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His voice was stern as he answered. “Yeah, no. We won’t be having any of those.”
She sat up straighter. “Uh, I’m sorry?”
“No rules, ground or otherwise. Like you said, no commitment, no complications. This trip is about both of us having some long overdue fun. That’s it.”
Jesus.Her thumbnail disappeared back into her mouth.
“Hope?” He turned his head, dividing his attention between her and the road. Never a good idea. “Is that still okay? You can always change your mind if you want to.”
Change her mind? Was he kidding? Miss out on having a fling with this walking sex god? Her gut clenched at the thought. Sure, her brain was firing multiple alarms at her, but she ignored them. She turned her head back to the view outside the car and took a deep breath. As it dissipated, so did her concerns. She ran her thumb along her lower lip, anticipating the orgasms he’d give her. The thought made her nipples pucker and cemented her decision. At least for then.
Despite the embargo, she slid a hand across the inside of his thigh. He covered it with one of his own and moved it higher. She squeezed, earning herself a slow smile that turned downright dirty.
“No way. I’m in. Let’s do this thing.”
Her libido growled its approval.
* * *
The library was incredible, cavernous, stately, and most of all sombre. Only the occasional shuffling of footsteps could be heard. It could have been her imagination, but she would swear she could also hear the turning of weathered pages, like leaves falling in an enormous indoor forest.
She was at once both awed and excited in a way that should have made the middle-aged librarian on the information desk blush instead of flashing them a welcoming smile. Noticing Xavier’s wide reciprocal grin, she steered him quickly past. Apparently, this librarian thing was more serious than she’d imagined. She snatched a brochure and kept moving.
The last walking tour of the day was just beginning. Having been to the library before, Hope skirted around them, threading her fingers through Xavier’s. She directed him through the open-air courtyard, while his head swivelled to admire the architecture.
Despite their casual pace, her heart was racing. She mentally crossed her fingers that this was going to work. In the car, she’d spent an inordinate amount of time on her cell researching her surprise.
At the opposite end of the courtyard, she tugged his hand until he joined her in the Map Centre. He paused beside a huge map of Australia.
“I’ve never been a big fan of cartography,” he whispered in her ear. “But I’d love to explore your map of Tasmania.”
She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and grabbed his wandering hands to lead him further onwards.
At the end of a long corridor, she positioned herself under a sign statingFantasyand posed with her hands on her hips. “See any of yours?”
He covered her hands with his own, pressed her against the shelves and crushed her breasts against his chest. “A few things spring to mind.”
His lips descended on hers in a long overdue welcome, tasting her for the first time since they’d started driving. When he dragged them into an empty aisle, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the favour, nuzzling his stubbled cheek, amazed that such a simple touch could excite her.
Her body swayed towards his, indulging for long moments before she remembered she still had a plan to execute. Remembered, too, that there were other people walking past. She reluctantly pushed him away so she could continue their tour.
They took the stairs to the mezzanine level and found themselves amongst the World Languages shelves. Row after row of elaborately bound books pressed in on them from all sides, muting their footsteps. Not nearly as many people were there, and most were seated on the few comfortable chairs at one end of the room.
Xavier yanked on her arm, swinging her behind a heavy stack of French poetry books.“Voulez vous couchez avec moi, ce soir?”
His accent was terrible, but she gave him points for trying and rewarded him with a lingering French kiss. On his lips, she tasted the coffee that had been fuelling him all afternoon and pure, unfiltered lust. The latter provided far more of a kick.
“Mais non, monsieur,”she said, then skipped away, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure he was still following.
Moving more quickly, she led them up another set of stairs. Behind a set of heavy wooden doors, they arrived at their final destination, the Elliott Room.
The doors slid shut behind them with a whisper, cocooning them inside. The space had been set up with a number of desks designed to encourage quiet reading, though no one else was using them. They had the whole room to themselves, unusual for a library that size and perfect for her plans. She stood inthe middle of the room and read aloud from the brochure she’d grabbed earlier.
“This room,” she said, giving her best flight attendant hand gesture, “is famed for the artwork adorning its ceiling, titledThe Triumph of Time.” She nudged him into a chair and pointed upwards, discarding the brochure. “I highly recommend you have a seat and admire the view. I think you’ll find it very… rewarding.”
He sat obediently at the desk, though his face was quizzical. She could see his mind working, trying to figure out what she was up to. He would find out soon enough.
She stretched one leg across his lap and lowered herself until she was seated, facing him. His hands settled on her hips and a wide grin split his face. She gripped his chin and tilted his head back, holding it up while she kissed a trail along his collar bone. She worked her way around his neck, nibbling and sucking as she slid her hand around and locked her fingers in his hair, pulling back, ensuring he remained exposed to her. She nimbly undid his two top buttons and slipped her tongue lower.
