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By the time Belle arrives I’ve picked out a stack of books as long as my arm.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. I’m incapable of being on time,” she says as she weaves her way through a couple of tables to get to me.
I shrug then gesture to the pile in my arms. “I actually didn’t even notice the time. I was occupied.”
She grins as she scans the titles I’ve selected. “Wow, a man who reads romance. You are a rare find.”
With a roll of my eyes, I make my way across the store to pay for my books and order our coffees, Belle following behind me. “I’m a man with many interests. Now, what can I get you to drink?”
She glances at her watch, her eyes sparkling when they return to mine. “Being late has it’s perks,” she says. “Now that it’s six, they’ll be serving my favorite. I’ll have an Irish coffee, thank you.”
“Sounds good.” Turning to place my books on the counter, I tell the girl behind the register, “Two Irish coffees, please, and these babies.” I nudge the books toward her, and she rings everything up. After I pay, Belle and I sit in a couple of cushy armchairs by the front windows as we wait for our drinks.
“So, you like Kida, huh?” she says, cutting straight to the point.
I nod. “Yeah, I do. Well, what little I know about her, I like. I want to know more though.”
“Hmm.” Belle’s scrutinizing gaze rakes over me, making me feel exposed and judged at the same time. Then she says, “Okay, I’ll help you.”
A waitress quietly approaches from the side, sliding our drinks onto the small coffee table between our armchairs before she backs away just as silently.
I pick mine up, taking a sip then moaning. “God, no wonder this is your favorite, there’s way more than a single shot of booze in this. But it’s still so smooth.”
Belle smirks. “I know.”
“Oh, and thank you for agreeing to help me,” I say, then add, “And for not threatening my balls.”
She snorts. “Your balls are most definitely on the line. I just hadn’t gotten to that part.” She picks up her own drink and takes a dainty sip, a sweet smile curving her lips when she’s done, as if she didn’t just threaten my family jewels.
“Oh,” I mumble, unsure what else to say.
Belle leans forward and pats my knee. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a good feeling about you. I’m pretty sure your treasured testies will be just fine.”
“That’s not as reassuring as I thinkyouthink it is.”
She waves me off as she settles back into her chair, crossing one of her long legs over the other. “So, what do you need from me?”
“I was kinda hoping you would know. I tried talking to Kida at Jack’s the other night, but she bolted. And well, you saw how she shut me down again today. Should I just take the hint and leave her alone, or should I keep trying to win her over?”
“If you’re willing to give up after one rejection, you don’t deserve her. And I’m wasting my time being here.”
I rake my fingers through my hair, groaning. “It wastworejections. But that’s not the point. Idolike Kida. I just don’t want to come across too pushy. This shit isn’t my strong suit.”
She arches a brow. “What shit?”
“Going after girls.”
Her eyes widen comically. “You’ve never been with a girl? Are you gay? Or bi? Or bi-curious?”
“Jesus, no. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those things, but that’s not what I meant. Not to sound like a conceited fuckboy, but I don’t have totryto get laid. Usually. And Kida literally can’t stand to be near me. It’s new for me and really fucking confusing.”
Belle’s nails strum against the side of her cup and her blood-red lips thin. And I’m just now getting the impression that just because she doesn’t look as openly vicious as Snow, that doesn’t mean she couldn’t kick my ass if she wanted to.
“If this is just about getting your dick wet, I suggest you stay the hell away from my little sister,” she says, sounding ready to flay me alive should I say the wrong thing next.
Christ. These girls mean business. I pity the fool who tries to fuck with them.
I shake my head adamantly. “Again, I said the wrong thing. Sorry. I’m normally smoother than this. But Kida has my head all messed up, and nothing’s coming out the way it should. I was just trying to say I’ve never had to try with a girl before. So, I’m learning here, okay?”
