Page 89 of Bad Luck Club

For a moment, she considered hailing a cab and leaving a note—she didn’t want to wake him, not when he lay so peacefully, not when it would mean showing him more of the complications of her life—but then she remembered the way he had revealed himself to her the night before, the fact that he had shown her his own spots of ugliness without flinching.

So she roused him with a kiss.

Chapter Twenty-Five

He woke with her mouth pressed to his. Still half-asleep, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her on top of him.

“Good morning,” he murmured against her lips. “I could get used to this.”

The curves and lines of her body were melded against him, a perfect fit, and he never wanted to leave this ridiculous starfish bed. They’d made love several times the night before, and yet he wanted her again. He rolled her over onto her back and stared down into her beautiful eyes, freezing when he saw her look of worry.

His heart stuttered. Did she regret last night?

He lifted his hand to her face, brushing back a loose strand of hair, trying to figure out how to broach the subject. Trying to figure out how to be okay with it if she did want an out. “Are you okay?”

“I need to ask a favor.”

Her statement didn’t ease his concern. “Anything, Blue.”

“I need to see my mom before we head back to Asheville.” She must have seen the confusion in his eyes, because she added, “I know I just saw her yesterday, but she sent me a worrisome text.”

His brow lifted. “Just now?”

She frowned. “A few minutes ago.”

“Of course.Do you want to just drop by? Or do you want to take her out to breakfast?”

“You have to get back to the brewery,” she said.

“Blue.” He cupped her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes. “The brewery can wait. I can rearrange some appointments. Just tell me what you need to do.”

She studied him for a moment. “I want to stay for a while, but I don’tneedto. If it messes up your plans, I can do a one-way car rental or take a bus.”

He shook his head in confusion. Then the meaning of her statement hit him center mass. His anger ignited, and he was tempted to hunt Remy and her father down and beat the shit out of them for making her feel unimportant, but he told himself to be careful. How he responded to this mattered. “That’s not what I meant, Blue. What you wantisimportant. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not me or any other asshole. Okay?”

Her answer was to pull his head down, hands buried in his hair, and kiss him with an intensity and desperation that shocked him. The kiss transitioned seamlessly into more, and they both laughed when a piece of plastic popped off the starfish bed, jostled loose by their enthusiasm. Afterward, he kissed her temple as she lay in his arms.

“You can trust me, Blue,” he said softly against her damp skin.

She tipped her head to look up at him.

“Your opinion matters. What you want matters.Youmatter.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “But I’m gonna screw up. Let’s just put that out there right now. I’m going to need you to call me on it, okay? Because this listening to the other person thing is new to me, and I suspect I’m going to need some course-correcting.” He cupped her face as he looked into her gorgeous blue eyes. “But I want to be a better person, Blue. I want to be the man you need me to be.”

She slowly shook her head. “You need to be yourself, Lee. Not fit the mold you think I need or want.”

His smile softened, and he placed a gentle kiss on her nose. “Turns out they’re the same guy. Lucky me.”

“Just don’t walk away from me again, okay?”

He slowly shook his head, but in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d be walking away from her if he got the New York job. The thought was paralyzing.

But he must have hidden it well, because she smiled, lifting her hand to cradle his jaw as she stared back, and all thoughts of losing her fled. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so cherished. So loved.

Loved.

That caught him by surprise. This wasn’t love. This was just the beginning of something new and beautiful. It was lust, for sure, but love…? He pushed the thought aside. There was no need to label his feelings. He could just let himself feel them for once.

He kissed her, basking in this happiness. This sensation of being so connected with someone.

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