Page 48 of Spicy Ever After
And then he’s letting go. So I let go too.
“Yeah.” I nod, already grieving the loss of the best hug of my twenties. “It’s good to see you too. The real you, I mean,” I add like a dork.
Beck chuckles, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry about that. I should’ve warned you I had an identical twin and he’d be here.”
I frown. “But you’re not identical.”
The line of his mouth is bashful, and he rakes a hand through golden medley hair. “Pretty sure we are.” Then he tips his head toward the market stalls. “Can I introduce you?”
I swallow, remembering how it felt to have the person I thought was Beck look at me with indifference. My arms bracket my middle.
“He might not like me.”
“Doubtful, but if you aren’t ready we can?—”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m ready. I ran away from him because his not-you-youness confused me. Running away from someone doesn’t make a good impression. I need a do-over. I’m just preparing both of us that he might not like me.”
Beck says nothing for a long moment, his smiling squint making his eyes sparkle. “He’ll like you, Hattie.” The words—especially my name—come out rich and slow, like butterscotch topping. I like the sound.
So much I’d like to hear more.
But he’s already angling his body back toward the stalls. Then he stretches out his hand, offering it to me. “Ready?”
I stare down at his hand, big and calloused and handsome. I snatch it like he might change his mind.
“C’mon. We’ll go say hi to Griffin and then do our own thing.”
I nod. “The Hell-Yes-It’s-A-Real-Date-Coffee-Date thing.”
Beck tips his head back and laughs at the October sky. It’s like an earthquake, and I’m guessing the heavenly host just gave him a standing ovation. It was that awesome.
“Yes—” He wipes the corner of one eye with his free hand. “That thing.”
We walk. I squeeze his hand, loving the way it wraps around mine. He squeezes back—and for the moment that his hold is firm, I feel a seismic wave of rightness.
But then his grip eases, and it’s like:
Whomp whomp.
I halt.
Beck pulls up short and glances back at me. “You okay?”
I peer down at our linked hands, and Beck immediately lets go.
“Hey!” I protest and then snatch his up again. “I was holding that.”
His eyes dance even as he studies me. “But you stopped and stared at it like it was offending you.”
My headshake is almost violent. “No, I just?—”
I told him to hug me tighter, and he did. Boy, did he. I can tell him how to hold my hand too, right?
I jiggle his hand in mine. “I need it tighter.”
His eyes flash and his grip tightens. And both send a bolt of electricity straight through me. My nipples harden and heat pulses between my legs.
“Oh, wow…” I mutter.
