I nervously laugh. “I will, and I appreciate your concerns.”
Rounding the corner before me, her face lights up. “Your ride is here.”
My stomach flutters when I see Mason leaning against one of the mirror-tiled pillars at passenger pickup. I smile at Lina. “See you at Luca’s birthday party on Saturday.”
“You can’t tell me there isn’t something between you two. Because I know there is,” she says.
“It’s not like that, trust me,” I repeat once again. Even though I say those words, and I know they’re not true, I can’t help but wish they weren’t. I do wish I could have more with him.
“Sure, whatever you say. Love you!” Lina takes a hard left headed toward the sky train.
I wave at her briefly as she leaves. Mason starts heading in my direction, eating the distance between us. “Mason.”
“Bailey,” he responds.
“You didn’t have to pick me up. You’re letting Harry off the hook for his brotherly duties.” I joke, but he doesn’t respond to my sarcastic comment. Instead, he wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. My nose hits the fabric of his chest, and the skin on my arm tingles under the warmth of his touch.
“I don’t mind.” He softly kisses my head directly above my ear.
“Thank you. It’s better seeing your face after three days away instead of my brother’s.”
“I figured. But I also have something cool I want to show you as well,” he says, steering us both toward the escalators.
I look up at him. “What is it?”
“I’ll show you. Do you mind if we head there right now?” he asks, hooking one arm around my shoulder.
I back away, reminding myself of our arrangement. Trying not to look obvious, I switch the side of my suitcase so that it’s rolling between us. “Of course.”
Mason notices right away that the bag is now between us and swiftly switches to my other side. He lightly rests his hand on my lower back. My eyes blink heavily, enjoying this moment of couple normalcy.
When we get to his car, he opens the passenger side door for me. I climb in. “So, what do you need to show me?” I ask.
His face lights up from the driver’s side of the car while his arm rests on the center console. “Well, my house is done, and I want you to see it.”
He wants to show me his house?“Why do you want to show me your house? Aren’t you the one who needs to like it since you’re the one who’s going to be living in it?” I ask, buckling my seatbelt.
“That’s true, but I’d love to know what you think. It won’t take that long. I’m sure you want to get home to Luca.”
“I would love to see your new house,” I tell him, leaving all jokes aside.
A short time later, Mason pulls up to a gated community at the base of a small cactus-covered mountain. After he punches in the gate code, we’re on our way up a steep hill, passing large, beautiful, custom-built homes. At the end of the street, a black and white mid-century modern house comes into view. It’s one level and with elements that mimic the designs of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright himself.
Mason pulls into the circular driveway and parks directly in front of the matte-black double doors at the entrance. “This is it,” he says, turning the engine off and twisting to face me.
“This house looks like you.” I smile, letting my sight take in the beautiful views from up here.
He chuckles. “Thanks.”
I have butterflies in my stomach as we take each step up to the entrance. As soon as the doors swing open, I’m met with the smell of fresh paint and hardware. The first thing I see is a large, open living space with floor-to-ceiling windows. A perfectly unobstructed view of the entire valley, including downtown. My mouth drops. “Mason, this view is phenomenal!”
I take the two steps down into the sunken living room and stroll over to the windows. His footfalls follow close behind until he’s standing to my right while we both take in the cityscape.
“Do you want to see the kitchen?” he asks in a low voice.
I bite back a grin. “Obviously.”
He guides me the short distance to a clean, modern chef’s kitchen. A massive island in the middle is the focal point of the space. The color black, stainless steel, and marble are all elements that make up this elaborate, expensive area.
