“Are you going to tell us?”
“Nope.” The only reason the town lawyer, Thomas McAndrews, knows my pen name is that he manages my will and trust. I couldn’t avoid telling him my secrets. He swears he doesn’t remember. It’s just info for the documents. Plus, there’s the whole attorney-client confidentiality.
“Poop,” Emilia says, deflating.
“So, what are we reading for this book club?” I ask.
Arianna sits across from me, holding a pile of papers. “I figured at this first meeting, we’d decide. I’ve printed out some suggestions. But these are just ideas. I think it would be fun if we take turns choosing.”
Emilia laughs. “I think it would be hilarious if one of us happened to choose one of Melody’s books and we didn’t even know it.”
I chuckle. “Super unlikely. There are millions of authors in the world. But if you do, I’ll just pretend I’ve never heard of it and act like I’m reading along with you all.”
The bell over the library entrance rings, letting us know someone else has entered the building. I glance around, wondering if we’re expecting anyone else.
Arianna sighs. “Could just be a customer. After all, the library is still open. It’s not usually busy at this time.”
I wince internally when I hear a male voice before glancing over my shoulder to see Dallas in the doorway. “Hey, ladies.”
“Dallas…” Arianna whines, “you promised not to bother us.”
He holds up both hands, eyes wide. “I won’t interrupt. Just letting you know that Brody and I will be in the archive room. We’re looking for the blueprints for some of the older buildings.”
Great… I know it’s not Arianna’s fault that her husband and his brother have shown up. At least, it better not be her fault.
“Ladies…” That deep rumbling voice… The one I’ve been using to fuel my fantasies since the first time I heard it two weeks ago. It’s full of warning and promise. Danger and intrigue. Lust.
Fuck. That’s the only word I can come up with. Just fuck. I had hoped my imagination had gone wild between meeting him briefly and hearing his voice again today. But, apparently, I was wrong. Goosebumps rise on my skin at the reminder of what that sound does to me.
Now I’ll never get him out of my system. I’ll be masturbating to thoughts of this man for the rest of my life. I don’t even have enough information about him to know if he’s even a good man. He could be an asshole for all I know. My brain doesn’t care. My mind has set him on a fucking pedestal as if he’s all the heroes in every book I’ve ever written.
Yes, I’m fucked.
I don’t look at him. In fact, upon hearing his voice, I turn my head toward the table. The doorway and the two men are behind me. Not far away, but I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. Maybe if all I hear is his voice and it’s not attached to his sexy body, I’ll stand a better chance of chasing him out of my brain.
Arianna is exasperated and rolls her eyes as her husband gives his excuses about why he and Brody need to be researching the town’s blueprints right now.
I know it’s bullshit. The truth is Dallas can’t stand to be ten feet away from his wife. In fact, he comes all the way into the room, rounds the table to her side, cups the back of her head and kisses her. Not a quick peck. A full-on kiss with tongues.
He lingers longer than socially acceptable, but no one is shocked or surprised. I probably should be, but I’ve heard the rumors. I’ve also seen these three couples out and about. They’re tight. So totally in love that the air in Wilde has shifted.
At first, the townsfolk joked that there had to be something in the water up at the mansion, but that’s not really funny anymore. There has to be something. Maybe instead of lead paint, the walls in that giant house are lined with an aphrodisiac or a fertility charm.
I barely stifle a chuckle at the thought. I can feel Brody at my back. He’s so close, I swear his breath is heating my neck. But I do not turn around. I won’t.
When Dallas finally releases his wife and saunters toward the meeting room entrance, she stops him. “Since you’re here snooping on my book club, you have to help out anyone who comes into the library to check out books. Close the door so we can have our book club in peace.”
Ordinarily, I would consider a smirk to be something you have to see. Not a gesture anyone can hear. But I suddenly change the definition in my head because I’m certain I can hear Dallas smirking behind me.
Arianna’s eyes widen from whatever look he must have given her. She licks her lips. “Please?”
The door snicks shut, making me flinch. As much as I wanted Brody to move far enough away that I can’t hear, see, or smell him, I also kind of hate that I didn’t even turn around.
“Damn, those men are intense,” Kinsley mutters.
Emilia giggles. “They really are. I should have introduced you to Brody. He’s unattached.”
Why does her suggestion make me tense? It shouldn’t. I don’t have a claim on that man, and I don’t want one either. I’ve made that clear to Arianna and to…myself. No. Absolutely no men. Especially not ones who are just in town for a few months and will disappear as fast as they arrived.
