Have you met Oliver Mason?
I’m so excited that Relentless hit Amazon’s Top 20! If you haven’t met him, NOW IS THE TIME! š
Meet him below:
With every cell in my body on high alert, I turn my head toward the door.
I gulp againāthis time harder.
Oliver Mason, the man I hit with my car only yesterday, is standing in the doorway looking like nothing less than a magazine cover. A pair of khaki pants hug his thick thighs, and a leather belt showcases his trim waist. A black button-down shirt shows off his broad shoulders. A plaid tie with subtle hints of yellow ties the entire look together.
He shuts the door behind him, keeping his eyes trained on me.
I canāt help but look anywhere else.
The air crackles around us, getting thicker and hotter by the second. Heās one item in the room, but somehow, it seems like he fills it. Everything else takes a back seat to his presence.
āHello, Shaye,ā he says, wrapping his voice around my name.
āHi, Oliver.ā My statement is much more a question than a statement. Itās a why in the world are you here more than a hello.
He walks to the table and stops at the chair Toni was sitting in. He grips the back of it with both hands. Thereās no confusion in his eyesājust pure confidence.
Damn.Ā
āI ⦠Iām confused,ā I admit.
His lips twitch.
My brain scrambles to understand this situation. How could I run into this man again? Itās not possibleānot by coincidence.
Then slowly, it occurs to me.
āYou are a cop, arenāt you?ā I ask, lifting my chin.
His brows pull together.
āI thought it yesterday with the zip ties.ā My face flushes asāsnap, snap snap!āthe pieces fall in place. āBut then you played that off really well, and I didnāt think much more about it. Because I havenāt done anything wrong. Iām a law-abiding citizen. I only went along with not calling the police yesterday because you suggested it. So, if youāre here to arrest me for leaving the scene of a crime ā¦ā I swallow back a lump in my throat. āPlease donāt. I have enough problems.ā
His lips part, and a solitary laugh escapes them. āWhat on earth are you talking about?ā
The confusion on his face seems genuine.
I slink back in my chair. āI mean ⦠Iāve watched crime television. Itās not beyond the realm of possibility.ā
The smile that breaks across his face leaves me speechless. Itās wide and refreshing, and I wonder how anyone can think with him around.
āDonāt you think itās much more plausible that I work here?ā he asks.
āI bet that department doesnāt get much done,ā I mutter to myself.
His gaze picks mine up and holds it midair. It causes my stomach to flip-flop.
He grins again. āWhat was that?ā
āNothing.ā
He pulls out a chair and sits down, relaxing back into the seat and crossing one ankle over his other knee. Itās like he has all the time in the world.
āWhereās Toni?ā I ask, glancing quickly at the door.
He shrugs. āHopefully doing her job. Thatās what I pay her to do.ā
āI ā¦ā
Thatās what I pay her to do.
My mouth closes.
He bites his lip, clearly amused, as I begin to sort through the situation. Itās a clumsy process full of possibilities and disbelief, and by the time I work everything out, Oliver is downright entertained.
Finally, I lean forward against the table. My cheeks are on fire, and my palms are sweaty.
āSo, what youāre saying is ā¦ā But I canāt get the words out. It still feels too unbelievable.
āIāll help.ā He leans against the table too. I think heās teasing me by mirroring my posture, but Iām not sure. āDo you remember my name?ā
āOliver Mason.ā Iāve only thought about it a dozen times since yesterday.
āGood. Now, did you happen to see the words printed on large, copper-colored letters on the arch above the entrance when you arrived here today?ā
I nod. Slowly. āMason Limited.ā I suck in a breath. āSo that would make you ā¦ā
āCEO.ā He considers this. āCo-CEO. My brother Holt and I share the position. But Iām much better at it than he is.ā
āOh, good God.ā