Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
"Depends," he murmurs, glancing over at me.
"On what?"
"If I'm allowed to steal you for lunch or not. I'm meeting with the mayor and city council this morning, but I should be free by noon." He meets my gaze in the mirror. "Have lunch with me?"
I nod, my heart pounding.
He strides toward me, knotting his tie. When he steps up behind me, pressing his body to mine, I shiver, melting back against him.
His lips brush my shoulder before he nuzzles my throat. "I'll be counting the fucking minutes until you're all mine again at lunch, Lilah."
"Me too," I whisper, meaning it.
"You hussy!" Jazz's shriek echoes around the store, making me cringe.
"Keep your voice down," I hiss, my eyes darting around. But we're still alone inside. Thank God. I do not need the entire town knowing that I slept with Lincoln—three times, actually.
Jazz crosses her arms, smirking at me. "Is he your dirty little secret?"
"What? No."
"Are you fucking him to keep your building? Because, honestly, high five to you if you are getting laid and getting your building, too. That's some professional-level multitasking," she says.
I just gape at her for a long, silent moment before a laugh erupts from my lips. "Sometimes, I truly question how your mind works, Jazz. No, I'm not sleeping with him as a way to get my building."
"Is he sleeping with you as a way to get your building?" she growls, her eyes narrowing.
"No, of course not." I huff at her. "We didn't even really talk about the building."
"So he doesn't know that you aren't going to fight him on it?" She props a hip against the counter, nibbling on her bottom lip. "And you aren't going to end up brokenhearted when you lose this place to the man you're sleeping with?"
"I…" I hesitate, my heart clenching. "I don't know," I whisper.
"Well, I do because I know you," she says, her voice soft and full of worry. "Losing this place is going to break your heart, Lilah. And if you lose it to him after you've spent a month sleeping with him, I'm not sure you'll be able to get over that."
"You don't know that," I argue, my cheeks heating.
"Yeah, I do," she says sadly. "I know it because I know you, and I know how much this place means to you. If he's the one who takes it away, it'll be a wedge between you. We both know that's why you two aren't really talking about it."
"So what? You think I should call the whole thing off? Tell him that we're never going to work and walk away now?"
"No." She shakes her head. "I think you need to call your dad and ask him—"
"I'm not calling my dad."
"Then you're setting yourself up to lose your building and the first man who has ever left stars in your eyes," she says. "You deserve better than that. You deserve happiness, the store of your dreams, and the man of your dreams."
"We can't all have everything," I mutter defensively.
"I know, but if you aren't careful, you're going to end up with nothing but a broken heart and a lifetime of regret. Don't do that to yourself," she advises, and then stands upright as the bell over the door jingles and Paisley and Zoya Goodson, two of Lucy's cousins-in-law, sweep through the doors. "You deserve more."
I watch her sashay across the store to greet Paisley and Zoya, chewing on my bottom lip. Part of me wants to shout that she's wrong, and I'll handle everything just fine. But…I know better, as much as I don't want to admit it. When Lincoln takes the store, it's going to crush me. I don't want to be the kind of person who holds it against him. It's not like he knew how much the building meant to me when he placed a bid on it, but…I'm not sure how I'll feel once the deed is done.
I don't want a different building. I want this one, the one I chose because my bookstore felt like it belonged right here—where bookstores have stood damn nearly constantly since the 1930s.
But I want him too—in a way that I've never wanted anything.
How am I supposed to lose one and keep the other without splitting myself and my heart in two?
Chapter Seven
Lincoln
By the time I finish up with the mayor and city council, I'm half an hour late for my usual lunch with Lilah, and I'm irritated. Politicians annoy the fuck out of me. They use a whole lot of goddamn words to say very little of value. And what they do say is rarely true.
Frankly, I'd rather deal with the devil himself than a politician. Unfortunately for me, dealing with them is a necessary evil in a project like this.
I step through the doors to Book of Love, ready to see Lilah again and forget all about my morning. We've spent the last three nights together. They've been the best goddamn nights of my life. Falling asleep with her in my arms is perfection. She is perfection. As soon as she leaves for work in the morning, I'm looking forward to lunch, just so I can see her again.