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My eyes dart around as I reach for the book… but something cold snaps around my wrist.What the fu—I jerk my arm, and a petite blonde crashes into my side, knocking me off balance.
We stumble a step, our legs tangling, then we’re going down. I wrap my free arm around her waist and twist away from the table of books. My back smacks against the cold, hard floor, knocking the wind out of me.
“Fuuuck,” I groan when the blonde scrambles into a sitting position, essentially straddling me, and allowing me to finally draw a breath.
When I open my mouth to ask what the hell is going on, she cuts me off with a lethal glare. At least I’m pretty sure that’s the look she’s trying to pull off. I close my mouth, not knowing what to say. I mean, what the fuck just happened?
Blondie seems pleased by my silence, her pretty pink lips ticking up at the corners, but then she shakes her head and narrows her eyes again.
I’m beginning to think maybe this is some kind of split personality situation, until she announces, “Neil Berkley, you’re under arrest. You have violated the terms of your bail conditions, and I’m taking you in.” Then she lifts her cuffed wrist, showing me I am indeed under arrest and currently attached to her.
I’m about to tell her she’s fucking crazy, but then she lets a brilliant smile loose, knocking the air from my lungs all over again. I lay there, staring at the gorgeous little psycho as she blinks big innocent blue eyes at me, and still, I can’t find my words.Shit.
I do realize now is probably not an appropriate time to be checking her out, but I can’t help it. She’s so freaking pretty—I can’t take my eyes off her.
As seconds tick by in what feels like slow motion, my lips part. I have no idea what I’m about to say, then one word falls from my mouth. “Hi.”
Her head snaps back, and she arches a brow which just makes me smile. She’s even pretty when she’s looking at me like I’m the crazy one in this situation.
“Stop that,” she demands.
“Stop what?”
“Smiling. I just arrested you. The jig is up, you’re going to jail. Smiling is not the suitable response.”
“Oh.” That’s it, that’s all I’ve got. My brain is whirling, trying to decide if I should tell her I’m not this Nigel dude, or if I should play along for a little longer to see where this goes. Because if this was happening in my bedroom as opposed to the middle of a packed café/bookshop, I’d be super into it.
Her brows knit as her gaze travels over my face, seemingly cataloging my features. My smile grows. I have the urge to reach up and tug the end of one of her long pale braids hanging over her shoulder, but she purses her lips, redirecting my attention to them instead.
“Umm, can you just give me a moment?” she asks, lifting the hand that’s cuffed to mine, and holding a finger up between us as she shifts her hips—and thank fuck I’m not going commando today or this whole encounter would be taking a turn into Creep town. But she stills and dips the slender fingers of her free hand into the back pocket of her tight as fuck jeans and retrieves her cell.
I glance at my watch.Shit!I need to be at the community center in fifteen minutes. “Actually—”
“Ohhh shit.” Blondie’s gaze darts from her cell to my face, then back and forth a few more times before she holds the screen up beside my head as she gnaws on her bottom lip.“Shit, shit, shit…”she mutters.
Angling my face to see what she’s obviously comparing me to, I catch what looks like a mug shot, and her words suddenly make sense.
She thinks I’m a criminal.
Pretty sure I should be offended, but given our current position, that’s the last thing on my mind.
A clearing throat snags my attention, and I glance to a middle-aged woman leaning over the counter, her brows up near her hairline as she peers down at us. “Are y’all ready to place your order?” she asks, her gaze bouncing between me and blondie.
“Oh, umm—” I start, but blondie speaks over me.
“Sorry, Perky. Do me a favor and pretend I was never here. You saw nothing.” Then she scrambles to her feet and legs it out the door.
I didn’t even feel her unfasten the cuffs.
Rolling to my side, I then push to my feet and chase after her. But as I step out into Main Street, she’s nowhere to be seen. I look left and right, but she’s vanished.
Where the hell could she have gone? I wasn’t that far behind her.
I’m still searching when a chick with a sharp black bob and blood-red lips stops in front of me. I blink dumbly at her, my mind spinning.
“You comin’ or goin’? ’Cause some of us need caffeine before we stab the nearest person, and you’re blocking the doorway,” she says.
“I’m ah—” I peer left and right again, but my mystery blonde hasn’t miraculously reappeared.
