Page 11 of Unburied

Driven by anger, she hadn’t allowed them to come before, but tears now pricked her eyes. She refused to let another man make her feel like that ever again. She’d wanted him, and she’d gone after him. Never mind the fact that Friday night was the first time she’d ever slept with a man she’d just met. It was a stupid mistake she would never make again, that was for sure.

Now she had to work with the jerk every day. She couldn’t let him see that he’d affected her at all. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Her heart clenched a little bit when she thought back to our time together. He was witty and smart, and hot as sin. She’d almost stupidly admitted to him that she actually lived in the area, but he was gone by the time she woke up.

She’d never asked him where he was from, assuming—probably the same as he had—that he was just visiting. It was a cruel twist of fate that she had to see him every day, with the memory of his touch haunting her.

The more distance she put between them, the better. Soon enough, whatever was between them would fade. In another few weeks, maybe a month, it would be like it’d never happened. He obviously wasn’t interested in her, so she had nothing to worry about. She’d just avoid him until she had her feelings under control—maybe start seeing someone else.

Just the thought made her sick. Images of Mason in the hotel room, his lips on her neck, hands leaving fire in their wake as they traveled over her skin, assaulted her. She wasn’t the type to just hook up with another guy to get her mind off Mason.

What she needed was a little bit of time, then maybe she’d find a nice guy to date. Someone who actually cared about her and didn’t work with her. Someone who wouldn’t break her heart.

CHAPTER

SIX

Mason's heart raced as he walked toward Vantage headquarters, his feet eating up the sidewalk in his haste to get inside. Vivi had ignored him for the rest of the afternoon yesterday, and he needed to talk with her—now.

He needed to clear the air, explain to her exactly what she’d heard. He felt a true connection with Vivi, stronger than anything he’d ever felt with his ex. He regretted saying what he had. It was horrible of him and incredibly immature. Instead of being upfront with his brother, he’d played it off like it was no big deal.

But it was a huge deal. Vivi was a huge deal.

She’d swept into his life like a pint-sized hurricane, whisking his feet right out from under him. How had she gotten so deeply under his skin when no one else had ever come close? Knox was a good friend, and he felt awful for doing this to him even if it hadn’t been intentional.

Over the past twenty-four hours, he’d thought of nothing but her. Now that they would be working together, he was faced with a really tough decision. Did he force himself to walk away, knowing how good things were between them? Or did he pursue her, try to change her initial impression of him and risk losing a friendship?

Knox would be pissed, there was no question of that. He didn’t even really know this woman, but… he couldn’t walk away from her. Not now. He’d come up with a thousand ways to tell Knox he’d hooked up with Vivi. Most of them ended up with him either being knocked out or fired, neither of which was a good option. But he thought Knox deserved to know. Especially because he wanted more of Vivi… a lot more.

He knew it was wrong to want her, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He’d tried to talk himself out of it—God knew he had—but he couldn’t leave this thing between them unexplored. He’d never felt like this before, completely on the edge of reason and rational thought where nothing really mattered but her. No matter what happened between Knox and him, he had to see this thing with Vivi through.

He wasn’t entirely sure when he’d come to that conclusion; he just had. It was a thought that had been simmering in the back of his brain since he left her cuddled up in bed Saturday morning, still warm and sated from their lovemaking. He’d wanted to get her number then; he should have. Now that he knew exactly who she was, it felt like everything was falling into place.

He stepped inside and scanned the lobby, disappointment coiling in his stomach when he found the room empty. Almost belatedly, his skin tingled with heat and a sense of intuition, and less than a second later, the woman in question rounded the corner. He started to step toward her, then froze. “Holy…”

Her gorgeous long hair had been shorn up to her shoulders. It showed off that defiant little chin of hers, those high cheekbones, and full, perfectly plump lips. He thought she couldn’t get more beautiful; he was wrong. Something like challenge entered her eyes as she teased the fluttery ends of her hair with one hand. “Like it?”

Absolutely not. It exposed her elegant neck, that secret little spot no one knew about but him. Now every guy within a hundred miles was going to want her. “What did you do?”

She rolled her eyes as she strolled behind the counter of the reception desk. “What difference does it make to you?”

Because she was his—she just didn’t know it yet. He changed the subject. “Why did you lie to me at the hotel?”

Her mouth dropped open in a combination of shock and indignation. “I never lied!”

“You said you were there for one night,” he retorted as he leaned across the counter, never taking his gaze from hers. “That kind of implies you’re not from around here.”

Something like regret flashed across her features, and her eyes dropped to the desk in front of her as she busied herself with the papers strewn across the top. “Not my fault you misinterpreted my words.”

Inwardly he seethed. She’d omitted the truth, and he was still pissed about that. “You also told me your name was Virginia.”

“It is.”

Would it have made a difference if she told him her name was Vivi? Probably not. He should have pressed and asked for her last name, but never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined she’d be the baby sister of one of his closest friends. He’d heard about her over the years when Knox spoke about her, but the image he remembered was that of a teen, a young girl who bore little resemblance to the woman Vivi was today.

“Anything else you didn’t tell me?”

She threw a dark look his way. “Such as?”

He had to know. “What about my brother?”