Page 9 of Risk

“Thanks.” I need to get out of here, ASAP.

“Hold up.” Mason rushes forward and takes my hand. “We’re not done talking yet.”

“Yes, we are.” Snagging my hand away, I look him up and down. “Have a nice night.” I can’t get into my car fast enough.

“Leah, please wait!”

Against my better judgment, I halt with my head down and hand on the door handle.

His footsteps get louder the closer he gets. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Prying.”

Good. He should be. “What’s it matter what I do?”

“It doesn’t.” Mason’s expression softens. “I just want to know everything about you and I’m too direct for my own good sometimes.”

And too observant. “How the hell did you know how much my purse cost?”

“Because I bought my sister the same one in red for Christmas two years ago.”

Oh. I’m only slightly less annoyed now. “Well, have a good night, Mr. Finch.”

“Wait.” He steps closer. “Let me take you out to dinner.”

“I just ate.”

“What about tomorrow night?”

I’m flattered and extremely tempted to take him up on his offer. “I’m busy.”

“Breakfast?”

His persistence makes me laugh.

“Coffee?” He sounds hopeful, even as I get in my car. “Cocktails? A movie?” He talks faster. “Craft fair? Deep sea diving? Wait, do you like baseball?”

A laugh bubbles out of me. He’s adorable. “See you around, Mason.” I drive off with that luscious man in my rearview mirror.

I can’t believe he looked me up like that on the cleaning site.

“I just want to know everything about you,” he’d said.

Well, two can play this game.

Chapter 4

Mason

I’m a fucking idiot. Why couldn’t I just let things develop naturally? I think it’s my delivery. Spending my whole life barking orders and asking direct questions—because time is money and I have a lot of one and little of the other—I think I’ve become desensitized on how to woo a woman.

God. Damnit. This is why I don’t date.

I’ve never had a real girlfriend. Any romances I’ve had were brief, surface-level quickies offering temporary relief to a stressful life. And those trysts were secret, which is a joke because there are no secrets in my social circles. Only deals, lies, leverage, and affairs exist in my world.

Leah’s a fresh shot of adrenaline in my long dying soul. I love how vibrant she is. How quick she can recover from an awkward situation. Her confidence really gets my blood pumping and the fact that she holds her ground and doesn’t seem easily flustered is intoxicating. It’s not every day you meet a woman like Leah, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

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