Page 49 of Where You Left Me

As much as I don’t want to admit it to Rosie, Nico is a good man.

“Guess not. Thanks.”

“Y’all owe me.”

“Next beer is on me.”

He tips his cowboy hat at me. “You’re on. Hey, listen, I gotta meet Rosie out at the cabin. A lil’ afternoon delight, if ya know what I mean?” He waggles his eyebrows and I chuckle.

Everyone inside Brew Box knows what he means.

“I’ll catch you later. Hopin’ to meet your lady friend soon.” Heading toward the door, Nico calls to the barista. “Give Jones whatever he wants.” And then he’s out the door.

Holding a cup of coffee in each hand, I go inside Base Camp Sports, and my stupid heart is beating too fast. I search around the store and when my gaze falls on Mia behind the counter, my entire body tingles. My imagination takes off like a bullet, a flashback of everything we did the night before monopolizing my brain. If it wasn’t before, the image of her naked body is permanently seared into my memory.

She glances up and we make eye contact. My heart stalls in my chest as I anticipate her reaction. After what feels like forever, a smile pulls at her lips and my stiff shoulders relax. She whispers to the cashier next to her before moving around the counter and rushing toward me.

“Thought you might be tired, so I brought you coffee. A nonfat cinnamon dolce latte?”

Blush creeps into her cheeks. “Perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She takes the cup and snatches my hand, dragging me through the store. We reach the door to the stock room, and she pushes me inside. This room is almost as familiar as the rest of this shop. We spent many make-out sessions in here trying to hide from her parents. I think she gave me my first hand-job in here.

And I swear my dick goes hard at just the memory.

Mia takes a sip of the coffee. “You remembered.”

“Of course, I remember. How many times did we drive into Denver just so you could order that shit at one of those fancy-ass cafes?”

“Right,” she mumbles with a nod. “Listen,” she begins, setting her coffee down on a counter before placing her palms against my chest, her fingers curling into my muscles. “I hated how we left things this morning.”

I stroke my thumb across her cheek and gaze down at her. “We?”

She smiles. “Okay, you’re right. Me.”

“As long as we got that straight.”

She sucks her lip in between her teeth.

I give her forehead a light kiss before saying, “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“I’m scared,” she finally whispers.

And my gut tightens. “’bout what?”

“Getting wrapped up with you again, it’s dangerous.” Her lashes sweep up as she peers into my eyes finally.

And she’s so fucking adorable I’m almost afraid I’ll sayanythingto convince her to be with me. To never leave me again.

“Peaches, I’d get wrapped up with you again and again.”

She snorts a laugh and gives me a swat on my chest. “I’m serious, Jones.”

I snatch her hand in mine. “So am I.”

“What are we even doing?” her words rush out in a whisper before she continues. “Because I can’t promise you more than this summer. I have a life back in Connecticut.”

---