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"You want me to pick you up a new cable or not?" Hands asks.
"Nah. I've got to run into town anyway." I tip my glass back, draining the rest of the liquid. "I've got some shit to take care of at the bookstore."
Hands shrugs like it makes no difference to him and then heads out after Cash. He pauses halfway through the garage door and looks at me over his shoulder. "If you buy my daughter more books for her birthday, I'm kicking your ass. Twenty is plenty."
"Fucking hell," Giant mutters. "I gotta go shopping."
"Jesus," I rumble, stopping just inside the door to the bookstore to stare at Scarlett. She's behind the counter, talking to a customer. Her copper hair is pinned up on top of her head, wisps of it floating freely around her face. She's too damn beautiful for words. Literally. Every single one I know exits my head at once. So does my blood. It rushes straight to my cock, turning it to steel.
I watch her like a creep, greedily eating up the sight of her. Her black blouse shows the tiniest hint of cleavage, just enough to make my mouth water. Her red skirt skims her wide hips and round ass, making my cock weep for relief. I jerked off twice last night to filthy fantasies of her and then again in the shower this morning. Apparently, there is no satisfying him.
"I'm sorry," she says, her voice ringing out clear and firm. "I can't help you with that. Perhaps you should check with the Chamber of Commerce. They might be able to assist you."
My eyes narrow on her customer, her tone sending alarm bells pinging. She sounds stressed. Is this asshole bothering her? I do a cursory assessment, quickly realizing that I've never seen him around here before. I wasn't kidding yesterday when I told Scarlett that I know everything about Silver Spoon Falls. I've lived here most of my life and rarely forget anything.
This man is maybe forty-five, with dark hair turning gray at the temples. Scarlett's five-eight or five-nine in her heels. She's an inch or two taller than he is. His suit is designer, custom-made. But he doesn't wear it well. He seems out of place, as if a bookstore isn't his preferred place of business. Taking bets in a back alley looks more his speed.
I take a step forward to interrupt when he notices me standing in the doorway.
"Thanks for your time," he says, turning a cool smile on Scarlett. "You've been very helpful, Scarlett." He inclines his head and then taps the counter and steps away, headed toward the door.
I reluctantly move out of his way, letting him pass.
As soon as the door closes behind him, Scarlett perks up. "If you're here for more board books, I gave you everything we had yesterday, Finn," she says, giving me a sweet smile. "You cleaned us out."
"Who was that, pretty baby?"
"Who?"
"The man who just left," I growl, stomping toward the counter.
"Oh." She wrinkles her nose and shrugs. "I don't know. Some odd little man who asks way too many questions about things I know nothing about."
"What kind of questions?" I set a coffee cup on the counter in front of her.
"Is this for me?" Her hazel eyes widen in genuine delight.
"Depends," I say.
"On what?" She leans toward me almost as if she can't help herself, those beautiful eyes locked on my face. "If you mention the thing that happened yesterday that we agreed never happened, I'm going to have to murder you."
"Yeah?" A grin spreads across my face. "You think you can take me?"
"I read mafia smut like it's going out of business," she scoffs. "I know at least fifty-four ways to unalive a man. I can take you."
"Mafia smut?" My grin widens.
"Dirty books about hot mafia men." A blush creeps across her cheeks. "It's a thing. You ask way too many questions, super-spy Finn Taylor."
I briefly consider telling her about the Arakas family, the closest thing to a mafia family we have in town, and then quickly change my mind. She does not need to know a damn thing about them. Not until she's wearing my ring and it's too late for one of them to swoop in and try to steal her. Call me crazy, but I don't think Jude "Fifth" Despora would appreciate it if I had to kill one of his new in-laws. I mean, he and Devin Arakas haven't even been married that long.
"I'm going to need recommendations, pretty baby," I growl.
"You want to read the dirty mafia books?" She stares at me in patent disbelief.
Uh, fuck yeah, I do. Especially if they make her blush like that. I have no intentions of fighting fair when it comes to her. I'll read a thousand dirty mafia books if it gets me closer to my end goal. Besides, any excuses I have to visit the bookshop is a good excuse in my book. Pun intended.
"I do," I say, reaching out to run my thumb across her bottom lip. "I want to know everything about you, Scarlett Crawford from Gatsby Books."
