Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Mason. I’ve stared at that photo for far too long praying it isn’t true. Mostly because I’m selfish. I’m not ready to commit to him, or to anyone, but I want him all the same.
Sue has assured me it’s all made up and the woman in the photo is someone he dated long ago.
I take another gulp of wine and only look up from the same paragraph I’ve read five times when I hear my phone go off.
It’s a text from Kat wanting my manuscript. Oh God.
It’s a good thing I have an apartment up for sale, I suppose. Maybe I should thank my cheating deceased husband for that.
It takes a small sip before I have the courage to text her back, asking for an extension and then open my laptop to write. To let the words flow. If anything, I expect it to be about anger, grief, betrayal. But all that comes are thoughts of Mason’s touch. How powerful his physical presence can be. How he can soothe my every pain. How he wants to do just that, and about how much I want it even more.
I let my head fall to the side when I remember him kissing me as he played my body right at this very spot that I’m sitting. My fingers never stop tapping on the keys as I relive the moment. I open my eyes and stare at the grain woven into the wooden table where I bent over for him. I confessed something so real, so painful and he made me feel alive and as though nothing else mattered.
I suck in a deep breath, hating that I left him the way that I did. I’m so damn broken. I don’t understand why he wants me when it’s obvious that I’m a wreck.
Biting down on my lip, I stare at the phone and think of texting him.
I miss you. I type in the words and then delete them.
I’m sorry. I stare at the two words that are so simple, yet mean so much.
I think I love you. That’s what I should send him. Scare him away for good.
I delete the text as Kat messages me back. She’s usually hard on me. Guilting me if I’m miss a deadline and reminding me about everyone else’s schedules involved. It lights a fire under my bottom.
But all she’s written this time is that it’s okay and to take care of myself.
“Take care of myself,” I whisper beneath my breath and let my fingers trail down the stem of the wineglass.
I wish Mason were here, but that’s just an easy out.
This is supposed to hurt. It’s supposed to be hard.
I want to crawl back to him and beg for forgiveness. Beg him to take away the pain again. It’s selfish and I won’t do that to him, but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want to.
Mason
“I just got an email.” I hear Liam’s irritation as the door opens. His light gray suit is sharp and crisp, but he looks like shit himself. His dirty blond hair is a mess on top of his head and the dark circles under his eyes prove he hasn’t gotten much sleep.
“About what?” I ask. I don’t let on that I already know what the email was about as I rest my elbows on the desk. Waiting for him to speak, I make a steeple with my pointer fingers. I know what this is about. My father’s pulled the funds.
We’re fucked. And I don’t have a way out of this.
“What happened, Mason?” His question is drenched with desperation.
I swallow hard, hating that I owe Liam anything. I know I do. At the very least I owe him an explanation, but what can I tell him? My jaw clenches and I look down at my desk as I pick at my hands where a small cut mars my knuckles. I can’t turn in my father. I don’t have any hard evidence of his misdeeds but more than that, I can’t bring myself to do it to my own father. That last part causes me more shame than I’m willing to admit.
I clear my throat and lean forward to face Liam.
“We have to back down or find new investors.”
“Back down?” His wide eyes stare at me as though I’m the insane one here. Maybe I am. “We can’t fucking back down. We’ve sunk millions into this!” I can practically see his heart racing out of his chest.
“I’m sorry, but—”
“What the fuck happened?” he shouts as he stands up, throwing the papers on the desk behind him. My blood heats as I glare at Liam.
“Sit down.” The words come out harsh and as a demand. It gets his attention, like a child who’s been scolded. I’ll own up to failing him but I have my limits, and when it comes to business, I demand respect. He’s still, almost frozen for a long moment and then he places both his hands flat on the desk and leans over, getting closer to my face. He’s still a foot away, but it’s too fucking close for my liking.