Page 10 of Dangerous Men

“Are you the owner?” Alec asks, gesturing around the store.

“Co-owner,” I tell him. “Jade and I—that’s Jade, behind the counter there, with the pink hair—we own it together. She runs the café, and I—” I gesture toward the rest of our shop.Myshop. “I run the bookstore.”

It might seem impressive, but trust me, it’s not. Sure, the bookstore takes up most of our square footage, but it’s Jade’s coffee and pastries that bring in most of our profits. That’s why we designed the place the way we did—with her café front and center at the entrance, and the rows and rows of books spiraling out from there. We even included little reading nooks around my portion of the store, with tables and comfortable chairs, soour customers can have a nice place to sit and enjoy their drinks while they read.

Alec stares around at the bookstore as though seeing it for the first time. And now that I stop to think about it, I’ve only ever seen him here, at the front of our shop, enjoying the café. Maybe he’s not much of a reader?

“It’s a beautiful store,” he tells me, in that lovely velvet voice.

“Thank you.” I smile at him, feeling proud. “I think so, too.”

I was doing something, wasn’t I? It’s so easy to get lost in those dark eyes…

Right. His mug. That I’m still holding. Like an idiot.

“Well… I’ll just take this to be washed,” I say, turning to leave with a small laugh.

I’m halfway to the counter when he responds.

“Lovely to meet you, Sydney,” he says. I want so desperately to turn back around, to see if he’s watching me.

From the look of pure glee on Jade’s face, he is.

“Shut up,” I hiss at her, shoving the coffee mug in her direction and glaring at her ear-to-ear grin.

“Love you,” Jade coos in a singsong voice to me.

“To the moon and back,” I answer, finishing the phrase we’ve said to each other since we were kids.

I love books.They’ve been my much-needed escape since I was a child, a way for me to explore the world and all it offers without ever leaving the house. There’s nothing better to me than leaving behind the worries and pain of the real world and letting myself get lost in a different life. A better life.

And I love that now I get to share those books with others. Love that I made a career of it.

“Thanks for choosing the Book Boutique!” I say cheerfully, as I slip a bookmark and receipt under the book’s cover and hand it back to my customer with a smile. “And have a great evening!”

They wish me the same, waving as they head toward the exit. My smile is genuine, and my mood is bright as I turn to give my full attention to the next customer in line.

“Hi there! Did you find everything you were?—”

The rest of the words get jumbled in my brain as I lose myself in a pair of dark eyes, and I simply…stop talking.

“I found everything I was looking for, yes,” Alec answers me. The slight curve to his lips could be the start of a smile. It softens him, makes his stark features even more handsome. A little less intimidating.

Internally cringing at my moment of awkwardness, I mumble something like “glad to hear it,” and take the three books from his outstretched hands, setting them on the counter to ring them up. It’s a funny coincidence, but all three are books I love, and I recognize them as books I know are currently on display in our Staff Picks section at the back of the store. The first two are recent popular literary fiction pieces, both nominated for several awards, but the third…

I pause as I’m ringing up the third book.

The cover is a nondescript red, decorated with a knife and roses, and even without reading the title, I recognize it immediately. The Prince’s Knife.

“If… If you don’t mind me asking,” I say, voice as nonchalant as I can manage, “what made you pick this one?”

Alec’s brow furrows as he frowns.

“I saw it on your recommendation display,” he tells me in a measured tone. His eyes narrow slightly. “You’ve read it?”

At my nod, his frown deepens.

“Did you not enjoy it?” he probes.