CHAPTER 9: Isabelle

I heard the words, but they didn’t register as I looked into his stormy eyes. How could Mason think that? He was perfect, and I opened my mouth to speak.

“No, it isn’t that. Not at all,” I protested before I felt his mouth on mine, his lips hot against my skin. It was both intense and comforting and I whimpered as he reached up to cup my face tighter in his big hands. It was everything that I’d always wanted and I felt one of my hands wrap around him as he tilted my face to deepen the kiss.

Oh, God. I wanted to do this all day and my body started to throb deep inside, filled with want. We both moved closer together until a horn sounded and he jumped away. “That might be the cab.” Mason made sure that I was steady and then led me back to the curb where a yellow car was waiting, leaning inside to talk to the driver before telling me to slide into the back seat. I did, watching him as he moved beside me and leaned back for a moment.

The driver didn’t know us but I didn’t want to speak in front of him. My body was alert, and I felt every nerve ending from that kiss, still shaking as I told myself to calm down. I had a daughter, and that was just a kiss. Why did it affect me more than when I slept with Jackson? What was this feeling inside of me?

It was a short ride to work, and he got out and helped me slide out before handing the driver a few bills. I walked with him to the front door and he opened it, still standing close to me. We boarded the elevator and stood side-by-side silently as I played back the hungry kiss and the way that his tongue felt against mine for that moment in time. It was just for a second but it changed my life and I stared forward. I had a great job that was supporting my daughter and I didn’t want to blow it.

Mason led me to his office and closed the door behind him, closing the blinds. I gasped as he kissed me again, pressing me against the wall. This seemed to happen so fast but not fast enough and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I pulled Mason closer. In my head, he did this with every woman in the office and I told myself to prepare for the end.

Mason kissed me to the point that I couldn’t breathe, pulling away to gaze into my eyes. “I told myself that I was going to take this slowly, Isabelle. I can’t fucking do that now.”

“Will it be over as soon as it starts?” I asked, torn between wanting that and fighting it. This felt good. I felt alive in his arms.

“What? No, this isn’t like that. I might date casually outside of work but I prefer to not ever get involved with anyone here. That’s why you are working here. My last assistant got a bit obsessed with me.” His voice was rough as he spoke, and I stared at him. “I felt something the day that you crashed into me and ran away from it. I didn’t know what to do when I realized that you were going to be the woman working for me. I tried to resist this but I can’t.”

“Mason… I don’t have anything to offer you,” I tried to speak but my heart screamed at me to shut up.

“What do you mean?” He asked as I caught my breath. I just wanted to kiss him again and push away all of my responsibilities.

“Mason, I have a daughter. I’m raising her on my own and she’s still young. She just started the first grade.” I heard the words and cringed inside, knowing that a young child was not appealing to many men.

“You are a mother?” He asked as I looked into his face. I nodded, and warmth crossed over his face. “Is that what was wrong earlier? Something to do with her?”

“She was sick at school. I have a neighbor that helps me, and she went to get her for me. I just started this job and didn’t want to put it in jeopardy.” I admitted, smiling gently as he leaned in and kissed me again.

I returned it, reveling in the pleasure as responsibilities nudged at my wild side. I wanted this so much but there was a lot at stake. “You wouldn’t, you know. I’d let you leave. I’m close to my family.” Mason told me as I laughed and looked at him.

“Here I thought you lived in some tall building all alone reading books and counting money,” I said, laughing softly. It felt good to let my walls down though I knew they could not go down too far.

“I live with my best friend, Tanner. He travels for work a lot so he is rarely home. You are partially right.”

“I won’t hurt my daughter. I won’t let you meet her. We’ve been through enough already,” I told him as something dark passed through his eyes.

“I am not asking. I just want to enjoy this here and now,” Mason told me before he kissed me softly.

“Can we work together?” I asked in a whisper as he clutched my face again.

“Yeah. You’re the best assistant that I’ve had.” Mason kissed me again, and I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. We pulled apart and looked at each other for a moment before I pressed my tingling lips together. I knew that if I stayed in here, this would go further than it should and I watched him step away. “So, no dinner after work?”

“I could have my friend watch her for a while. I just can’t go out a lot at night because it is the only time I feel like I have with her,” I replied as he nodded. “I’m sorry. You probably go out a lot. I forgot what that was like.”

“How old are you?” Mason asked as I smiled weakly.

“I’ll be twenty-four in a few months. I was a young mother.” I said as he ran his hands through his hair.

“You missed a lot?” He asked as I shrugged.

“I guess.” I made my way to my desk when we realized that we needed to work. It was hard to walk out of that office but I needed to keep a level head about this even if I did feel like a teenager all over again. I pulled up the document and enjoyed the feeling of the food in my stomach even if it was doing flip flops right now.

I found it hard to concentrate on the words but forced it, knowing that it paid the bills for me. I wasn’t going to lose everything I had here over a crush or kiss. This wasn’t serious, and I was going to take it day-by-day and not let it ruin anything.

We left the building together and walked to our cars. “I am sending something to your place for dinner for the two of you,” Mason told me as we looked at each other before going our separate ways. “What is her name?”

“It’s Kendra,” I whispered as he nodded and looked down at my lips for a long moment. The heat was intense between us as I stood still, wanting to call and ask for a sitter for Kendra. That was wrong though. She came first, and I told him to have a good night before walking to my car. I drove past him, trying not to look but unable to help myself as I met his gaze. He was dialing something on his phone with a grin on his face and it took my breath away.

I made it home and went straight to Nan’s apartment where Kendra was on the couch under a blanket, fast asleep. I smiled as I looked down at her and then looked at Nan. “Want to call me when she wakes up? She looks so comfortable.”

“That’s fine, sweetie. I don’t mind if she sleeps here all night if that’s okay with you. You need some sleep after working so hard all week.” Nan smiled at me and I went to hug her. “Get some rest, Isabelle. I’ll call you if she wakes up enough to get over there.”

I thanked her again and walked to my apartment just as a young man approached it. He had a bag of food in his hand and I stared at him as he asked if I was Isabelle. I told him yes, and he handed me the bag and told me to have a great night, turning to leave as I watched. I unlocked my door and stood in the silence after I locked it behind me. I told myself that Kendra was safe and took the food to the table, unpacking it to see a variety of Thai food, making me smile. I loved this kind of food and set it down on the flimsy table before I went to get a fork.

It was delicious. I laughed as I took bites from the containers, hearing my phone chime in my purse. I went to get it, concerned that it was Nan calling about Kendra. I was surprised to see a text from an unfamiliar number, opening it to see that it was Mason.

Mason: How is it? I love Thai and hoped that you did as well.

Me: It is great. Thanks so much.

Mason: Is your daughter enjoying it?

I took a moment to chew my food and considered my answer. I knew how Kendra was when she was sick, and she would sleep hard. She was completely safe with Nan and I would be informed if anything changed.

Me: She is sleeping next door. Still sick.

Mason: You’re alone?

Me: Yes, I am. Do you want to come over and see how long we have before she comes back?

It was such a risk to ask that, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. We’d just kissed, and I was inviting Mason into my apartment where anything could happen.

Mason: Are you comfortable with that? Nothing will happen that you don’t want. We can just eat.

Me: Come over. You have the address?

Mason assured me that he did, and I squealed as I put the phone down. I went to look in the mirror, fixing my gloss and makeup a bit as I wondered what would happen. If Kendra came back, I’d make him leave and that could happen at any time. I knew that she’d probably sleep through the night just based on how she looked, which meant that Mason might be here all night.