He nods. “Baby, please.”
“I am yours,” I whisper between soft kisses. “I have been. It just took me a minute.”
Laughing, he leans back and drops his forehead against mine. “Longest fucking minute of my life. You had me worried.”
“I had you worried?” I twitch in his arms until he lowers me. “Who the fuck is that redhead?” I ask, poking him in the chest.
His mouth falls open. “Ah, fuck. I forgot. Come on.” He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the alley.
“Erection,” I grate out behind him.
He turns his head. “What’s that?”
“You have an erection.” I tug on his hand.
“Shit.” He spins around just before we reach the fence and the herd of people. He winks at me as he discreetly adjusts himself. “Thanks, gorgeous. That could’ve been embarrassing, yeah?”
My heart melts at that one stupid word. I grab his face and kiss him hard.
“Mm,” he moans and squeezes my shoulders, gently easing me off. “Now you’re just making things worse.”
Smiling through a shrug, I take his hand again and allow him to willingly pull me this time through the crowded seating area outside the café. We stop at the table he was occupying before my outburst.
I look at the redhead, and the man now sitting next to her. His arm thrown behind her back. Her hand resting on his thigh.
Oh.
Nice, Brooke. Very nice.
Mason gestures at the couple. “These are some mates of mine from Alabama. Tessa, and her boyfriend, Luke. They came up to see my studio and do some sightseeing.” He looks down at me, smirking. “You remember me mentioning Tessa, right, sweetheart?”
“Mm.” I nod through tightly pinched lips.
Chuckling, Mason wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me against his side. He looks at his friends. “And this is my Brooke.”
My heart thumps loudly in my chest, echoing in my bones.
His Brooke.
I release the slowest, calmest breath of my life as Tessa and Luke regard me familiarly.
For the first time since I’ve met Mason, I don’t feel unsure. The expectant worry that usually accompanies being this public with him is gone. Vanished. There’s no trace of it.
This is easy. God, it’s so easy standing here with him, being his, and it’s undeniably everything I want. I realize this is what it feels like to be someone’s only. To want to be that. And to hear someone declare their love for you just in the way they acquaint you with others.
A dizzying sensation moves through me like a coiling stream. I feel fuller and weightless all at once.
He loves me. Wow. That’s what this feels like.
Raising a limp hand, I smile apologetically at the two of them, more so at Tessa. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier. I’m not usually like that.”
She tilts her head. “No? I’ve heard you’re a bit ballsy. It’s all good. I would’ve done the same thing.”
“Babe, you have,” Luke adds, laughing. “Who are you kidding?” He holds out his hand and shakes mine. “Sorry I missed the show. I was grabbing drinks.”
“Yeah, me too. Way to be absent. I’m probably banned from eating here now.”
We all share a laugh, and I notice Tessa smiling up at Mason.
“Can you stay?” he asks, sliding his hand to my back as I spin to face him.
I shake my head. “No. Dylan’s at a doctor’s appointment so it’s just me and Joey running the shop. I really need to grab some food and get back.”
He presses a kiss to my temple. “I’ll go inside with you.”
I say my goodbyes and another round of apologies to Luke and Tessa. Mason keeps his arms around me as we wait in line to place my order. I bury my face in his neck. We laugh about how we’ve become one of those couples, and we both agree we don’t really give a fuck.
He insists on paying for my food and walks me to the corner of the street where he grabs my face and presses hot, hungry kisses to my mouth and neck.