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“It’s only because he loves you so much.”
“I know. But still. I don’t want him to worry. This is supposed to be fun for him too.” I gave her a wink, and she blew me a kiss.
I was free to leave, and the girls’ chatter followed me out the door. It was almost a relief to hear myself think again once I was outside on a beautiful, brilliant afternoon.
The Main Street shopping district wasn’t very far from the hotel, only five minutes or so. I had no doubt I would be able to make it back without trouble. And the bookstore was on the way according to the map I had checked it out before we left to shop. I pulled out my phone just to make sure, then crossed the street and walked a few doors down to where the quaint, charming little shop awaited.
This was much more my speed. Not that I would ever be anything less than grateful for Barrett’s generosity. It was thanks to him I had everything I called mine, right down to the clothes on my back.
And I likednicethings.
But at heart, I enjoyed peace and quiet more. It was only once Barrett started dragging me out to spend time with him and Lourde and their friends that I started broadening my horizons a little, breaking out of my shell.
Something he didn’t understand was that it was damned exhausting for an introvert accustomed to being on her own. It was a fact often overlooked.
I needed time to recharge. Just then, recharging looked a lot like a stroll through a quiet bookstore. Right away, the familiar smell of books brought a smile to my face. I felt comfortable, and the tension I wasn’t aware I was holding in my body melted away.
Until…
“Can I help you find anything?” The sound of a girl’s high-pitched voice drew my attention before I spotted a familiar head towering over the rows of bookshelves. No wonder the girl sounded like she was actually asking whether he’d mind if she dropped her panties. I knew exactly how this exchange would play out before I rounded the next row and was treated to the sight of Magnus flirting with a petite brunette wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with the store’s name.
My appearance shook the girl from her lust-induced haze. “I can be with you in a second, ma’am,” she murmured. It was clear she didn’t appreciate the interruption, though I never asked for help. I must have been staring more intensely than I realized.
Magnus looked over his shoulder, his eyes instantly lighting up.Ma’am?he mouthed before a mile-wide smile told me I was in big trouble. “Yes, maybe you should help this woman instead of me. Her eyes probably aren’t as good as they used to be.”
It was bad enough being called ma’am. Fuck, I was thirty-three, not eighty-three. I would never win a modeling contract, but there wasn’t a wrinkle in sight.
“I didn’t knowyoucould read,” I murmured with a grin that widened when Magnus jerked and bolted upright like a shock had run through him.
“As far as I’m concerned,” he retorted, “I like my books like I like my women.”
“Available?” I guessed. “Easy to spread open? So good they keep you up at night?”
“Interesting,” he deadpanned. “As in, the opposite of boring. I suppose that’s why I can’t say it’s a pleasure to run into you here.”
“Well, for once, we agree on something.” I snickered at the confusion etched all over the poor girl’s face before moving on to the next row. It would be better for both of us if I pretended he wasn’t in the store.
Except, dammit, his presence cast a shadow over the experience. It had done the same thing all week. Either he was pissing me off simply by breathing, or he was flirting outrageously with every woman in sight, making my blood boil. Hunkholes—that’s what the girls called the four close friends who they’d inevitably ended up pairing up with. Gorgeous men who treated women like they were disposable cutlery until they found the right woman at the right time for them.
Not Magnus. He seemed determined to go through every female he encountered.
Not me. Because I didn’t count.
Like other men who encountered me, he took one look at my less than model-slim figure and the cane I often used to get around with and decided I wasn’t even a woman. I wasn’t worth attention. They might have seen me, but they looked straight through me.
“What happened? Did nothing at the boutique suit your high standards?” Magnus snarked, and I felt him before I heard him. From the corner of my eye, I watched him leaning against the shelf, arms folded at the end of the row.
Thick, muscled arms were only accentuated by the tight-fitting sleeves of his button-down shirt. He had rolled the sleeves partway up his tanned forearms, and dammit, that happened to be one of my favorite parts of the male anatomy. Aside from the obvious, of course. There was nothing as tantalizing as the sight of a thick, toned forearm.
“I don’t need a dress for tonight,” I told him, then bestowed a sickeningly sweet smile upon him. “So it seemed like a waste of time. Just like this entire interaction.”
“You know, if you took the stick out of your ass, you might figure out that the whole point wasn’t the shopping. It’s spending time together. Like an actual human being.”
“We’ve spent time together all week and will again after this afternoon,” I countered. “ I’m happy in my own company.”
“I’m shocked.” He rolled his eyes while his mouth pulled upward at the corners. “There I was, thinking you were such a people person.”
I turned my attention back to the historical fiction I’d been eyeing before he interrupted me. “It’s certain male members of the wedding party who aren’t my cup of tea.”
