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Interest lit in Nick’s eyes. “Mason told me about her putting her ex in his place.”

“She booted him right out the door,” Lyric confirmed.

Nick got back to the question Mason had asked. “Officer Bowers said he knows Lyric and was here when her place got broken into, and he’s not resting until he finds Rick.” Nick looked back at her. “I think he has a crush on you.”

She squeezed the arm Mason had across her chest. “I’m taken.”

Mason nuzzled his nose into her hair right behind her ear. “Don’t forget it.”

“You won’t ever let me.” Such confidence and pleasure in those words.

“I’ll leave you two to your time together. Keep in touch, Mason. Let me know how you’re doing.”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush. I told her I’d be going to therapy to work out my shit. We have no secrets.”

“Then, she knows everything about Maria.”

“That she may have tried to kill me? Yeah,” Lyric confirmed. “Is it me? Am I the one who makes people violently possessive?”

“Some people are just bad,” Nick said. “Mason adores you. He’d never hurt you because he’s good. Rick and Maria, there’s something twisted in them. It’s not your fault. And we will make them pay for what they’ve done.”

Mason reluctantly released Lyric to go to his brother and wrap him in a bear hug. “Thanks, man. It means a lot that you always saw me.”

“We’re brothers. I know you. You know me.” Nick smacked him on the back, hugged him hard, then let him go. To Lyric he said, “I’ll see you soon.”

Lyric closed and locked the door behind his brother. “I like him.”

“The feeling is definitely mutual between you two.” He pulled her back into his arms and stared down at her. “What’s your plan for the day?”

She rolled her eyes. “Aria texted that we got a big catering order this morning, but I’m not allowed to help with it. So I’m all yours.” She needed to rest and let her own many bumps and bruises heal.

“Nice. You’re all mine.”

Her sweet grin made him want to kiss her. “If you’re staying here with me, we need to get some groceries. Maybe we could head into town, see a movie, have lunch, shop, then head back here for a quiet night.”

It sounded like a normal, everyday thing, but it made him so damn happy because he got to do it with her. Because this was the start of his life with her. “Yeah. Let’s do all that. I’ll just jump in the shower, and then we can go.”

“While you do that, I’ll go downstairs and make sure Aria and Melody have everything in hand for the catering order and kitchen rush tonight.”

He kissed her and waited for her to leave before he grabbed what he needed out of his bag and went into the bathroom to shower and complete his transformation from Viper to Mason.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Mason loved the shocked and surprised look on Lyric’s face when he walked into the bar after his shower.

“Holy hotness,” she blurted out, her gaze fixed on his shorter hair and clean-shaven face.

“What?”

She shook her head like she needed to rattle herself back into reality. “M. Seriously. That’s too much gorgeous goodness for one woman to take.”

He walked right up to her, cupped her beautifully shocked face, and kissed her like he hadn’t seen her in forever. Like he could do it any time he wanted, anywhere he wanted. Like now. Right here in front of her stunned sister, Aria. “I thought you might like to see me looking less disreputable and more me. I know I did. Bonus that I blew your mind.”

She fisted her hand in his shirt and tugged him down until they were face-to-face, her lips a tempting inch from his. “It’s not about how you look. It’s who you are that I love.” She kissed him back like he’d kissed her a moment ago. “But I love that you’re stepping out of the role you had to play so you can be you with me.”

“So obviously something has changed.” Aria stared at him from behind the counter. “Care to share?”

It was Lyric who turned to her sister and answered. “Aria, meet FBI Special Agent Mason Gunn. The man I’m going to marry.”