Page 21 of Raise Me Up

“Nope, but I’m good at taking instruction.” He beams.

I’m beginning to think this spark of something exhilarating is a constant feeling when Beau’s near. I envy charismatic people like him. He’s the type to win over a room with little effort.

Beau slots in next to me at the kitchen island. “Alright. Boss me around, sweetheart.”

Blushing, I reach into his space to grab two sticks of softened butter. “Okay. This goes in the bowl first. Then one cup of both of your sugars.”

He watches me rearrange ingredients in order of how he needs to incorporate them. Then I go on the hunt for more bowls to start on another dessert. He keeps his gaze on me the entire time. “What all are you planning to make?”

“Cookies. Triple fudge brownies. Possibly peanut butter bars…”

“Sweet tooth?” Beau teases, eyes shining.

God, he’s a shock to the system this close up. A piece of art you appreciate the more you study it. His lips might be the prettiest I’ve ever seen on a guy, and his eyes are pools of deep blue that beckon me in.

“Huh?”

His head drops as he chuckles. “I asked if you have a sweet tooth. Or maybe the band does?”

Nodding absentmindedly, I begin tossing ingredients into my own bowl. “Mostly my brother. If I ate sweets like him, I’d lose all my progress in the gym.”

“Highly doubt that.” His gaze runs down my body in appreciation, and I'm engulfed in flames. I’m glad I stripped down to my tank top.

Beau starts chaotically mixing ingredients. R.I.P. to Liam’s clean kitchen.

“Are you close with your brother?” he asks.

“Ah, yeah… I don’t get to see him much, though.”

He nods in understanding. “Touring’s hard on everyone involved. Not just the band.”

“Is that how you met Liam? On tour, I mean.” I hand him the carton of eggs, fighting to keep from appearing too eager for information.

“Yeah. I opened for him and your bro, shit, like seven years ago?”

My head jerks up to him. “Are you serious? What band?”

I sift through memories, trying to place him at the few shows I attended before school swallowed me whole. Most of Atonement’s new releases came to me through Spotify or YouTube when they dropped. Hell, I would have lost track of Hail had he not called frequently to update me on what city he was in.

I think I would have remembered Beau.

“I played guitar for Lithos,” Beau answers. “We only did one tour with Atonement, but sometimes we’d end up at the same festivals or in nearby cities. What’s next?”

“Um.” My nose scrunches as I refocus on our task. “You can fold in the chocolate chips.”

Beau dumps in the whole bag and starts mixing with his left hand, spilling chocolate chips all over the counter. I bite down on a laugh.

“This is sort of relaxing,” he comments, peeking over at me with a grin. He pauses mixing, one hand lifting to my face. I’m stunned as he gently brushes his thumb over my cheek. “Got some batter there.”

When he licks the chocolate off his thumb, my body temperature spikes to dangerous levels.

Where the hell did this guy come from?

Beau’s soft laughter has my eyes growing wide. “Oh, shit. Did I say that out loud?”

“Liam never mentioned me?”

“Sorry, maybeI just forgot…”