Page 19 of From London, With Love

“Try me.” My lips pull into a broad smile, hers only half as wide.

“It’s called Dirty Truths. It’s my Staff Pick.” The alluring woman in front of me gestures to the stand I’d been in front of moments ago, and the pieces fall into place.

My eyes flit to the ceiling, and I scoff. This makes sense now. Of course she’s the one who picked it; Riss would never choose to show off something like that. I knew the blue-eyed beauty standing before me was too good to be true.

Her eyes widen again, and this time there’s no questioning what she’s thinking—she’s shocked and, quite frankly, pissed. As quickly as they’d enlarged, they’re now narrowing in on me.

“Excuse me?” Her brows drawn dangerously close together. I blink. Was my scoff not clear enough?

“You can’t be serious,” I say simply, gesturing toward the book.

“And why not?” Sheisserious. Jesus fucking Christ. I hadn’t planned on getting into an argument about paper porn today, but it seems the universe had other plans for me.

“Well, for one,” I begin, holding up a finger for each of my arguments. “That’s hardly a book, let alone something that should be promoted as a Staff Pick. Secondly, it certainly isnota romance novel, and labelling it as such is insulting to the entire romance genre. Lastly,” I say as my middle finger unfolds to meet my thumb and forefinger, “it’s porn on paper.”

The woman is still staring at me, her eyes only narrowingfurther with each finger I raise. Once I finish, she relaxes the crease between her eyebrows and cocks her head sideways.

“Let me guess,” she finally says, the corners of her lips pulling up in a condescending smirk. “You read classics?” With the way her tone rises at the end, I assume it’s a question.

“Yes, I do. Is that a crime?”

This time, it’sherthroat emitting the scoff.

She doesn’t speak. I watch as her eyes rake slowly and deliberately up my body before landing on my own. My dick twitches in my trousers, apparently under the impression this attention is a good thing.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she beams at me. “Well, that tells me all I need to know.”

I drop down onto my elbows, my eye line almost level with hers. Her eyes are what caught my attention initially. From afar, they were striking. But up close? They’re something else entirely—the most unusual shade of blue. They are icy blue nearest her pupils but have a surprisingly thick ring of ocean blue encompassing the irises. I’ve never seen anything like them before, and I’m mesmerised by her almost immediately.

“And what would that be?” I ask, my voice dropping ever so slightly. She must notice because I glimpse her breath hitch. It’s almost indiscernible, but it’s enough to draw my gaze to the slight parting of her lips.

My facial muscles strain under the pressure as I fight to keep my expression neutral. Returning the gesture, I let my own eyes lazily roam over the top half of her body.

Her chest rises and falls heavier than before. I don’t let my gaze linger, instead returning to meet her eyes. I register the way her pupils have dilated dramatically, the darker blue ring around them almost non-existent.

Fuck me, she really is a sight.

I’ve met a lot of beautiful women in my 29 years, butthere’s something about this one that has me captivated entirely. But that doesn’t negate the fact she has absolutely no taste when it comes to literature, which simply won’t do.

Straightening to her full—albeit still small—height, she keeps her eyes trained on mine. “The only men who are intolerant of open-doorromancenovels are those who are intimidated by them.” The word romance is practically spat at me. This only makes me grin in return. One look at the way her face drops tells me that wasn’t the desired outcome.Game on.

Breaking eye contact, I notice the name badge attached to her blouse.

Lara.

“Lara, this has been delightful.”

I see the confusion in her eyes as I turn and make my way towards the door. Poor thing clearly forgot she’s wearing a name badge.

As I exit, the cool air feels like a bucket of water being thrown in my face. It wasn’t that warm in the store, was it? Making my way back down the street and towards the burger shop, I replay the last ten minutes in my mind.?

What the fuck just happened? I don’t remember the last time, if ever, I had such a reaction to a woman. She rendered me speechless for a moment, at least until she opened her mouth and defended the monstrosity that is smut.

Chapter 9

Lara

“Honey, I’m home!” I shout in a sing-song voice as I waltz through our apartment door. My voice gives off cheery vibes, which is ridiculous, given I feel anything but. What the fuck was with that guy at lunchtime? Anger rises within me, mixed with a warmth I don’t appreciate. I need to debrief with the girls, pronto.

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