Page 13 of Fun and Games
The expression on his face was filled with a sort of curiosity, head tilted to the side as he examined me.
"What?" I asked nervously.
Up until now, we'd been talking so easily. Running into a hookup after a one-night stand was supposed to be awkward and uncomfortable, right? Shouldn't this situation be more embarrassing?
But Mason was direct. Not exactly no-nonsense, but also no playing around. It was refreshing.
But that wasn't to say there wasn't tension between us.
The way Mason's eyes flicked down to my mouth every so often, the way we'd drifted close enough to nearly brush each other's hands, the simmering heat in his gaze…
A shiver went through me.
"Can I ask," Mason started, and my heart leaped. Was he going to ask me out?
"If you don't live close by," he continued, "why did you decide to come to my bar?"
Not exactly the question I'd been expecting.
"A girl at work recommended it," I told him.
"Did she say why?"
I suppressed a grin. "Because of the hot guys who work there."
"Is that all?" Mason's face fell. "It wasn't because of the drinks or atmosphere or anything?"
"She said the drinks were amazing," I soothed him. "I was only half-joking. The coworker I was with made a comment about the hotties being a perk."
"So that's what we were, huh?" He nudged me in the side. "A bunch of man-meat to ogle?"
"I was only ogling one person that night," I replied.
"Damn, should I be jealous?"
I poked him in the shoulder.
"I thought I made my interest pretty clear," I said.
The corner of his lip curled up. "You sure did."
My alarm chose that moment to go off. I had to drop the dogs off at their homes if I wanted to make it to the office in time. I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone.
My fingers brushed a familiar square of paper.
Guilt slammed through me. My stomach immediately began churning.
"I've got to get these guys home," I told Mason as I gathered the leashes and wound them around my wrist, not looking him in the eye. I didn't want him to see the inner turmoil no doubt clouding my expression.
"And I should probably head to work." Mason stuck his hands in his pockets again and gave me a thoughtful look. "You should come by the bar next week. I think the quizmaster is planning a Disney-themed trivia night."
My stomach flipped.
"I'll probably end up making a scene again," I replied.
"I know how to handle difficult customers." His eyes glinted, that bright green flickering with more than simply plain interest.
My heart clenched painfully.
