Page 36 of The First Love Myth

He smiles, and it’s warm and sweet and too sexy. There’s a hint of all the things that could’ve happened if we were still neighbors. What a sexy summer that could’ve been.

“Small world,” he says.

I look away, my cheeks flushed, at the certainty that all my dirty thoughts are on full display. “Where do you live now?”

The question is innocuous enough, but after that sexy smile and all its promises, it feels heavy with expectation and innuendo. And I’m not ready for what that means. Whatever I expected from speed dating, it wasn’t Spencer and conversation and hand-holding. It wasn’t him pointing to a house two blocks away and claiming it as his own.

“It’s a rental, but it has a yard, and Ryan loves being able to walk into town. Sometimes, he’s nine and worried about all that comes with being a kid, and other days, he’s engaging anyone in Princeton apparel for details on their college experience.”

“Princeton is a pretty good dream to have at any age,” I say, thinking of the young boy from the bookshop quizzing a freshman on the street.

“Spoken like an alum?”

I shake my head, as if my Rutgers-professor father would’ve paid for Princeton. It was only scholarships and sheer force of will that got me out of town and state, and even then, it was only to Philadelphia.

“Drexel,” I say, remembering how the seventy miles between campus and my house felt like a thousand. I was never so happy as the day I lugged half my belongings into the dorms with Jane by my side, which was saying a lot considering how heartbroken I was then and how much my best friend resembled my ex-boyfriend. Damn twins.

“Not to be forward...” Spencer runs a hand through his hair. “But did you want to come back to my place?”

I freeze, my hand loosening against his. The smallest of hiccups escapes my lips. It is forward. Very forward. And what does it mean if I go back to another man’s house? What are your rights as a separated wife?

“Liz.” Spencer reaches for my hand again and offers me a wan smile. “For a drink. I can get the fire pit going?” The corners of his lips rise in a half smile. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen in my life. “I’m really enjoying talking with you, and I don’t want the night to end, but I also already ran a 10K today.”

I laugh and glance down at my smartwatch. I’m also several thousand steps higher than most days. I turn so I’m facing his house. “The fire pit sounds nice.”

Chapter 31

Liz

“First kiss,” Spencer says with a glance in my direction.

I lean back against the plush cushions of Spencer’s couch with a smile. We opted to stay inside with wine and charcuterie after the mosquitos invaded. “John Nutledge. Seventh grade. Truth or Dare.”

Spencer’s eyes gleam with amusement. “And how was it?”

“Ugh.” I groan. “All tongue, no kiss.”

I’m not sure how we got to playing twenty questions, but we’re deep into it now. Somewhere between white and red wine, we silently agreed to skip the niceties, and I love it. The last time it was this easy with a guy was on a cruise ship almost two decades ago.

I nudge him. “And your first kiss?”

“Sydney Stall. We were thirteen, best friends, neighbors and such.”

“And how was it?”

He laughs, a not-so-sheepish smile brightening his expression. “Better than John Nutledge, I’m sure.”

The air in the room shifts, a tension surrounds us, a spark electrifying the night. Between one breath and the next, I know he’s going to kiss me. Spencer hasn’t moved, and his expression is still playful, his gaze fixed on me, but it’s like he’s screaming his intentions. His fingers play with the curls that have fallenover my shoulder. Every nerve in my body piques as a single finger grazes the bare skin of my collarbone.

“I have to tell you something,” I say as his eyes go half-lidded and he leans in.

“Let me guess.” He pulls back but takes my hand in his. “You’re still married.”

I hang my head and cover my face.Fuck.After a moment, Spencer moves away from me, and my skin goes cold, as if an icy breeze blew through this perfect summer night.

“Trust me,” he says. “Your wedding ring did not go unnoticed the first time we met or your lack of one tonight.”

“Then why hang out with me?”Hang out?Seriously, am I thirteen?

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