The Rejected Wife: Chapter 6

“And I thought you were going to drag me off to your lair right away.” She takes in the wall-to-wall books and sighs. “I’ve come to this borough so many times but had no idea this bookstore was hidden in the alleyway.”

“You like it?” I take in her sparkling eyes, the way she almost bounces on the balls of her feet with excitement, and I feel like I’m rediscovering the joy of living all over again.

“I love it!” She clasps her hands together. “How did you find this place?”

We’re at The Sp!cy Booktok, a bookshop run by a friend’s wife. I had my car delivered to the coffee shop so that I could drive her over here. We’re past rush hour, and even if we were stuck in traffic, I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend that time with.

‘I know the owner. She was more than happy to arrange for us to browse.’ I messaged Gio on the way over, and she was excited to have us.

Priscilla takes in the cozy atmosphere, illuminated by soft lighting that spills from vintage-style lamps, the whimsical decorations, like strings of fairy lights that twinkle softly, and elegant paper lanterns that add a fanciful touch. Large, leafy plants are placed strategically in corners or by windows, their greenery adding life to the space. A velvet armchair with a faded yet comfortable look is pushed up against a wall between the shelves.

Colorful rugs line the floor, offering spots to sit and read. Cozy nooks with comfortable chairs and pillows beckon readers to lose themselves in a good book.

‘It’s a beautiful space. Thank you for bringing me here.’ She looks at me from under her eyelashes. “So, is this like…a date?”

I quirk my lips. “It’s been a date since I sat next to you on the tube.”

A pleased smile curves her lips, then she tips up her chin. “You mean, I’m a replacement for whoever you blew off this evening?”

I chuckle inwardly. She’s testing me. She’s not accepting me at face value—which only makes me want her even more. I love that she challenges me, keeps me on my feet. She’s demanding, but once she gives in to my demands… She’ll know the kind of ecstasy only I can bring her.

“I already told you—” I bend my knees and peer into her eyes. “You are one of a kind. And I want to spend this evening and tonight getting to know everything about you. If you’ll let me…”

That spark in her gaze turns radiant—like she’s holding the entire star-filled night sky in her eyes.

“Aww,” she sighs. “You know exactly how to sweeten me up. Though you don’t have to, you know that, right?” She bats her eyelids. “I did already agree to sleep with you.”

“And I already told you that I want to do more than sleep with you.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her cheeks turn pink. Her lips curve. She’s pleased with my answer. And I’m pleased that she’s pleased. Damn. I’m a goner. It’s a slippery slope since I met her. I’m falling head over heels for her and it’s a bit like being on a roller coaster. I’m afraid I’m not in control of my emotions any longer.

She clears her throat and glances over the bookshelves. Her forehead creases. ‘Wait, how did you guess I loved books?’ She shoots me a sideways glance. ‘And where is everyone else?’

‘On the first, I saw the paperback in your handbag,’ I confess.

Her eyebrows shoot up. ‘Observant, aren’t you?’

‘When it comes to you, there’s little I haven’t noticed,’ I murmur.

She blinks slowly. ‘Should I be impressed by that, or worried?’

Definitely worried. Aloud, I say, ‘Neither.’

She chews on her lips, and I itch to reach out and replace her teeth with mine, but I resist. Instead, I lean in closer, until I’m able to brush my nose up her cheek. ‘As for the second, I specifically asked the owner of the shop to shut down the place so you could browse until your heart’s content without being disturbed.’

‘First the coffee shop. And now you asked them to shut down the bookstore, for me?” She takes a step back so she’s able to look into my eyes.

‘Only for you,’ I confirm. It was a stroke of luck that I spotted the paperback when it slipped out of her purse. She likes to read. And I’d love to watch her read. It’s why I brought her here. Without breaking the connection between us, I bend and grab one of the baskets by a shelf. ‘I’m sure you can’t wait to shop.’

‘You’re going to hold my basket while I buy books?’ Her voice emerges squeaky.

‘Would you rather I not?’

She shoots me a look. ‘Of course, I’d rather you did, but—’ She shakes her head. ‘Forget it.’

She begins to move away, but I step in front of her. ‘No, tell me.’

She blows out a breath. ‘Umm, no, it’s just that’—she hesitates—’it’s not something I imagined any man would ever do for me.’

Something in her voice gives me pause. Does she not realize she deserves this, and so much more? I bend my knees and peer into her face. ‘It was worth bringing you here just to see that look of wonder on your face when you walked in.’

She flushes. For a few seconds, our gazes stay connected. The air is spiked with longing. The attraction between us roars to the surface. She must sense it, for her throat moves as she swallows. Her pupils dilate. She begins to sway toward me.

Then, as if realizing how her body is betraying her, she wrenches her eyes away. Her gaze falls on a shelf, and she does a double take. ‘Is that—’ She hurries over to it and reads out the category heading, ‘Mothers, Madonnas, and Mamma Mia?’ She laughs. ‘Whoever comes up with these titles?’

