I gasp and arch further into him.

“Say it again,” he begs, kissing my jaw. “God, Brooke. Say it.”

I moan when he bites my neck. “That you’re my best friend?”

He leans away, and I giggle at his expression.

Fuck, he’s so adorable. Moody Mason.

I lunge at him again and wrap my arms around his neck, my feet dangling in the air.

He grumbles against my mouth.

“Oh. That you’re mine? And I’m yours? Is that what you want me to say?”

He nods. “Baby, please.”

“I am yours,” I whisper between soft kisses. “I have been. It just took me a minute.”

Laughing, he leans back and drops his forehead against mine. “Longest fucking minute of my life. You had me worried.”

“I had you worried?” I twitch in his arms until he lowers me. “Who the fuck is that redhead?” I ask, poking him in the chest.

His mouth falls open. “Ah, fuck. I forgot. Come on.” He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the alley.

“Erection,” I grate out behind him.

He turns his head. “What’s that?”

“You have an erection.” I tug on his hand.

“Shit.” He spins around just before we reach the fence and the herd of people. He winks at me as he discreetly adjusts himself. “Thanks, gorgeous. That could’ve been embarrassing, yeah?”

My heart melts at that one stupid word. I grab his face and kiss him hard.

“Mm,” he moans and squeezes my shoulders, gently easing me off. “Now you’re just making things worse.”

Smiling through a shrug, I take his hand again and allow him to willingly pull me this time through the crowded seating area outside the café. We stop at the table he was occupying before my outburst.

I look at the redhead, and the man now sitting next to her. His arm thrown behind her back. Her hand resting on his thigh.

Oh.

Nice, Brooke. Very nice.

Mason gestures at the couple. “These are some mates of mine from Alabama. Tessa, and her boyfriend, Luke. They came up to see my studio and do some sightseeing.” He looks down at me, smirking. “You remember me mentioning Tessa, right, sweetheart?”

“Mm.” I nod through tightly pinched lips.

Chuckling, Mason wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me against his side. He looks at his friends. “And this is my Brooke.”

My heart thumps loudly in my chest, echoing in my bones.

His Brooke.

I release the slowest, calmest breath of my life as Tessa and Luke regard me familiarly.

For the first time since I’ve met Mason, I don’t feel unsure. The expectant worry that usually accompanies being this public with him is gone. Vanished. There’s no trace of it.

This is easy. God, it’s so easy standing here with him, being his, and it’s undeniably everything I want. I realize this is what it feels like to be someone’s only. To want to be that. And to hear someone declare their love for you just in the way they acquaint you with others.

A dizzying sensation moves through me like a coiling stream. I feel fuller and weightless all at once.

He loves me. Wow. That’s what this feels like.

Raising a limp hand, I smile apologetically at the two of them, more so at Tessa. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier. I’m not usually like that.”

She tilts her head. “No? I’ve heard you’re a bit ballsy. It’s all good. I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Babe, you have,” Luke adds, laughing. “Who are you kidding?” He holds out his hand and shakes mine. “Sorry I missed the show. I was grabbing drinks.”

“Yeah, me too. Way to be absent. I’m probably banned from eating here now.”

We all share a laugh, and I notice Tessa smiling up at Mason.

“Can you stay?” he asks, sliding his hand to my back as I spin to face him.

I shake my head. “No. Dylan’s at a doctor’s appointment so it’s just me and Joey running the shop. I really need to grab some food and get back.”

He presses a kiss to my temple. “I’ll go inside with you.”

I say my goodbyes and another round of apologies to Luke and Tessa. Mason keeps his arms around me as we wait in line to place my order. I bury my face in his neck. We laugh about how we’ve become one of those couples, and we both agree we don’t really give a fuck.

He insists on paying for my food and walks me to the corner of the street where he grabs my face and presses hot, hungry kisses to my mouth and neck.

“I gotta go,” I plead, but my hand holds tight to his shirt, my lips still moving against his.

He kisses me once more and leans away. “Can you come by after you get off? I’m teaching this special class tonight I want you to see.”

“Special?” I flash him a devilish smile. “As in private?”

He laughs. “More private than usual, yes. Will you come?”

I giggle at his innuendo. He swats at my ass.

God, yes. I will be coming.

After waving goodbye to Joey after work and telling him to not wait up for me at all tonight, I cross the street and open the door to Mason’s studio.

I’m expecting my skin to prick with sweat the minute I step inside. My lungs to adjust to the sultry air. That’s the first difference I notice.

The temperature is comfortable. How it is when Mason isn’t teaching a class. A cool seventy degrees. The second thing I notice is the panel of spectators standing off to the side observing. Some of them snapping pictures.

Older people, mostly. Parents, by the looks of it. They look proud. I’m quickly reminded of my own mom and dad when I used to compete in cheerleading competitions.

I step further into the room and avert my attention to the actual group participating in the lesson. A profound awareness builds around me. Mason’s invitation takes on an entirely different meaning as I smile at the young adults posed on their mats, most of them probably close to my age. All of them sharing similar physical characteristics.

I suddenly feel like the biggest asshole for interpreting his request the way I did.

God, Brooke. Tact. Learn it.

I spot Mason toward the back of the room. He’s helping a young woman hold a pose where her body is forming an upside down V. Her hands and feet flat on the mat. She giggles and drops to her knees, then rolls to her hip. Her laughter is infectious, and soon others join in.

The woman beside me laughs quietly and whispers to the woman standing next to her.

“He’s so great, isn’t he? Look how much they’re all enjoying this!”

I slide closer along the wall, keeping my attention on Mason as he convinces the girl to try again. She shakes her head, grinning, but ultimately going for it and stretching into the pose.

“I know. I was so excited when Kendall wanted to give this a try. Trish said he’s offering this once a week, with a substantial discount. More than half-off. If they like it, I’m all for it, you know? It’s good for them.”

The woman beside me makes an appreciative humming noise. “The world needs more people like him.”

More people like him.

Mason.

With a sigh, my head hits the wall. I gaze across the room at the one person who has completely surprised me in every possible way. From his unconventional dating method, to his irresistible persistence, to his sweet soul he shares with the world.

My Mason.

I begin to take in quick, shallow breaths the longer I stand here. Something shifts, my lungs and other organs making room for my heart to expand and take over.

Who cares, right? Adore him now, stabilize my breathing later.

What? That’s crazy. I need to breathe. More than anything else, I need to keep breathing.

I close my eyes. Breathe, Brooke. I feel myself slipping, sliding under the water and sinking to the bottom.

This is madness. Beautiful, terrifying madness.