“Babe.” His voice was raspy.My word. That was nice.
“Just Jake?”
The corner of his mouth cocked up in a smirk. “Just Jake? Addie didn’t use that as much today.”
I let out a small laugh. “Beware. That might mean she’s looking for a new name.”
One of his hands left my hips, trailing up my side, over my shoulder, to come to rest under my chin. Meeting his eyes, I saw that he was studying me like he didn’t know what this was either. Well, at least I wasn’t alone here. That was good.
“Ivy,” he whispered. “I want to kiss you—”
My breath caught. Wow. Yes. Now. All over, preferably. “I think I’m okay with that.”
Jake smiled as he watched me, then pressed his lips against my forehead. He pulled back, then his eyes locked with mine. “As I was saying, Ivy, I want to kiss you.However, if I give in to that feeling right now, I think things will escalate quickly, and I have a feeling that we will be interrupted as soon as things begin to heat up. But…” He pressed his lips against my forehead again, then spoke with his lips moving against my skin. “I really, really, want to.” He let out a groan which made the goose bumps spring back up, and everything began to throb. Wowza.
My eyes closed as I soaked all this in. Damn. And right as I was tempted to, I don’t know, grab his face and kiss the crap out of him, I heard those thundering footsteps coming from the front of the house.
Jake pulled back to lean against the counter next to me, but I noticed he was facing the counter, not the door. I took a look from Addie swirling through the door to Jake and his now uncomfortably tight jeans and giggled like a middle school girl.
“Paybacks are hell, babe.”
“Promises, promises,” I whispered, delighted to see his eyes widen.
Hoping off the counter, I moved to scoop up my girl and prop her on my hip. “Tell Jake good night. He needs to get home, and you need to get to bed.”
Jake held his fist out for fist bump from Addie. She complied as she dropped her head to my shoulder. “Night, Jakey.”
“Jakey?” he asked, raising his brows.
I shrugged. “I need to get her to bed. Is everything set for tomorrow?”
Jake turned, pushing back from the counter, apparently under better control. “Yep, we’re all set. I’ll head out. Make sure you lock up after you get her down.”
Eye roll contained, I nodded. “Seriously, thanks Jake.” I paused, then decided to thrown caution to the wind. “For everything.”
Jake nodded as he slid around me and to head out of the kitchen. “No thanks needed. I had fun today.” He headed for the front door.
I had a feeling sleep would be a bit elusive tonight.
* * *
The bell over the door in the bookstore rang as a customer headed out. I glanced around the quiet space. For a Tuesday afternoon, we’d been surprisingly busy, which felt good. The space wasn’t large, but it was perfection in my eyes. The bright yellow door was right at the front, along with large windows that looked out at downtown Highland. The store’s name, Pages, was spelled out in large typewriter keys that faced the windows as well. Inside, the perimeter of the room was lined with tall shelves, books I’d agonized over and selected. The hardwood floors typically gleamed in the late-afternoon light, though not on this cloudy day. From my back spot at the register, I could see into all the spots around the store, other than our meeting room in the back that I’d set aside for book clubs.
With a sigh of contentment, I grabbed my phone to cue up some music. I debated as I scrolled. What was I in the mood for today? Looking out at the gray skies, I selected an album by a South African, Jeremy Loops. No matter the season, no matter the weather, the music flowed through and made me feel like it was a glorious and free summer day.
The lyrics to “Power” began to fill the store, and my body moved instinctively, dancing around as I closed my eyes and swayed to the music. I spun over by my diffuser, letting the scent of citrus surround me. What a glorious day. I thought about heading to the back to grab my watering can so I could take care of a few plants that I had scattered around the store, but the bell above the door grabbed my attention.
Looking toward the front, I saw Ms. Lou headed in, along with Emma and Maggie. I couldn’t help the wide smile that broke out. This boded for a great visit, if not a few sales. Maggie seemed to buy more children’s books each time she was visiting or working, even though her little bean still had weeks to percolate.
“Ladies, what do I owe for this blessing?”
Lou sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
Shaking my head, I pointed to the diffuser on my counter. I couldn’t wait to hear Lou’s thoughts on this. It could go either way. Lou was my grandma’s generation. Some embraced the holistic lifestyle, some just labeled it as kooky. I don’t think Lou had decided where she landed yet. “We’ve gone over this, Ms. Lou. It’s a diffuser for essential oils. Today I’m using some citrus blend. It’s believed to boost moods and relieve some stress.”
Lou gave me a skeptical look. “Not sure about that, but it smells pretty great. What’s there for sexual energy? I might give some to Verdell so we can pretend we’re in our forties again.”
“Jesus,” Maggie muttered.
