“Unless you hand the story back to Vince,” Hazel suggested. “But it has to be said, you get a bit glowy talking about him.”
“Agreed.” Scarlett drummed her fingers on the side of her cup. “That’s not an interviewer expression on your face. It’s more of a heart-doing-backflips thing.”
“Then my heart needs to get over itself,” Holly stated. “I’m begging y’all. Let’s read.”
“Seconded and passed unanimously,” Willow declared, deliberately opening her e-reader.
After some quieter chatter about books and plot twists, they all were soon immersed in their various books. Holly found it hard to focus on the Victorian mystery she was reading when her own life felt as if she’d fallen into a plot hole.
Seb wasn’t her guy. Was not. Daydreaming about any other outcome was foolish. Besides, if the gossip and pressure continued, he might go back to Silicon Valley. Or somewhere equally removed from her small hometown.
When their reading time came to a close, Scarlett helped Willow clean up as they went their separate ways. Holly took her time, her focus still divided across so many concerns. She’d hoped to ask Willow’s advice about how to urge Seb to meet the community expectations halfway. When Willow’s fiancé, Levi Garrison had invested in Brookwell, the town had heaped a bunch of benefits on him and he’d gladly accepted. The men were very different, but with luck, maybe Seb would find another friend as well as a strong example to follow when it came to the intricacies of Brookwell.
It would have to wait until tomorrow though, since Scarlett was clearly needing the extra time right now.
Holly walked out of the coffee shop to a perfect night. The air had cooled to a perfect temperature and the salt-tinged breeze tickled her nose. The streetlights painted the sidewalks in a soft glow that reminded her why she loved this corner of the world so much. At the bike rack, she was working the lock when a familiar bark caught her attention. She looked around, noticing the black SUV parked at the curb.
“Digby?”
Another bark and the little guy appeared, tail wagging and ears perked. She would’ve sworn he was smiling. At the other end of the leash, Seb waited, hands tucked into the pockets of his faded jeans.
“Did he get loose again?” Holly asked, her pulse skipping ahead of her as she went to greet them.
“Not exactly.” The intensity in Seb’s gaze muted the rest of the world. “Tonight, he’s my wingman. I don’t know much about book clubs, but I worried after this morning you might need an extraction.”
He was clearly getting a handle on small-town life. “They weren’t that bad.” Holly stood, though Digby continued to bump her for more attention. “Sometimes they care at a very high intensity.”
“So they asked about me?”
“Exclusively.” She tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. Why did she always feel so disordered around him? “I was prepared.”
Seb stepped closer, the heat of him crowding her personal space. She reveled in it as the buzz in her ears built to a roar. The scent of him—cedar, espresso, and something completely unique to him—wrapped around her, more intoxicating than any cotton-candy Lowcountry sunset.
“Prepared, huh? And what did the editor-in-chief tell them?” His voice, a low gravelly rasp, sent a shiver of longing through her.
“I…” She stopped, licking her suddenly dry lips. “I told them you were complicated,” she whispered. “And that you were trying to find a new place to call home.”
Seb reached out, his thumb grazing her jawline. The contact was light and way too intimate, sending a surge of irresistible lightning through her. He looked down, his eyes dark with ahunger that sizzled across her senses. “I think I found it,” he said. “Thanks to you.”
“Good,” she managed.
“Yes, it is.” His lips tilted up at one corner. “Holly, all I can think about is you. That should annoy me. I didn’t come here to bond with anyone. I’m here for the views, to work in peace. But here I am. Not annoyed. I like this town. I like you.”
She laughed, giddy with anticipation.
“Can I kiss you?”
At this point, she’d be devastated if he didn’t. She nodded, too eager to remember the risks or have a care for ethics.
He leaned down, his mouth finding hers in a kiss that was a spectacular, beautiful collision of need—his and hers. All that sizzle and lightning mellowed into a deeper intensity that caught her off guard. More than a kiss, it was a claim, with the promise of a story that didn’t need a headline.
At last, reality was better than any book she’d read recently. This was real and lovely and all she could think was “more”. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, to hell with gossip or agendas. Her heart deserved this special, secret moment—at least for tonight.
Seb eased back, his breathing as ragged as hers, and rested his forehead against hers. “Does this count as some kind of relationship immersion?”
“It’s fast.” Holly let out a shaky laugh, her fingers twining through his hair at the nape of his neck. “But I’m not annoyed.”
Digby huffed, staring up at them with his happy canine grin.
