Chapter 15 #4
“Lucky for you, I’m of the mind that there’s no such thing as too much caffeine.
Thank you.” He hands me one of the coffees, and I walk it back to the office mini fridge to enjoy later.
When I return to the front of the store, I find him leaning up against the rolling library ladder.
It’s striking how much he fills the space—and not just physically.
Everything about him magnetizes me. And this is why I need him to get out of here immediately.
“Alright, first things first. Jo got another note today. It was left on her porch. It said that
Andy was a liar and a cheater and that she should leave him before it was ‘too late’. Swear to me that you have nothing to do with this.”
To his credit, Shayne looks legitimately surprised. “Paige, I swear I have nothing to do with any of that—it’s fucking cowardly to do that to someone. Does she know when it was left?”
“No. She found it this morning. Did you hear anything? They would have had to drive right past your place.”
“I didn’t hear anything. I was at the barn by 5am, so they must have driven by when I was there.” Concern is etched into his expression, and a weight lifts off my chest. There’s a lot about Shayne that still needs figuring out, but at least I feel like I can trust him on this.
“I’m telling Jo tonight. I’m telling her everything. I know this puts your job in jeopardy—" Shayne holds up his hand, so I stop talking.
“No, it’s the right thing to do. This job was a means to an end anyways.
Jo needs the full picture. Especially if there’s another person out there who knows Andy is a lying, cheating, stealing asshole.
” Anger flashes in his eyes, but when he meets my gaze again it dissipates and fills with something else harder to recognize.
Regret maybe? Fear? What could a Paul Bunyan-sized man in a bookshop have to be scared of?
He continues, “I thought a lot about what we talked about after you left, and I need to apologize again.” He takes his hat off and tosses it on the counter so he can rake his fingers through his hair, his eyes now refusing to meet mine.
“I took what I was feeling out on you, and I’m sorry.
Meeting you, being with you, has been…shit, I’m really crap at this kind of stuff.
Lila would love that I used her as an excuse to come here this morning. ”
“What do you mean?” This conversation has taken a turn I wasn’t expecting at all.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve never met anyone like you.
You’re fun and sexy as hell and I enjoy being with you.
But you also distract me from doing the things I know I should be doing.
” Shayne flicks his eyes up to finally meet mine.
His expression is tense. It’s obvious this revelation makes him feel conflicted, which I understand completely.
If we’d had this conversation yesterday, I would have felt differently.
But right now, I can’t let this distract me from what’s most important.
“Shayne. I won’t lie and say I haven’t had several very unadulterated fantasies about this very conversation, but I can’t think about this—think about whatever is happening between us— right now. Jo has to be my priority.”
“And finding out what happened to Lila is mine.” He closes the distance between us, and my breath catches in my throat. Focus Paige. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t also indulge this…fascination I have with you.”
“Yes, actually it does. You’ve invaded my mind. You’ve clouded my judgment. I need to pause and catch my breath or…”
“Or what, Banshee?” Shayne cups the back of my neck, tilting my face up so our eyes meet again. Heat fills his gaze, and the words I’m about to say die on my tongue. His mouth hovers above mine, and I feel my resolve slip away. Just one kiss, and then I’ll be done.
I close the final inches between us, wrapping my arms around his neck. It’s impossible not to notice how perfectly our lips fit together. I part my lips, and he deepens the intensity of the kiss, making my body instantly crave more. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid!
I push away from him before it’s too late. “See what I’m saying? This thing between us is an invasive species.”
Shayne smiles, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. “I don’t see anything wrong with
it. Look, we both want the same things. Protecting Jo, doing right by Lila, and,” he says, planting a light kiss on my lips before continuing, “figuring out what’s going on between us.”
I’m about to open my mouth to argue my point again—that I turn into a pile of mush whenever he’s around, and mush piles can’t be trusted to support their platonic soulmates in their greatest time of need—when a loud banging on the shop door steals my attention away.
I catch a glimpse in the front window of a body that I’d be able to pick out of any line up.
Oh dear god. Universe, give me a fucking break! “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Who the hell is that?” Shayne says, moving towards the noise like a Doberman with his hackles up.
“Oh, no. Nope. I need you to disappear for a bit. Honestly, today has been so fucking weird, I think I might still be trapped in my nightmare.” I push him towards the back of the store.
“Go in the office. Stay in there.” I may as well be pushing against a brick wall, but thankfully Shayne takes the hint and disappears into the office without another word.