that he couldn’t just kiss me like that and then act like I was nothing.Wanted to tell him I knew he was scared, that I got it, but that running away wasn’t going to make this easier.

Instead, I just said, “Yeah.Me too.”

And walked out.

* * *

I made it back to my office and closed the door before the full weight of what had happened hit me.

New Orleans.With Mason.For an entire weekend.

I slumped into my desk chair and stared at my computer screen.

My phone buzzed.A text from Lisa.

Coffee break in 10?

I typed back.

Make it 5 and bring something stronger than coffee

Her response was immediate.

That bad?

Worse

On my way

I set my phone down and tried to focus on my emails.Tried to think about medical technology provisions and regulatory compliance and anything other than the way Mason had looked at me in that conference room.

The way he’d said I’m sorry like it was killing him.