Callum pulled into the library parking lot. He’d just left his friends at The Grind. Everyone had been happy and relaxed, which made him damn happy. A couple of days ago, that was far from the case. Emerson’s brush with death had been too close. If something had happened to her, it would have destroyed Tyler.
Anger still pulsed through him at the memory of what her ex-husband had set up, not only for her and her stepbrother but others too. It still shocked him how damn sick some people were. You’d think after years in the Special Forces, then going through Project Arma, he’d have grown immune to the evils of the world. Apparently not.
He grabbed his book from the passenger seat. It was his latest borrow, a thriller about two neighbors who had witnessed a murder.
It was good. But then, he’d known it would be. It had Fiona’s sticker of recommendation on it. They were the only books he paid attention to.
The thought of the hot-headed librarian who liked to ride his ass made a smile tug at his lips. He wasn’t sure if it was the deep brown of her beautiful eyes, the dimples in her cheeks when she smiled, or just the fact that she was one of the only people who put him in his place, but he liked her. A lot.
He climbed from the car. The library was in a small, older building. It was never busy. Which worked for him. No one else to steal the woman’s attention.
He pushed open the door and spotted her the second he was inside. She stood near the back, slotting a book onto a shelf. She wore a knee-length aqua dress, and her long brown waves were pulled up in a tight ponytail.
Cute. Damn cute, especially in those bright red shoes with just the hint of a heel.
The incident at the bar flashed through his mind. Levi holding a gun to her head, an arm around her throat while she stood there, skin pale and fear in her eyes.
His jaw clicked. He’d been a second away from tearing Levi’s head off. Thank God she’d gotten out of there unharmed. He’d driven her home that night, and she’d been shaky as hell, her usual smart mouth silent. He’d wanted to stay with her, make sure she was okay, but she’d sent him away, claiming she was fine.
She hadn’t been fine.
He moved forward. When she stretched up to place a book on the top shelf and couldn’t quite reach, he stopped behind her, slid the book from her fingers, and set it on the bookshelf.
She gasped and spun. The second their gazes met, her eyes flared and her heart took off in her chest. The flare only lasted a second before a cool, familiar mask slipped over her face.
You can’t hide the racing heart, though, sweetheart.
He grinned. She was attracted to him, but she didn’t want to admit it. Why did that make him want to work even harder to capture her attention?
“Callum.” That formal tone made his grin widen. Fuck, he wanted to break through her icy walls so damn bad. “Here to return another damaged book?”
He held it up. “Nope. All in one piece today.”
Her eyes moved over the cover. “Well, it sometimes looks like it’s all in one piece, then I open it up to find folded pages or a coffee stain.”
Oh, yeah. He’d done both of those things. But to be fair, it was never intentional. “Check it yourself.”
There was a beat of pause. Hesitation even. Did the woman not want to take it from him? In case their hands touched?
He raised a brow in challenge. She gave a little huff and grabbed the book, and when their fingers grazed, he felt the hot pulse of awareness. Damn, her skin was soft. And he knew he wasn’t the only one affected. Not if the flush of her cheeks and the spike of her pulse was anything to go by.
Her throat bobbed as she flicked through the pages before looking up. “Good work, Callum.”
His name rolled off her lips, and he almost looked down at them. Almost. He just stopped himself, because if he looked at her lips, he might do something stupid…like step closer.
“See?” He smiled. “I can take care of your babies.”
Her lips twitched. Go on, you can smile for me, honey.
She cleared her throat. “Did you like it?”
“Loved it. You never fail me with your recommendations.”
Another throat bob. His gaze dropped to her delicate neck. When he looked back up, it was to see her chestnut eyes were a shade darker. She took a quick step back.
Running away from him?
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve put a few more recommendation tags around the library. Feel free to check them out.”
She turned, but before she could walk away, he wrapped his fingers around her arm, stopping her in her tracks. A half second passed before she turned back to him. It was a half second that others wouldn’t even have noticed. He did.
He took a small step closer and lowered his voice. “I also wanted to check on you. Are you doing okay after the other night at the bar?”
Something flashed through her eyes. Something that came and went quickly. Not quickly enough for him to miss it, though.
Demons. Just from that brush with death? Or were there other reasons?
“I’m fine.”
Those words came too quickly for him to believe them. He gave her his most serious look. “Okay. But if you’re not, I’m here. And I’m a great listener.”
And man, he enjoyed listening to this woman’s words. Her voice was like silk. It brushed over his skin, making him so damn hot he thought he’d burn to ash.
For a moment, her eyes lost their hard edge and her lips softened and separated, and he wondered if she might say something important.
Then she pasted on the well-practiced smile that he didn’t believe for a second, and the moment was gone.
“Thank you, Callum. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She stepped away from him. His hand fell. And he watched the woman walk into another aisle of books and disappear.
It was okay. He’d be back. Checking on her. And trying to crack that tough exterior she worked hard to keep intact. The woman wasn’t escaping him just yet.
