AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Okay," I whisper.
He pulls back slowly, giving me that little boy smile.
I fish under the counter for a minute for my bag and then grab my favorite book from inside before holding it out to him. He reaches for it before I quickly pull it back, holding it protectively against my chest. I've read it so many times the lettering on the hardcover is worn thin.
"No judging this one," I say quietly. "It's my favorite."
"I'll behave," he promises gravely.
I reluctantly drop the book into his outstretched hand.
His gaze flits across the cover before he tucks it carefully under his arm.
I stare at him for a minute, my heart fluttering. And then I take a leap of faith.
"Do you want to come to dinner tonight?"
"You asking me out, pretty baby?" he asks, grinning ear to ear.
"What? No!" I gasp, heat leaping into my cheeks. "I'm asking you to come to dinner at Aunt Ophelia's house with me. And my aunt. Obviously, she'll be there too. I mean, it is her house and everything. You don't have to come. Maybe you shouldn't. She wants you to hack mahjong so she can beat Betty LaCroix."
"Isn't Betty in the nursing home?"
"Apparently she's excellent at mahjong," I say with a shrug.
"It's a date."
"It isnota date! It's dinner. With me and my aunt. And you hacking mahjong so my crazy aunt can beat a lady in a nursing home," I add hastily. Just in case he forgot that part.
Somehow, his grin grows even wider.
"Please go away now," I groan, pressing my hands to my flaming cheeks.
He laughs all the way back to his table.
Chapter Four
Finn
"I'mcoming!"Scarlettshoutsthrough the front door when I knock twice.
"I wish," I mutter, scrubbing a hand through my short hair. I can't remember the last time I was this nervous. Or this fucking hard-up. Scarlett Crawford's reading list is slowly torturing me. Especially that book she gave me today. It's not hard to see why it's her favorite. The characters jump off the pages. Unfortunately, so do the sex scenes. They're layered with emotion and scorching hot.
Reading those while Scarlett bustled around the bookstore all afternoon had me ready to start breaking furniture. Luckily, Rafe came in and dragged me out of there to talk before I did something rash. It helped, but not much. By the time the shop closed, my cock had permanent marks from my zipper. I jerked off twice in the shower before driving over here, and he's still throbbing for release.
It's all Scarlett's fault.
My little bookworm has more layers than 256-bit encryption.
She aches to explore the carnal things she reads about but holds herself back. Out of fear? Because she hasn't found the right one? I think there's more to it than that. She craves love on that soul-deep level but is afraid to open herself up to it. Her heart is her greatest treasure, and she guards it closely, afraid to have it broken. My little bookworm is afraid to let herself need anyone because she's terrified she won't be needed in return. She doesn't want to be rejected.
I haven't just been reading her books. I've been reading her, learning what she likes and why. I plan to know every line she hides behind that beautiful cover. You can learn a lot about people through what they read and the characters they relate to. She relates to the outsiders, the heroines who haven't had it easy and ache to find their place in the world. She doesn't know it yet, but she's already found hers. It's right here in Silver Spoon Falls with me. I'm the man meant to be her home. If she's looking for her happily ever after, she's already found it. She's already foundme.
I feel that certainty in my bones. She's my one, my dream woman. She's shy and sweet but can be sassy and full of mischief too. She's also clever as a little fox and knows everything there is to know about books. Watching her with customers is fascinating to me. There isn't a genre she doesn't know, hasn't read, or can't recommend. It doesn't matter what a customer comes in searching for, she never judges, and they always leave smiling.
My favorite time of day is when it's just the two of us in the store. Conversation with her always flies hot and fast. Talking to her is effortless, and that's saying something considering that I don't talk to most people. I usually spend my time locked in my office, focused on work. Yet I haven't gotten a damn thing done since I set eyes on Scarlett. For the first time in years, work is the furthest thing from my mind. Scarlett occupies every square inch of space.
"Oh, hey," she says, nearly tumbling out the door when she pulls it open. She's breathless and flushed, peeking up at me from beneath her lashes. "You're early."
