Page 69 of Love in the Stacks
Chapter thirty-two
Nicole
Ipeer up at Adam standing over me next to the couch.
“Come on, Nicole,” he repeats, holding out his hand, a determined glint in his eyes.
Dropping my tablet, I take his hand, and he hauls me to my feet.
“What are we doing?” I ask as he pulls me toward the front door.
“You’ll see,” he says.
Is Adam being … spontaneous? My stomach flutters, and I turn myself over to him, ready to follow wherever he’s leading.
We slip on our shoes, pausing at the threshold long enough for me to lock the door. It’s late, and the streets are mostly quiet as Adam practically bounds down the steps of my apartment, tugging me behind him. I’m wearing black joggers and an oversized T-shirt. Up to now, it has been a simple night at home. I hadn’t planned to go anywhere or see anyone other than Adam. The night air is warmand sticky against my arms, my heart racing as quickly as my feet. Adam turns a corner headed toward campus, and both my heart and my feet stutter to a near stop.
“Adam!” I eek out, half confusion, half glee, pulling back against his hand. He turns to me, a deadly smirk on his lips. His eyes glitter as he pulls me closer, ducking his head until his mouth is right up against my ear. “Come on,” he whispers thickly.
I’m grinning like an idiot, side by side with Adam now as we rush through the streets. When we reach the front steps of Parker Library, Adam drops my hand. Out of the corner of his mouth and without making eye contact, he instructs, “Be cool.”
I immediately start cracking up. Already out of breath from our race over here, I bend over and put my hands on my knees as I try to collect myself enough to go inside. Adam takes a couple steps away, eyeing me warily.
I take a deep breath and stand. “I’m cool, I’m cool,” I say, which unleashes another bout of laughter, tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes. Finally, I steady my breathing, wipe my eyes, and school my expression into a mask of seriousness.
“I’m sorry,” I say solemnly. “I’m ready now.”
“You better be,” Adam grumbles as he takes his Parker Library badge out of his pocket and taps it against the scanner by the front entrance. The leftmost door makes athunkingsound as it unlocks. Adam pulls it open, motioning me to step inside ahead of him.
We walk quietly and calmly through the main lobby. Two bored-looking student workers sit at the circulation desk, hardly glancing at us as we pass. At the top of the stairs, Adam gently takesmy hand again. The second floor is nearly deserted. I see a few students at the study carrels around the perimeter, but it’s eerily quiet. We pass through the stacks and finally duck into a row buffeted on either side by empty carrels. I glance around at the books on the shelves. The PN 1000s. Poetry. Seems fitting.
Adam hesitates. Now that he’s gotten me here, he looks unsure of what to do with me. Facing him, our bodies parallel with the shelves, I place one of my hands onto his shoulder and the other on his chest. My eyes locked with his, I inch forward. He steps back. I step forward again, and he steps back. Slowly, we continue this dance across the narrow aisle, until Adam’s broad shoulders bump against the shelves, making a distinct but hollowclunksound. The books on the top shelf wobble a bit. Strung out on the high of this night, these zany circumstances, I nearly start laughing again, until I’m quickly sobered by the heated look in Adam’s eyes. He reaches his arms around my waist and pulls my body flush against his. As he lifts one of his hands up to tangle in my hair, his mouth covers mine.
I shift my arms, moving my hands behind Adam’s neck. He tips his head to one side, breaking away from my lips to trail hot kisses up my jawline to the tender skin below my ear. I shiver as his mouth catches on my earlobe. I swallow a moan, but he feels the vibration in my throat, and his lips are back on mine, needy and intense. I part my lips and his tongue sweeps through my mouth. Reaching my hand higher to bury my fingers in the hair above his collar, I gently scratch my nails against his scalp. He growls, and moving both hands to grip the backs of my thighs, lifts me up and wraps my legs around his torso. He moves forward until my back is against the shelves onthe other side of the aisle. The scent of old paper and dust spreads around me, mixing with the smell of sweat on our skin. When he finally slides me back down to the ground, we’re both breathless. Adam quietly kisses my forehead, and then the top of my head, running his hands up and down my arms.
“Let’s go,” he murmurs next to my ear. He nudges me forward, giving me a warning look and touching his index finger to my lips. As we get to the end of the aisle, he drops his hands to his side, and we walk back down the stairs and through the lobby without touching.
Once we’re outside, he bumps me with his shoulder. “Well?” he asks with a smirk.
“Well, what?”
“How was it?” He motions toward the library building.
Grinning, I place my hand on his cheek and say, “Easily in the top five hottest moments of my life.”
His mouth drops open. “In the top five?” he sputters.
I laugh and dart away from him down the steps. I feel him on my heels as I turn the corner. He grabs me around the waist and spins me to face him. I push against his chest playfully. Laughing, I say, “Okay! Okay! Number one top spot to you, sir.”
He smiles and pulls me against his chest. “Hottest moment of your life?” he murmurs into my hair.
I pull back and meet his eyes. “Without question,” I answer.
He grins and kisses my forehead softly. “Me, too.”
The next week, finals are officially over and we’re all transitioning into our summer projects. I’m in my office, checking each of my online subject guides and making a list of which need to be updated before the fall term.
Herb pops his head through the doorway. “Nicole, can you come meet with me for a moment, please?”
