Deep breath. I barely get a glimpse of him before his lips are crashing into mine and he’s dipping me backward, holding me close to his body so I don’t fall. I start to laugh when I feel like his grip is slipping, and he teases me, pretending to let go only to catch me and pull me back to my feet.

“First off, you look amazing,” he says, and I smack at his arm.

“You didn’t even look at me!” I protest.

“I did, in that split second when I almost dropped you. I looked at you and your hotness,” he smiles, the freaking dimples doing their job. “And two, I had to get that out of the way or else it’s all I’d be thinking about doing. I should be good for the next hour then.”

“Hour?” I protest, knowing full well I can’t go that long without kissing him again. Especially with him smelling like that, and wearing those light blue jeans that sit low enough on his hips that when he raises his arms I can see those two muscles leading into his boxers, which peak out right above the waistline.

“Okay, maybe ten minutes,” he winks, holding out his hand. I grab it and am immediately soothed by the sensation of his fingers intertwined with mine. It’s such a simple touch, holding hands. But having Mason’s wrapped around mine feels so natural, and for the first time in years, I don’t feel alone.

Mason leads me to his car, and I look around for clues while he walks to his side. He catches me, and starts laughing. “You’re not going to find a map in here,” he says, looking over his shoulder while he backs out onto the road.

“Can you give me any clues?” I ask, and he just slips on his sunglasses and smiles.

“I can tell you that you’ll be out all night. Good thing tomorrow’s Friday,” he says, his eyebrows raised just above the rims of his glasses.

I huff, but it’s really only for pretend. Truth is, Mason could be driving me to a grocery store where he plans to walk the aisles for hours, and I’d happily join him. These last few weeks have been a dream, and I never want to wake up.

We pull up next to a barn about thirty minutes north of Cave Creek, and Mason jumps out quickly, rushing over to my side to get my door. “I can let myself out of a car ya know,” I say, though I secretly like that he’s going full-gentleman tonight.

“Just preserving your energy,” he says, tipping his glasses down to give me a look that has my body tingling and wishing we were alone. He holds my eyes for a few long seconds and then shakes his head. “Damn.”

“Damn, what?” I ask.

“Just…damn,” he smirks, and I blush.

Mason leads me to the other end of the barn where there’s an older man saddling up a few horses. “Hey there. Are you Jeff?” he asks, and the man dusts his hands against his jeans, sending puffs of dirt in the air, before turning around to shake Mason’s hand.

“That’s me. You must be Mason?” he says, his mustache groomed into this perfect handlebar. We have a lot of cowboys in town, but the further away you get from the big city, the more authentic they are. Jeff here looks like he’s probably the real deal.

“I’ve got ‘em saddled for ya. You’ll want to follow the green trail on the map. Dinner’s at eight,” he says, handing the reigns over to Mason. When I realize Jeff is leaving us alone, with two ginormous horses, I start to laugh nervously.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” I say, taking the reigns of the smaller horse from Mason. I pet my horse along his nose, and he dips his head down to sniff me. I’ve been around horses a lot. I’m not a great rider, but I’m comfortable with them.

When I look back to Mason, he’s already swinging his leg over and getting ready. I don’t know why I’m surprised to see him so relaxed on a horse, but I can’t hide my shock. “You are full of surprises, Mason Street,” I smile, lifting myself up and climbing onto my horse.

“Her name’s Dixie. This is Red. I had to sell them when the contract fell through,” he says, running his hand down his horse’s neck and back up again. When he looks at me, his smile is forced and flat, and I feel heartbroken for him.

“I had no idea. I’m sorry, Mason,” I say, my brain entertaining silly thoughts like running away with him and his horses right now.

“It’s okay. It was just one of those things; I always wanted horses. You know, like some people always want a racecar or…whatever. I didn’t get to see them much, and it didn’t really make sense to own them anyhow. It was the first thing I did with the money we got, and it was probably a stupid financial decision. Jeff works for the ranch I sold them to. They let people ride. I haven’t been up since I’ve been home, but it felt like a good time to come…with you,” he says, and the way he’s looking at me feels like he’s been looking at me for forever.