Page 9 of Making It Burn

We’d been equals, and I’d hated him for it.

The championship game was supposed to be my moment of triumph, and my team had won.But the victory had tasted like ash because I’d spent the last part of the game injured.

And Beau had looked guilty.

That was the part I couldn’t shake.Not angry, not defensive—guilty.Like he’d genuinely given a damn that he’d hurt me.

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the memory.It didn’t matter.None of it mattered.That was high school, and this was now.Carter and Patsy had paired us together because we were both good at our jobs, not because they wanted to stage some kind of reunion tour of Richmond prep school rivalries.

I could handle this.I just needed to establish boundaries, maintain professionalism, and remember that Beau Thatcher was a colleague, not—

Not what?

Not the guy whose face I’d thought about more than I wanted to admit over the last fifteen years?Not the one person who’d ever matched me stride for stride, who’d pushed me harder than any coach ever had?

“Fuck,” I muttered, scrubbing a hand over my face.

A knock at my door made me straighten automatically, smoothing down my tie even though I’d just loosened it.“Come in.”

Lisa Morales pushed through the door, a stack of manila folders balanced on one hip and her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder.She held up a finger—one second—and I waited while she finished her conversation.

“Mm-hmm.Yes.Tell him if he doesn’t have those depositions to me by tomorrow morning, I’m going to make his life very difficult.No, I don’t care that it’s his anniversary.Thank you, sweetheart.”She ended the call and beamed at me.“Mason, darling.You look absolutely thrilled to be alive.”

“It’s been a day.”

“It’s almost six o’clock.”She set the folders on my desk with a decisive thump.“Discovery materials for the PharmaTech case.I’ve already flagged the sections you’ll want to review first, cross-referenced with the MediCorp financials.”

“You’re a goddess.”

“I know.”She settled into the chair across from my desk, crossing her legs and fixing me with a look that suggested she was about to say something I didn’t want to hear.“So.Beau Thatcher.”

My jaw tightened.“What about him?”

“Do you two know each other?I picked up on some serious energy in that conference room.”

“We went to rival high schools,” I said, keeping my voice flat.“We played against each other in lacrosse.It was, um, competitive.”

“Competitive.”Lisa’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.“That’s one word for it.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Clearly not long enough.”She leaned back, studying me.“He seems nice, though.”

“He’s a menace.”

Lisa’s eyebrows shot up so fast they nearly hit her hairline.She said nothing for a long moment, just studied me with those sharp, all-seeing eyes that missed absolutely nothing.Her head tilted slightly, and I watched her put the pieces together.Normally I had an excellent poker face, but I could tell it wasn’t working on her.

“Interesting,” she said finally.

“What’s interesting?”

“Nothing.”But her smile suggested it was very much something.“For what it’s worth, I think he’ll be an excellent addition to the firm.He’s sharp, he’s got an impressive track record, and—” She paused, her grin turning wicked.“—he’s hot.Like, unfairly hot.Did you see him?Those eyes?That jawline?I bet he’s got abs you could grate cheese on.”

I stared at her.“Is there a point to this?”

“No point.Just making conversation.”She stood, smoothing her skirt.“You know, you two are going to have to work together pretty closely on this merger.Might want to dial down the homicidal energy.”

“I don’t have homicidal energy.”