Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Her cheeks turn bright red, but the way she lights up tells me she's just as thrilled as she is embarrassed, and I can live with that.
"I mean it, baby. I feel better since meeting you than I have in months." I tip my head to the side, studying her. "You don't treat me like everyone else does. I'm allowed to just fucking be Ash for five minutes. That's some powerful shit right there."
I haven't been allowed to be him in a long time. I'm always performing, always putting on a smile, or a show, or faking my way through it for the sake of the press, the fans, or the band. There's someone in my ear, every minute of the day, asking for more, more, more.
"You want the truth?" she asks, and then waits until I nod before continuing, "I've been listening to you since I was a little girl. I wasn't really sure what to say, do, or how to act at first. I'm still not entirely sure I've got it right. But most celebrities who come through here act like celebrities. Those who don't, don't for a reason." She shrugs. "You rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere without an entourage. I figured that meant you just wanted to be ordinary for a while. And if there's one thing I know, it's how to be ordinary."
"There is absolutely nothing ordinary about you, Loralei."
Her smile is wistful. "I'm just a boring librarian. Unless we're talking about books, I usually don't say much."
"You aren't shy."
"I am."
"You aren't."
She quirks a brow at me. "I talked to like four people my entire first two years of college. And my freshman year was nearly over before I realized one of them was the janitor." She shrugs self-consciously. "I've never been very good at making friends, dating, or talking to people."
"You talk to me."
"You're easy to talk to," she whispers, glancing down at our hands. "You make me feel…like what I have to say matters, even when it's not important."
My heart does this weird clenching thing, and I suddenly feel a little bulletproof.
"I like knowing that," I rumble, stroking her knuckles again. "I want to be someone you aren't afraid to talk to about anything, whether it's books, possessed cocks, your fantasies, what you're dealing with, or the goddamn weather. Listening to you isn't a hardship."
"Thanks," she whispers.
"Can I ask you a question now?"
She nods, her expression still soft and open.
"Why the library?"
"Books," she says simply, lighting up just like she did yesterday. "My whole life, I've wanted to be surrounded by books. Now, I am." A tiny laugh escapes her lips. "It's my happy place."
"I've always felt that way about music," I murmur. "Didn't care what I did, so long as it involved music."
"And now, look at you." She beams at me. "I guess we both got our dreams, didn't we?"
"Yeah, I guess so," I say, a little uneasy.
We subside into silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Mine are worrisome as fuck. The library is her dream…and it's about as far removed from my life as you can get. She's shy, content with her life here. Is it really fair for me to insert myself into it and fuck it all up for her? To force her to face public scrutiny and a constant barrage of attention just because I like the way I feel with her?
I don't know. I really fucking don't. But the thought of letting her walk out of here tomorrow twists my stomach into knots, too. Whatever this is between us is big, it's important, and it fucking matters.
"If I asked to keep seeing you, would you tell me to fuck off?" I ask, praying she doesn't tell me no. Maybe she should. Maybe that's what's best for her. But I'm selfish enough not to want this to end yet.
She glances up at me, startled. "You want to keep seeing me?"
"Hell yeah," I rasp, holding her gaze. "For as long as you'll let me."
"I…"
My heart clenches, convinced she's going to shoot me down.
"I'd like that, Ash," she whispers.
"Yeah?" I grin at her like an idiot.
"Yeah." She shoots me a tiny smile I feel in my heart. "I think I'd really like that."
I climb to my feet, circling around the table toward her. Before she can say anything, I lift her to her feet, pulling her into my arms. She burrows into me with the sweetest little sigh.
"You're going to change my whole life, aren't you?" she asks, her voice soft.
I don't know, but I'm absolutely positive that she's already changing mine.
"Maybe," I murmur, tipping her head back to take her mouth in a deep kiss. "Or maybe I'll just invite myself into it and never leave, baby."
She moans against my lips, melting into me, and I think, maybe, she wouldn't hate that at all.