Page 48 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

Before I did anything idiotic, I stumbled across the tarp needing space. He reached out and caught me around the waist before I fell on my ass.

‘Careful. You okay?’

He held on to me and I swore I could feel the rapid beat of his heart. The lines around his mouth softened. It would be so easy to lean in and press my mouth to his again. Shove my chest against his tight body and soak up every part of him.

When we were teenagers, a subtle glance or touch from Beck would send an electric zap through every single one of my veins. I’d been with other men in college and while I worked in Phoenix, but no one could ever make my body sing the way Beck could.

We stood in a breathless pause until the grind of a tile saw brought me to my senses.

‘I’m fine.’ I said, quickly moving to the far side of the room. ‘I’ll, uh, work over here for a bit.’

The wicked grin that slid across his lips said he knew he’d gotten to me.

I forced myself to focus back on the wallpaper in hopes it would make both my body and mind forget how much I wanted him.

Chapter Twenty-One

BECK

Crossed Over Some Invisible Line.

The sun shifted across the room as we worked. I asked Torran about the progress on the roof and the filming schedule, purposely avoiding tricky topics like her father and the way she’d reacted to my touch.

I knew working with her would be difficult, but I never imagined the way my body would ache when I looked at her. How all I wanted was the warmth of her skin to slide under my fingers. Have her arch into me. Hear her pant and moan my name.

Every inch of me was trying to be good. To keep my promise that we’d stay professional. But it was hard when I looked at her standing on the ladder. Her hair turning a molten gold in the light. How her faded Goodbye June T-shirt inched up from the side of her denim overalls showing luscious pale skin. Her body taunting me from six feet in the air.

Torran’s phone chimed, snapping me back to reality.

‘I’m going to head out for a bit. There’s a story time at the P&P. I promised my nieces I’d be there, and I can’t be late or Tessa will give me that motherly stare that will make me feel guilty for weeks.’

‘Ah, story time. I loved when your mom would gather everyone into a circle on the rainbow rug. She was so good at making all the different character voices, especially when she read stories like Where the Wild Things Are.’

‘Yeah, she loved to do the roar and talk about the way the monsters gnashed their teeth.’

It was hard for me not to think about how my own mother would tuck me into bed when I was little. The way I’d beg her to read some of my favorites like Goodnight Moon and The Cat in the Hat. My mom did an awesome impression of the cat that made me howl with laughter.

‘Which book is being read today?’ I asked, trying to forget the searing pain of the memory.

‘Harold and the Purple Crayon,’ she said.

‘That’s a great one. I bet your nieces will love it.’

She toed at a worn piece of tarp covering the floor. ‘Removing this wallpaper is going to take some time, and it’s easier to do when there’s more natural light.’

‘I can keep working for a while. Nothing waiting for me at home but cold pizza and a pile of bills.’

‘Okay. See you tomorrow?’

‘I’ll be here bright and early.’

She walked to the door and hesitated. ‘This will only take an hour or so. I can come back and help you later.’

Her voice hitched like something was bothering her.

‘Go and have fun with your family. I promise I won’t screw this up.’

‘It’s not that I think you’ll do something wrong.’ She chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head. ‘Never mind.’