up with me."
I was willing to do more than that. Willing and eager.
But I didn't want this moment to end, so I hurtled myself back into his arms and kissed him like the world was ending.
And even if the world wasn't truly ending, the year definitely was.
We stayed in the club for the countdown to midnight, when we kissed all over again, even as balloons of all colors, along with rainbow confetti, fell from the ceiling and onto the crowd below.
This crowd included Livia, who later reiterated in the ladies room that she was truly engaged. It was no joke.
In fact, she said, Lorenzo would have been here with her now, except that he'd gotten delayed by snow in Switzerland.
It was funny to consider that I'd never met the guy, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the speed of their engagement. But according to Livia, it was love at first sight – on his part, if not hers.
She got that a lot.
But this was the first time I'd ever seen her fall in return. And she seemed to be truly happy, so I was happy, too, except for one concern. "But the kids…" I said. "You told me they're monsters. You're not going to try to put them in boarding school or anything, are you?"
"Oh, please," she said. "As if they'd go. And besides, they've actually grown on me."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah," she said. "They've got real spirit."
I smiled. "Yeah. And so do you."
"I know," she laughed. "And you do realize what this means?"
"What?"
She gave a happy squeal. "Now we'll be neighbors forever!"
That word – forever – I liked the way it sounded, but it seemed terribly premature to assume anything. After all, Mason and I had only just confessed our love.
Who knew where we'd end up?
I couldn’t say for sure, but I did know where I wanted to go next – anywhere in the world, as long as he and I could be alone.
Chapter 61
Cami
Whether from champagne or love, I was just a little bit tipsy. So it was a good thing that Mason was holding me tight against him, even as we crossed the threshold into his hotel suite.
I'd already texted my parents and let them know that I'd be staying with a friend. I didn't say which friend, because I hadn't wanted to take the time to explain.
All I'd wanted was to be held in Mason's arms, to kiss his lips, to run my hands over his naked body, and to take all night to explore each other all over again.
Technically, Mason wasn't a friend. Or at least, he wasn't only a friend. I stopped just inside the open doorway to his suite and breathed, "Wow."
With a smile in his voice, he said, "Wow, what?"
I glanced around the luxurious space. The suite had its own living area, complete with a gas fireplace and furniture that looked way too nice to actually sit on.
I knew there had to be a bed around here somewhere, but for the life of me, I couldn't see it. Then again, there were two doors leading to who-knows-what.
With a laugh, I said, "This is bigger than my first apartment in college. And I shared that with two roommates."
He laughed. "Only two, huh?"
I turned to face him. And as I gazed up into his amazing eyes, I felt a surge of warmth and eagerness. "And you know what?"
He smiled. "What?"
I couldn’t help giggle. "I'm so glad they're not here."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?"
With my foot, I nudged the door shut behind us and said, "Because I'm so gonna get you naked, and there's no way I want them seeing that."
He grinned. "Who says I'm not gonna get you naked?"
The truth was, it wouldn't take a lot to get me naked. I was wearing only the little black dress with black high heels, along with the usual undergarments.
But Mason? He was still wearing his suit and the tie – which had stopped glowing and flashing maybe an hour ago. Either the battery had died, or the tie had a limited shelf life.
I didn’t know, and I didn't care. I was just so stupidly touched that he'd worn the thing.
I reached between us and gave the tie a playful tug. As I did, I noticed a little rip along the edge. "Oh, no," I laughed. "What happened here?"
With a sheepish grin, he said, "Don't ask."
Now, I seriously wanted to know. "Did something happen?"
"Yeah," he said. "I had to fight Chase for it."
I stared up at him. "You're joking."
"No