Page 49 of Just Like That

“Jesus. Is that guy jumping off the building?” His eyebrows tilted inward as he inched closer.

I swallowed past the lump that had expanded in my throat. “He’s falling. Receiving the Tower typically means a moment of great upheaval. Your entire worldview crumbles in the face of tragedy.”

“Well, who is he?”

I blinked at him. “The King.”

The irony wasn’t lost on him. JP scoffed and sat back. “Well, that shit tracks.” JP dragged a hand down the corners of his mouth.

I moved the second card next to the Tower. “It’s paired with this one—the Two of Swords. You have a difficult decision ahead of you. An impasse. Do you see how the man here has his head down? He is looking inward rather than outward. It may mean there is going to be a decision and onlyyoucan make the choice.”

He stared at the cards for a tiny flicker of a moment before looking at me. “That’s fine. I make difficult decisions every day.”

Tension stretched between us. My hand paused over the deck, ready to pack it up and consider the reading—and the moment—over.

When I slid the deck toward me, JP’s hand landed on top of mine. “I have one more, right? You said a three-card pull.”

I glanced up at him and faked a smile. “Of course.”

With a quick shuffle, I pulled the last card.

“Oh.” My eyes fixed on the card and the breath was stolen from my lungs.

JP’s attention was pinned to the last card.

The Lovers.

I blinked and closed my mouth. With a gentle throat clearing, I sat higher in my seat. “The Lovers card indicates a strong soulful connection between two people.” As I spoke, I could feel my cheeks heat.

Candlelight flickered in his blue eyes as they moved from the card to my face.

“Um ... it doesn’t necessarily mean, like,loverslovers. It can be a familial connection or a deep, loving friendship. Regardless, it’s a connection of the souls.” I tapped my fingers against my breastbone.

His eyes fixed to where my heart thumped beneath my chest. “But it can, though, right? Mean actual lovers?”

JP’s stare was igniting my insides, setting my skin on fire. All I could imagine was letting the world fall away and riding him until nothing but that moment mattered.

I raked a hand across my flushed neck. “It could.”

The corner of his lip tilted up. With one hand, he gripped the underside of my chair and slid it around the corner of the table to pull me close to him. He shifted to face me.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I had no right being in Olive’s place, but my body’s reaction to him was instinctual. JP slid my chair between his spread legs. My clit hummed at the sheer masculinity and ease of his movements.

My knees were trapped as he leaned in. “It could.”

SEVENTEEN

JP

In the smoky candlelight,Hazel was irresistible. The fact that I was in the middle of a paternity case with her nephew didn’t matter, because I simply did not give a fuck.

I couldn’t make sense of Hazel Adams, but I was utterly enchanted.

My eyes were pinned to her chest as it went red, and I could just make out the outline of her nipple piercings through her white T-shirt.

My jaw shifted.

I dragged my eyes up to her face. Certain my expression was akin to a glare, I tried to soften the scowl that felt permanently etched on my face.