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I tap my fingers against the desk. Vanessa's previous relationships all failed. The pressure to get this right increases exponentially.

"Show me the top-rated first kiss locations in Twin Oaks."

The list appears, but I dismiss it immediately. Tourist spots and obvious choices won't work. Vanessa deserves something unique, something that speaks to who she is.

I pull up her social media history, cross-referencing her interests with local events. Art. Coffee. Independent music. The pieces start falling into place.

The city stretchesbelow us like a constellation fallen to earth. I've led Vanessa to my favorite observation point – the rooftop of the old Miller Building, where the ambient light pollution is minimal enough to see the stars.

"How did you even find this place?" Vanessa wraps her arms around herself, and I resist the urge to offer my jacket – my elevated body temperature would make it suspiciously warm.

"I like to map the city's quiet spaces. Places where you can think." I gesture to the weathered lawn chairs I'd set up earlier. "The security guard owes me a favor for helping with his daughter's college application."

She settles into one of the chairs, tilting her head back to study the sky. "You know, I used to paint the stars. Before..."

"Before your parents made you stop pursuing art?"

"How did you—" She sits up straighter. "I never told you about that."

"You mentioned taking community college classes. The way you look at gallery windows when we walk past. The sketches on your coffee cup sleeves." I lean back, keeping my eyes on Orion's Belt. "People reveal more than they realize."

"That's..."

I turn to face her, and the city lights catch the amber flecks in her eyes. She's closer now; her chair shifted toward mine without my noticing. The scent of coffee and jasmine fills my senses – her signature perfume mixed with traces of her workplace.

"I make you nervous." Not a question. Her pulse races beneath her skin, visible at her throat.

"Yes. No." She laughs softly. "You make me curious."

Her hand finds my knee, and the touch sends electricity through my skin. I hold perfectly still, letting her set the pace. The stars wheel overhead as she leans in, hesitating just inches away.

"You're not going to analyze this moment too, are you?" Her breath fans across my face.

"I'm finding it rather difficult to analyze anything right now."

She closes the distance, and my carefully maintained control fractures. Her lips are soft, tasting of the chai tea she had earlier. I cup her face, my thumb tracing her jawline as she sighs into my mouth. The kiss deepens, and I have to concentrate to keep my glamour intact as heat floods my system.

When we break apart, her eyes stay closed for three extra heartbeats. "Wow."

"Yeah." My voice comes out rougher than intended.

"That was..." She opens her eyes, and they're darker than before. "Can we do that again?"

Instead of answering, I pull her closer, and this time there's no hesitation from either of us. The kiss is deeper, more certain. Her fingers thread through my hair. She makes a small sound in the back of her throat that sends sparks down my spine.

CHAPTER9

VANESSA

Ilose myself in the kiss, every nerve ending coming alive. His lips are impossibly soft against mine, and when his hand slides to cup my jaw, my breath catches. The city lights twinkle below us, but I'm barely aware of them anymore. All I can focus on is how Jack's thumb traces my cheekbone, how his other hand finds the small of my back.

When his tongue traces my bottom lip, a shiver runs through me. I part my lips, deepening the kiss, and he responds with a quiet groan that makes my knees weak. There's something almost reverent in the way he kisses me, like he's memorizing every sensation, every tiny movement.

His hand tangles in my hair, and I press closer, eliminating the space between us. The kiss turns hungrier, more urgent. My heart pounds so hard I wonder if he can feel it. His teeth graze my bottom lip, and I make a sound I didn't even know I was capable of.

"You're trembling," he murmurs, breaking away just enough to speak.

"Good trembling." I chase his lips, recapturing them.