22
AUTUMN
500 FIRST EDITIONS
“Was the blindfold really necessary?” I asked as I adjusted the necktie that had been secured around my eyes as Ryan navigated the streets of Manhattan.
He told me we were going into town, but that was the extent of what I knew about what we were doing today. Apparently, I had to be blindfolded so I couldn’t see what he had plugged into the GPS.
“It was that or the kidnapper hood that Miles offered to ship,” Ryan said from the driver’s seat. “But he said it would be a few days since he was having them dry-cleaned. Apparently, a while ago, Wander complained when Jack used one to surprise her with their honeymoon destination, and it smelled bad. Now he dry cleans them regularly for—quote—more considerate kidnappings.”
“Of course he does,” I said with a laugh.
“I would like to know why I didn’t receive a dry-cleaned kidnapper’s hood when they tied me to a chair in an abandoned Burger Palace. That thing smelled like death.”
I felt Ryan’s hand slide over mine as he laced our fingers together.
“Please just tell me what we’re doing,” I whined. “I promise I’ll enjoy it even more if I know where we’re going.”
“Nope.”
“What if I have to pee?”
“Do you have to pee?” he countered.
I huffed. “No.”
Ryan’s laugh was infuriating. “Simmer down, cupcake. We’ll be there in five minutes.”
“And then you’ll put me out of my misery?”
“I’m not going to kill you if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Dammit,” I muttered.
“Still miserable with me, huh?” Ryan said as he took a sharp left turn. “And here I thought we were making progress.”
“Is that what you thought?” I teased.
“I mean, from that sound you made when I kissed you this morning, I thought you wanted me to?—”
I whipped my hand out and smacked my palm over his mouth as my cheeks blazed like an inferno. Luckily, I blindly found my mark and didn’t hit him in the eyes. “That’s quite enough from you.”
“I’m just saying,” Ryan mumbled from beneath my hand. “Those are some mixed signals, cupcake.” And then he puckered up and kissed my palm.
“That’s it,” I said as I reached behind my head to loosen the knot. “I’m taking this off.”
“Fine by me. We’re here,” he said as the car came to a stop.
I pulled off the blindfold as he put the car in park and unbuckled his seatbelt.
I blinked and looked around. “We’re at . . . a used bookstore?”
Giddy bubbles of delight danced inside of me. Ilovedused bookstores. There was something about the smell of them that was like home no matter where you went. It was the best kind of treasure hunt. I could spend hours in the smallest of shops, perusing each title, flipping them open to see if there were annotations or notes from the previous owner, and gushing over covers I had never seen before.
“You don’t know what you’re signing up for, Ford,” I said as I hopped out. “I may not own a lot of books, since it doesn’t really work with the nomadic minimalist lifestyle, but I can spend hours window shopping in there. Are you really ready for that?”
He rested his hand just above my ass and led me to the door. “I’m prepared. But we’re not just window shopping.”
