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Three glasses of wine and a long soak in my fancy bathtub did very little to relax me. Not after I met the hottest man alive yesterday. Then I acted like an immature schoolgirl and skedaddled before I even had the chance to really talk to him. Talk about blowing that opportunity.

“So, tell me about our newest customer.” Scarlett comes strolling in as I’m getting the shop ready to open.

“Where do I even start?” I ended up spending the entire night reliving the whole odd episode. “Miles Tempest didn’t seem like the sort to read tentacle porn. He’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met, but I shoved the bag into his hands and got out of there before I had to watch him open that package.” With the embarrassing material in it.

“Why did you do that?” My friend sits on the stool behind the counter and reminds me, “It’s not a sin to read unusual books.”

“I know.” I attempt to explain to her when I can’t even understand it myself, “I fully believe everyone should be able to read whatever they want without judgment.” Scarlett stares at me like I’ve lost my mind, and maybe I have. “I read pretty racy books myself.”

“Okay.” She blinks several times before shrugging. “But?”

“But I just can’t handle it.” No matter how hard I try, my shyness won’t let me act cool and unaffected by it. “You know I make you guys help anyone who wants to look at the X-rated section. Well, this was ten times worse than that. He looked at me, and my insides turned to mush, and then I went into babbling mess mode. I’m sure he thinks I’m an idiot.” Leave it to me to blow the chance to get to know our hot new customer.

“I’m pretty sure you’re being way too hard on yourself.”

“I’m pretty sure he’ll find somewhere else to buy his literature after the way I acted.” The thought of never seeing him again actually makes my heart hurt.

Maddie drops by a little later, and my two partners attempt to soothe my disappointment in myself. “I’m telling you.” Maddie takes a sip of her white chocolate mocha. “If he’s your soulmate, there’s no fighting it. Drinking the Silver Spoon Falls water seals the deal.” How in the world did we go from discussing my shyness in front of customers to my friends believing Miles Tempest is my soulmate?

“I never said he’s my soulmate,” I cut in. “I just think he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met.”

“Same thing,” both Maddie and Scarlett respond at the same time. I think finding their own love at first sight has turned my two friends into hopeless romantics.

The bell over the door rings, and Scarlett glances over my shoulder to smile at whoever is coming in. Her eyes widen comically as, “Whoa,” slips from her lips.

I can’t resist the urge to glance around. My breathing seizes in my throat as my heart rate accelerates as I watch Miles Tempest and another insanely handsome man walk into the bookstore. All the air seems to evaporate around us, and I suddenly feel lightheaded. I glance down and see the black bag in the other man’s hand. Darn. It looks like I didn’t escape the embarrassment after all.

“Hello, Allie.” Miles smiles at me. “I came in today to clear up a little confusion. He points to the black bag in his friend’s hand while my two friends stare at him with their mouths hanging open. “I didn’t order this very interesting book.”

Huh? I blink several times, trying to figure out what’s going on here.

“Mr. Tempest, I double-checked that order before I brought it to your house. I can pull it up on my computer if you’d like me to check it again.” I throw myself into work mode, hoping no one else in the bookstore notices the sudden red tint to my skin.

“That won’t be necessary.” Miles glares at his friend. “I already know how the mistake happened, and my friend, Colter, is going to explain it all to you.” Both men stare each other down for several uncomfortable seconds.

God, Miles Tempest is smoking hot. Today, his shoulder-length hair is pulled back in a ponytail at his nape, and I barely resist the urge to pull it free. He’s wearing a light purple polo shirt stretched across his broad sculpted chest while tight, faded jeans barely contain his muscular thighs and toned rear end.

Finally, Colter loses the stare-down. “Well,” the other man takes a deep breath and turns back to us, “uh.” He looks into the bag for a second then continues, “ Eight Legs Do it Better was for me.” He stumbles over the book title as his tanned face turns a worrisome shade of red.

“Go on.” Miles gives him a little nudge. “Explain everything to her.”

“I sent it to Miles’ house because I was embarrassed by my taste in literature.” I have a hard time making out his rushed words. “I love reading those books. It’s my obsession.” The words sound rehearsed. Colter turns to Miles and glares at him for a few seconds before muttering under his breath, “Okay. We’re even.” Then he rushes from the bookstore like his rear end is on fire.

Miles ignores his friend’s departure and turns to look at me. I almost melt on the spot from the heat shining from his liquid steel eyes. “Now that we’ve cleared that up, can you check the status of my real order?”

“Sure.” He follows me over to the computer. “What’s your phone number?”

Miles spouts off his number, and I type it into the computer. When an order for the latest Slade Gray comes up, I double-check the date before turning to him. “It will be here next week, hopefully on Monday. I can drop it off on my way home that night if you’d like.”

“I’ll come by and get it. After all, it’s the perfect excuse to come see you.” My heart and insides turn to mush while Scarlett and Maddie shamelessly eavesdrop on our conversation. “I’ll be seeing you.” He smiles at me and heads for the front door.

“Okay,” I call behind him, and my voice comes out sounding like a constipated squirrel.

“That is one seriously hot man.” Maddie stands next to me and fans herself while we watch him walk down the sidewalk and disappear from view. “And he is already head over heels for you.”

“Come on.” I roll my eyes at my friend. “He was just being nice.”

“Nice?” Scarlett cuts in. “The books in the kids’ section almost caught fire from the sparks shooting between you two.”

“Do you two realize who Miles and Colter are?” Maddie leans on the counter. “They’re Silver Spoon Falls Falcons players.”

“Huh?” Okay, I’ll admit I know next to nothing about sports, and that definitely sounds like a sports team.

“The hockey team,” Scarlett explains, and I feel silly for not knowing that.

“Allie ensnared herself a hot hockey player.” Maddie wiggles her eyebrows. “If I didn’t have my own hottie at home, I might be jealous. Now, we can discuss you buying my silence.”

I turn my fiercest glare in her direction. “Buy your silence?”

“Yep.” My best friend shrugs. “If you want me to forget,” she makes quote signs with her fingers, “to tell my husband, your overprotective brother, about this.”

“You’re a cruel woman.” I shake my head. “Can you give me at least a day or two before you tell Fischer?” Once my older brother knows about Miles, all bets will be off. The Mackenzie men are notoriously overprotective cavemen.

“If you promise to give me all the down-and-dirty details.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“It’s a deal.” It’s not a hard promise to make. I would’ve given her all the deets anyway.