Page 39 of Wanna Bet?

Jace grabbed a random paperback and began reading the blurb in an overly dramatic voice. She barely heard him. She was watching his mouth. The shape of it when he fought a smile. The way his voice dipped naturally when he stopped performing.

She stepped closer without meaning to. Close enough that if he inhaled deeply, their chests would brush.

He faltered mid-sentence and the book lowered slowly.

“What?” he asked, though his voice had changed.

“Nothing,” she said, but didn’t move back.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, then back up to her eyes. The shift in his breathing was subtle but undeniable.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re about to either fight me or kiss me.”

Fuck. Why was he so intuitive?

Her pulse spiked. “Maybe both.”

His jaw tightened just slightly. Not in resistance but in restraint. A muscle twitch. He set the book down carefully on the shelf beside them.

“You good?” he asked again, but this time it sounded different. Much lower and thicker.

Myah nodded, not trusting her voice.

He didn’t close the distance, he just waited.

Fucking manners.

Myah leaned in, latching her lips to his in a slow but hungry way that she hadn't done before. His hand came to her waist lightly, like he was bracing rather than grabbing. She felt the heat of his palm through her shirt. She deepened the kiss, pressing closer, and the quiet sound he made in response sent a sharp rush of warmth down her spine.

When they pulled back, they were breathing differently.

“You look really relaxed,” she murmured, her lips barely brushing his.

“I am,” he admitted, voice rougher now.

That did something reckless to her. She became aware of the hallway just beyond the bookstore entrance–the one that led to the restrooms. The lighting there was dimmer. The traffic was thinner.

Her eyes flicked toward it. She didn’t mean for him to catch it, but of course he did. His gaze followed hers down the hall, lingering on the small blue sign with the family restroom symbol. Then he looked back at her.

There was a beat. A long one. Understanding bloomed slowly across his face. There was no shock or alarm or judgment.

His eyes darkened just slightly as he glanced toward the hallway again, then back at her, and a slow, knowing smile tugged at his mouth.

“Are we–” he started.

She didn’t let him finish. She grabbed his hand in a not so subtle way, her fingers threading with his and she tugged him toward the hallway with a kind of quiet determination that made her own heart pound in her ears.

He followed easily. No hesitation or questions.

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Jace swore the hallway felt ten degrees warmer. The sounds of the mall dulled behind them leaving his beating heartbeat the only sound in his ears. There was no pretending now that this was just a kiss. They both knew exactly what they were about to do.

Myah reached the family restroom first and turned to face him for half a second, giving him one last chance to step back.