Merry Enemies (Boston Love)

Prologue-Harrison

I wasn’t sure how in the heck I had let Noel talk me into coming to pajama story hour at the library. It wasn’t that I didn’t love doing things like that with my daughter, I did. Hell, I’d do anything she asked when she stared at me with those baby blue eyes of hers.

But pajamas, at a library, with one of the hottest women I’d ever seen sitting up at the front reading a book to the kids and their parents? It was all too much.

“Daddy,” Noel whispered as she tugged on my shirt. “Are you listening to Ms. Emma.”

Smiling, I tapped the end of her nose. “I am, angel.”

She smiled and hugged her stuffed moose closer to her chest.

I glanced back up and moaned internally.

Emma.

The children’s librarian who worked at the central library in Boston.

The first time I’d seen her I nearly tripped over my own feet.

She had curly brown hair that was usually pulled back in a ponytail or piled on top of her head.

Her vivid blue eyes reminded me of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Being a Navy SEAL, I would travel all over the world, and one my favorite places ever was Italy.

Pulling myself from my thoughts, I looked back at Emma.

Oh yeah, I was moaning internally when Noel had interrupted me.

Emma had her hair up in pigtails. Pig. Tails.

Someone needed to tell her how cruel she’s being.

Dressed in a one-piece Wendy the Pooh pajama suit, pigtails, and glasses.

If you looked up sexy librarian, Emma’s picture would be right there. Maybe minus the pajamas.

My eyes caught on someone walking into the children’s area of the library.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?” Doug, one of my long-time friends and fellow firefighter, asked. He was holding his daughter Olivia in his lap.

“Lucy is here.”

“What?” he nearly shouted.

Emma glanced over at us and frowned before she focused back on the story.

Doug handed Olivia to his wife, Lee. “You need to get her out of here, Harrison. She’s crazy.”

“You don’t think I realize that. Do me a favor, watch Noel for me.”

“Of course, go take care of it.”

Leaning over, I got Noel’s attention. “Angel, Daddy needs to go take care of something. I’ll be right back. I want you to stay with Uncle Doug and Aunt Lee, okay?”

Without taking her eyes from Emma, she nodded. “O-tay, Daddy.”

Kissing her quickly on the cheek, I got up and made my way over to Lucy. She smiled brightly when she saw me. I took her arm and made my way through the rows of books to the back corner.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper-shouted.

She sighed and placed her hand on my chest. “Harold. I’m so glad I found you. I was hoping tonight would be the night.”

I rolled my eyes and cursed under my breath. “My name is Harrison.”

She laughed. “That’s what I said.”

Sighing, I knew I was about to make a mistake by asking, “Tonight would be the night for what?”

“That you finally admit that you have feelings for me.”

I was pretty sure my mouth fell to the floor. “You really are insane, aren’t you?”

She tilted her head and smiled. “I see you’re still fighting this.”

Scrubbing my hand down my face, I exhaled a long breath. “Lucy…I need you to listen to me and listen closely. I have no feelings for you. I hardly know you. We bumped into each other at the coffee shop a week ago. You haven’t gotten my name right since we met.”

Slowly shaking her head, Lucy grabbed onto my shirt and lifted up on her toes.

“Harry…”

“It’s Harrison. My name is Harrison!”

When she licked her lips, I knew I had to get away. Before I could do anything, she wrapped her arms around my neck and planted her mouth onto mine.

It only took me a half of a second to reach for her arms and gently unwrap them as I took a step away.

“Lucy…”

She frowned. “Nothing? You don’t feel anything? Not even here!”

When she went to reach for my dick I jumped back.

“Excuse me, but this is neither the time nor the place for this.”

I swung my head around to see Emma. Oh great. She was the last person I wanted to see at that moment. There was something ridiculously adorable with her dressed in the Winnie the Pooh outfit and her hands on her hips looking angry.

I held up my hands. “It’s not what you think.”

She folded her arms over her chest and glared at me.

“Well,” Lucy said with a dramatic sigh. “I see my powers have not worked on you, Hank. I guess I’m off to the next man.”

“What?” I said as I turned to look at her.

Pouting she replied, “Oh Hendrick, it could never work between us. The feelings simply aren’t there.”

I closed my eyes. “My name is–”

Lucy pressed her finger to my mouth. “Shh! I must leave now.”

Emma and I both watched as Lucy quickly walked away.

I made my way back over to Emma to try and explain, but she spoke before I could.

“How could you!” Emma whisper-shouted.

I lowered my voice and said, “That wasn’t my fault. She is insane. I had no idea she would follow me to the library.”

“Oh, do you make it a habit to make the women you fornicate with in the aisles of the library the villain of your story.”

I took a step back and stared at her. “I’m sorry, you are the librarian here, correct?”

Lifting her chin, she gave me one nod.

“Then I would think you would know the definition of fornicate. The woman kissed me, not the other way around. She’s been stalking me for a week now.”

Emma let out a humorous laugh then looked me up and down. “It’s always the handsome ones.”

Smiling, I leaned against the bookshelf. “You think I’m handsome, huh?”

She bit down on her lower lip, and I had the urge to fornicate with her right here, right now.

“I think you’re a typical man who probably used his daughter to sweet talk his latest hookup into coming and messing around in the library. Well, not in my library, buddy! There are young kids out there.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “Yes, and one of them sitting out there is mine. You, Ms. Librarian, are a very poor judge of people. Is that why you work with kids?”

She opened her mouth and drew in a gasp. “You arrogant, stupid, jock of a man. How dare you?”

“Wow. Don’t librarians have master’s degrees. I would think you could come up with something better than jock. I haven’t been called that since high school.”

“If I didn’t adore your daughter so much, I would kick you out of this library!”

It was my turn to fold my arms. “And maybe I should tell your boss you can’t keep stalkers out of the children’s library.”

“Stalker,” she said with a mocking laugh.

“Harrison,” Doug said as he made his way over to us. “Noel is with Lee and Olivia. I called McKinney and let him know Lucy showed up here. He said to let him know if you want that restraining order on her.”

Smiling, I turned back to Emma. Her cheeks had turned bright red.

“You mean, the restraining order on the woman who hasn’t left me alone for over a week? Who shows up at my job, my home, even where I take my daughter for story hour?”

Doug looked at me, then to Emma, then back to me. “Do you have another crazy woman in your life?”

I raised a brow as I looked at Emma. I was almost positive I saw smoke come out of her ears.

Turning on her heels, she marched away.

“What was that about?” Doug asked.

Laughing, I said, “Nothing. Let’s just say I don’t think I’ll have a chance with the hot, nerdy librarian now.”

Doug scoffed. “Like she was ever in your league.”

I hit my friend on the side of the arm. “You’re probably right.”