They look bright-eyed and…are they standing up straighter? Something is definitely different about them. Normally, they’re hunched over with hair covering their face, and you might get a mumble of response here and there. But Casey actually looks me right in the eye and says, “Hi Joanna!”
I’m taken aback by how cheery they are, but Simone and Layton don’t seem to notice. Either that, or this isn’t new, and they’ve already gotten used to it. I wonder what happened to change Casey’s demeanor so drastically.
They saunter up to the counter and slide behind the register to clock in, dripping with swagger. Simone is standing to theirleft and hip checks them playfully. Casey blushes, and Simone winks.
Is there something going on between them?
I smile knowingly to myself as I leave the shop. It might be selfish of me to think, but that might just be the perfect distraction to get everyone’s eyes away from me and Aidan.
I walk down the sidewalk as a gust of wind whips through the buildings. The new buds on the trees flutter to the ground like raindrops. I push through the heavy wooden doors of Bound and Buried and head straight for the Mystery/Thriller section. After browsing for a few minutes, I stumble upon Raegan wielding a box cutter. I purposefully shuffle my shoes noisily across the floor, so I don’t startle her as she slices into the last box. Wouldn’t want her to confuse me with a sheet of cardboard.
Her upturned face reveals her subtle laugh lines. “What’s up? I thought you were spending the morning doing nothing.”
I plant a hand on my hip. “Nothing means whatever I want it to be, and right now it’s wasting time visiting you while looking at books.”
Her lips press together, and she narrows her eyes playfully. “Are you callingmea waste of time, or the books? Either way, I’m insulted.”
I mischievously kick the box in front of her. “What’s in there?”
Her eyes brighten. “New releases for Tuesday. There’s something I’ve been waiting for in here,” she says in a sing-song voice. Her fingers greedily tear open the flaps of cardboard and dig through the contents. She pulls out several non-fiction books, a handful of romances with those cute and colorful covers, and then she squeals. “Ah-ha!” She raises up a chunky hardback with two hands like it’s the new-born king of Pride Rock.
I can’t tell what it is, but there’s a single rose dripping with blood on the front cover.
“This is the final installment to my favorite vampire romance from when I was a teenager.”
I let out an, “Ah, yes,” the memories flooding back to me. I remember those books fondly. I only made it about halfway through the series, seeing as it went on forever—I’m pretty sure there are at least twenty books—but I’m not surprised that Raegan has kept up with it. “Is this really the last one?” I ask, reaching for the sacred text.
“That’s what she says,” Raegan confirms, referring to the author, P.K. Myer. “But give her five years after the buzz dies down and the royalties start getting smaller, then she’ll want to write more.”
She hands me the book, and I read the quote from another romance author on the cover.‘THE UNTAMED ROSE is both dangerous and delicious!’- Stefanni Kate, author of VAMP STAMPED.
“Just out of curiosity,” I say with ambivalence, “are there any more vampire romances you’d recommend?”
Raegan’s brows skyrocket. “Do I ever.”
She leads me to the Paranormal Romance section of the book-store, a section I didn’t even know existed, and pulls out a title I don’t recognize. On the back cover it reads:
Bite Me, Darling by Megan Nocturne:
Luna Monroe never expected her quiet life in a small town to be interrupted by the kind of nightmare she only read about in books. That is, until Elias Draven—the dangerously handsome, impossibly brooding, and undeniably sexy vampire—shows up at her doorstep, with eyes that practically scream, I want to bite you, but I also want to kiss you... maybe both? Luna quickly learns thatElias isn’t just any vampire—he’s an ancient, glittering, and way-too-tempting mystery who swears he’s trying to resist the urge to sink his fangs into her neck... and other parts of her body. But when Luna starts tempting him in ways she never expected, she realizes the real danger isn’t just the threat of eternal damnation... it’s how hard it’s becoming to ignore the heat between them.
I scowl.Now that sounds way too familiar.
I shove the book back at Raegan. “Do you have anything more subtle?”
Instead of placing the book back in its proper place on the shelf, she hands it back to me. “I think this is exactly what you’re looking for.”
My stomach drops. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She doesn’t respond other than to give me a knowing smile. “Just let me know how you like it,” she says, walking back down the aisle in the opposite direction.
I pay at the counter and slip the paperback into my bag. “I guess you’ll be at the watch party tonight, huh?” I ask Raegan as I’m leaving.
She nods jauntily. “Yep! I’m excited we finally get to hang out at something like this together. Plus, Simone is coming! You can get to know her better.”
“I talked with her earlier, actually.” I poke Raegan in the boob. “She said she’s desperate to be around women.”
Her eyes scrunch as she laughs. “I totally get it. Being surrounded by all that masculine energy at the coffee shop must be a lot.”
