Page 85 of Raised On It

“Damn straight, it’s been good for her. And the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

She turns into my chest and wraps both arms around me and locks her lips with mine in front of our audience of one.

You see that, Andy? Everything clear, buddy? I belong to her.

“I’m very happy. Thanks for noticing, Andy,” she says to the attractive doorman, but still wrapped in my arms, she says the words to me as our eyes connect and our souls dance around the sound of the crackle in the air.

“Shall I bring your bags up for you?”

“Nah, I have it, Andy.”

I can take care of her without your help, Mr. Doorman. Your services are no longer needed on that front.

Grabbing our bags, we catch the next elevator, and Mason holds a key fob up to the panel of buttons and then presses the one marked PH.

She stands with her hands in front of her instead of holding mine or touching me like she usually does.

She’s nervous.

“Andy seems nice?”

“He’s the eyes and ears of this place. Nothing goes on without him knowing about it. As a single woman, it feels good to have him there, and to know that he’ll notice if something out of the norm is going on. He knows that no matter what they say, my parents and Grant are not allowed up without him calling me first. Those visits rarely if ever happen, but he has instructions for if they do. The poor guy has had to lie for me on more than one occasion.”

Okay, I like the sound of that. I guess it’s good he’s there, and as long as he knows I’m the new man in Mason’s life, then we’re all good.

“Well, I’m glad you’ve had him in the past, but now you have me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, City Mouse.”

Smiling, she says, “I’m glad you’re here.”

The elevator pings, and the doors open up to a small vestibule with a large door to the left. There is a small table with a vase of flowers next to the door where Mason sets her purse while she digs through it in search of her key.

“Found it,” she says to the door as she turns the key.

Opening the door wide, she holds it for me as I carry our bags in.

“Home sweet home.” She sounds a little unsteady.

She joins me on the edge of the huge all white and gray living room lined with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of Central Park.

Holy shit.

“Wow, Mase. You weren’t kidding.” Leaving the bags in the entryway, I’m drawn to the huge windows and the vastness of the city spread out in front of us. “Baby, this place is off the charts. I see why you don’t want to give it up. Can’t say that I blame you.” When I turn to face her, she seems startled, and I’m thinking I shouldn’t have brought up the dreaded topic of her coming back to NYC so soon. “You should be really proud.”

She’s wringing her hands in front of her. Very un-Mason like.

“Can my city mouse not take a compliment?”

“I can,” she says practically under her breath. “It’s just strange to see you standing here in the middle of my world.”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Mase?”

She tilts her head confused.

“Your world is my world, and my world is your world, baby.”

Standing there in her tight as hell skinny jeans, hot pink heels, and not-too-tight but tight enough white T-shirt strategically tucked in only the front, she’s looking like she needs to be taken right then and there as she beams her light at me with her sexy as hell smile that tells me I’ve said exactly what she needed to hear.

“I like this look on you.”

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