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He tensed when a pair of arms came to wrap around his middle from behind. He looked down, taking in the short, no-nonsense nails and the black Fitbit on the wrist.
"Vee?" he said, turning around. He wiped the tears from his eyes, still not quite sure if he was seeing things right. "What are you doing here?"
She shrugged, unhooked her arms, and wandered to a pile of boxes. She opened one up and had a look inside. Reaching in, she pulled out the coffee mug he hadn't been able to wrap up and considered giving away. To anyone else, it wouldn't have been a horrible piece of pottery and wouldn’t have meant a thing, but to Beau and his memories, it was everything. Vee had come home with him for every holiday when they were dating, and every holiday, his mother had doted on Vee like she was her own daughter—the daughter she never had. After that first visit, his mom had made and given her a crude-looking mug. Evangeline turned the mug around, letting the light catch the iridescent glaze still clinging to the pottery.
"She kept it," she murmured, eyes on the mug.
"It's yours," he blurted out. She looked at him sharply. "I was going to keep it, but it's only right that you have it."
She looked back down at the mug, holding it a little closer to her chest briefly before placing it back into the box. Beau's heart fell. "I don't know why I came," she said.
He cleared his throat, unsure what to say, fearing he'd scare her away. He didn't understand why she was here either. When he'd texted, it had only been to say he was packing up the house and wouldn't be able to see her tonight. He'd hesitated to send it because he hadn't wanted to assume they would be seeing each other every day, even though he wanted to. He'd see Evangeline every day if he could. He found that he was becoming addicted to her, just like he had four years ago.
Clearing his throat, he wandered into the other room, listening to see if she would follow him. He picked up one of the last boxes left in the dining room and moved to the front door, propping it open with his back. He stacked the box on top of the others in the garage then went back toward the house. Just as he reached for the screen door, it popped open and Vee wandered out holding a box of her own. Wordlessly, they passed one another.
When he placedthe final piece of evidence of his mom's existence down, he stood outside the open garage and looked at the stacked cardboard. He blew out a sigh. He turned to find Evangeline standing beside him, staring. He glanced down at himself and grinned.
"You're staring," he said.
She licked her lips, then jerked her chin toward his chest. "Did you lose your shirt?" she snipped, crossing her arms.
His smile brightened. "Are you complaining?"
"You're an ass." She turned on her heel to leave, but he grabbed her arm.
"Why did you come today?" he asked, and her expression softened for a moment before her eyes grew cold.
"I don't know." She pulled free from his grip and began to stalk away, but he wouldn't let her run again. He caught up to her quickly, standing right in front of her. She tried to sidestep him, but he cut her off.
"Talk to me, Vee. Why did you come?"
She glared at him with unshed tears standing in her eyes. "Because you were in pain."
Her words caught him by surprise. Between one heartbeat and the next, he closed the distance, sealing his mouth over hers. Vee tried to pull away, to break their kiss, which only made Beau tighten his grip on her. She was fighting their attraction, dammit. He started to nibble on her neck, pressing his growing erection into her belly.
"This is real," he said, biting down on her earlobe. She moaned, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. Backing her against the side of the house, he undid his jeans and fumbled with the drawstring on her running shorts. Shoving the fabric down past her ass, he pushed aside her panties and sank inside her. Her body accommodated him in an instant, stretching and molding to fit his growing cock. He slid almost all the way out before slamming back into her. Vee hissed, digging her short nails into the top of his back. The sharp burst of pain spurred him on, his thrusts growing deeper and faster until they came together and the world seemed to stop simultaneously.
Sweating and panting, he stayed sheathed within her, wanting to hold on to this feeling. Evangeline's green eyes met his, her confusion over what they were doing—what they were sharing—evident. She wanted to maintain distance, but he wouldn't be happy doing that for very long. He wanted her back in his life, and he would do just about anything to make that happen.
Ding dong!
Vee's head snapped to the front of the house. "Are you expecting someone?"
"Expecting?" he asked, then said, "Fuck! The Realtor." Pulling out, he shoved his semi-erect cock back into his jeans and did them up. Vee straightened her clothing just in time as Alicia Rawlings walked through the back yard gate.
Her shrewd eyes darted between him and Evangeline, her eyes lingering for a moment too long on his naked chest. Fuck. Pulling his shirt from where he'd tucked it in his jeans, he put it on.
"Ms. Rawlings," he said. "Thank you so much for making the time to drop in."
She smiled. "I haven't caught you at a bad time, have I?"
"Oh no," he replied. "Not at all. I've just finished moving all the boxes out into the garage in case you want to start showing the place as soon as possible."
She gave him a condescending smile. "Ideally, that's what I'd like to do, but I need to have a proper look at the property before I can make that assessment."
"Of course," Beau said, clearing his throat. "Let me show you around." Turning to Vee, he said, "Can you wait for me? I'll be twenty minutes, max."
Vee eyed Alicia like she was competition. "I'll wait for you out front," she said, stalking away.
