Page 93 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

“You…” Aubrey flicks her eyes between me and the book with disbelief. “You read this whole thing? It’s huge.”

“Yep. Took me a whole weekend to finish it.”

“Damn,” she mutters under her breath. “One more try.” Scanning the shelves behind us labeled Money & Finance, she slides out a book I’ve never seen before. It’s titledProtecting Your Investmentsby Karek Brezk.

“You got me,” I say with a giggle. “Too many numbers for my taste.”

“Oh, I feel that.” She puts the book back. “What about poetry? You said the other day you’ve been meaning to pick it up again.”

“Yeah! I used to read it a lot when I was in college.” I move toward the poetry section. “I’m not sure what to go with, but…” I spot a book with a light pink cover. “Hey! Don’t you have this one?”

She triesto hide her smile, although I’m not sure why. “I do, yeah. I know the author, sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Really well, actually.” Her grin is huge now, as if she can’t hold it back. “You could say I know her better than anyone.”

I laugh. “How can yousort ofknow someone while also knowing them better than anyone else?”

Aubrey shrugs, and her eyes sparkle with delight. “Some people hardly know themselves at all.”

“What—oh.”My eyes must go wide, because Aubrey throws her head back and laughs at my reaction. “You—you’re—this book is a bestseller!” I point to the sign right above the shelf that indicates it.

“I know,” she says, still giggling. “I have the royalties checks to prove it.”

“It’s under a pen name,” I say, staring at the cover. “Isabella DuPont.”

“I thought it sounded pretty.”

“It does,” I murmur, opening up the book and flipping through the pages.

“No one knows it’s me,” she says quietly. “You’re quite literally the only person I’ve told. Ludo can never know.”

My eyes flit to Elliot and Rhett, who’re standing near the door. “I don’t want to keep things from them.”

“Oh, they can know.” She waves her hand in dismissal. “They won’t tell Ludo.”

“How are you so sure you can trust us?” My voice holds a level of disbelief, but also a smidge of curiosity. Aubrey has trusted me openly since first meeting me, and I need to know if it’s her personality or if it’s because she knows more than she’s letting on.

“A little bird told me I could.” She winks at me before turning away, signaling that she’s not going to give away anything else.

What’s she getting at?This woman is so full of mysteries.

We browse for a little longer. Aubrey was right—they have a wonderful fantasy section, and I have to stop myself from grabbing every new book with a pretty cover on it. I end up deciding to buy two, and I take pictures of the rest so I can add them to my never-ending list of books to read.

Once we’re done looking around, I go to check out, bringing Aubrey’s book of poems as well. The cashier tells me my total, and I stare at my wallet. Elliot’s card is nestled in the slot right above my own, but I’m not sure what to do. Will he say something if I don’t use his card? Will he say something if I do?

I glance behind me, to where Elliot and Rhett are hanging out by the door. My hope is that he won’t be paying attention, but I find them both watching me. Quickly, I turn around and pull out my own card. But just as I’m about to swipe it, I feel a warm, hard body press up against mine.

Elliot’s hand covers my own and pulls it back from the counter. “What’re you doing, love?”

“Paying for my books.” My voice comes out all nervous, like a kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“Not with that, you’re not.” He plucks my card from my hand, slides it back into my wallet, and pulls out his own.

I gulp. “Ell, I can pay for them.”

“So can I.”