Page 16 of Entangled

Bastard did that on purpose.

“And to think…” His voice drops intimately. “The night held such promise.”

“Yeah…” I clear my throat and look down in an attempt to regain my bearings, realizing as I do that my hand never unfroze and I’m still holding out an orange like an offering for the gods. Rolling my eyes, I drop the orange in my cart and look back to him.

“This is weird.” Best to just cut to the chase before this mortifying experience goes any further.

Expression softening, he shakes his head. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“But it is.”

“Listen…” A soft sigh escapes him. “It doesn’t have to be. We can start fresh if you want.”

He lifts his brows in question at me when I don’t respond immediately. “Keep each other company while we grocery shop maybe?”

I narrow my eyes at him in consideration and cock my head. “What are you even doing here?”

“Grocery shopping. I thought that much was obvious.”

“Well yes, but really? At the exact same time as me?”

“Wow.” He scoffs. “Someone definitely thinks highly of themselves.”

“And why are you all wet?”

“Okay, Nancy Drew.” He rises off the cart, rolling his eyes at me along the way. “If you must know, I went surfing for a few hours this morning, like I do most mornings, so nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary there. Then on my way home I remembered I needed to go to the store today.” Dramatically tilting his head to the ceiling in consideration, he continues. “So I thought to myself, you know, Jace, if you really hurry and go straight there, that pretty girl you met last night might be there. Ripe and ready for stalking.”

He drops his head back down from the ceiling, lips twitching as he takes in the unamused expression on my face.

“Satisfied?”

“Marginally.” I shrug at him and turn my nose up haughtily. Eternally ready to give as good as I get regardless of my mental state. “I always knew I was stalkable.”

His eyes flare with surprise and a light laugh of disbelief leaves him.

“Great. Glad we got that squared away. Can we shop now?” He reaches down into the top basket of his cart and pulls out a travel mug from within its depths, taking a sip. “Maybe spark a titillating conversation over the eggplant selection?” Wide eyes and long lashes blink at me with purposeful innocence.

I stare at him, momentarily speechless.

“The eggplant selection?” I deadpan.

He cannot be serious.

His eyes widen impossibly further in fake bewilderment. “What? No eggplant parm for you?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to respond with a firm no when he takes another sip and I catch a faint yet unmistakable nutty scent. My brain practically leaps from my body, lunging for the caffeine particulars lacing the air and I find myself leaning in closer to him. My eyes glued to the travel mug in his hand.

“What have you got there?” My voice comes out breathier than I’d like and laced with need but I can’t fucking help myself at this point.

I should’ve never gone into that café in Italy.

“This?” His brows drop, perplexed eyes quickly darting to the mug in his hand before coming back to rest on me in consideration. Taking in what I’m sure is the positively desperate expression on my face.

Those dimples quickly flash across his face before he hides them, but unfortunately for my sanity… I’m too far gone to care. My sole focus is on the cure in his hands to the pounding in my head.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He pulls the mug farther away with a look that screamsgotchaand I have to clench the handrail of my cart to keep from reaching for it. “Just some French-pressed coffee I made this morning before hitting the beach. It’s not even really that hot anymore, more lukewarm now.”

Dear Lord, did he just say French pressed? “Oh.”

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