Chapter 28
Tonight, I’m all yours
Mason parked in front of my dorm building, and I walked out before he even had time to kill the engine.
Wearing an emerald-green halter dress under a fleece-lined jeans jacket with my hair piled at the top of my head in some sort of fancy yet casual updo, I felt beautiful as his eyes followed all my movements.
He climbed out of his car and rubbed his palms over the legs of his sand-beige chinos, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes fixated on me.
It was like he was seeing me for the very first time, and it sent a thrill through my body.
Was he right all along? Had we always been destined to be together?
After a few seconds, he snapped out of his trance and closed in on me.
We stood a foot apart, and I could barely recall my own name as I lost myself in the vision of him, clean-shaven, his hair somewhat combed, and dressed in a slate-gray sweater that hugged all the muscles of his upper body under his letterman jacket.
Unlike his usual talkative self, he just watched me without saying a word.
“Mase, are you okay?” I asked, my voice shaky and betraying my nerves.
He blinked. “I’m…it’s just… Wow, you look gorgeous. I can’t believe we’re finally doing this. Pinch me. It feels like a dream.”
“Nah. I’ll never hurt you.” I mirrored his smile and got lost in the blue sea of his eyes.
We stood there, neither of us knowing what to do next. We’d spent plenty of time in each other’s company, but except the night we had gone to Homecoming, none of our times together had ever felt like a real date.
Mason stepped closer and grabbed one of my hands in his, leading me to the idling car. Opening the passenger door, he waited for me to slip inside before rounding the vehicle to get behind the wheel.
I stretched my arm across the console to grab his hand. “Mase. Just breathe, okay? It’s us. No need to try to impress me or anything. I’m here with you. We’re doing this.”
“I-I want tonight to be special.”
“It already is because it’s us giving whatever this is a chance. I’m trusting you with my heart, Mason. And it’s a big deal to me. Don’t panic, or I’ll panic too. I have no idea what I’m doing either. All I know is that no date has ever felt so right before.”
“You really…you think?” He shook his head. “I’ve never been so nervous in my life.”
I smiled at him. “You don’t have to be. It’s just me. And I thought you didn’t do nervous.”
“Just around you, Mel. Because nothing and no one means as much to me as you do.”
I captured his gaze. “Can we do something before we go? To get it out of the way so things aren’t awkward between us?”
“Yes. Anything. Name it.”
I twisted my free hand in my lap. “Can you…huh…kiss me? Like you did last night?”
“You sure?”
I bobbed my head once before he molded his hand to my cheek like he couldn’t wait.
We lost all track of time as our lips connected, hesitant at first, then growing bolder, until it became the hottest kiss of my life.
I raked my fingers through his hair, messing it up the way I liked.
Mason pulled me in until I was straddling him in the driver’s seat.
It wasn’t easy with his height and build, but we made it work.
It was us, finally coming together without anything or anyone—not even my head and my fears—keeping us apart.
Breathless, we both broke apart. No doubt my cheeks were flushed and my lips swollen.
“You look beautiful, drunk on my kisses,” he said with a glint in his gaze.
With his arms around me, Mason hugged my body to his chest, and I relished the beating of his heart against mine while filling my lungs with the delicious masculine scent of him.
“There’s something I gotta tell you before we go.”
Without leaning back, I asked, “What?”
“There’s a little detour in tonight’s plans.” He paused. “Huh…a while ago, I promised my little cousin I’d go to his school concert. The thing is, I kinda forgot it was tonight. Are you up for a recorder recital before we head to the restaurant? I moved the reservation to seven thirty.”
“Mase, tonight, I’m all yours. I don’t care whether we pull through a carwash or go to a middle school recital as long as we’re doing this together.”
With both hands on my shoulders, he leaned back until I could meet his eyes. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I am.”
“Fuck, you’re the best.”
“I have my moments,” I said, unable to keep a straight face.
“Now, let’s get out of here, or we’ll spend the entire evening in the same exact position.”
“I wouldn’t complain.”
“Me neither.”
I returned to my seat, and with my hand safely enveloped in his, we drove away. Never before had I felt like I was in the right place at the right moment as much as I did right now.