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Her jaw drops, but I cut her off before she can say anything.
“Don’t get too excited yet. It gets better. Or…well. Worse, actually.” I stir my latte, watching the foam swirl. “We did filthy, life-altering things, and then the next morning, I offered to drive back with him. He looked at me like I’d suggested we rob a bank together.”
“Oh, Whit.”
“It’s fine.” I wave my hand dismissively. “I called him out on his hot-and-cold bullshit.” I take another sip of my drink. “Told him he doesn’t get to make me feel all of that and then run away because he’s scared. And then I left.”
“So…” Violet’s brows knit together. “How did we get to this point today, then?”
“Now that’s the fun part,” I tell her. “My car broke down yesterday, and I had no one else to call but Beau. Long story short, he attacked me with his lips in the car, apologized, was emotionally vulnerable, the whole bit.”
It still doesn’t feel real. Like maybe I imagined half of yesterday because I wanted it so badly. People don’t just change overnight, right? What happens tomorrow? Next week?
Violet’s eyebrows shoot up. “We’re talking about the same Beau, right?
“We sure are, babe. He actually talked about his feelings.” I force a grin. “Used full sentences and everything.” I take another drink, savoring both the sweetness and the memory. “He took me back to his place and dicked me down real good.”
Violet throws her head back in a laugh. “Goodness. I mean, I’m happy for you guys. I knew the second you pulled up in that car that there was zero chance you hadn’t climbed him like a tree.”
I sigh dramatically, collapsing back against the chair with a dreamy groan. “It was…insane. My soul left my body, hovered near the ceiling, gave me a high-five, and then came back just to cry.”
She blinks. “That’s the most you thing I’ve ever heard. Was it really that good?”
I look her dead in the eye. “Violet. I forgot my name for a full hour at least. And when I remembered it, I considered changing it to Sinclair just out of respect.”
She snorts coffee through her nose. “Oh my god.”
“Seriously,” I say, leaning in closer. “It was…transcendent. And not just the physical part, which, don’t get me wrong, was mind blowing. But after? He just held me. Then this morning he made me coffee exactly how I like it and let me drive his precious car.”
I keep talking because if I stop, I’ll have to admit how terrified I am. That once life settles back into normal, Beau will remember all the reasons he kept me at arm’s length before.
It’s easier to make jokes.
Violet studies me, her expression softening. “You really like him, huh?”
I’m not sure why I thought I could fool Violet. She knows me too well. “Yeah. I do. Way more than I planned to.”
“Wow,” she whispers, looking genuinely stunned. “I’ve known Beau for so long…and I don’t know that he’s ever done any of that. For anyone. Are you two officially dating?”
I pause, the question hitting a nerve I hadn’t realized was exposed. “We…didn’t really talk about labels.”
“Is that something you would want?”
Do I want that? Yes. God, yes. The thought of anyone else getting to see the version of him I saw last night—no, felt last night—makes something possessive twist in my stomach. The soft version of Beau Sinclair isn’t some myth. He’s real. He’s the man who held me like I was something precious after tearing me apart in the most delicious way imaginable. The man who ran his fingers over my skin like it was muscle memory, like he already knew me. Who made my coffee and tossed me the keys to his baby without blinking.
That version of Beau? I don’t know if he belongs to me, or if I only got him for one night.
“Yeah,” I admit. “I think I would.”
Violet reaches across the table, squeezing my hand. “When you know, you know.”
“Is that how it was with you and Rowan?”
Her smile goes soft, eyes distant with memory. “Kind of. I think I knew before I was ready to admit it. There was this moment when he was just doing something completely ordinary, and I looked at him and thought, Oh. It’s you.”
I nod, understanding completely.
“So what are you going to do about it?” she asks.
