Page 42 of By the Book

She lifts her head to look at me, confusion in her eyes. “A yes?”

Those beautiful, copper eyes. I turn, pressing her back against a stack and bracing my hands on the shelf at either side of her head. She lets her hands slip down to my chest and looks up at me expectantly.

“To the security camera. Are you going to let me take care of you, for my sake?”

“If it’s for you, how can I say no?” she whispers.

I kept it at bay, all those years. The ember of desire for her. But no longer. It’s like an all-consuming fire within me. And I’m prepared to embrace the burn that seems inevitable.

With one hand I angle her face up to mine, the other slides down to her hip and pulls her against me. “Tell me to stop,” I murmur.

“No,” she replies swiftly. “No, don’t stop.”

I tilt closer still, driven by the need in her voice. My fingers slowly scrunch the material of her skirt, tugging it upward until I have a fistful of fabric.

And then the sound of the door opening stops me in my tracks. Neither of us make the first move to step apart. Waiting, hoping, that maybe no one is here after all.

“Ivy?”

Wes’s voice is like a bucket of cold water, a clarifying chill running over me. I fall back against the bookshelf behind me and shoot her a pained look.

Smoothing her hands down her little plaid skirt, Ivy takes a deep breath, equally frustrated. With a sad smile, she steps out into the open space at the front of the store.

“Hi dear,” I hear their mother say. “I found the perfect piece of furniture for your new checkout counter. It is exactly what you described wanting!”

“Oh that’s great, Mom, thank you,” I hear Ivy reply.

“Wes, go on out and get it,” Ruth instructs.

At my feet, the bookstore cat weaves around my ankle and casts me a judgmental glare. I narrow my eyes back at him in challenge, imagining the cat calling me a coward for hiding like this. The door creaks open once again, and I step out from where we had been tucked away.

“I’ll go help him,” I tell Ruth, who I find standing before Ivy.

“Tripp, honey! What brings you around today?” Ruth claps her hands together and turns to face me as I come to a stop behind her daughter.

“I’m getting a security camera up,” I motion to the ladder in the corner of the room.

“That is so sweet of you, taking care of our girl despite how busy you must be right now. And such a good idea. Howard and I didn’t even think of that.”

“It’s nothing,” I assure her, trailing my hand across Ivy’s back. She shivers at my touch, and I revel in the small reaction. It’s reckless to do so with her mom standing right here watching me. Ivy might be blocking Ruth’s view, but that woman seems to notice everything.

I’ve thrown all common sense out the window. I want Ivy. And moments ago, she admitted to wanting me too.

I press my hand against the small of her back and shoot a smile back at Ruth. “I’d better get out there.”

Stepping outside, I find Wes at a familiar truck. It’s Chuck’s, which would make sense as he’s Ruth’s neighbor. Wes is undoing the straps on the new checkout counter as I approach.

“Hey man! I was wondering why the Defender was out front. What are you doing here?”

“Um, just putting in some security measures.”

I can feel his assessing look as I lean forward to undo the final strap on the counter. I’d question it too, if I was him.

“You’re taking this break-in personally,” Wes deadpans.

“It’s my job. If I would have caught the guy before, Ivy wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“I don’t blame you,” Ivy’s voice reaches us from her doorway.

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