Page 45 of After All This Time

She deserves better than that.

She deserves…

Fuck.

I need to stop that thought right there because down that road lies everything I can't have and everything I'm not supposed to want. But watching her now, seeing how perfectly she fits into my world… I'm starting to forget all the reasons why I shouldn't want it.

"I think we're gonna take off," Harry says, looking down as Jen leans into his shoulder.

"Can we get fries on the way home?" Jen asks, tilting her head up at Harry, her big doe eyes working their magic on him.

"You planning on asking the driver to stop for you?"

"No, but you will…" She grins, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "If you love me."

"Fine, we'll get fries."

"We're gonna head out too. What are you two doing?" Tessa asks, looking between Mills and me.

"You want another drink, or are you ready to go?" I ask, turning to Amelia.

"I could have one more."

"Alright, we'll stay for a bit," I say, settling back into the booth.

"Do you two want to share an Uber?" Jen chimes in as she drapes herself over Harry's shoulder.

"Don't even think about it, sweetheart," Zane murmurs to Tessa, his voice so quiet I almost miss it.

He slides out of the booth, and I have to suppress a grin as I watch the possessive way he glances down at Tessa.

"Thanks, Jen, but we'll grab our own—opposite way, remember?" Tessa says to the giggly, tipsy mess in the corner.

"Oh yeah, forgot you don't live at home anymore." Jen chuckles, letting out a laugh that's pure, unfiltered, drunken happiness.

Lost in her own world, she gazes up at Harry as if he's the sun, and she's never felt warmer.

She leans across Harry to pull Amelia into a hug that's all drunk-girl energy—a little unsteady but completely genuine—gushing about how amazing it was to have her here tonight.

Meanwhile, Zane's arm stretches out toward Tessa, impatience written all over him as he's clearly ready to make an exit.

But Tessa turns to me first, a smile on her face and a finger aimed right at me. "Me and you, next week. Come round for dinner, yeah?" She makes it sound like a demand wrapped in an invitation, and she's already decided for me.

"Sure thing, Blondie."

With a smile that could make you forget how stubborn she can be, she slips her hand into Zane's. As he pulls her to her feet, she practically melts into him, her body molding perfectly against his as his arm slides around her waist.

Once everyone says their goodbyes, it’s just Amelia and me left in the booth. She lets out a gentle sigh, her lips parting slightly as her head tilts back, exposing that long, graceful line of her neck, bare and breathtakingly vulnerable.

She has no idea what she's doing to me—how perfect she looks just sitting there, unguarded, unknowingly feeding a hunger that's been quietly burning inside me since she asked me how I felt about her outfit back at the apartment.

Like she didn't know exactly how I'd feel about it.

Like she couldn't feel my eyes on her then, just like they're on her now.

My gaze locks onto that exposed skin, and I can't tear my eyes away. It's like she's drawn a line straight down my self-control,daring me to cross it. And right now, I have no idea which side will win—the part of me that knows better or the part that wants everything.

I watch the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes— that's all she's doing. Just breathing. And yet it's enough to send my imagination spiraling, picturing what it would feel like to lean in and close the space between us until her warmth seeps into me and her breath becomes mine. My mouth practically waters at the thought of dragging my lips along that soft golden skin, tasting her, and devouring it. I want to feel her body react under my touch, her pulse racing against my tongue as I leave marks she'll feel long after. My restraint is hanging by a thread so thin it's practically invisible, and it's a miracle I haven't snapped yet because every second that passes is a battle I'm losing. And the truth is, I'm not even sure I want to win.

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