Page 105 of Making It Burn
“I got you a Christmas present,” I said suddenly.
Mason turned from the stove.“You did?”
“Yeah.Weeks ago.Before the party.”I picked at the label on my beer bottle.“I wasn’t sure I was going to give it to you.”
“And now?”
“Now I think maybe I will.On Christmas.”I looked up at him.“If we’re still...if this is still...”
“It is.”Mason abandoned the risotto completely, coming over to stand in front of me.“Beau, I know you need proof.I know you need to see that I’m serious.But please believe this—I’m not going anywhere.I’m all in.Completely.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”He kissed my forehead, then my nose, then my lips.“Now tell me more about this present.Do I get a hint?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Not even a small one?”
“Not even a tiny one.”I pulled him closer, breathing in his familiar scent—coffee and expensive cologne and something uniquely Mason.“You’ll just have to wait.”
“I’m not good at waiting.”
“I know.But I’m worth it.”
“You are.”He said it with such certainty that I almost believed him.“You’re worth everything.”
The risotto burned while we kissed in his kitchen, and neither of us cared.
ChapterTwenty
Mason
The next morning, I parked in my usual spot in the firm’s garage and killed the engine.Beau sat in the passenger seat, checking his phone.
My heart was hammering.
“Ready?”I asked.
Beau looked up, his expression questioning.“For what?”
“To walk in together.”
He blinked.“Mason, we usually—”
“I know.We usually park separately, walk in at different times, and make sure no one sees us arrive together.”I reached over and took his hand.“But I’m done with that.I want to walk into this building with you.”
A slow smile spread across Beau’s face.“Okay then.Let’s do this.”
We got out of the car, and I walked around to meet him.When I held out my hand, Beau took it without hesitation.
Together, we walked through the parking garage toward the elevator.My palm was sweating, and I was hyperaware of every person we passed—a paralegal getting out of her car who did a double-take, a senior associate heading to his vehicle who raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
“You’re shaking,” Beau murmured as we waited for the elevator.
“I’m nervous.”
“You don’t have to be.”
