Page 149 of Bookworm

"Again?"

"Yeah, came here as soon as I was done."

I tried to ignore the twinge in my chest.

"So, what were you thinking?"

I was thinking I want him. More than that, I wanted to let myself want him. And that was as thrilling as it was scary.

"For the video," he added.

Shaking myself, I said, "I think we should practice, try a few different things, see what works."

"Okay." Bo shrugged, removing his jacket, andturned back to me.

In my peripheral, I saw Casey and Natalia fanning themselves. I rolled my eyes at their antics then faced Bo again. He gave them a nod.

"Casey, Natalia," he said in greeting.

"Hey Bo," Casey said while Natalia twinkled her fingers at him.

"You guys here to help?"

Casey's eyes lit up then. "Of course! If you need someone to record, I'll do it."

"I'll supervise," Natalia offered, and I bit back a laugh.

"How nice of you guys to volunteer your time," I said.

Bo lifted a brow, and I told them my idea.

"So, I came up with a script last night. It's short, sweet, and to the point. We promote A NightOut with Austen and…end with a kiss."

"Sounds good," Casey said, holding up her phone and giving me a thumbs up. "I'm ready when you are."

Going around the counter, I stepped in front of Bo and looked up.

"Ready?" I asked, feeling a bit breathless.

"Mm hm."

I turned to the camera, gave Casey a nod, and smiled.

"Hey bookworms!" I said. "Next Saturday, we're hosting the charity event of the season.And you're invited!If you love books, romance, and making a difference in the lives of children, join us for A Night Out with Austen. Who knows?By the end of the night, you might just find your happily ever after."

With that, I turned to Bo and was struck by several emotions at once.

Yearning, nervousness, excitement, fear, confusion.

His piercing stare was on me, unaware of my inner turmoil.

A bit stiffly, I reached up, guided his face down to mine, delivered a quick peck to his lips then pulled back.

Even that, though, fed the spark inside me.

When I looked to Casey and Natalia, they wore matching frowns.

"How was that?" I asked.

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