Page 86 of Your Place or Mine

“I know.”

“You treated me like I was here to gut it.”

“You walked in with big ideas and confidence. And I—” He stopped. Exhaled. “I didn’t know how to handle that.”

I looked over at him. “And now?”

He met my eyes. “Still figuring it out.”

The air between us shifted. Dense and heavy and thrumming with something unspoken.

I took a step closer.

So did he.

“I never planned on any of this,” I said quietly. “Not Reckless River. Not buying the building. Not you.”

Callum’s jaw clenched, but not in anger. It was restraint. Pure, beautiful, frustrating restraint.

“I know,” he said. “Same.”

Another step.

The heat between us spiked.

“You kiss like you mean it,” I whispered.

His gaze dropped to my mouth. “I don’t do anything halfway.”

My breath hitched. “Then why did you push me away?”

He didn’t answer.

But his hand reached up, slowly, and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. His knuckles skimmed my jaw, and I felt the touch all the way down my spine.

“Because I didn’t know how to want you without unraveling everything else,” he said finally.

And then, because I couldn’t stop myself, I said, “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

He exhaled, low and shaky.

And that’s when the moment tipped.

He reached for me.

I leaned in.

And then…

A loud metallic clatter echoed from the alley behind the bar.

We both jolted apart like teenagers caught making out behind the gym.

Callum turned toward the sound, his body immediately tense, scanning for the source. I laughed nervously, stepping back, brushing imaginary dirt from my sweatshirt.

“That was… uh, maybe a raccoon?”

He grunted, still watching the alley. “Yeah. Hopefully just that.”

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