She laughed. "You literally just heard the whole conversation. I told him you were plastered and that you could use a lift. He was still at work, so he's just down the street."

"I don't want him to take me home. He's going to try to seduce me."

"I think you should let him," Marie said.

"You are both terrible people. We're taking things slow. He's going to think I'm an alcoholic."

"Then I'll tell him all you do is sit at home at night and watch T.V. That should clear everything right up."

"Don't tell him that! Crap, do I look okay?"

"You look great," Marie said. "Besides, the lights are probably going to be off anyway."

I grabbed my phone off the table. "I'm just going to leave before he gets here. Tell him I got sick or something."

I hopped off the bar stool before either one of them could stop me and walked as quickly as I could toward the exit. I didn't want Mason to see me like this. I grabbed the door handle and almost ran outside. As soon as I turned the corner I ran straight into someone.

I instantly smelled his cologne. Which made my knees feel slightly week. His hands were securely on my hips. I looked up at Mason Caldwell's handsome face. All I wanted was for him to lean down and kiss me.

"What are you doing here?" I said without moving. I didn't want him to take his hands off me.

His lips curled into a smile. "I'm taking you home."

"Your home or my home?"

His eyebrows lowered slightly. "Your home."

"I think I'd rather see your home." Apparently cosmos made me ridiculously forward.

"You're drunk."

"And you're handsome."

"Let's get you home." He let go of my waist and draped his arm across my shoulders.

I felt safe next to him. I liked how tall and muscular he was. I let my head rest against his shoulder.

We stopped on the curb and he put his hand out for a taxi.

"We can just take the subway," I said. "It's a block away."

"I don't ride the subway."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I just haven't in a long time."

"Do rich people not ride the subway or something?"

&nbs

p; "I guess you could say that." His arm tightened around me.

I wasn't sure if I had felt this warm since winter had started in this stupid city. "Why did you come?"

"Because you're drunk."

"Marie and Kendra would have taken me home."