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A torrent of sensations coasts through me. My belly quivers. My toes curl. My God, this man can talk dirty to me all day, and I’ll happily listen and bring myself to orgasm with the cadence of his deep, dark, gravelly voice.
He straightens my cardigan, tucks strands of hair behind my ear, then steps back and surveys me.
"Do I look okay?" I suddenly become conscious of how disheveled I look.
"You look like a woman who’s been thoroughly kissed," he says with a hint of satisfaction.
"I can cross being kissed in a bookstore off my bucket list then," I murmur.
His eyes spark. "Want to tell me what else is on it?"
I pop a shoulder. "Perhaps." I can’t resist the teasing tone in my voice.
I hear the tap-tap of heels behind him. Moments later, a woman appears. I hadn’t noticed her before this, but her confident gait, combined with her presence here when the rest of the shop is empty, indicates she’s likely the manager.
My suspicion is confirmed when she tells us, "It’s almost closing time. Of course, I’d be happy to stay later, if you want…"
"Gio." Tyler walks over and kisses her cheek. "Thank you for letting us browse."
"It was absolutely my pleasure." She looks at me, a warm expression in her eyes.
"This is Giorgina Mitchell, the owner of this incredible bookstore." He introduces her. "And this is my…" He stops himself from saying—Girlfriend? Nah. I can’t be his girlfriend if we only met earlier today. Right?He settles for, "This is Priscilla Whittington."
I wonder if she’ll recognize my surname, but all I see is a wide smile. I hold out my hand, but she eschews it and hugs me. "Lovely to meet you."
I am surprised at the demonstration of affection, but it feels so genuine, I hug her back. Because anyone who owns the bookstore of my dreams surely deserves it. She steps back and beams at me. "Did you have a good time perusing the books?"
"Did I have a good time?" I roll my eyes. "That would be putting it mildly. I adore this space. What you have here is my every wet dream come true," I say enthusiastically.
Tyler coughs, and when I glance at him, he’s smirking.
Heat flushes my face again. Apparently, I can’t stop blushing around this guy. "Well… Maybe not all, but this place"—I turn back to Giorgina—"is my every book fantasy come true."
"Right?" She grins. "I am forever grateful that I saw the opportunity and went for it. I wanted a place where readers would be happy to come in and spend time reading and, of course, buying the books, too. The best thing is I get to hold book club events, as well as bookish cosplay gatherings, and author signings."
"Wow! You have the best job in the world."
"I do!" She looks between us. "So, would you like me to keep the shop open for you, or?—"
"Oh, no, that’s not necessary; I’m done. Also, I’m sorry I put out your customers this evening."
"It’s for a good cause. I’m sure they’ll understand." A hopeful gleam comes into her eyes as she glances in Tyler’s direction. But she doesn’t say anything else, for which I’m grateful. "Would you mind posing for a photograph?" she asks.
"A photograph?"
"It's not often I find a man holding the basket of books while a woman shops here."
"Right?" I nod vigorously. "I was telling Tyler the same thing."
"Which is why I’d love to take a picture of the two of you and post it on our socials, if you don’t mind?"
"I don’t." Tyler turns to me with a question in his eyes. When I don’t protest, he puts his arm about me and pulls me in. In his other hand, he holds a basket of books. I look up into his face, and the light shining in his eyes is a mixture of tenderness and heat, need and lust. I swallow. Liquid heat infuses my bloodstream. Is every encounter with him going to be this intense?
"Oh, that’s perfect." Giorgina pulls out her phone and takes a few quick pictures. "You guys are so cute together.”
Neither Tyler nor I react. I can’t look away from those piercing dichromatic eyes of his. The green iris has golden sparks in it. The other one is a piercing blue with splashes of silver. He’s Apollo and the God of Thunder and Lightning, rolled into one.
She clears her throat, and I jerk out of the haze which has overtaken my mind. He releases me, and I pull back at the same time.