I’d spent so long trying to prove I was more than a pretty face, that I could be smart enough, driven enough,enough enough...and it was exhausting.
I was tired of people, especially men, seeing me as a golden ticket.
A shortcut to a perfect life.The kind of girl you dated when you wanted your parents to be impressed.
The kind of girl you marry to upgrade your image.
But never reallysaw.
I wanted to be seen.
Not for who my family was.
Not for what I looked like.
But forme.
The bell over the door rang right after I unlocked it and flipped the sign.
I didn’t even have time to light the candle Abby always left burning before he walked in.
And everything...stopped.
I swear to God, I forgot how to breathe.
He looked like he’d stepped out of a dream and into my Wednesday.
Tall.Broad shoulders.Confident stride.Expensive cologne that somehow smelled like it belonged in this dusty mountain town.
His dark hair was perfectly tousled, just enough silver at the temples to make him look sophisticated.
Golden-brown eyes that locked on me like he already knew I was his next chapter.
And when he smiled, my knees hated me for it.
I’d only ever felt like that once before.
I had a massive crush on a boy who treated me like a younger sister.
Our age difference didn't work, and I secretly hoped that when he came back from college, the age difference wouldn't be so big.However, he moved away with his girlfriend.
It was crazy, a young crush.Those kinds of intense feelings that make you think you have found your forever kind of love.
I pulled myself back to the present and the intimidatingly beautiful man in front of me.
He was older.Sharper.Polished in a way that saidmoneyandtrouble,andI know what I want.
And there was no ring.
I checked.
Twice.
“Hi,” he said, voice like velvet and whiskey.“I was hoping you could help me find something.”
I nodded.“Sure.What are you looking for?”
He smirked.Eyes flashing with something that made my skin prickle.“A book.For a friend.”
