Page 69 of Making It Burn

“Uh-huh.”I leaned in closer, lowering my voice.“Mason, I don’t even remember what that guy looks like.Because the entire flight, all I could think about was you.Your leg pressed against mine, and the way you looked like you wanted to devour me.”

Mason’s pupils dilated.“Beau—”

“And you know what I’m thinking about now?”I continued, my voice dropping even lower.“How you looked last night with your head thrown back.The sounds you made.How you felt inside me.”

“We’re in public,” Mason said, but his voice had gone rough.

“I know.Which means you have to sit here and think about all the things I’m going to do to you when we get home.”

His hand tightened on mine.“You’re going to kill me.”

“That’s the plan.”

Derek walked past us then, doing a double-take when he saw me.“Oh!Hey!You’re on this flight too?”

“Looks like it,” I said pleasantly.

Derek’s eyes dropped to our joined hands, and his smile faltered slightly.“Oh.So you two are...?”

“Together,” Mason said firmly.“We’re together.”

Something warm bloomed in my chest at hearing him say it out loud, claiming me in front of someone else.

“That’s...great.Really great.”Derek nodded, backing away.“Well, enjoy your flight!”

He disappeared into the jet bridge, and Mason let out a breath.

“You okay?”I asked.

“Yeah.I just...”He looked at me.“I wanted to make sure he knew.That you’re not available.”

“I’m very much not available.”

* * *

When we landed in Richmond, the November cold hit us like a slap after the warmth of New Orleans.We grabbed our bags and headed to the parking garage.I’d taken a Lyft here, so I followed Mason to his car.

“My place or yours?”I asked as he started the engine.

Mason didn’t hesitate.“Mine.It’s not filled with unpacked boxes.”

The drive to his apartment felt like it took forever.Mason’s hand found my thigh, his thumb tracing absent patterns that were driving me insane.Every red light was torture.Every stop sign was an eternity.

Finally, we pulled up to his building.We grabbed our bags and practically ran up the stairs, Mason fumbling with his keys for what felt like an hour before getting the door open.

The moment we were inside, bags forgotten in the entryway, Mason’s mouth was on mine.He backed me toward the bedroom, our hands already pulling at clothes, desperate to feel skin on skin again.

We fell onto his bed in a tangle of limbs, and Mason pulled back just long enough to look at me.

“Hi,” he said, his voice soft.

“Hi yourself.”I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair.

“I wish we hadn’t taken so long to…” His hand cupped my face.“I’m a fool most of the time, unable to accept what’s right in front of my face.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Mason.”

Something in my chest tightened at the vulnerability in his eyes.This thing between us—it was more than just physical.More than just the chemistry we’d been fighting.It was something deeper, something that made my breath catch and my heart race for entirely different reasons.