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The deer-in-headlights look was sexy as fuck on her, which told me the reality of this situation was shocking the hell out of her.

“You’re telling me”—her hand went to her chest—“that you haven’t forgotten about me.”

“Forgotten? Hell no. It would be impossible to forget a woman like you.”

“But at the same time, you didn’t care enough to reach out after learning the text hadn’t gone through. If you had cared, things would have played out much differently.”

“Don’t portray me that way. I fucked up, Jolie. I didn’t handle things perfectly. I own that. But never once did I stop caring.”

Her head dropped. “Beck …”

“The second my eyes landed on you, what did I do? I came straight over here to talk to you.” I took a step toward her, my hand going to her waist, her head instantly lifting, my eyes studying another expression that I couldn’t define.

But the feel of her, goddamn it, it was good.

No. It was the fucking best. “Wanting you hasn’t gone away either.

” I leaned my lips toward her ear. “That want has only grown.”

“It’s … grown.” Her voice was now a whisper.

I downed the rest of my bourbon and reached toward a table, placing the glass on top of it so my other hand could grip her, and I guided her a few inches closer. “Are you dating anyone?”

She hesitated to respond but finally said, “No.”

“Which means you’ve thought about me … haven’t you?” My fingers stretched up her back.

“Of course I’ve thought about you.” Her voice still hadn’t gotten any louder, but those light-blue eyes were fucking shouting at me.

“I cared about you too, Beck. But I didn’t want to bombard you with messages.

Given your job and where I lived, I knew the chances of anything more happening between us were slim.

I still wanted something to happen though, and I really wanted nothing more than to bombard you with texts.

” She put her hands on top of mine. “After the Africa thing, I just sorta … gave up.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

She scanned my eyes. “Why?”

“Think about what that would have shown me.”

She turned silent, and her hands lifted off mine.

“Did you ever think about what it would feel like if you saw me again?”

She nodded.

“What did that look like in your head?”

She attempted to take a step back, and when I gripped her tighter, she stayed put. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters.”

“Why?”

My hands lifted to her neck, and I held both sides. “Because you’re here. I’m here. And there’s a reason the fucking universe finally put us in the same place at the same time.” I paused, my thumbs stroking the bottom of her cheeks. “I’m not going to let you go.”

Her lips parted, her gaze turning even more intense. “What are you saying, Beck?”

“I want you to come home with me tonight.”

She let out the same noise as earlier, the one that sounded like a laugh, but wasn’t. “No.”

“Why? What’s stopping you?”

“ Everything is stopping me.”

“Give me one reason. I want to hear it.”

She glanced away and focused on something other than me until her eyes closed and her head fell slightly back.

“Do you know how many times I’ve asked myself what it would feel like to kiss you again?

” I rubbed my nose over hers. “How fucking good it would feel to taste you.” I placed my mouth on her cheek.

“Give me tonight, Jolie. Let me have your body. Let me do to it what I’ve been dreaming about.

Let me show you how much I’ve missed you. ”

When her eyes opened, they were finally giving me an emotion I understood.

So, I said, “Don’t question this. Don’t even think about it. Just give in to what your body needs—what you know I can give you.”

“I’ve always wanted you—that’s the problem.” She chewed the inside of her lip. “I’ll never be able to get you out of my head, and that’s also a problem.”

I didn’t see how either of those was an issue.

“Are you here for the night?” Based on how late it was and how she didn’t seem rushed to leave, I assumed she wasn’t taking a red-eye back to Boston, but anything was possible.

“Yes.”

“Are you leaving early tomorrow?”

Her chest rose high, and she didn’t let the air out when she replied, “No.”

“Then I don’t think there’s any problem here.”

She stared at my right eye before shifting to my left, going back and forth until she said, “You’re just asking for one night?”

I smiled. “We’ll start with one. But if you’re here for longer, I’ll take as much as you’ll give me.”

“Beck …” She put her hand on my chest. She just rested it there; she didn’t push against it. “This is a horrible idea.”

“Was it a horrible idea when we did it in Boston?”

“Boston was Boston.” Her fingers curled. “This is …”

“Another chance.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say that.” Her head didn’t still when she added, “There’s no reason why I should do this.”

“And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.”

“But there are. There are actually so many reasons.” Her hand dropped down and landed on my abs, her thumb running down each of the grooves. “Fuck.”

I moved my mouth toward hers, allowing only inches between us.

“Tell me you want me to take my hands off you and back away, and I will.” I tilted her face up.

“But if you don’t tell me that, Jolie, I’m going to walk you to my car right now.

I’m going to take you home with me. I’m going to lick every inch of your body, and I’m going to make you come all fucking night long. ”