I sat frozen in my seat, but behind my mask, the world shifted. My pulse leapt into a gallop as I tried with everything in me not to melt into a puddle on the floor right there at his feet.
And then just as quick as he claimed me, he pulled back, that smug grin already in place and his eyes twinkling. “Knew I’d find you here, wife.”
I blinked at him, slow and dazed, as my body tried to reboot itself. “What the hell was that?”
“A kiss.” He cocked a brow. “Was that not obvious? Maybe I should do it again…”
Glaring up at him, I slammed my hand against his chest as he bent toward me. “You can’t just walk into a public library and…and…maulsomeone in front of the Pride Month display!”
He raised a brow, his lips quirked in an amused smirk. “‘Maul’? That’s a pretty strong word for the way you leaned into it.”
“I didnot?—”
“You did,” he said, his grin widening. “Pretty enthusiastically too.”
“You’redelusional.”
“Maybe. But I’myourdelusional husband. And public displays of affection are part of the job requirement, remember?” His gaze dropped to my mouth as he licked a slow, mesmerizing path along his lower lip. “That’s what all the practicing is for.”
I ignored the swoop of my belly and the heat blooming in my cheeks. “The only thing you’re practicing is how fast you can make me want to commit a felony in broad daylight.”
“Well, we’ve already done it once—what’s one more?”
“Lincoln,” I hissed, darting a glance around to make sure no one heard him. “Jesus, you’re like a child who can’t keep a secret.”
Even the glare I sent his way didn’t deter his smile.
He just braced his ass against the table, crossing his ankles as he met my gaze. “It’s a good thing you’re hot when you’re mad since you’re pissed off at me ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“Believe me when I say, you deserve it ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“And the other one percent?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I was blaming his impromptu visit and the short-circuiting of my brain for why I didn’t have a comeback ready. That, of course, only made his grin widen.
Before he could piss me off more, Lincoln stood to his full height and, casual as ever, glanced to Holly. “You have that stack of romances for me, Mom?”
Holly split a grin between Lincoln and me before nodding and sliding off her stool. “Of course I do.”
I blinked, certain I’d slipped into some kind of alternate reality. Because in what universe did a man casually source his smut from his mother? Of course the answer to that wasthisuniverse because Lincoln Steele existed in it, and that was totally on-brand for him.
“I just want to make sure I have this right,” I said, watching Holly retrieve a stack of books from behind the counter before making her way toward us. “Your mom is your smut dealer?”
“Hell yeah, she is.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Head Librarians know their shit, wife. Why fuck around when I can go straight to the best source?”
Before I could respond to that, Holly dropped a stack of books on the table between us.
“Here you go, you two.” She grinned, her eyes dancing as she shot us a wink. “Some light reading for the newlyweds.”
“You’re the best, Mom.” He rested a hand on the back of my chair, close enough that his knuckles brushed my shoulder. “Can’t wait to get home and dive into them. How about you, wife?”
He looked directly at me as he said it, the last word landing with all the subtlety of a rooster at sunrise. He’d said the words slow and intentional. Like he knew exactly what he was doing and using everything in his arsenal just to unravel me.
The electricity between us hummed so vibrantly, I didn’t even realize Holly had left us until I heard her laughing with a silver fox at the checkout counter.
I shook myself out of whatever daze Lincoln had managed to put me in, hoping like hell he couldn’t actually hear the rapid beat of my heart. “Stop saying wife like that.”
“Like what?” he asked, his eyes scanning my face.
