Page 99 of I Need You Tonight
“Nope. I’ve officially moved here. I needed to get away from L.A., and this town has grown on me.”
My heart came to a complete standstill. Holy shit. Mason was living in my town? “It does seem to have that effect,” I said numbly. This had to be a dream. And like with the rest of the ones I’d had about him, I would wake up and he’d be gone. “So you mean you’ll be commuting back and forth between here and L.A. when the band records the next album?” I laughed. “Because that’s gonna be one hell of a commute.”
“I sold my loft, and there won’t be any more albums for me. I’ve left the band.”
I blinked, positive I’d misheard him. His music meant everything to him. His bandmates meant everything to him. They were his family. “But why would you do that? You guys were on the verge of making it big! That’s always been your dream.”
“It was,” he said, not a hint of regret lining his face. “But as much as I loved playing and touring with the guys, it wasn’t healthy for me. I’m a recovering addict. I’m facing enough challenges as it is without making things more difficult for myself.” He stroked his thumb against my cheek, a sweet reminder of what we’d once had between us. “But more important, you weren’t there with me. Once you left, it wasn’t the same anymore. Everywhere I went, I saw you. I missed you, Nicole…but I also missed who I was while I was staying here with you.”
“So you’ve really left the band?” I whispered, still unable to believe it was true.
“It hasn’t been made public yet. I broke the news to the band last week. I wanted to tell you first.”
Oh God. They must be freaking out. How could they go on without him?
“What’s going to happen with the band? Are they splitting up?” It would be a damn shame if they did. They’d all worked hard to get where they were.
“No. They’re replacing me. A friend of ours, Tomas York, is going to step in. He’s a brilliant drummer.”
I nodded like a bobblehead figurine, the shock from his news still confounding me. “You’re really living here?”
With a small nod, he smiled.
A longing surged through me to kiss him, to make sure he wasn’t a mirage.
“I’m so sorry for how much I hurt you, Nicole,” he said, voice low and intimate. “I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you. But I want to do things differently this time.”
“Differently?” That didn’t sound good. “What do you want to do differently?”
“Us.”
“Us?”
“We’ve never been on a date. Not a real one, at least. Our relationship moved fast from the time I first showed up on your doorstep. We made out, we had sex, we fell in love—but we’ve never dated. We’ve never been a real couple.” He leaned down and ran his lips along my jaw. “I want to be a real couple with you. I want to date you and prove to you that I’m worth taking a chance on.”
I didn’t have the opportunity to answer before his mouth found mine. The kiss was unassuming and brief and sweet. “Will you go out with me, Nicole?”
As great as the kiss had been, it wasn’t enough. My lips crashed against his—and it was like we had never been apart. A tiny whimper escaped me as my tongue slid against his. His fingers knotted in my hair, keeping me close, the other hand pressed against my back. My body ached for him, but I didn’t want to rush this moment. Everything about it was perfect.
I don’t know how long we had been kissing—it wasn’t long enough, if you asked me—but eventually I pulled away and fought to regain my breath.
My answering smile to his question was as bright as the full moon. “Yes, Mason. I’d love to go out with you.”
