Page 33 of Brewing Up a Bad Boy

“If we never talked about it again, I’d be good,” he said, his smile tight. “I can’t live thinking I’m a monster. It makes it harder for me to actually practice the better behaviors I’m trying to adopt.”

She wrapped her arms around him, he pulled her closer. He smelled of cologne and faintly of sweat and beer. Closing her eyes, she breathed it in. This was it. She was done punishing him for not being the man she’d wanted him to be. He wasn’t a horrible person; he just hadn’t been a good husband.

That was okay. She wasn’t getting married again.

She stepped back. “I’m Poppy.”

“Alistair, but my mates call me Ali.”

“And you brew beer?” she asked. How far would he take this? The old Alistair would never have done something so...unrealistic.

“I just got started, and sometimes I still fuck it up. That’s why I joined the Tea Society. Glad we met in that online forum.”

“Me too,” she said. Honestly, that was when she’d started feeling mixed emotions toward him.

“What do you do?”

She linked her hand to his as they kept walking toward his house. “My friends and I have a shop in Maine. WiCKed Sisters. You might have heard of us via pop star Amber Rapp. She’s a pretty big deal.”

“You really part of a half coven of witches who wield magic?” he asked.

“Don’t be scared, I’m a good witch,” she said. “Mostly, it’s just charged crystals, moon rituals. I do have some practices I use when making my tea blends.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“I have some blends I use in the shop that I mix with the intention of the season. Each season has a different purpose, so I want the tea to aid whoever drinks it in getting the most out of it.”

“And your magic courage blend?”

“That one is for me. When I’m a mess mentally and I need a courage boost. It’s new. A guy has come into my life. And it’s complicated.”

Ali leaned against his front door when they arrived at his house.

“How?”

She leaned in closer, her body resting against his. “I’m not sure about him. He’s the sexiest man I’ve been around, and his kisses leave me hot and bothered and wanting more. Truth is, I don’t know why I’m hesitating. I’m a divorced lady, so yeah, I get that relationships end.”

He put his hands on her hips lightly, making sure their bodies were flush together. His chest was hard under her palm. “Yeah? I’m divorced too. Married life taught me how much I suck at it. This guy...” His eyes darkened. “Poppy, I want you. I’ll take whatever you’ll offer me.”

She put her fingers on his lips. Loving the feel of his full mouth under her touch. His exhalations were hot against her hand, fanning the flames of the fire that had ignited in her the moment she took his hand to dance. Her heartbeat was thundering in her ears.

She was tired. Tired of fighting her attraction to him and denying herself this time with him. There was no reason to keep up the pretense. “Don’t let me use you.”

His eyes went wide. “I...”

“Last time, we were uneven. This time...if we do this, then it has to be different. No pretending to be anything you aren’t,” she said. “I’m going to be unapologetically me.”

She had to. Denying herself the joy of being back in England with this new Ali wasn’t something she was willing to do. This time, she had her eyes wide open. Knowing who she was helped. Having a life she would happily return to also added to it.

The full moon was just days away. The summer night was hot, the sky clear. The moon watched her, challenging her to take what she wanted and to stop hedging her bets.

The magic of the evening wrapped around him. He was done talking and pulled Poppy more fully into his body, turning his head to move her fingers from his mouth, then kissed her long and deep.

His hands roamed up and down her back. He grunted as the thin fabric of her dress almost allowed him to touch her skin—but not quite. Her full breasts were pressed against his chest, her nipples tight buds that he flicked playfully with his finger. A shudder rocked her as he slowly lowered the strap of her dress.

Stepping back, she shoved her hand in his pocket, her fingers brushing his erection as she rooted around for his key. “Let’s go inside.”

“Why?”

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