Page 82 of Love Felt Like This

“Now laugh,” he instructs.

Anxieties bubble up to the surface like fizzing soda pop. I burst out laughing. Griffin laughs with me. From the corner of my eye, I spot Taylor gawking.

Oh.

“Laugh some more,” he commands.

I sink under the weight of his stare, letting the sound sputter out of my choked throat.

“Is she still looking?” he murmurs.

I peer over his bulky shoulder. Taylor blinks at us in disbelief as we shamelessly steal an intimate moment in public. My cheeks flush.

“Mm-hmm,” I answer.

Griffin tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, traces his finger down my neck and then to my collarbone, where he nestles his thumb into the dip.

My breaths leave in shaky, uneven exhales.

“God, you’re stunning,” he says, at a gritty but normal volume. Enough for someone across the room to hear.

I know this is all for show. I know it’s to make Taylor walk off and tell anyone who will listen about how Beverly is absolutely not thinking about Beau one bit. Beverly has moved on. Griffin freaking Harvey cannot keep his hands off Beverly Lark for a single second.

“She still there now?” Griffin asks.

I flick my eyes behind him. My heart sinks. She’s not there. Taylor walked away, probably to call someone and gossip. Our job is done.

But when my mouth opens to confirm, I instead whisper, “Yes, she’s still there.”

I hate myself. I feel gross and selfish, and I just know some angel is looking down on me from a big fluffy cloud in heaven, ticking a mark in the not getting through the pearly gates box.

But all thoughts dissipate when Griffin’s hand tightens on my waist. His thumb reaches out, rubbing circles over my bone. He buries his nose in the crook of my neck, exhaling, and runs his beard down and over my shoulder. I wait for his lips to purse against my skin, for a feeling of softness and longing. I wonder what it would feel like to have him kiss my skin—this juxtaposition of gentle lips and rough beard, causing a burn on my chin and heaven in my mouth.

But I get nothing.

You told him kisses were off-limits, didn’t you?

So no trailing kisses. No heady breaths. It probably looks like he’s kissing me, though, which is the point. It’s all for appearances, and he’s a master at it.

“She’s gone,” I choke out, sighing away all the nervous energy and letting it pool to the floor.

“Thanks,” I say. I run my palm over my chest, as if clearing myself of any remaining heat. I notice the window nearby coated in a small film of condensation.

“Anytime,” he responds, darting his eyes between mine.

I pull in a breath, then let it out with a shaky laugh. “Do we, uh, do we have everything?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I think so.”

I slide past him and try my best to breathe again.

Griffin tells Ava to pack everything up and that we’re heading out. We make our way to the front counter. Taylor is notably not looking up, instead focused on her phone. When she finally does notice me, her cheeks are tinged pink. She sets her phone face down on the counter.

Definitely texting all of Elk Grove.

“Find everything okay?” she asks in a high-pitched tone.

“Yep,” I say. “We’ll probably need a second to narrow down our options a bit.”