Page 13 of Finding Romance (Romances in the Building #2)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kasen

I sit down on my sofa and hold my head in my hands.

What the hell was that? I just kissed Piper.

I don’t mean a practice kiss. That was definitely not a practice kiss.

It started out as a practice kiss, but then something in me just snapped.

I couldn’t get enough of her. God, that took every fiber of my being to pull away.

How the hell am I supposed to go out with her again?

One pretend date was torture enough. I had to keep reminding myself that the date wasn’t real because halfway through that dinner conversation, it felt real as fuck.

She knew places around my grandmother’s house.

No one knows that. It was like she was shining a light into my soul, and my soul had lived in a deep, dark cave for a long time.

I pull out my phone and text the guys’ group chat.

Me: I think I want to come to this men’s book-club thing.

Gray: You won’t regret it.

Drew: Oh? Do tell.

Me: I just think…it’ll help me figure out how to help Piper with this dating-lesson thing.

Bray: How many lessons are we talking about?

Hutch: Did she fail lesson one?

Me: No. I just told her we could have another practice date. You know, build up her self-confidence.

Drew: Right. Anyhoo, it’s tomorrow night. So, go read the book.

A minute later, he emails me a link to a book and I download it. I grab a shower and climb into bed after checking my work email.

The main character is fucking a man on vacation on page five and holy shit.

I can’t put this book down. I’ve got to know if the main characters will end up together.

I slap my forehead. Of course, they will.

God, I’m an idiot. How is Roxy not a millionaire?

Because I am most definitely going on a spending spree in her shop tomorrow. This shit is addictive.

* * *

“He should have done that tongue thing the first time,” Hutch says dramatically, waving his hands in the air as if he’s discovered a magic world that we all need to see.

“What? No way. He can’t give away all his good tricks right away. There has to be a buildup,” Bray protests.

“Build up to what? We know they’re getting together by halfway through,” Gray states.

“No. It’s a slow burn,” Drew explains with a roll of his eyes.

“Slow burn my ass. They did it on page five,” I laugh.

“They didn’t know each other. The rest of the book is a slow burn. Page five was a vacation fling,” Drew protests.

I start laughing. If someone had said even a day ago that I’d be arguing over a couple in a romance book with my closest friends, I’d have said they had lost their minds.

Yet, here I am, arguing about this very topic with my friends.

And to top things off, we’re sitting in a circle of chairs in the back of Roxy’s bookstore, surrounded by countless books with half-naked men on them.

She has wine, beer, cheese, and crackers sitting on a small table in the middle of the circle.

“Did you like the overall story?” she asks me.

I look over at her. “No offense, Roxy, but why are you at the guys’ book club?”

“Oh, we hold it here once a month. You know, to get a female perspective,” Gray explains.

I narrow my eyes as I consider this. Shrugging, I grab a slice of cheese. “So, the woman in the story seems needy. And the guy seems oblivious. Are all romance books like that?” I ask.

Drew starts laughing. “Damn, Kase. Don’t beat around the bush.” He winks at his innuendo and I groan, but look back to Roxy.

“Nope. Every book in here is different. They all come from a different author’s perspective or that author’s perspective at a different time. That’s what I love about the genre. There’s something for everyone,” she says with such confidence that I’m silent for a beat.

“I see,” I finally say.

“Like, for instance, what is your favorite genre to read?” she asks.

I shrug. I’m not a huge reader nowadays, but I was as I kid. “I guess fantasy,” I offer.

She nods and gets up and I watch her walk across the store, grab a book off a shelf, and bring it over to me. She holds it out and I accept it, reading the back cover.

“This is a great romantasy. It’s based on Greek mythology.

If you like a real classic fantasy story with a prominent romance story, this is a good one to start with.

The world-building is fantastic. Consider it a new-customer gift.

And let me know what you think,” she says as she sits back down next to Gray, who places a hand on her thigh possessively.

Damn, when did he become so whipped? He looks like he’d slay a dragon for that woman.

“I will,” I reply as I turn the book over to study the cover.

“OK, so what are you guys reading next?” Roxy asks as she takes a sip of wine.

“Billionaires,” Drew says.

“We already read one. Dark romance,” Gray states.

“When are we reading a medical romance?” Bray asks.

“Football romance,” Hutch says.

“We read that last month,” Drew whines and Hutch gives him a look which only makes Drew laugh.

There’s silence for a minute and the room’s attention turns to me.

“Are there any romances where the guy is giving the girl dating lessons?” I ask.

Roxy grins. “There sure are.”

Drew sighs. “Fine. But billionaires or why choose better be next month.”

Roxy gets back up and walks across the room, coming back with a book. “I suggest this one.”

I take it from her and read the back. It might as well be my real life because it certainly sounds like it.

“Perfect,” I mutter as Drew rips the book from my hand.

“Oh, is this book three in that series we talked about the other day?” he asks Roxy.

She nods. “But they are interconnected standalones, so you can read them out of order.”

“I’ll just read the first two as well. You know how I feel about that,” he says.

“When’s date number two?” Hutch asks.

“Tomorrow night,” I say.

“You better get reading, then,” he adds, and the others nod in agreement.

Roxy leans forward. “Do you like her?”

I take a sip of beer to give me a moment before I answer. “Of course, I like her. She’s beautiful and kind. But I’m not wanting to date. I’m just trying to help her out,” I explain.

She raises an eyebrow.

“I’m serious. I’m not boyfriend material,” I add.

She looks me up and down. “I don’t know, Kasen. I think you might be more boyfriend material than you think you are.”

“Hey!” Gray says and Roxy giggles as she sits down in his lap and kisses his cheek.

“Don’t worry, I’m already taken,” she whispers in his ear, and he squeezes her around the waist, pulling her back against him. A part of me wishes I had that. But then again, that part of me wishes I had a lot of things and people that I don’t have.

* * *

I set the book down. I stayed up late reading it last night.

I nearly finished it at lunch today but saved the final chapter for after work.

And now, I have the perfect date idea for Piper.

I need to get her out of her comfort zone.

Date one was a very stereotypical date. I need to make her squirm a bit so she’s prepared for anything.

I wrack my brain and grin when I figure out what we need to do.

I send Piper a text.

Me: Meet me in the hallway in one hour. Wear comfortable clothes. We will be outdoors.

Piper: Uh, can I get more details?

Me: NO

Piper: Please

Me: I like the politeness, but NO

Piper: You’re not making this easy.

Me: Exactly

I get dressed and walk into the hallway.

Piper is standing there waiting. She has on black workout pants with a side pocket on the thigh and a fitted zip-up hoodie.

It’s not her typical clothing and I wonder if this comes from one of the many running events she has been at with her mom.

I suddenly realize that just as she doesn’t know a lot about me, there are many things I don’t know about her… yet.

I hold out my hand and she accepts it. “You ready?”

“Where are we going?” she asks, cocking her head to one side.

“Somewhere,” I state as we walk down the stairs.

“Such as?” she asks as I open the door for us. I intentionally parked my car right in front at lunch today, so I unlock it and open the door. She gets in and I close her door and get into the driver’s seat.

“You ready?” I ask.

“I guess,” she huffs, attempting to be mad, but she’s so damn cute, I’m not sure I can take her frustration seriously.

I pat her thigh and she looks over at me. “I promise, it’ll be fun. And if not, you can pick what we do for the next practice date.”

She smirks. “OK, fair.”

And with that, I drive us out of the city.