AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did somebody say tacos?” Sam’s friend, Abby, appears next to the table, holding what’s left of her mistletoe in one hand and her boyfriend’s hand in the other.
I raise my hand. “I’m voting for tacos.”
“Tacos sound amazing.” Zoey and Gavin join the group, and I don’t miss the way Sam’s boyfriend sighs heavily, looking irritated. Which is how he’s looked all night, honestly.
I know I just met all of them, but Matt sticks out like a sore thumb from this friend group. Or a sore loser? Either way. If I were Dr. Love, I’d tell Sam to kick her boyfriend to the curb and trade up.
“I don’t know,” Sam says, glancing at Matt.
Abby starts to chant. “Tacos! Tacos! Tacos!”
When Matt sighs and says, “Fine,” a cheer goes up in our little area and we all start to gather our purses and coats.
“Do you mind going with the group?” I ask Mason.
“Nope.” Then he leans close, adjusting the collar of my coat and making me shiver. “As long as I get you alone later.”
* * *
Those words do not leave my mind through our drive to the taco truck and the tacos themselves, which I can barely taste. All I can think about is Mason. And being alone later.
Which I really hope is code for:I’m going to kiss your face off later.
It’s still an hour before midnight when we say goodbye to everyone at the taco truck. “I’ve got a suggestion,” Mason says, holding my car door open for me. “We make a quick HEB run for a bottle of prosecco and some ice cream, then get home in time to watch the ball drop in our pajamas?”
Is it too soon to tell him I love him? Probably, right? I guess I should savesomethings for the second date.
I stare up at him as he leans on the top of the car. “You know that whole thing where you said you wanted to take care of me?”
“Yes?”
“You’re doing a most excellent job, big guy.”
Twenty minutes later, I meet Mason up front by the registers. We separated to save time, and I also wanted to buy a few extra things I don’t need—like a new Christmas-flavored lip gloss, which I opened and tried right away. It smells like cinnamon and cloves and makes me want to curl up by a warm fire.
Or on the couch with Mason.
“I would have paid for everything,” he says, frowning when he sees my bag.
“Don’t worry about it. I got a few extras. It’s fine. Is that Blue Bell?” I ask.
“I got Peppermint and Cookie Two-Step. Just to cover all the bases. Plus, those chips you like, Diet Dr Pepper, and a bottle of prosecco so we can toast at midnight. Am I missing anything?”
I grin. “Nope. Not a single thing.”
Things between us feel so natural and perfect, like we’ve stepped into the roles we’ve always been meant to play. The only thing I keep wondering: why did we wait so long???
When Mason drapes an arm over my shoulder and his fingers brush the back of my neck, a rush of feeling zings straight down my spine. I shiver.
“Cold?” he asks, tucking me closer to him.
“The opposite, actually.”
Just before we walk back outside, Mason’s hand finds its way under my coat and to the bare skin where my dress is open down to my lower back.
I was today years old when I realized my lower back could be so sensitive. BUT IT MOST CERTAINLY IS. How many nerve endings are down there, anyway? It feels like every single nerve in my body has relocated, pulling up roots to follow his touch. I suspect this will be the case with Mason’s touch anywhere.
Kneecap? Yep.
