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When she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head, his hand cupped her chin and gently did it for her. The sheer size of him blocked out the world so there was just the two of them. He was worried; she saw the slight furrow in his brow, the look of fear in his eyes that they’d taken things too far.
Maybe they had, but June wanted more.
“A—are okay, J?”
“Better than okay, D. I just…” June said, taking a deep breath. The space from him had given her some breathing room. He wasn’t just some guy. “I’m sorry, I think given our history, we should really sort this out.”
His hand moved to his head and he took a step back, gently twisting a piece of his hair. “Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. I… June —”
“Juney?” Her grandma poked her head around a bookshelf, glancing between her and Dragan. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”
“We were just going over some layout thoughts, what do you need?” June tried to keep the weariness from her voice, but the look of concern on her grandma’s face said otherwise. The look she gave Dragan didn’t help.
“I wanted your thoughts on next month’s inventory order. I need to place it by the end of the day, so ideally we can go over it now.”
June pushed off the bookcase, her hand sliding along Dragan’s bicep as she walked past. “We’ll discuss later.” She pulled back her hand, burning from the energy between them that was now winding its way back through her body.
She gulped and followed her grandma, forcing herself not to look back.
He was dangerous.
What happened in the storeroom had unleashed a wave she knew she’d been holding back but she’d been blissfully unaware of the sheer size, the force, of it. June wasn’t sure she could trust herself to not dive in headfirst and lose herself in his depths.
They entered the storeroom, and her grandma pulled up the inventory logs.
“Given the financial situation and what books move fastest, I cut down on nonfiction, and I think we should clear an area for used books.”
June half-heard her grandma as she scrolled through the spreadsheet. It made sense, and over the last few months they cut down on lesser-known authors in all genres while adding free shipping on special orders. But June had put her foot down with Missy on more cuts to their fiction genres, wanting the shoppers to feel like they could find whatever it was they were looking for — even if they didn’t know what that was.
She nodded. “That works, I’ll see where we could fit a Used section.”
“You going to ask Dragan?”
June’s cheeks warmed, and she started rifling through the papers on the desk. “Probably, he did help with the rest of the store.”
Her grandma started tidying up the office, and June risked a glance. Thankfully, Missy was keeping her focus on the task at hand. “Are you… Are you guys —”
“No. Nope. We’re just friends.” Her mind flitted to his fake relationship proposition. Maybe it would be a good trial, a test of romance without risking their friendship. Maybe it could also help her find inspiration for her new writing venture. June pursed her lips.
Missy chuckled. “If you say so, but honey, I see the way you look at each other.”
“We’re just friends.”
Her hands fell on June’s, stopping her useless sorting. “And it’s okay if you’re more than that. He’s a good man, and deserving of such an amazing woman.”
“Thanks but we’re just friends.” June pulled her hands away, turning towards a shelf she could pretend to organize. She heard the sigh behind her.
“I know love is scary, honey. But it’s always worth it. Don’t be afraid to live. Your parents would want that for you.”
The click of the door behind Missy as she left echoed through the quiet office, June frozen where she stood.
Was it always a grandma thing to insert themselves in business they didn’t belong in?
June slammed a book down, not wanting what she’d said to be true. She lived her life. She wasn’t scared of love. She was just scared of losing her best friend. But that didn’t mean she didn’t — couldn’t — love him. Even if it was from afar.
Because as much as she needed his lips on hers, she needed him in her life more.
And if the way she felt about him now was any indication, getting involved with Dragan would only result in heartbreak.
