Page 35 of Housekeeping

“I only found out where you live yesterday, I didn’t know your address a week ago, or I would have brought the presents here myself.”

“Well then, I’m sad now that you didn’t. My week would have gone a lot better if I could have shut this idea down earlier.”

Mason frowned in obvious displeasure. This wasn’t going as he must have hoped it would. He must have thought it would be easy. I’d pegged him early on as the kind of man who got whatever he wanted, spoiled by his parents. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to try dating.

“I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand. It’s just… you were avoiding me, and I didn’t know how else to see you. I also didn’t know what to do to get you talking to me, so I started sending the presents. I know it was stupid for it to take me a week to realize why you returned everything, but I think I understand now.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering exactly what it was that this kid thought he understood. If he really had, he wouldn’t be at my front door like this.

“Look, kid—”

“I’m serious, Laura. Stop with the kid stuff, it’s freaking me out,” he said, frowning a little. “I acknowledge that there’s a gap between us. But I’ve been an adult for a while now, you know?”

I bit my lip, feeling my heart react to his words and his serious tone. He was right, and I knew it. No matter how spoiled he might be, Mason was every bit a man. I kept trying to refer to him as a kid hoping it could create some space between us.

That was probably unfair of me. He was right, treating him like a kid when he clearly wasn’t was a little degrading. I hadn’t liked it when older people had treated me the same back when I was in college. In fact, Mason was more mature than I was at that age, and I had to respect that.

“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Look, Mason. I don’t know what exactly it is that you want from me, but I’ll tell you right now that you won’t get it. Yes, we had sex once. It was nice.” I chose the word deliberately, feeling a bit of shame because I’d just thought it would be disrespectful to call him a kid. I definitely felt a zing of pleasure when my ‘nice’ caused his face to fall, because he needed to be knocked down a peg or two. “We had our night and it ended, and it’s time to move on now. You understand, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” he said, his frown deepening, and he sounded a little hurt. “I don’t understand, Laura. Why don’t you try explaining things in more detail for me, hmm?”

“Don’t make this difficult for me, please. I have a life, so do you, so why can't we go back to it? I’m not asking that you forget anything happened, just think of it as one moment in your life that is now gone, and we can both move on. I already have a date tonight,” I added, fibbing, but he didn’t need to know that. “I just got back home and I wanted to relax a little and shower before he showed up. It’ll look bad if he comes and you’re still standing here.”

Mason was scowling at me now, but I didn’t even feel bad for the lie. I didn’t want to be cruel, because even if he was a man and considered himself one, he was still young. His personality was still annoying, but it wouldn’t be fair of me to keep resenting him for his birth as if it was his fault he was so rich. He didn’t ask for his lot in life any more than I did.

For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, and I grew nervous the longer he stayed silent. I couldn’t read his expression. I didn’t know what he was thinking, and that had me unsettled. He wasn’t leaving either, and I wondered if he was going to keep trying to talk me into dating him.

I wanted him to just leave! As early as possible, so I wouldn’t have the opportunity to waver. Already, I’d felt it in my chest when my heart beat at his words, and I didn’t want to be swayed when I’d already chosen this path for myself. He should have respected that and walked away, but I wondered if he knew I wasn’t being entirely truthful, or if it was just his ego keeping him in place.

As I watched, this determined expression took over his face, and it was enough to have me backing up. My arms crossed over my chest, and while I could have just walked into my apartment and closed the door on his face, the look in his eyes kept me still.

He had a basket in his hands I’d only just noticed. My eyes didn’t stay away from his face for long, and I could see a look of confidence in his gaze like he knew just what he had to do now, and I wondered to what extent he had read me. I braced myself for whatever he had to say to me, already knowing it was going to be torture to turn him down.