Page 35 of Battle of the Exes

“Helping the shop. Please be honest.”

He gestures around. “Because this place matters. And maybe certain people I met here matter, too.”

His eyes lock on mine and for a moment, I forget to breathe. A rush of heat makes me toss off the blanket and head for the shelves, putting space between us. When I glance back, he’s watching me. No smile, no smirk. Just watching.

Until he stands. He comes over.

His eyes drop to my lips and back up again, so fast I might’ve imagined it.

My brain screams,walk away, go home, forget this!

But I don’t move.

Neither does he.

He’s waiting for permission. So different from Jasper. Beau will rein himself in until he’s given the go-ahead. But I know when he gets it, it will spark a ground-shaking bolt of lightning.

The air between us shifts. It’s thicker, charged.

He steps closer, slowly, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish. His hand brushes a wet strand of hair from my cheek, fingers lingering. The lightest touch igniting a raging fire inside me.

“Ivy,” he says softly. The storm fadesto a hum.

I should shut this down, say something clever and deflecting. But I can’t think. I can’t remember a single piece of advice I’ve ever given.

Because Beau’s thumb is tracing the curve of my jaw, making me forget every column I’ve ever written.

He leans in.

I don’t stop him.

His lips meet mine—warm, unhurried, yearning. The kiss is soft at first, just a question pressed against my mouth. But then I answer.

My hands lift to his chest, fingers bunching in his damp shirt as his arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer. Everything fades—the storm, the bookstore, the years between us.

It’s just him. Just us.

The kiss deepens, still slow but firmer now. I let out a sound that betrays every wall I’ve built. He tastes like rain and something heartbreakingly familiar. Painful and raw. And that’s what does it.

Pain.

I jerk back like I’ve been burned, heart racing, lips tingling. “We can’t?—”

“Ivy—”

“This is a mistake,” I say, louder than I intend.

“Please, wait?—”

But I’m already moving, nearly tripping over a stack of boxes. My heart pounds. My thoughts race.

And then I’m out, into the misty world, the storm reduced to little more than a whisper.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Beau

It’s time to head to town and prep Jasper for his festival interview with Rue. Stepping out my front door, you’d never know there was a deluge yesterday. The sky is that shade of blue city people rarely see. Like the entire world is pure and filled with good cheer. Quite the opposite of what I feel.

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