Page 17 of Playing for Keeps

I moved closer to her, and that’s when it hit me – her scent. She smelled like flowers, but it wasn’t sweet or obvious. It was subtle, but sharp enough to get my attention. Before I knew it, it wrapped around my head, and the air felt different. Clean and subtle – nothing like the heavy perfume I was used to being ambushed by. It caught my attention instead of overwhelming it, and somehow that made it worse.

“Could be worse hobbies,” I said, ignoring the urge to breathe her in deeper. “At least you don’t strike me as the comic book type.”

“And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

“Just saying, you have… serious reader energy. The kind of person who would correct someone if they butchered an author’s name.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes a little – a challenge. “Fine then. How do you pronounce this?” She picked up a book from a table nearby and pointed to the author’s name.

I blinked. “Ee-oyn?”

The tiniest smirk tugged at her mouth. “I rest my case.”

I laughed at myself, shaking my head. “Brutal.”

“Come on,” she said quickly. “Let’s get you sorted before you embarrass yourself again.”

I followed her, impressed by her confidence as she scanned the spines. She pulled one out without any hesitation, flipped it over once and then put it in my hand. Her fingers brushed mine. I swear I felt that touch in every part of my body. I smiled to try and hide it, but my heart was racing.

“This one. She’ll love it.”

I glanced at the cover, though I couldn’t have told you the title if my life depended on it. All I could think about was those eyes and her touch on my skin. “I’ll take your word for it.”

I grinned wider, enjoying the spark of challenge on her face. “Okay, if you’re such an expert, let me guess what you read.”

She crossed her arms and said, “Oh, this should be good.”

“You’re definitely a romance reader,” I declared, nodding wisely.

“Romance?”

“Yeah. I can see it. Long baths, candles, books with shirtless dudes on the cover.”

She gave a short, incredulous laugh. “You think you’ve got me figured out, don’t you?”

“Totally. Nailed it.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong.”

I leaned in closer and lowered my voice in mock seriousness. “Crime, then. You’ve got that sharp, detective’s-eye look about you. You probably solve the mystery before you hit chapter three.”

“Better,” she said, tilting her head, “but not quite.”

I put on my best fake-serious face. “Okay. Okay. Fantasy then. Powerful dragons, magical kingdoms… secretly hoping you’ll find a wardrobe that takes you to another world.”

Emma gave a short, amused laugh and shook her head. “I think you’ve got me confused with your niece.”

That completely caught me off guard, and I laughed so hard that other customers looked our way. “Okay, fine, you win. What do you read, then?”

“I’ll let you figure it out,” she said lightly, her green eyes flashing with amusement. “There are still a few genres you haven’t mentioned.”

I was about to say something, but the way her lips curled into a smile stopped me.

For a moment, our eyes locked. Hers were the sharpest green I’d ever seen, steady and unflinching, like she was daring me to come up with something clever. I couldn’t stop grinning, surprised that a stranger in a bookstore had me so intrigued. And what shocked me the most was how easy it was to talk to her. I didn’t have to think too hard, didn’t have to force anything. The teasing just happened. I couldn’t remember the last time a conversation had felt so easy.

And I wanted more of it.

But then the giggling derailed everything.