Page 65 of City of Sin (Men of Manhattan 1)

I put my hand in his and stepped out of the car. "Not in a million years. Are you trying to get rid of me?"

He laughed and intertwined his fingers with mine. "Not in a million years, Bee."

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nbsp; I looked down at our hands. I felt like my hand fit well in his. It really seemed like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Everything leading up to this point had been worth it if Mason was actually the guy he seemed to be. The guy who wanted to be the reason why I stayed in New York. I was falling for that guy.

We walked up the red carpet on the front steps. The lights on top of the canopy above us lit up the entrance beautifully. It looked like something out of an old movie. Mason pulled two tickets out of his front coat pocket and handed them to the man who had just opened up the door for us.

The man looked down at the tickets. "Mr. Caldwell, the gala is being held in the ballroom." He handed the tickets back to Mason. "Down the hall to the left. I hope you both have a wonderful evening."

"You too," Mason said.

I gripped Mason's hand a little tighter when we walked into the hotel. The marble floor led to the most ornate staircase I had ever seen. The Plaza Hotel's emblem was emblazoned on the floor in gold. And the chandeliers completed the royal look of the entranceway.

Mason pulled me in the direction of the ballroom.

"It's beautiful," I said and looked back over my shoulder.

"Not as beautiful as you."

"Usually your pickup lines aren't so cliché." I smiled up at him.

"I'm not trying to pick you up. I already have you." He squeezed my hand.

The way he said it made my body feel warm. Is that what he thought? That I was his? It had been a long time since I had felt connected to someone. That's what I wanted. To be a part of a "we" again.

"Have you ever been here before?" I asked.

"I come every year."

"How many years have you been coming?"

"Six, I believe."

"So you've been donating to the hospital since you graduated? You're a bad boy with a good heart, Mason Caldwell."

"It's a good cause."

"Who do you usually bring to these events?"

"No one important in a long time." He smiled down at me. "Have you ever been to this hotel?"

"What purpose would I ever have for going to The Plaza Hotel?"

"Something fancy?"

I laughed. "I haven't done anything fancy in a long time."

"I heard the mattresses are exceptionally comfortable here."

I swallowed hard. I loved when he talked like that. I wanted to be witty back. "We're pretty good without a mattress."

"You don't have to remind me." He stopped outside the coat check. "Turn around, Bee."

I turned away from him. He slowly pulled my coat off of me, tracing his fingers down my arms. The electricity shot through me even stronger than before. He pushed my hair to the side and kissed the back of my neck. "Truly breathtaking," he whispered. The heat of his breath on the back of my neck made my skin tingle.

I turned around and watched him grab the tickets out of his pocket before handing both our jackets over to the attendant.

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