“Maybe I’ll put you to work here, then.” I teased, trying to draw a smile from him. It worked, and he smirked at my subtle innuendo.
“Sure, what do you need me to do?” he asked, completely serious.
“I could use you in the back,” I replied, drawing another laugh from him. “No, really, you’d be surprised at how heavy boxes of books are. I need to drop two off at the library.”
“Lead the way,” he inclined his head, and I grabbed ahold of the cart with both hands, pushing it around him. I could feel his eyes on my backside. I glanced over my shoulder, catching him eyeing the sway of my hips with an appreciative gleam in his irises. “Damn, you’ve got a naughty librarian look going for you right now…and I’m digging it.”
I shook my head, laughing under my breath. At least he was just as immersed in me as I was him, and I drew a small comfort from that accompanying feeling of empowerment.
As I typed in the code for the back room, Calum stepped up behind me, brushing my hair over my shoulder, and pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck. I shivered, goosebumps erupting against the feel of his lips on my skin.
Exhaling, I pushed the door open and stepped through, holding it for him and the cart. He walked it over and left it in front of the towering piles of boxes while the door closed behind me.
“Are these the boxes?” he asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. His brow quirked, and I nodded, biting my lip.
“Yeah. These two I need right now. The other five are for the school libraries within the community.”
Calum whistled. “You guys do that?”
“Yes. We try to do it once per term if the funding is there. I can write it off as a taxable donation, and it feels good to give to the community.”
“That’s really cool of you,” he said, looking at me as if he truly did find me remarkable. My breath caught in my lungs, but the moment broke when Cal turned to attend to the boxes—effortlessly picking up the first one and placing it on the ground, creating a new pile. He dug out the two boxes I needed, putting them on the metal cart, and shoved the stack of three tight against the other boxes.
I watched him while he worked, enjoying the way his tattooed knuckles gripped the boxes. It took him no time at all to complete the task, and before I knew it, he was straightening and turning to me.
Catching me mid-ogle, he grinned. “So how do you get the boxes to the schools?” he asked, his question surprising me and veering my mind back on a more appropriate track.
“Um, I usually take them in throughout the week,” I answered, stepping to the cart to grab it. But Calum stopped me, reaching for my hand, his fingers locking with me.
“I can help you. It’ll be easier to get them into the Jeep. We could do it in one go.”
“That’s not necessary, Cal. I can do it—“
“I’ve got nothing else to do right now. I’m kind of at a stalemate for four more days.” He pointed out, tilting his head. “Take advantage of the free labour while you can.”
I laughed a little, looking down. “Well, Ellery is kicking me out of the shop for the next two days for mandatory rest.”
“Mandatory rest…I like the sound of that,” Cal whispered, his fingers catching a strand of my wayward hair. He tucked it gently behind my ear, the pad of his finger brushing against the thin gold hoop through my helix. “Mind if I keep you company? I could use some…rest.”
Immediately, my mind filled with rowdy, impish behaviour with Calum Jacobs. My blood heated beneath my skin, making me flush all over.
“I think I could be persuaded into that.” I gave him a coy smile and slipped my arms around the back of his neck. Pushing the pads of my fingers along the base of his skull, I familiarized myself with the feel of him.
He swallowed hard, his eyes searching mine. A thousand unspoken thoughts danced about those azure irises, and I waited with bated breath, wondering if he’d put a voice to them.
Instead, he offered me an indebted smile of his own before lowering his mouth to mine. His head tilted a fraction, and I could feel the hoop’s cool metal through his left nostril against mine before his lips pressed against my mouth. He kissed me slowly, taking his time tasting me. His hands slipped around my back, bringing me to him, savouring me. The kiss went on and on and blissfully on, leaving me breathless and afire. By the end of it, Calum was supporting more than half my weight in his arms.
I exhaled, drawing oxygen into my lungs, and forced myself to come back to the ground—both figuratively and literally. My Fitbit buzzed, alerting me to the time. “Asher will be here any minute. We should go out front…“
“Yeah, of course.” Cal’s arms were gone from around me a moment later. I moved toward the storefront before I had time to mourn the loss of them, feeling very much like the insatiable girl of my past.
He walked one step behind me, and I knew without glancing over my shoulder that he was staring at my ass. Cal was an ass guy. He’d been exceptionally crazy aboutmyass, and that was one of my features I was most proud of. It had only improved with time, age—and squats.
When we stepped out into the store, I chanced a peek. His eyes were totally focused on my rear, on the natural sway of my hips as I walked. He caught the subtle twist of my spine and lifted his gaze, guiltlessly grinning at me.
I opened my mouth to scold him when the bell above the shop door rang. Asher and Nik walked into the shop with their coats unzipped and toques sticking out of their pockets.
The two boys had been fast friends since kindergarten, and Nik typically spent a lot of time hanging out with Asher. He would come to the bookstore after school for a couple of hours, and when we headed home, he’d wander down the street to the diner where his mom worked.
