Page 50 of Hate It with You

Once I’ve gathered the books, I hold the stack out to him. Given that half of these are first in the series, I’ve only chosen eight books. It’s fewer than our agreed-upon ten, but even this will be a sale worth staying open late for.

“Here you go, these are some of my favorites.” He takes the stack of books from me, creating an optical illusion that the books have shrunken in his large hands.

“This is only eight, and four of these are first in the series, right?” he asks.

“Yeah, I figured you could start with the first and see how you like it before⁠—”

“I’ll take the whole series.”

My mouth falls open. Doing some quick math in my head, that would be seventeen books in total if he did that.

“Alex, you don’t have to do that. That’s way too much.” My tone is soft. The last person I need charity from is him.

Alex pushes past me to set the current stack of books on the front counter before moving back to the shelves to grab the remaining books in the series.

“I’m a fast reader.” He shrugs. "Besides, you said these series were your favorites?” He holds the books out to me, as if I need to read the titles to make sure.

I nod in response, shocked by his determination to make such a huge purchase from my shop.

“Well, in that case, I have no other choice but to read the whole series.” He smiles, moving toward the counter to check out.

Following him, I grab my scanner, slowly scanning each one in an effort to give him enough time to change his mind. He leans forward, resting his elbows next to the stack of books as he looks up at me, like he hates the partition that currently stands between our bodies. I hate to admit that I don’t particularly disagree with that feeling.

Pausing on the tenth book, I look at him. “You don’t have to do this. Ten books is plenty.”

Alex chuckles before he takes the scanner from my hand, his fingers caressing mine, and continues ringing in the rest of the books he has stacked.

“Take it as a thank-you,” he says.

“For what?” I ask, body buzzing as he continues to do what should be my job.

“For the show you put on for me the other day.” He hands the scanner back to me when he’s finished, winking to get his point across.

A smile spreads across my face against my will, refusing to disappear as I bag up his items. He’s just about to take the paper bag from me when I realize I’ve forgotten something.

“Oh, I almost forgot, for every five books, you get a free bookmark.” Excitement oozes from me at the prospect of putting into practice one of the policies I created for my shop. Taking out an organizer I had previously put away as part of my closing duties, I set it on the counter.

“Here, you can pick three of these.” I smile as I motion toward the bookmark selections. My smile falters when I take a minute to think about what Alex had said. He said he reads romance but never indicated how much. Like most men, he probably only reads a few of the popular ones. I’m not sure why he would make such a large purchase from me, but I’m hesitant when I recognize I’m most likely making another assumption about him that will turn out not to be true.

“If you want, it’s not a requirement or anything.” I kick myself at the slight dip in confidence in my tone.

Alex’s smile overtakes his face as he pushes the bag aside on the counter. Leaning forward, he rests his chin on his fist, making a show of looking at the bookmarks closely.

“Now, that is a tough decision. Which ones do you think I should pick?” He nods his head to the side, a silent command for me to join him on the other side of the counter.

I follow his command without hesitation.

“This is one of my favorites,” I say, pointing at one of the bookmarks in the holder. Alex stands to his full height. Shifting his legs so he’s behind me, his hands snap to their rightful place on my hips as his fingers dip below the fabric of my top, skin meeting skin.

“Then I definitely have to have that one.” Alex’s hips press against my ass as he traps me between himself and the counter in front of me. My eyes drift closed, my senses becoming overwhelmed by his presence warming my body.

He leans down, planting a gentle kiss to my neck followed by the nip of his teeth. I melt into his touch. Relaxing my body into his feels natural when his hardening cock presses against the top of my ass. A suppressed moan escapes me as I lose myself in the sensation.

His lips brush the tip of my ear as he whispers, “You’re breathtaking when you talk about your books. You know that?”

That does me in. Without hesitation, I turn in his arms, my hand resting on the back of his neck as I pull him down toward me. His lips meet mine as I kiss him with an urgency I’ve never felt for anyone else. He does the same, his tongue meeting mine when his hands grip the underside of my ass, lifting me with ease onto the counter.

He adjusts me, pulling me to the edge of the counter so he can press himself against my center. I grapple at his chest and shoulders for more when his hands begin to roam my hips and my thighs over my leggings.