Page 46 of Accidental Blind Date

“Also, aware. We discussed this, Charlie. We are leaving the wall, adding an archway.”

“A door,” he states.

“I’m sorry?” I ask.

“We can’t afford to knock a hole bigger than a regular door because the beam–”

Charlie’s voice is drowned out by laughs and screeches coming from the smut club. I turn my head, my eyes no doubt brimming with fire. Libby is standing next to the table, munching on a cookie, and her eyes flash to a smile.

She knows I am annoyed. She knows I can’t hear or think or focus.

She licks chocolate off her bottom lip– slowly– and her eyes never leave mine.

She knows what she’s fucking doing alright.

And she’s loving it.

“What about you Libby?” one of the women asks her. “Do you think size matters?”

My eyes are on hers. Hers are on mine.

“I think a lot of things matter…but it’s good to have someone to compare you know? Try all the flavors before deciding on a favorite.”

My jaw grits and I know she fucking sees it. Before I can act on it, before I can throw her over my shoulder and show her just how many flavors I come in, I turn back to Charlie.

“Why can’t we put an archway here?” I bark out. But his answer is again muffled.

“Because of position of–”

“Hang on,” I snap, marching over to the table. “Libby. Can I talk to you?”

All the women stop, staring up at me with wild eyes and open mouth smiles.

“Alone,” I add and that really throws them over.

Jesus fucking Christ they’re like seagulls at a beachside diner.

“Of course,” she answers lightly and follows me down the short hallway that leads to the bathroom and the stockroom.

“What the hell are you doing?” I grit out the moment we are alone.

“Having a book club. You?”

“I am trying to figure out the logistics of the revisions. Or have you forgotten that your little bookstore is owned by Hemingway now?”

“Oh, I remember. But if you remember, in the contract, it states that I am allowed to keep my store open to the public for as long as is safe. And until your little hard hat friend goes smashing down a weight bearing wall with his big boy hammer, I will be open. Open to customers, open to story time, and open to romance book club.”

I bite back a bitter smile and nod a couple times. “You are something else, you know that?”

Libby folds her arms and tips up her chin. And god-fucking-damnit it takes everything in me not to kiss her. As pissed as I am, it’s the only thing I want right now.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” she says coyly.

“It wasn’t,” I staple out. “I am trying to get work done. And your horny little friends are very, very distracting.”

Libby giggles at that and I don’t know if it pisses me off more, or turns me on. Maybe both. “What’s the matter, Daxton? All this talk about smut getting you hot and bothered?”

“Bothered, yes. Hot? No.”