Page 136 of Ruthless Court

I brace one hand against the ladder.

“I have it.”

“I’m aware.”

“You’re welcome.”

She stretches toward the top shelf.

The ladder shifts.

“Hannah.”

“I’m fine.”

It jerks sideways.

Her hand slips from the shelf.

I catch her around the waist.

Her body drops against mine. One hand lands on my shoulder. The other grips the back of my neck.

For a second, neither of us moves.

Her glasses sit crooked across her face.

My hands span her waist beneath the sweater. She’s smaller than the loose clothes suggest, warm and soft where I expected angles.

Her breath catches.

So does mine.

“You can put me down,” she whispers.

“You’re holding my neck.”

Her fingers loosen but don’t leave.

I lower her slowly.

Too slowly.

Her body slides against mine until her boots meet the floor.

We remain inches apart.

The shelves block us from the reading room. All I can hear is rain tapping the windows and Hannah’s uneven breathing.

Her gaze drops to my mouth.

Heat punches through me.

I want to kiss her.

Not tease her. Not wonder how she’d react.

I want those glasses gone and her back against the shelves. I want to find out whether she bites my lip when she’s angry.