Page 6 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
Wait. What?
“How do you know my name?”
“Perhaps we could start again?”
By clenching my fingers into fists, until my nails pierced my skin, I could concentrate enough to listen to the words coming out of his mouth, rather than just the sound of his voice.Perhaps they could use his voice on Google Maps.No, bad idea. People would crash their cars.
I nodded vigorously. Too vigorously. The rest of my hair slithered out of the loose bun that had been precariously perched on the top of my head, and my curls fell around my shoulders, onto my chest and down my back. I loved my hair. I kept it long, and it was shiny and healthy, but really. This was too much.Just kill me now.He probably dated models who always looked perfectly groomed. My stomach clenched at the thought of another woman by his side (in his bed).Calypso get a grip. He’s not yours. He’ll never be yours.
Taking a deep breath, I stood tall and channelled Electra, cool and confident.
“Please come in,” I stepped back to keep some distance between us. Alotof distance. Who was I kidding. The Grand Canyon wouldn’t be enough. But I wasn’t going to let him know that. “As you already know, I’m Calypso Ferrera. You are?”
He smiled, and I had to lock my knees so they didn’t buckle.Dear gods. It just wasn’t fair for one man to look that hot. All the air in the room disappeared again as he stepped forward, still holding Pompy, the distance between us just disappearing. I wanted to pant.I would. Not. Pant.
“I’d shake your hand, if I had one free. I’m from the Council. Name’s Luc. My brother asked me to come over as a favour to your sister. She’s concerned you are in danger.”
“Your brother?” I didn’t know who his brother was or how he knew my sister.
“Yes. She works for him. Bastien.”
Oh my fucking gods. Luc wasn’t just from the Council. He was the President’s brother.
Chapter 6
Luc
It took all of my extensive training in concentration and focus to get a sentence out of my mouth when her hair fell over her shoulders and spilled over her chest. Loose curls framed her face and dipped into the hollow between her breasts. Right where I wanted to put my mouth on her skin.Do it, Beast urged.Bite her. Claim her.
No. I was more than a Beast.Focus Luc. Do your damn job.Then go home and get this clusterfuck under control. You can woo her later.My voice, forced from a throat gone tight, came out harsher than I’d intended. “You forgot to set your wards. That’s how your intruder got in.”
Her reaction was fascinating. First there was a blank look; then her eyes narrowed as she processed what I said. Her chest swelled as she took a breath to answer me.
“I. Beg. Your. Pardon.” There was so much ice coating those words. Absolutely fascinating. She sounded just like Electra when she got mad. Her eyes though. They were not like her sister’s. Electra’s eyes went hard and cold when she was mad. Frozen emeralds. Calypso’s eyes on the other hand; her eyes burned. If her eyes were lasers I’d be burned to a crisp. It was sexy as hell. Calypso had an ocean of passion, hiding justbelow the surface. That “nice girl” persona was an act. I was going to enjoy stripping back her layers.Later. You’re here to do a job.I forced my mind back to the reason I was here. I needed to regain control and there was only one way to do it.
I already hated myself. I was going to have to be an asshole to get through this. “The wards on your front door didn’t activate; ergo you forgot to set them.” I added a touch of condescension to my tone. Her response didn’t disappoint.
“I set them before I left last night. Same as I do every day.” Those laser beams bored into me, drilling into my chest, filling the emptiness with fire, burning away the darkness.
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Oh, no you did not.”
“Oh yes I did.”
My lips quirked. This was too much fun. “Peace.” I held up a hand. “Do you have footage?”
Caly turned to walk further into the store. I dragged my eyes away from her swaying hips to scan the space. The shop was narrow, lined by high shelves on each side. The pale-coloured wood stopped the space from looking cramped. Comfortable-looking chairs, covered in blue velvet, were scattered around the front of the store, near the natural light provided by the picture windows at the front. In the middle of the space a metal circular staircase led to an upper level. A narrow path had been cleared to a small nook under the stairs. Beyond that, I could see the counter and a door which presumably led to employee space and the back door.
I could imagine that the shop was usually an inviting and restful place. I could see how it would be popular, particularly with the College so close by. Today, however, it looked as though a bomb had hit it. Thousands of books had been pulled from the shelves and lay in haphazard piles on the floor and the furniture.
Chapter 7
Calypso
Seriously! What was wrong with this guy? One moment he was rude and arrogant; condescension dripping off his tongue like acid, then he bickered with me, before a bland professional mask dropped back over his face. How many personalities did he have hiding in there? Was it too much to hope that he would just look at my security camera footage and go? He was a hunk, but he made me feel strange. No, not strange. I forced myself to be honest;bothered. Very hot and bothered. The way he looked at me when he riled me up. I swear it was deliberate. He was baiting me. There’d been this flicker of mischief in his eyes, and then when we bickered, cute little lines had appeared at the side of his eyes. His eyes hadsmiledat me. Deep dark brown, they were like hot chocolate, and not the insipid kind you get where they put sweet topping into your milk. No, I mean the real sort, with melted Belgian chocolate: dark, rich and decadent.
