ee days. Three whole days. She hated to

ry shelf in the store twice. It was also just enough time for her to convince herself that the kiss had been a blip

d her eyes at his memory. He would surely rant to all

ying clarity. She had always admired older men but n

into her spine like velvet lac

yes when he said,

ed her face in her pillow that morni

ing to think a

..

oon, she had a

ce that made people whisper instinctively. Celeste was restocking the poetry section and humm

. Not until she heard a voice that was e

hind her. "I always f

rms. Her heart actually stopped and restarted like it

ing. "What are you, a literary assassin? Just appea

offensively good on him, stepped closer.

ge," he said

t," she c

skin. She couldn't believe this was the man she was once scared of

sed, which unfortunately only made her look

as the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, the coffee sho

r eyes. "You came h

maybe a little Pushkin.

someone to sound like that? Rich and

eyes. Her hands were shaking. She prayed he didn't notice.

her voice unsteady

r gently. He raised a brow when th

at we both didn't stop

n't de

llection like it held answers to all her p

her but he was close enough for her to feel the elec

said softly. He wasn't closer to her because of the k

cted. How it kicked against

talk about it?" she aske

e said, "and I haven't been a

eath c

ed... honest. Honest in a way that made her le

t me like I wasn't supposed to be tou

her ears. "I wasn't

said, stepping even c

elf leaned in. None of them breathed o

saw what was going on. A loud clap followed wh

aught stealing. Dominic, of cour

r, "if you're going to kiss again, maybe move to the

y threw herself behind the nea

e she hid like a wounded animal. "You okay back t

raining order in so

and influential as I am to be

pped, her heart still ham

ened, slid his hands into his po

and red-faced as she clutched Pushkin lik

r with a knowing smirk. "

ropped her forehead o

" she m

Too late. You're