‘That would be Giorgina, the owner of the store.’ I walk over and stand behind Priscilla.

Then, because I can’t help it, I lean in and sniff the air above her. The sweet scent of apple blossoms goes straight to my head. My groin tightens. I’ve been painfully aroused since I made her come. And being this close to her turns my blood to lava. I want to scoop her up in my arms and carry her off to my place where I can have my wicked way with her.

Only, I want more than a quick one-night stand. I stiffen. Is that why I was unable to let go of her after rescuing her from the mercy of the train door? Is that why I asked her to have a coffee with me? Is that why I was unable to stop myself from going down on my knees and worshipping her? Is that why I had to find a way to spend the rest of the day and night with her?

I feel drawn to her in a way I haven’t with anyone else—enough to realize she’s unique. To wonder if these emotions she elicits within me are something I’ll ever find with anyone else. To wonder if there’s a future for us together. A future? I lean back, putting distance between us.

Me, who’s never wanted to settle down—is so enamored with this woman I just met, that I can’t fathom a life without her in it. Damn. It’s why I want to spend the night getting to know her better, and not only in the carnal sense. No…I need more. I need to find out everything about her. I need to…get to the bottom of this strange attraction to her.

She pulls out a book. I look at it over her shoulder. It has a beautiful flower cover, and the title says, The Proposal by L. Steele. Then, she flips it open to a page, and I read, he slides his fingers up the creamy flesh and parts her⁠—

‘Whoops, didn’t mean for you to read that.’ She snaps the book shut and is about to slide it back on the shelf, but I hold out the carry basket I grabbed on my way in. ‘Drop it in here. I know you want it.’

She gives me a funny look. ‘How do you know that?’

‘You ran your palm over the cover, and you picked it up unerringly from the line-up, so’—I raise the basket—’go on. I know you want to.’

She looks torn by my urging, then slips the book into the basket.

‘Good, now what other books do you want to get?’

“Uh”—she hesitates—“not sure I’m going to be able to afford them.’ Then her forehead furrows. ‘How do you know I want to get more of them?’ she asks me in a suspicious voice.

‘The way you ate up the shelves when you walked in? And how you forgot about me when you saw the paperbacks?’ I assume a woebegone expression. ‘Never thought I’d be envious of books for the attention of a beautiful woman. But I know when I’m outnumbered.’

She blushes, then laughs. ‘Glad you know when you can’t be competition.’

‘Oh, trust me, I know.’ I survey her smiling expression. It was worth bringing her to this hidden bookstore just to see the glow on her face.

Our gazes hold, that chemistry simmering under the surface flaring again. The flush on her face deepens. She glances back at the titles on the shelves. Without hesitation, she grabs two more and drops them into the basket. She scans the shelves, picks out a few more, then a few others. By the time we finish one wall, the basket I’m holding is overflowing.

I grab an empty one, and she keeps adding to the pile. We move to the opposite wall, where she pulls a few more selections from the self-help section until this basket is overflowing, too.

My biceps flex. My shoulders bulge with the strain of carrying her haul. I bench press four hundred pounds every day; carrying two loaded baskets of books is nothing. But I gotta admit, it’s heavier than I thought it would be.

She turns around and takes in her stash, then gasps. ‘Oh my gosh, that’s more than I realized. Let me go through and pick out which ones to keep. I can’t afford to buy all of them.’

‘Don’t worry about it; if you want more⁠—’

‘No, no, I wasn’t going to buy all of them.’ She reaches toward the basket.

I hold it out of reach. ‘Nonsense, you want these books, and you will have them.’ I nod toward the shelves we haven’t come to yet. ‘Sure you don’t want to look at them.’

She looks at them longingly, then back at the baskets I’m carrying. ‘Nope.’ She shakes her head.

‘You sure?’

She hesitates for only a second, then nods. ‘I’m sure. Don’t want to get too greedy, do I?’

‘You can get as greedy as you want,’ I murmur.

She looks at me with that half-bashful, half-stubborn look on her features, then shakes her head again. ‘Greed is a sin I prefer to avoid.’ She looks me up and down with lust in her eyes.

“Is that from another of your self-help books?’

“It’s actually a form of self-preservation.” She swallows. “But I might have to break that particular rule tonight.”

‘Hmm.” I move in closer, until the toes of my shoes bump her ballet flats.‘Any other sins I could tempt you to indulge in?’

She flutters her eyelashes. ‘You’re a smart man. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

I take in her lips and, like iron pins drawn to a magnet, I lower my head. I move closer, until my mouth is directly over hers. When she doesn’t look away, I take it as permission to brush my mouth over hers. Softly. Gently. Slowly. Drawing her sweet breath into my lungs, sipping from her lips until she parts them. That’s when I sweep my tongue over hers.