Page 34 of Sin

His gaze cuts to mine. “Twelve?”

I try not to smile. “Don’t look so pleased with yourself.”

“I’m pleased with the result.”

“Same thing.”

“No,” he says. “It isn’t.”

Something in his voice makes me look at him. He’s close enough that I can see the faint shadow under his eyes. The kind that says he didn’t sleep much either. His tie is missing today, collar open at the throat, sleeves still rolled. There’s a tiny smear of something dark near his thumb. Grease, probably.

I hate how intimate that feels.

The prototype hums softly between us. Which should not make the silence worse. It does, really. I reach for it to switch modes, but Mason’s hand closes over mine before I can press the button.

“Not that setting,” he says quietly.

My throat tightens. “Why?”

“It spikes too fast.”

I glance at the screen. “The pad can handle it.”

“I wasn’t worried about the pad.”

My breath catches before I can stop it. Mason realizes what he said at the same time I do. His hand leaves mine and the air turns sharp.

I sit back in my chair. “Mechanical testing, remember?”

His expression closes. “I remember.”

“Good.”

“Laurel—”

“No.” I reach for the prototype again, because focusing on work is safer than focusing on whatever just happened. “Don’t make it weird.”

His mouth tightens. “I’m not the one making it weird.”

I laugh once. “You rebuilt my sex toy prototype overnight and then put your hand over mine while warning me about intensity settings.”

His eyes darken and I realize too late how that sounded. Wonderful. Great job, mouth.

Mason leans back in his chair, studying me like he’s trying to decide whether to be amused.

“You’re right,” he says.

That surprises me enough to shut me up.

“I am?”

“Yes.”

“Could you say that again? Slower?”

His expression doesn’t change, but there’s something almost warm in his eyes. “You’re right. I crossed a line.”

I don’t know what to do with that either. This man is becoming deeply inconvenient.