I take his hand and answer, “Yes, I think we shall.”
• • •
I’M BUZZY WITHwine and laughter as I defendTwo If by Seafrom Jack’s merciless critique.
“No, that’s the point!” I say. “It’s enemies-to-lovers. It’s all about how powerful it is when people fall in love having seen the worst in each other. Plus, it’s hot. There’s a fine, fine line between hatred and sexual attraction.”
We’re discussing an Anna Matthews novel,inan Anna Matthews novel. I don’t know how this is working, but I’m having the best time and I’m done questioning it.
Jack scoffs as he tops a cracker with Brie. “But there’s no way she didn’t realize she was falling for him. Not when she was always like, ‘Ugh, I hate that sexy smirk. I’m going to smack it off his face. With my mouth.’”
“‘I want to marry him just so I can ruin his life up close,’” I add, toasting the words with my glass. “That’s the good stuff right there.”
He laughs, then shrugs. “I just think there’s something to be said for showing someone you like them right from the start.”
I swallow a sip of wine, savoring the way it warms me from the inside out. “You mean like reading their favorite book in twenty-four hours so you can argue about it on your date?” His eyes flick to mine with an impish gleam. “Yeah, there is something to be said for that.”
He leans in and whispers, “I read it in ten.”
It strikes me then that all of this—the charcuterie, the candlelight, the mysterious late-night library access—pales in comparison to that one simple act.
Of course, being in such a magical place doesn’t hurt. I marvel at the courtyard’s luminous arches and pale stone walls, then turn back to Jack. “You said we have the whole place to ourselves?”
He nods. “Why? What are you thinking?”
I grin.
“When’s the last time you played hide-and-seek?”
• • •
MY THOROUGH SWEEPof the top floor, though fruitless so far, is a thrill all its own. Night transforms the library into a forbidden labyrinth, a catacomb of books and abandoned desks. Streetlight spills in through high diamond-grilled windows, weaving through the shadows. The drama is so palpable I could swim through it.
In the spirit of saving the best for last, I’m only now approaching the grand reading room in all its vaulted-ceiling glory. I hear a slight rustling from within and a quiver of anticipation ripples down my spine.
I open the heavy wooden door with a creak and step inside.
“Hellooooo …” My voice cuts through the quiet and bounces around the room, glancing off stately wooden desks and green reading lamps.
I trip on something as I step further into the room and squint in the darkness to find a book on the floor. There’s another just beyond it. And another, and another—a trail of them, forming a meandering path to the alcove of carved wooden shelves that cordon off the far end of the room. I follow the books to a shelf in the corner, where the moonlight illuminates several rows of uniform reference tomes—and one that’s not quite like the others. It’s a paperback, wedged into the sturdy lineup, and I reach for it.Two If by Sea.
“Your hide-and-seek rule book is a lot more complex than mine,” I call out. A gentle hand lands on my shoulder and I whirl around, startled and exhilarated. Jack stands there like a sweater-clad library dream, the silvery light softening all his edges. I’m not sure I can see his bashful smile so much as feel it.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I say. “You know, you were the hider. You weren’t supposed to find me.”
He steps closer. “Well, I’m glad I did.”
He backs me up to the oak shelves until the book spines are pressed against my own. My breath quickens as he plants his hands on either side of me, caging me in with a knowing smile. I’m certain he can feel my heartbeat vibrating the very little air between us.
“I’m glad you did too,” I say in a hush.
He leans in so slowly I can hardly stand it, but then the feel of his lips brushing mine is worth every bit of the agonizing wait. He tips my chin up with a gentle hand and I reach up to pull him closer, deepening the kiss. It’s a dark academia fantasy, pure magic jumping off the page and directly into my bloodstream.
I have never been kissed so thoroughly in my entire life. The thrill of it darts through my entire body, nerves firing and misfiring like a game of laser tag. I lose track of time, of space, of everything as his mouth claims mine again and again. I lose track of myself. So much so that without warning, I do something so hopelessly cliché that I didn’t think it was a real thing: I go literally, physically weak at the knees. They give out entirely, in fact.
I slide down the bookshelf with a lurch that startles me into a laughing fit, a weighty thud echoing in my ears and vibrating against my back. And then there’s only silence. I look up at Jack.
