Page 29 of Breakup Games

Still, he’s someone I would warn my clients to stay away from. Because while I’m pretty sure there’s a good man beneath his tough guy exterior, you want a partner, not a project and one thing I refuse to do is teach a grown ass man how to express his feelings.

Maybe it’s a little unfair to judge Mason so quickly; I don’t really know him, but he’s a man and all men are fundamentally the same.

“Maybe he’ll just ghost me,” I say hopefully.

“Hmm,” Mason starts, thinking it over. He’s doing the same thing I’m doing, creating a profile in his mind for Enzo. “If he found someone easier, then yes, I can see that.”

“Have you ever ghosted anyone?” I ask, tapping the ends of my acrylic nails on my phone case.

“Nope,” he answers right away. “Ghosting involves getting in a relationship first, and I tend not to do that.”

“Ah,” I say and imagine a big red flag being waved in my face. Mason is literally telling me he’s not the kind of guy who wants a relationship—which doesn’t matter anyway. We are working together and everyone knows you don’t sleep with coworkers. “I haven’t, but I’ve been ghosted.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I didn’t mind. I was dating this district attorney at the same time I was dating a doctor. Both were from out of town and I liked the doctor more so it was a relief when the DA never replied to set up plans. Though I did realize I left my favorite pink shirt at his house like weeks later. I took the loss.”

Mason looks at me curiously for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the road. “And what happened with the doctor?”

“He was really just a FWB.”

“A what?”

“Friends with benefits. You need a handbook for these things.”

He chuckles. “Apparently, I do.” His eyes go from mine to my breasts. I hardly notice in the dark, and if it wasn’t for the heat that rushed through me when our eyes met for just a millisecond, I wouldn’t have known. “I wouldn’t take you for someone who’d have a friend like that.”

I swallow hard, wondering if he’s thinking about coming inside with me and gettingfriendly. Because—shit—I am. “He was the only.” I shrug. “After I filed for divorce, I casually dated a bit and then went into another relationship that ended pretty badly. He cheated, lied about it, of course, and then got so drunk at a strip club he couldn’t pick me up from the airport when I flew out to see him—since I know you’ll ask.”

“Damn. You really know how to pick up.”

“Asshole.” I roll my eyes. “But you’re right. After that I took time off from trying to seriously date and just had fun, but it wasn’t all that fun for long. Kinda got boring when we weren’t building anything.”

“The sex must not have been that great then.”

“That’s for me to know,” I tell him. The sex was great actually—the first few times. I think the excitement of doing something out of my norm, of getting to know each other with no pressure made it more enjoyable. But then it started falling flat for me and spending time together started to feel like we were in a relationship. I ended things before I got attached, knowing it would hurt if I let myself fall into a situationship. “You’ve never had a friend with benefits?”

Mason gives me a look of mock innocence. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

I laugh and rest my head against the seat, checking Elsie’s location. She’s almost home, thank goodness. We go a few blocks in silence, but this time it’s not awkward. It’s been nice being able to just talk to Mason about some pretty personal things. He’s not judging, though it is a big part of his job to remain visibly impartial while people tell him pretty much anything.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Mason says as he pulls onto my street. “I understand if you don’t want to continue this, but know if you do, I’ll keep you safe.”

His caramel colored eyes meet mine and my heart flutters in my chest. I have the strong urge to blindly trust him, though I promised myself months ago I’d never trust a man with my life ever again. This isn’t quite the same…is it?

“I can take care of myself too, you know.”

“I don’t doubt that.” He pulls over in front of my building and puts the car in park. “You’ve done a pretty good job taking care of yourself so far. What you went through…not many people would have come out of it this unscathed.”

I just smile, not needing to tell him how I still deal with the PTSD flashbacks every once in a while and how repeatedly getting my heart not just broken, but my soul crushed, has left me with crippling trust issues. I believe people are good, but I like to spot the bad in everyone as soon as I can. Because the sooner I find it, the sooner I can avoid it or prepare myself for it.

I’ve made a whole career of teaching people how to find healthy, safe relationships, while teaching about attachment styles and giving some pretty good advice if I do say so myself. But really, if anyone were to ask me honestly the best way to not get your heartbroken, I wouldn’t tell them to take their time, manage their expectations, and have open and clear communication with their partner.

I’d tell them to stay the hell away from anyone and never, ever, trust a man with your heart.

Chapter

Nineteen

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