Page 19 of If You Could Only Imagine
Chapter 10
Aiden~
I strolled into BI wondering how in the hell I was going to manage to stay away from Denise after this weekend spent together.
It’s not like I didn’t have a shitload of things to do or meetings to attend, because I did. I was busier than Mason at this point, what with still familiarizing myself with names, faces and their roles within the company. I was busy meeting our clients, too, assuring them that their money is more than secure with Mason and me at the helm.
I flipped my wrist over and looked down at my watch. It was a little past six, and I didn’t have my first meeting until eight. So, with a few moments to kill, I barged my way into Mason’s office.
And, oh, how I wish I hadn’t.
“Goddamn it!” I yelped as I noticed a brunette head in his lap.
“What the fuck?!” Mason yelped back as I slammed the door shut, but not before I heard the peals of feminine laughter follow me out the door.
I paced the walkway in front of Mason’s office wondering if eyeball bleaching was a real thing. Now, don’t get wrong, on a purely instinctual male level, I was happy my brother was getting blown as a way to start out his work day. But I loved my sister-in-law, I did not need to see her that way.
I mean, Good Lord, I knew we were all close, but that was stepping a little too close to the line. Michael had been right the other day when he told Denise I would murder him if he put his hands on her almost naked body.
I’m not sure how long I had been pacing outside Mason’s door, but I was brought up short when Shane opened the door and walked out with Mason right behind her. I could feel my face heat and my eyes were looking at everything but her.
She laughed, and I wanted to kill her.How dare her scar me this way!“Not funny, Shane,” I mumbled. “Ever heard of locking the door?”
Before she could comment, Mason growled, “What is so goddamn important you had to barge into my office this early in the morning?”
I realized how much trouble I was in with the next words that came out of my mouth, because Mason wasn’t going to have any useful advice for me. “I was going to ask you how do you manage to make it through the day without touching Shane when you know she’s in the building and only a phone call away,” I said with enough snark to send Shane into another fit of laughter. “But I have my answer, thank you.”
Mason let out a sigh, and looking down, just shook his head. Shane, on the other hand, was a fountain of advice; super bad advice, but advice nonetheless. “Well, Mason told me all about Denise and I think she is just absolutely lovely. If I decide to try to make The Morgan Corporation a go, I’ve already decided that I would like her on my team.” Shane smiled up at me. “That being said, Mason has his way with me at least twice a day, and as you saw for yourself, it’s not always sex,” she clarified, giving me a cheeky grin. It’s so hard to believe this sweet girl was a virgin when Mason had finally gotten his hands on her.
“That doesn’t help me, Shane,” I pointed out. “And I really didn’t need to know all that other shit. For the love of God, woman, don’t feel as if you have to share everything.”
I could hear Mason chuckle, because let’s face it…Shane could do no wrong in his eyes. Mason could easily be described as a sociopath, but when it came to Shane, he was all emotions. “She’s right,” he said, supporting Shane’s outrageous claims. “I can’t and I won’t be a hypocrite and instruct you to be on your best professional behavior, Aiden.” Mase shrugged a shoulder. “Mainly because it doesn’t matter what I tell you. If you feel about Denise, even an ounce of what I feel for Shane, there will be no stopping you. So, just be careful and try to remember how this will affect how she’s seen by her peers if word gets out that you two are sleeping together only a week after you started taking over.”
I was looking at Mason, but since Shane was standing directly in front of him, I didn’t miss the wince she gave at the picture Mason painted. And then it hit me. “How are you so okay with all of this?”
Mason arched a brow. “The Twins told me they met her this weekend, Aid,” he answered, simply. “They also mentioned they met her atyourplace.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Jesus,” I muttered. “Is nothing sacred in this family?”
“Nope,” they popped back in unison.
Secretly-because I’d never admit this out loud with as wild as the twins were-I loved that we were as close as we all were. I knew my brothers were going to embrace Denise the same way we took in Shane. Granted, Shane is…special to all of us, but Denise was going to be special, too, just in a different context.
I looked at my brother and his wife and I knew I had their blessing for whatever sanity was taking up residence in my head, but I was a grown man with grown responsibilities and I knew, deep down, I needed to act accordingly. Denise had too many reservations about our relationship for me to fuck it up for some office sex.
“So, just be discrete,” I concluded. “That’s your advice?”
Shane started gnawing on her lower lip as her eyes swung back and forth between me and Mason. “Okay. Don’t take this the wrong way,” she warned, “but you Buchanan men are a little…uhm, a lot…you guys area lotwhen you go after something.” That’s fair. I gave her that while Mason just grunted. “Denise is not a young, starry-eyed co-ed or file clerk, Aiden. She’s an independent adult who’s worked her ass off to be where she is today. You have to be more than discrete with this,” she advised. “You need to find a way to balance discretion and lust with respect.”
I ran a hand through my hair. I heard what she was saying. I really did. But…the more independent Denise was, the more I wanted to lock that shit down.
“Just put her happiness before yours and you’ll be fine, Aiden,” Mason added.
I looked over at him. “Just like that? That easy?”
Mason laughed. “Hell, no,” he replied. “A woman’s happiness is never easy.” Shane slapped his chest. Mason ignored her brutality. “But that’s because with women there are too many things that can make them sad. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to fuck up at some point, Aid.”
“Thanks, Mase,” I said, sarcastically. “That’s a big help.”
