Bang (Blast Brothers #2) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,75

and over. But what do you do? You keep hiring the same type of people. And then, you act all surprised when the inevitable happens."

"And what's that?"

"When like total idiots, they fall for you."

Shit.

I hadn't meant to say it. But as soon as I did, I realized all too well that I had fallen for him. And it wasn't because he 'banged' like a Trojan or made my knees turn to jelly.

It was because for some messed up reason, I actually liked him. No. I more than liked him.

I loved him.

I loved his mind and his devotion to his family. I loved his strength and the way he'd sacrificed his own freedom to give Willow a home. I loved his smiles, as rare as they were. I loved his protective streak, even as maddening as it was sometimes.

But there was something I didn't love.

It was the fact he didn't love me.

Maybe he was right. Maybe he didn't have it in him. Or maybe, he simply hadn't met the right person.

Either way, I'd meant what I said. I wasn't walking away.

Meaning from Willow, not Mason.

Him, I could totally do without – now, anyway.

On the other end of the phone, Mason had grown utterly silent. I knew why, too.

It was time to set him straight.

"And just so you know," I said, "I'm fine with keeping things professional. Like I already told you, I won't be knocking on your bedroom door. So unless you are planning to fire me, I'll see when you get home."

And with that, I hung up on him for the second time in two days. And I didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

Chapter 45

Cami

When Mason returned two days later, I figured we'd at least talk about it. Or maybe he'd simply fire me and call it good.

But neither of those things happened. Instead, Mason walked in from the garage the same as usual and dropped his suitcase by the door. Wordlessly, he walked into the kitchen, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

Willow and I were sitting at the kitchen table – not doing homework, but finishing up a giant jigsaw puzzle of frolicking puppies.

At the sight of Mason, Willow jumped up from her chair and hurtled herself into his arms. Watching, I felt my eyes grow misty, wishing I could do the same.

And wishing I could slap him silly.

But the way it looked, somebody already had.

Just as Arden had predicted on the phone, Mason had one heck of a shiner around his left eye. Unfortunately, it did little to diminish his appeal.

Our gazes met for the briefest instant before I looked back to the puzzle. Still, from the corner of my eye, I drank in the sight of him as he crouched down to return Willow's hug.

His hair was tousled, and his face was grim, even as Willow clutched him tight.

When Willow pulled back, she asked, "What happened to your eye?"

With a ghost of a smile, he replied, "Eh, I was wrestling with Chase and must've banged it."

Banged.

God, how I'd come to loathe that word.

And not too long afterward, I came to loathe him.

The real loathing started later that night, after I put Willow to bed. With my heart in my throat, I wandered back downstairs in search of Mason, figuring we'd need to talk sooner or later, unless we were planning to pretend that nothing had happened.

And me? I wasn't good at pretending.

I found Mason in his home office, going over some paperwork behind his massive desk.

When I knocked on the edge of his open door, Mason looked up and frowned. "Yeah?"

I hesitated. "Don't you think we should talk?"

With a look of utter indifference, he replied, "About what?"

I stared from the open doorway. "You know. About everything." I hesitated. "And my job."

He returned his attention to his paperwork. "It's still yours if you want it."

"Sorry, what?"

He was still looking at the papers. "The job. Stay or go. Your choice."

I stiffened. "Gee, how flexible of you."

Finally, he looked up. "It was your idea, not mine. So, like I said, you choose, and I'll handle it."

Oh, I'd give him something to handle, alright. I slipped into his office and shut the door quietly behind me. "That is such a crock," I said. "You practically fired me."

With a stiff smile, he said, "I did more than that."

I drew back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means," he said. "So, are you staying or quitting?"

"Oh, that's nice." I did my best Mason impression. "So, are you firing