Page 1 of Betting on the Bad Boy
CHAPTER 1
Faith
I could have playedit either way: waltz into the library like I owned the place, or go in full incognito. I'd always sucked at dancing, so I stood in front of the self-checkout in a bulky sweatshirt and dark shades, with a LA Dodgers baseball cap tugged low over my eyes. Hopefully, I'd find something in one of the books to inspire the final sexcapade in my manuscript before submitting it to my agent.
Receipt in hand, I pushed through the heavy glass doors into the unseasonably blustery September afternoon. As soon as I stepped outside, a gust of wind ripped my hat off, and I rushed to snag it. The hat bounced along the sidewalk, and I lunged as it tumbled toward rush hour traffic.
I grasped the brim, my sunglasses slipped, and the books fell out of my arms, scattering across the sidewalk. I snatchedCunnilingus: An Oral HistoryandLove Knots: A Beginner's Guide to BDSMand tucked them under my arm. The last book sat open on the pavement two feet away. Before I could reach it, a large hand closed around the spine.
Six-plus feet of prime male crowded the sidewalk in front of me in suit pants, polished dress shoes, and a hint of a five o'clockshadow. His starched white oxford had the top few buttons undone, revealing a tight white t-shirt underneath.
My heart flip-flopped in my chest as his fingers casually flipped through the pages ofThe Illustrated Kinky Kama Sutra.
"Whoa, I didn't know the library had books like this," he said, his deep, husky tone vibrating through me.
I held out a shaky hand. "It's for a class I'm teaching."
His lips quirked into a crooked smile, and he let out a deep laugh. "Sounds like I took the wrong classes."
His laughter rolled over me, making my stomach clench. I hadn't made a man laugh in a long time. Would it be completely out of line if I pressed my palm to his chest so I could feel the vibration ripple through him? I fisted my hand instead.
He pushed his glasses up on his nose, drawing my attention to his teasing blue-green eyes. "What class is it?"
The bones in my legs turned to jelly under his probing stare. I stumbled forward, convinced I'd end up splayed across the sidewalk.
His hand flew out, catching me by the elbow. "Careful there."
Even through the thick jersey knit of my sweatshirt, I could feel the pressure from his fingers. Dammit, I should have just googled the info I needed, although last time I'd done that, my laptop had been infected with a slew of viruses.
"Thanks. Sorry, I'm not usually quite this clumsy. The class is women's studies," I lied. "Can I have my book back?"
He held it out, pointing at an illustration on the open page. "You should check out the Lotus Blossom. It's one of my favorites."
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The sound of brakes squealing to a stop next to me pulled me out of my stupor. I snatched the book out of his hands, snapped it closed, and stuffed it into my backpack. "I've got to catch my bus."
I brushed past him and took off down the sidewalk.
"Hey, wait!" His voice pulled at me as I flung myself through the doors to the city bus.
The doors whooshed closed behind me while I stumbled down the aisle and slid into a window seat. As the bus rumbled past, he lifted his hand in a wave. Pulling my hat even lower on my head, I hunkered down in my seat, my cheeks on fire.
I should have known better than to go to the library, even the cavernous downtown branch. But I'd promised my next manuscript to my agent in less than a week, and I had to do something to get past my debilitating case of writer's block.
Hopefully, the books would help. Next time, if I wanted to keep my side gig a secret, I'd have to be more careful.
The bus wound through crowded downtown Newbridge, Indiana. An hour from now, the streets would be deserted. A group of business owners and city officials had been trying to infuse the downtown district with nightlife over the past few years, but it hadn't paid off yet.
I glanced out the window as we passed a slew of warehouses that had been recently renovated into loft apartments and some trendy restaurants and bars that had popped up along the riverfront.
My cheeks still felt hot from my incompetent interaction with the suit on the street. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat. Within minutes, my breathing stabilized, and my heart slowed down. That was too close of a call. I'd never seen the hottie from the sidewalk on campus, and he dressed much better than my colleagues, so he couldn't be a student or member of the staff.
But what was with the comment about the Lotus position? I made a mental note to check it out as soon as I got home. Not that I should waste any time or energy on a stranger. Especially astranger with a searing gaze and a laugh that could literally make me fall flat on my face. No, I didn't have time for that.
I opened my eyes, pressed my nose against the glass for a final lingering moment, then turned my thoughts to all the prep work I had to fit in over the weekend.
My phone pinged with an incoming text alert.
Jess: You're going out w/ us tonight. Pick you up at 9.
