Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
It’s his spot.
Deranged whore…
I head toward the women and enjoy their laughter as I check in. “How’s it going?”
“So good,” one of them says with a bright grin. “I don’t understand why people are so mean about this place. It’s super freaking cool in here.”
“Truly. I’m obsessed with the vibe!”
“For real. I feel like I’m at Hogwarts or something.”
Pride burns through me. “Thank you. Believe me, I had to stop caring what everyone thought. I’m not worried. They’ll come around.”
The blonde scoffs. “I wouldn’t hold your breath. We’re in the middle of the Bible Belt.” She lifts the books that fill her arms with a grin. “But I’ll be supportive of you. These special editions are incredible!”
I beam. “Thank you. I appreciate that so much.”
I follow them to the desk, where I ring them up as we chat about all the new stuff I have coming. I’d painted the huge wall behind the desk with chalkboard paint, and it has all the release dates listed for special editions and new books, and once it catches their eyes, they all start preordering what they want. I am on cloud nine with excitement and pride.
I love my little shop.
Once I package all the books and their bags are full, I send them one last grin before looking down at my computer that just dinged with a notification from my email. I open the email to find that my package will be here today instead of tomorrow, which is great, but it bums me out since I could have gone to see Austen after all. I guess I still could. I reach for my phone to text the girls that I’ll head up tomorrow, when a white pastry bag is dropped in front of me.
I look up, and instantly, I don’t think I’ll ever breathe right again.
Towering over me, hot reading guy looks down at me with those sinful blue eyes trained only on me. Gone is the hoodie, leaving him in only a T-shirt stretched over his shoulders and biceps. As I suspected, he is deliciously massive with a trim waist. But it’s his eyes that hold me in place. They’re so blue, and now that he doesn’t have his hood up, I can see the trail of freckles along his nose.
I want to count each freckle and then trace them with my tongue.
I press my hand to my chest as heat gathers deep in my stomach, and my pussy throbs at the thought. His eyes darken as his gaze stays locked with mine. Neither of us says a word; we just stare at each other, and I hate my desk at this moment.
It’s in my way of touching him in all the ways I’ve thought about since he left two days ago.
Unable to handle the silence, I blurt out, “Hi?”
His lips tip at the sides, but his eyes never leave mine. “Hi.” He points to the bag. “I saw that and thought of you.”
“Me?”
“You.”
Oh, the way he says you feels almost like a caress. With my eyes still trapped by his, I reach for the bag, and when I open it, I’m finally able to pull my gaze from his. I feel him watching me as I look into the bag to see a muffin from the coffee shop. The same muffin I had this morning. My face splits in a wide grin as I look back at him. Without a word, I open the drawer beside me and pull out my own white pastry bag with a muffin inside.
I set it before him and then meet his humored gaze. “I saw it and thought of you too.”
CHAPTER 8
Ciaran
Her white pastry bag drops beside the one I brought her, and her eyes snap up to mine as her lips curve in a tentative smile.
“I saw it and thought of you too.”
She has part of her hair up in a bun, while the rest flows down over her shoulders and around her face. She has round eyes that shine in such an interesting color. With each beam of light coming through the windows, they go from brown to a dark blue to a moss green. So intriguing. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and her eyes are exploring mine in a devastating way. I wasn’t sure how I felt about getting her the muffin, but knowing she got me one has me hot in all the right places.
I grin back. “Well, that’s a surprise.”
Her lips twitch a bit at the sides, showing off deep dimples. “A surprise I got you a muffin, or a surprise that I’ve been thinking about you?”
“Thinking about me, huh?”
Her eyes darken a bit just as my stomach drops. I’ve never experienced this kind of pull to someone whom I know nothing about. Usually, I don’t even crave a woman until I’ve tasted them.