Jacob’s gaze hardens again, shutting him off from me. Reid and Dante ruin the moment by stomping up the stairs giggling, leaving it just us and Mason alone out in the living room. I dare to push Jacob’s boundaries and hug him tightly one more time, ignoring that small twinge in my ribs.
“See you tomorrow night.”
Jacob shoves me away. “Yeah, yeah.”
Once in front of Mason, I grin softly. “Let’s go home.”
“Home,” Mason repeats, like he’s just learning the word. Because yeah, his house, the one with the maroon mat by the front door, the perfectly turned coffee mugs, and the bed thatsmells like bodywash and lavender dryer sheets, that’s my home now.
Surprise ricochets through me when I impulsively hold my hand out and Mason takes it. He twines our fingers together, until when I look down, I can’t tell which hand is his and which is mine. Our fingers remain tangled on the short ride back to the house, and stay tangled as we climb the stairs, parting when we need to brush our teeth. In some way, I think Mason woke me up. Every time I had sex before him, it felt empty and meaningless, an act I had to get through to get to the other side. But with Mason, I feel more loved and wanted just in the simple act of climbing into the bed with him to fall asleep. How is that possible?
“Mason,” I say softly, just when he’s about to fall asleep.
Mason hums sleepily and rolls toward me, resting his warm arm across my chest. I lift my hand to trace the edge of his jaw, waiting for him to blink his sleepy ocean-blue eyes up at me. I brush the hair away from his face, needing to look into his eyes before I let sleep claim me in its clutches.
“Parker?” Mason mumbles, tongue coming out to lick at his sweet cupid’s bow.
“Promise me something.”
Mason curiously tilts his head against my bicep. “Yeah?”
“When you go on missions with us, always put your safety first. Don’t worry about saving me or Reid. Worry about yourself. If something happened to you and I…” I stop when the emotion threatens to choke me. It’s all too much. “Please,” I beg without breaking his stare.
Mason swallows hard. “What are you wanting me to promise?”
“Promise you’ll always come home with me.”
“I promise to do my best. Is that good enough?”
I turn over to pull him into my arms, settling my arm around him like a band. Closing my eyes tight, I inhale the soft scent of his shampoo, reveling in the warmth of his skin against mine.
It’s the night of the mission, and by the time it’s almost eight o’clock, I’ve worried myself into a bit of a state. I try to use getting dressed as a way to get myself in the right headspace, like usual, but Mason dressing beside me has me all sorts of messed up. I don’t know why, but I have this odd feeling that something’s going to go terribly, awfully wrong. This is exactly how I felt the night Mason killed his uncle.
Once I’m done, I join Mason in the walk-in closet to help him put on his murder shoes. Kneeling at Mason’s feet, I hold the shoes out for him to slip in, then lace them up tight so there’s no room for slipping. When I’m done, I tip back on my haunches to stare up at him, and he’s staring at me so lovingly that the room spins.
“Mason.”
Mason reaches down to gather my hair at the top of my head, then carefully twists it into what I’m assuming is an artfully messy-looking bun. When he’s done, he squints both eyes, then blows me a kiss.
“Hot like always.”
“Do you have your gloves?”
Mason lifts the gloves up and waves them around. “I’ve got them. I also have a mask in case something gets messy and I can’t stomach it.”
I pat his thigh and stand. “All right, good. And you’re good with your gun and taser? Like we practiced?"
With a tilt of his head, he stares up at me. “Parker, what’s this about?”
Instead of answering him, I lift my hand to ghost my fingers over his cheek. “Can I kiss you?”
Mason lifts onto his toes to press his mouth to mine. I keep the kiss soft, wanting to burn this moment into my memory to hold on to forever. But I can’t kiss him forever, so I pull away from him centuries too soon.
When we arrive at the house, the others are ready and waiting to climb into the car. Mason sits up front again, with the rest filing into the back, Reid happily sitting on Dante’s lap. The heart of downtown takes some time to get to since Eastport University is on the outskirts, but I navigate my way through the city streets with ease, following laws to not blow our cover before the mission has even started.
It’s after nine by the time we park a few blocks away from the high-rise we’ll be infiltrating. Everyone jumps out of the car, but I lock the doors to give myself a moment of privacy with Mason.
“Remember what I said.”
