That’s right. Autumn had said there was a book for me.
I eyed it. TheSense and Sensibilitycover was a dust jacket. I narrowed my eyes and pulled the book out. As I peeled back the front flap, my lips parted and a soft gasp escaped.
A shirtless man holding a blaster was on the original cover, with some sort of spaceship as a backdrop.
I slammed the fake cover back in place, creasing it when I did.
Just then, the lobby door opened. My hopes jumped sky high, but Teller walked in.
“Oh. Hi.” I hugged the book to my chest.
He cocked a brow. “Hey. Ready to lock up?”
I nodded, holding the book with one hand and grabbing my purse with the other. “Yes.”
“How’d the night go?”
I tried not to think of your brother and cut ties with an old frenemy. “Good. It was busy, but mellow.”
“Good to hear.” He punched in the code and headed toward his pickup. I was parked on the opposite side of the lot. “Have a good night, Ruby.”
“Yeah. You too.” I started for my vehicle, but pivoted to Teller. “Hey, um. Don’t wait for me. I have some messages to catch up on before I hit the road.”
“Sure thing. Drive safe.”
I scurried to my car and dove behind the wheel.
What the hell was this book about?
I knew who was behind it. But why had he left me a space marine romance novel?
I tossed the dust jacket onto the passenger seat with my purse and turned on the interior light.
I hadn’t read this book yet. The side had brightly colored yellow tabs on certain pages. Had he annotated the book? I opened the inside cover. Bold handwriting was in the top left corner.We’re proof these scenes are realistic.
My pulse hammered against my veins. If he’d highlighted sex scenes, I would climb out of my skin. I already dreamed of his touch at night, I didn’t need to do it while lucid. Crying myself to sleep after masturbating to the memory of him wasn’t on my breakup bingo card.
I found the first green highlighted passage.“You’re too important to give up on and I’m going to keep trying to earn your trust.”
I skimmed the material around the hero’s dialogue. The heroine told him to fuck off. He worked for the enemy and she declared she would not be swayed by his good looks.
So not completely realistic. But the highlighted line hit home. I heard him reading the words in my head.
I swallowed and found the next tab.
“Everything that’s happened between us has meant something. You don’t know what you mean to me, and that’s my fault. I should’ve done better. I can do better.”
I blew out a hard breath and went to the next tab.
“What’s between us is bigger than our past.”
I blinked back tears. Was it, though? Or was he using his superpower of being sweet and intuitive to create a blank slate? And would we fill in that slate exactly the same way until we had the same falling out?
I sniffled. Another line caught my eye. He hadn’t highlighted this one. It was part of the heroine’s introspection.
He doesn’t realize words mean little to someone like me. The prettiest compliments can wield the harshest insults. Words can cut where a blade can’t. They can cauterize old wounds but leave the ugliest of scars. His words weren’t going to sway me. It had always been about action.
I snapped the book shut. Tenor’s attempt to connect with me was touching. If he had done it in person, I might’ve swooned. In the dark parking lot of Copper Summit after I’d finally stood up to Cara? His words meant little. They weren’t even his words.
