Page 51 of Making It Burn

Lisa sat back in her chair, a slow smile spreading across her face.“Beau, this is either going to be the best weekend of your life or the worst.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“No, listen.”She leaned forward.“You said he kissed you back.Like really kissed you back.That means something.”

“It means he was drunk and made a mistake.”

“Or it means he’s freaking out because he doesn’t know how to handle it.”Lisa pointed at me.“That man is scared, Beau.Scared of what it means, scared of what could happen.But he’s not scared of you.”

“He literally ran away from me.”

“Because he’s terrified of his own feelings, not because he doesn’t have them.”She took a sip of her coffee.“New Orleans might be exactly what you two need.Time away from the office, time to actually talk without everyone watching.Maybe something good comes out of it.”

“Or maybe I make a complete fool of myself and ruin everything.”

“Well, yeah, that’s also possible.”Lisa grinned.“But where’s the fun in playing it safe?”

ChapterTen

Mason

Iarrived at the airport forty-five minutes early because that’s what responsible people did.What they didn’t do was spend the previous three days obsessively checking their phone, rereading a single text that saidProfessional.Got it.Like it held the secrets of the universe.

I’d seen Beau exactly twice since Monday’s meeting.Once in the hallway—we’d nodded at each other like strangers.Once in the break room—he’d left immediately after I walked in, his coffee still steaming on the counter.

Professional.

I checked my bag at the counter, went through security, and found a seat at the gate with a clear view of the entrance.My laptop was open on my knees, MediCorp documents pulled up on the screen, but I couldn’t focus on a single word.

Instead, I kept replaying Saturday night.The way Beau had looked at me across that bar.The heat of his body pressed against mine on the dance floor.God, and the taste of him—tequila and lime and something that was uniquely Beau.The sound he’d made when I’d bitten his lip.Low and desperate, that had gone straight through me.

And then the panic.The overwhelming, suffocating panic that had sent me running like a coward.

A mistake, I’d called it.The best kiss of my entire life, and I’d called it a mistake.

“Fuck,” I muttered, closing my laptop with more force than necessary.

An elderly woman sitting across from me gave me a disapproving look.

“Sorry,” I said automatically.

I checked my phone.1:23 PM.Boarding started at 1:40.Where was Beau?

Not that I cared.But if he missed the flight, we’d have to reschedule the meetings, and Carter would have both our heads.

That’s all it was.Practical concern.

“Mason.”

I looked up, and there he was.

Beau stood in front of me wearing dark jeans, a navy cashmere sweater that hugged his shoulders in ways that should be illegal, and a leather messenger bag slung across his chest.His hair was slightly mussed, like he’d run his fingers through it too many times, and there were shadows under his eyes that suggested he’d slept about as well as I had.

He looked incredible.

“Beau, hi.”I stood up too quickly, nearly dropping my laptop.“You made it.”

“Traffic on 64 was a nightmare.”He gestured to the empty seat next to me.“Mind if I sit?”