Page 12 of The Librarian and the Rock Star

“I...” Swallowing hard, I tried to catch my breath. “I don’t know.”

He gave me the sweetest crooked grin. “Wow, something you don’t know? That’s a first.”

I swatted his nose with my index finger, as if slapping him. “Cheeky.”

“Seriously,” he said taking my hands in his hand kissing the back of each, “I didn’t mean to make a pass at you.”

“I couldn’t help it,” I whispered. “It’s been a really long time and you…” I didn’t know how to finish.

“And I what?” he asked with pleading eyes. He shook my hands slightly as if to say, out with it.

“From the moment you surprised me in the alley... Well, I’m going through an attempted life shake up, and... See, your energy is sort of rattling. In a good way.”

“I rattle you?” his gravelly voice whispered. He took my hands, placing them around his waist, then wound his arms around me again. Tilting his lips to mine, he was less tentative, less shy. He possessed my mouth with a dominance that was astonishing.

Any space between us evaporated as we dissolved into each other’s bodies, each other’s heat. Our lips, tongues, air, flesh – all became one as the crisp night air swirled around us.

He finally softened, allowing some space between us, and lightly kissed my cheek before he drew back. His dark eyes were wide, his pupils huge.

My spine felt like it had been liquefied and I was almost dizzy from the intensity. It made perfect sense for me to desire him like this. He was gorgeous, breathtaking. He looked like a movie star, but with the intensity of a rock star. Good grief, he was actually a real rock star. What I did not understand was how he was having the same reaction to me.

I knew that he wasn’t toying with me. Nobody could fake a reaction like that. I didn’t think that he was a player, accustomed to seducing women every night. At least, it didn’t feel like it. It felt real, and it freaked me out. Although, logically I didn’t know him at all. My brain and my guts were fighting a duel, and neither side was gaining ground.

I’ve never had a fling. Never had a one night stand. Would it be so terrible? Am I the sort of person who could go with the flow, just for one night? I might be, I reasoned. Why not? I was just telling myself that I needed to shake up my life. Could I be wild for an evening?

“It’s been a long time for me too,” he said gently. “I haven’t felt a spark in ages until I saw you on your knees staring at bricks.” I felt myself shiver, forming a prickle between my shoulder blades.

“Damn,” he said, “I’m so sorry, you’re cold.” He ripped off his jacket and helped me into it.

“Thank you,” I said, trying not to revel in his warm, masculine scent surrounding me.

“Please never tell Tate about this,” he chuckled. “He’s always making cheesy jokes about getting girls clothes off. Apparently I’m backwards.”

That made me actually laugh out loud. “My lips are sealed. The diner is about two blocks away.” He took my hand again, and we strolled in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“That’s the one,” I said, when we were across the street from Dottie’s Diner. As we stopped at the crosswalk, I looked up at Jack. He looked puzzled, or perhaps brooding. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He took my arm again to cross the street, then stopped in front of the doorway. “Listen,” he said. “I always like to be really clear about what’s going on, it helps me to not be nervous.”

“Okay,” I said. “I appreciate clarity.”

“After we eat, I’m going to walk you home and say good night, but I’m not going to let myself come in, and I’m not going to invite you back to my hotel room.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Not let yourself?”

He looked very serious, but there was warmth in his eyes. “I don’t want you to think that I’m just hitting on you or looking for a one night stand or anything like that.”

I couldn’t help but think, damn . “I know,” I said. “If I got that vibe from you at all, I wouldn’t have taken off with you into the dead of night.”

“Okay,” he said. He seemed unsure, but willing to let it go.

10. Late Night Diner

As he sweetly held the door for me and we found a booth in the back of the diner, I was a bit surprised to realize I was flooded with a tiny bit of disappointment. After just a few kisses, my absent libido had rushed back from wherever it had been vacationing for the past year. Lust was skipping through my blood like stones over a lake. Now that he had planted the idea, I wanted nothing more than to take him home and let absolutely anything happen.

Instead, I opened the menu even though I already knew precisely what I wanted. The server brought us water, and I asked for a green tea. Jack ordered a beer, so I also ordered a glass of white wine.

After she left, he asked, “Wine and tea at the same time?”

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