“I promise.” God, I’d do anything if it meant I never had to see the look of betrayal in her eyes again.

She looked down at our joined hands. “I want to try. Really try. But I’m probably going to be awful at a real relationship. I’ll drive you up the wall, and you’ll want to get rid of me.”

“I hate to break it to you, but we’re already in a real relationship. This was just our first fight.”

“What?”

I burst out laughing. “Anna, we’re married. We share a bed. I know what it feels like to sleep with my body curved around yours. We’re there.”

Her eyes flared with a heat I’d only seen hints of before. “Then let’s jump.”

32

ANNA

“What?”

I couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of me at Mason’s shocked expression. “Let’s jump.” Something about realizing that we were both a bit of a mess, with wounds that influenced our choices, made it feel safer somehow. I didn’t need to have it all together because Mason didn’t, either. But maybe we could figure it out as a team, find a way to make it work.

The truth was, I was exhausted from fighting. And spending last night away from Mason, without his arms around me and the steady beat of his heart, had made me realize I never wanted to do it again. I was giving in to this thing between us. And I would do whatever I could to hold on for the ride.

His hazel eyes flared with heat. “What does jumping mean, exactly?”

My mouth curved. He was going to make me spell it out. It was such a Mason thing to do. Extra-careful to make sure he wasn’t misreading anything. I didn’t look away from him. “Take me to bed.”

It was all he needed. Any lingering air of carefulness was gone in a flash. He was on his feet and lifting me out of my chair in a flash. My legs encircled Mason’s waist instinctively as his lips met mine. Nothing about the kiss was polite. It was desperate and hungry. Born of all the holding back he’d had to do these past months.

I’d never felt more wanted than I did in that moment. It was both a balm to my soul and the spark of a fire low in my belly. As if my body were waking up after hibernating for years.

I let out a yelp as Mason strode towards the staircase. “Put me down. You can’t carry me up two flights of stairs.”

He kept right on moving but arched a brow as he looked down at me. “Watch me. I’m not letting you go for a second.”