Page 31 of Secret Sins

Saturday morning dawned cool and misty, exactly how I liked it. I could pretend it was early fall, that the leaves were red and gold, and the scents of cinnamon candles and pumpkins were in the air. Charlie napped in the armchair, and I left the front doors closed to block out the mist that would curl the books' pages if given a chance.

Alone for the time being, I was waist-deep in rearranging a section of classic literature when the bell over the doors chimed.

"What on earth are you doing? I can barely see you."

That familiar voice was enough to knock me up on its own. "Every once in a while, I like to shift things around. Shake it up; keep it interesting."

"And that means stacking large books until they obscure you from sight?"

"If need be," I said with humor. "There's hot tea and honey if you've a mind for it."

"Mm."

My ears perked up at the sound of him shuffling away, and Charlie meowing in demand of attention. A teacup rattled, and the sound of water splashing into it made me smile. At least he wasn't pretending it was a grand gesture to accept a free drink.

"Local, I presume?"

Sliding three books onto a shelf, I responded, "Both the tea and the honey."

"I love honey. Is that wrong of me to say out loud?"

"Why would it be?" I finished that shelf, which left me room to walk around the tall stacks and meet him by the register.

The ever-present cap was on his head, obscuring the shiny wheat-colored hair. His jacket was absent, showing sinewy forearms under a white t-shirt. "It sounds juvenile."

"Not to me." Reaching around him, I picked up a tea bag. "It goes perfectly with tea, and other things, too."

"Mm, I guess it depends on how you like to eat your honey."

My head came up sharply, but he wasn't looking in my direction.

Stirring the darkening water with one hand and dolloping a stream of honey from the honey dipper with the other, he continued. "If you eat it by itself, then it's decadent."

"I, um." I swallowed. Had the temperature risen with his presence, or was it just me?

"Oops." A drop landed on his fingertip, and he put down the implements he held so he could lick it off. Popping the pad into his mouth, he sucked on his middle finger, then added the ring finger.

I was about to either die or eat him alive.

"Sticky." Laughing at himself, he straightened up the items on the table and took a sip of the tea. "Still hot."

Motherfuck— "Van?"

He glanced up. "Yeah?"

"What the fuck are you doing?"

His cheeks reddened, and he stumbled over his words. "You said—I was just—"

"Please stop." Inhaling sharply, I realized he'd misunderstood. "I don't mean the tea, babe."

"Then what?" His frown was adorable, and I was already fucking horny for him.

"I thought you were teasing me intentionally."

"About—about tea?"

"About honey." Licking my lips, I moved slowly closer.