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“As soon as we get back to the mansion,” he whispers, “I’m going to relieve that pressure building inside you.”
“What?” I ask, blushing.
“You know I can smell your arousal,” he says. “It smells delicious, and I can’t wait to taste it again.”
“Jesse,” I breathe, my face heating both in embarrassment and anticipation.
“Let’s go,” he says, releasing me, “before I lose control and make you come right here in front of all these people.”
I inhale sharply, my muscles rigid as my core clenches with need. I pull off my sunglasses so he can see my narrowed gaze, and his lips twitch. I knew it. He’s using his mental power to heighten my need and keep me balanced right on the edge.
“Jesse Lee,” I scold, shoving a palm against his unmovable chest. “This is neither the time, nor the…place…”
A brunette turning the corner several yards behind him catches my eye, making my mouth fall open. I watch her dart into a souvenir shop, and my feet start to move. By the time I reach the shop, I’m running. I hear Jesse behind me, asking what I’m doing, but I ignore his questions as I skid to stop and yank the shop door open. Jesse grabs for my hand, but I shake it off and dash inside.
Tourists are milling around, looking at t-shirts, magnets, and coffee mugs with iconic California landmarks printed on them, but I don’t see her. I speed-walk from one end of the store to the other, searching the faces of every patron inside, but she’s not here. It’s like she disappeared.
Or…I imagined her.
“Eden, stop,” Jesse says during my second lap around the store. Grabbing my hand, he spins me back to face him. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s happening.”
“I saw her,” I say, my eyes darting around the store as I speak. “She came in here. I know she did.”
“Who?” he asks, slipping his sunglasses up onto his head. “Who did you see, Eden?”
I’m open-mouth breathing now as panic sets in. I know I saw her walk in here, but she’s nowhere to be found. Maybe there’s an exit in the back, or she’s hiding in the storeroom, or something. But why would she hide from me?
I know she saw me. I saw her eyes land on me and widen before she ducked into this store.
“Eden.”
“Steph,” I say quickly, realizing he’s been waiting several seconds for me to answer him. “I saw Steph come around the corner. She saw me, too, and ran into this store. I…I don’t understand. I just talked to her this morning.”
“Eden, she was in the coffee shop. I saw the Blessed Brew sign in the background when you turned the phone around so I could talk to her. There’s no way she’s here. You must’ve been mistaken.”
“It was her, Jesse,” I say. “She’s my best friend. I know her face when I see it.”
“Call her,” he says, reaching around to pull my phone from my back pocket. Pushing it into my hand, he adds, “Make it a video call. See where she is and what she’s wearing.”
I give him a shaky nod, and he pulls me into a corner of the store, away from the shoppers. I unlock my screen with trembling fingers and pull up Steph’s number. Taking a few deep breaths, I tap the icon to initiate a video call.
“Hey, you,” she says when the call connects, a big smile on her face. “What’s up?”
“Hey,” I say, flinching at the crack in my voice. “I’m in this cool souvenir shop in Hollywood, and I wanted to see if you’d prefer a t-shirt that says Hollywood or one from Venice Beach.”
I mentally pat myself on the back for my quick thinking. I’m surprised I managed to get any words out, because Steph is very obviously at the coffee shop back home. She’s wearing her uniform, not the jeans and tank top the woman I just chased in here was wearing. Her location is confirmed when I hear Bernadette’s voice, calling out for Steph to come help her.
“Why can’t it be both?” she asks with a smirk, and it takes me a second to remember we’re talking about souvenirs.
“Both, it is,” I say, hoping my smile looks more genuine than it feels. “Get back to work before Bernadette fires you.”
“Like this place would survive without me,” she says with a laugh and a wink. “I look best in blue. Call me later. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The call ends, and I look over at Jesse with wide eyes. “She’s at work.”
He grips my shoulders and presses a kiss to my cheek. “They say everyone has a doppelganger. Maybe you saw Steph’s.”
