Page 50 of The Huckleberry Bookshop

“What’s in here?” She paused in front of it.

“Storage mostly.” The space had basically become a dumping ground, and was extra awful at the moment thanks to boxes of Christmas decorations he’d pulled out, then hadn’t had the heart to put up last month.

“Dead bodies?” she asked, keeping one eye on him as she opened the door. She glanced away, taking in the room. “Oh.” Disappointment filled her voice, and she closed the door again.

“But check this out.” He moved to the far end of the hallway near his bedroom to what appeared to be a segment of opaque windows and pressed one of the glass panels.

She gasped when it slid open. “A secret door?” Athena was at his side in a flash, delicately dancing her fingertips down the glass pieces before stepping into the humid room.

When he’d moved in, he’d had the area closed in to trap the humidity and heat from the greenhouse he’d had built at the top of the staircase that led to his private rooftop patio.

Athena climbed onto the first step, gaping at the water feature that stretched upward to the floor above.

She turned to him, her eyes wild, like a child who’d had too much sugar. “Do you have another secret door in your library? Maybe behind a shelf?” She stepped off the staircase as though ready to go back and look for one.

He smiled at her enthusiasm and shook his head, happy for the first time that he’d been traded to the Dragons.

“Have you checked? Because maybe a secret bookshelf doorway pops out into your suit closet!” She frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. “No, wait. That’s not a shared wall, is it?”

“It would be pretty cool to have a bookshelf door, but alas, no secret passageways that I’m aware of.”

“You’re one colossal disappointment, Chadwick.” She turned and headed up the staircase. “Where are we going?”

“The roof.” The stairs led them past the trickling curtain of water to their right, ivy growing up alongside. A tall, narrow window stretched from floor to ceiling and beyond, merging into the glass-domed greenhouse on the rooftop.

Because it was dark out, he flicked on the lights, ensuring he also turned on the colored ones that lit up the water feature.

“I want to live here,” Athena declared as she climbed.

“That could be arranged,” he said, experiencing a strange, stabbing yearning in his chest. He rubbed the spot as though he could push out the loneliness that came with the feeling.

The top of the stairs deposited them onto a landing and the greenhouse where he was growing herbs and vegetables. He winced, doubting the wisdom of bringing her up here.

The gig was up with his eating and cooking habits, but when she saw his garden he figured things could go one of two ways. She could either rage at him for his duplicity and mockery, or else see the real him, a man she could reject for simply not having enough substance to care about.

He wasn’t sure which was scarier.

“Pardon the mess,” he said, moving past her to open the greenhouse door, turning on more lights as he went. The grow lights behind him were illuminating what a slovenly gardener he was. Spilled dirt, dead leaves, containers of rotting compost, and discarded buckets littered the glassed-in room.

Silently Athena followed him out onto the rooftop patio, where the air was welcoming and cool. Above, strings of lights lit up the outdoor living space shaded by wide umbrellas. Potted palms, wicker couches and outdoor rugs made the area look less rooftop and more cozy. The small fountains, fans and misters were off, but in the heat of the day they worked to keep the area a reasonable temperature so he could sit up here without frying.

“That’s the tour.”

Athena was silent for a long moment, then turned to him, her face awash with delight in the magical light of the patio.

And this time he was dead certain she was going to kiss him.

“Will you cook for me?”

“What?” Chad looked adorably thrown off as their bodies drifted closer together.

“Cook me your favorite recipe in that amazing kitchen of yours.”

“How about I kiss you instead?” He lowered his lips, grazing hers in a way that knocked her off-kilter, awakening her body with an electric buzz.

She rested her palms against his firm chest, pressing her mouth harder to his. Their tongues touched, and his hands slid down her back to her butt in what felt like ownership. She gasped against his lips and the kiss turned hotter.

Athena jerked and pushed away, realizing this was all a tactic. A ploy to draw her further from him, the real him. Re-centering herself, her eyes caught on his tattoo. “What does this mean?” she asked, reaching for the inked skin.

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