“I made some relaxing tea over on the island. It’s poured and ready—have it while it’s still warm. It’ll help you sleep,” Jamison said, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked toward the bedroom.

Ivy did as he suggested, heading to the kitchen island. She eyed the waiting cup, lifted it, and took a tentative sip.

She couldn’t quite place the ingredients he’d used—the taste was faintly herbal, with a bitter edge at first that mellowed into a gentle sweetness.

The warmth of the tea spread through her body, soothing her nerves and, somehow, her heart as well.

This kind of thoughtful care was impossible to resist; she felt herself falling for him all over again.

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her reverie.

When Ivy saw it was Katrina Lester calling, she suddenly realized she’d forgotten to check in.

“Hey, Katrina, you’re still up?”

Katrina yawned. “Just shut down my laptop and was about to crash. Noticed you hadn’t come home, so I figured I’d check.”

“Um… actually, I’m not coming back tonight. Go ahead and get some sleep.”

That woke Katrina right up. “You’re not coming back? Didn’t you text earlier saying you were?”

“Yeah, but I fell asleep in the car and Jamison just brought me here on his own.”

“Oooh…” Katrina drawled, laughter in her voice. “I get it, I get it. Guess it’s my fault for crashing at your place and ruining your alone time. Going to his place makes sense.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Hehe, alright, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Night!”

Ivy knew her best friend had gotten the wrong idea, but it was impossible to explain, so she hung up and silently blamed a certain someone for the misunderstanding.

Jamison’s shower was quick.

Barely ten minutes later, he emerged, footsteps soft on the floor.

Ivy glanced up, about to speak, but her words caught in her throat when she saw him—bare-chested, skin still damp, only a pair of loose shorts slung low on his hips.

“W–why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

Jamison snapped the elastic waistband of his shorts with a smirk. “What do you mean? This counts as clothing, doesn’t it?”

She stared at him. “You’re not wearing anything on top.”

“It’s the middle of summer. What guy puts on a full outfit after a shower? When I’m alone, I wear even less. Honestly, this is me being considerate because you’re here.” As he spoke, Jamison stopped in front of her and casually picked up her teacup. “So, what do you think? Does the tea suit your taste?”

She watched the way he tilted his head back to drink, the movement of his Adam’s apple, the play of his chest muscles as he swallowed. The quiet masculinity radiating from him made her mouth go dry and sent a flush creeping up her neck.

Realizing what was running through her mind, Ivy felt a twinge of embarrassment—was she really that attracted to him?

Did this mean she wasn’t opposed to… that sort of thing?

Or, more accurately, she wasn’t opposed to it with Jamison?

If that was true, did that mean tonight…

Jamison set the cup down, noticing her silence, the pink in her cheeks, her dazed expression. He immediately understood.

“Not bad, right? Your man’s got a decent body, huh?” he teased, utterly shameless.

Ivy snapped out of it, quickly looking away. “It’s… fine, I guess.”

“Just fine?” Jamison raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. “I’m not a hundred times better than your ex?”

She rolled her eyes. Only Jamison would take such pleasure in undermining his own nephew.

“It’s almost midnight. Let’s get some sleep.” Jamison covered the cup with the saucer, then extended his hand toward her, inviting her to bed.