Page 77 of Right Number

“Yes. They’ll be here a little later…” My voice trailed off as a wave of nerves hit me walking towards the building. The previous Spring Art Show had been such a cluster-fuck, and the year before that I’d been Oliver’s date, so I didn’t really know what to expect from an actual, functional night there.

Or was something insane destined to happen that night as well? Shit. I hadn’t thought about that.

Mason reached down and squeezed my hand as we walked. I had no doubt he could sense my nervousness. That man could read me like a damn book. “You OK?” he asked in a sweet, soothing voice.

I took a deep breath. “I think so. Just a little nervous.” I paused. “A whole lot of nervous,” I confessed. “Suddenly walking in there seems a little overwhelming.” I nodded in the direction of the art building.

“I might be able to help with that,” Mason said with a hint of mischievousness to his voice.

I chuckled. “Do you have some kind of magic powers I don’t know about?”

Mason just smiled and shrugged. “Maybe.”

I laughed again as we continued toward the art building. The closer we got, the more nervous I became. As we approached the front door, I felt Mason lean into me. “You look so amazing,” he whispered into my ear. His lips brushed against my earlobe and sent a shiver through my whole body. “I had a really difficult time focusing on dinner with you sitting across from me.”

I turned my head to look at him. I had on the sky-high, nude heels I’d bought the year before and, even with the extra height, Mason was still a few inches taller than me. “Is that so?” I said in a low voice as I raised an eyebrow at him.

Mason looked at me with a sexy grin as we reached the front door of the art building. He leaned in and whispered, “You’re so fucking hot in that dress, I’m going to be the envy of every person in there.” Mason’s warm breath left goose bumps on my skin as he planted a soft kiss on my shoulder before pulling his head away and stepping behind me as we walked through the door.

My breath hitched and my pulse raced as I glanced at Mason. The smile he was trying to suppress told me he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I tried to suppress a smile of my own. Two could play that game. My dress for the evening was a royal-blue, shimmery fabric that clung to me like a second skin. It had long sleeves and a high neckline, but the back was completely bare and dipped down to just above my booty. I had my long, dark hair piled up on my head to fully showcase the open back. The dress was floor-length with a slit up the side that stopped just above mid-thigh and showcased my long legs. There was no way I would’ve worn a dress that sexy before, but a lot had changed in a year.

I’d stopped abruptly after walking through the door, causing him to bump into my back. I pressed the back of me into the front of him, knowing full well he would be able to feel the heat from my exposed skin and the curve of my butt through the clingy fabric of my dress. I could feel the electric sparks passing between us and my insides felt like they were on fire. A year later and the flames of passion between us only kept getting hotter. I tipped my head back until it was leaning against his shoulder. “Well, I must say, you too clean up rather nicely. While waiting to get your bag at the airport may have delayed our other activities, I have to admit seeing you in that suit was well worth it.” It was true. Mason looked incredible in his charcoal-gray suit with a crisp, white button-down shirt under it. He had foregone a tie and instead had the top two buttons of his shirt undone. With his tousled hair, he was the perfect combination of classy and sexy.

Mason chuckled as he reached down and interlaced his fingers with mine. “You, Anna, are the best damn thing to ever happen to me.” I couldn’t help but smile at his words as he brought my hand up and over my shoulder to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand softly before lowering it back down to my side. “Now, my beautiful artist, are you ready?” he whispered.

I suddenly realized all of the nervousness I’d felt before we walked into the Spring Art Show was long gone. I spun around to face Mason with a look of surprise on my face. “How did you…”

Mason wrapped his arms around me and I put my palms on his chest. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Magic.” We both burst out laughing. “Now, in all seriousness, you ready, gorgeous?” Mason asked as he looked into my eyes.

I turned around and, for the first time since we’d arrived, took a moment to look around the Spring Art Show. It looked very similar to how it had been in previous years. There were already several people milling around, looking at the different art exhibits displayed in the foyer and I knew there were more exhibits on each floor. Much like the year before, people were dressed in a variety of different styles as they sipped on glasses of champagne and mingled while viewing the art.

As I stood in the foyer taking everything in, I realized the big difference was how I felt. It was such a different feeling that night than it had been the previous year. The previous year, my heart felt broken and full of disappointment. I’d walked through the doors alone and felt so uncertain about so many things. As I looked over at Mason, standing next to me holding my hand, I knew I’d never have to feel alone like that again. The man I was head over heels in love with would always be right there with me. We had spark, passion, compatibility, and our relationship was solid. My confidence was at an all-time high and all those feelings of uncertainty were gone. I knew where I was going in life, what I was doing, and who I was doing it with.

It was really incredible how much had changed in a year.

I gave Mason a big smile. “I’ve never been more ready.” And that was the truth.

Chapter 27

The Spring Art Show, Take II

MASON AND I STEPPED into the crowd of people, hand in hand. “Champagne?” a voice rang out. I looked to my left and saw a waitress standing next to me holding a silver tray filled with champagne flutes.

“Yes, thank you,” Mason said as he handed me a glass before taking one for himself. Mason chuckled and held his flute up, as if making a toast. “May this year’s Spring Art Show be far more memorable than the last.”

I laughed as we clinked our glasses together. “I’ll most definitely drink to that.”

We sipped our champagne and Mason looked at me with a smile. “What should we look at first?”

I took another small sip before responding. I’d steered clear of champagne since the debacle the previous year, but had decided one glass that night wouldn’t hurt anything. “Let’s look around at some of the exhibits on this floor first.” I gestured towards the artwork with my champagne flute. “Photography is on the third floor, so we can make our way up there. Plus, I have to stay until the end, so we have plenty of time to make it through everything.”

Mason nodded as he looked around. “Sounds good.” I leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. He turned to me with a grin. “What was that for?”

“Because I love you,” I said simply. “I’m really glad you’re here with me tonight and that I get to share this with you.” I reached down and took Mason’s free hand in mine.

“I love you too, Anna. And thank you for sharing this with me.” Mason gazed at me for a moment with a huge smile on his face. I could see the love he had for me shining in his deep, brown eyes and it made my stomach flutter. “Should we get started?” he asked in his deep voice. I nodded and we began to stroll, holding hands, towards the exhibits. I couldn’t help but think of Mason’s toast a few moments before and how excited I was for us to make new memories together for the Spring Art Show.

Mason and I took our time wandering through the different artwork. I introduced him to several of my professors and some of the other art majors I knew from the program. I’d made a conscious effort to reach out and get to know more people in the art department over the past year. Since it was my last year of college, I’d figured it was my final opportunity to do so. Plus, being in a relationship with Mason had boosted my confidence to an unprecedented level, which made stepping outside my comfort zone a little easier. I was pleasantly surprised at how many cool people I’d met and had really enjoyed hanging out with some new friends.

---