Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
LAUREL
I n the back of the shop, I was unpacking a new shipment of Christmas books that I’d received late yesterday afternoon, and I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from Leif yet. My heart kept skipping when I remembered that today was the day he was supposed to get here, but I kept checking my phone and there was no word from him yet about the time he’d be flying out.
Desperately hoping that he didn’t have to put in a full day at the office before he’d be able to leave, I sorted through the special edition boxes from a variety of indie authors, separating them into their respective genres so that Grace and I would easily be able to place them in the correct sections. Something banged behind me and my spine snapped straight. I spun to see what the noise had been.
“Grace? Are you okay?” I frowned at her. The sound had been her smacking her shoulder into the door as if it’d jumped straight into her path. Her cheeks were also rosy and her eyes were wide. Alarmed, I strode up to her and cocked my head, raking my gaze across her face. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is your shoulder alright?”
She didn’t even lift a hand to rub it, just nodding with a slightly dazed expression in those wide eyes. “The hottest man I’ve ever seen is in the front and he’s asking for you.”
I blinked hard. “Do you know him?”
“Nope. He’s never been here before. Trust me, I would’ve remembered him.” She leaned a little closer as if she was about to share a secret. “I’ve never seen eyes that color before.”
Leif!
It had to be him. Those Mediterranean blues were unique enough to have warranted a comment like that. I’d certainly never met anyone else who had been blessed with a color like that.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, my heart going wild. I raced out of the back room. Sure enough, as soon as I cleared the last row of shelves, I saw him. “Leif!”
Standing at almost six and a half feet tall, there he was, looking as handsome as ever. Wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a gray sweater, his light brown hair was a little messy after what I was assuming had been a morning of packing and an afternoon of travel. Tears filled my eyes. A grin split my face as I ran the last few steps to him.
“What are you doing here?” I breathed into his sweater, inhaling the mouth-watering, spicy scent of him. “When did you get in?”
“A trip from Nashville to Franklin and a walk from the Harpeth to here ago,” he said, his strong arms closing around my shoulders and holding me tight. “Surprised?”
“So surprised, but in the best way ever.” I closed my eyes to absorb the moment and to let it sink in that he was really here. Then I finally lifted my head and looked up at his striking, clean-shaven features. “You’re gorgeous. Kiss me.”
“Right back atcha.” He chuckled, immediately obliging.
His soft lips landed on mine. My body reacted instantly, my nipples hardening and my panties getting damp, yet my heart had also grown to double its usual size and my stomach was completely filled with butterflies.
Time slammed to a halt as he stroked his tongue between my lips, kissing me deeply.
“Bug?” he finally murmured between kisses that were rapidly growing more and more passionate.
I didn’t want them to stop, though. Sliding my fingers into his hair, I held him to me, so relieved that he was here that I refused to let him go. “Yeah?”
“There’s someone watching us,” he whispered.
I stiffened before I remembered where we were—and Grace. Groaning into his mouth, I started laughing, finally breaking away from his face to drop my forehead to his chest. Warmth erupted on my cheeks as I turned in the circle of his arms to find my assistant openly gaping at us.
“Grace? I’d like you to meet Leif. My boyfriend.” Every butterfly in my stomach flapped its wings when I introduced him that way for the first time in so long. “Leif, meet Grace. The reason I can ever leave the store for more than just nighttime. She’s the best.”
“I owe you,” he said as he reached past me to shake her hand. “Anything you want. You name it, and it’s yours.”
She extended her arm to shake with him, but she still looked a little dumbstruck, stuttering through her answer. “I, uh, I don’t need anything. Thank you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Grace,” he said warmly, releasing her hand and keeping his arm around me. I felt his head move above my own before a low whistle came out of him. “Wow. Look at this place. It’s amazing, bug. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, my cheeks flushing again.
I’d always been independent and I didn’t need the approval of other people, but him being proud of me? That hit different.
Meanwhile, Grace frowned. “Bug?”
“She’s as cute as a bug,” he replied absently, letting go of me to run his fingers along the spines of the books.
“Isn’t the expression as cute as a button ?” she asked.
I laughed, finally snapping myself out of my state of shock and arousal. I nodded at her. My heart was still fluttering at seeing him here, so amazed by what I’d created, but I focused on my confused assistant.
“You’re right, it is. Which is also the reason why I thought that he thought I was gross when he first started calling me that.”
“I was a fourteen-year-old boy. I honestly thought the expression was as cute as a bug . Give me a break.”
“A fourteen-year-old boy,” she repeated before her eyes finally widened. “Wait, so this is the Leif? The high-school sweetheart who was coming to visit you this weekend?”
“Who else would I have been kissing?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d just gone for it with him. I almost did, but I figured he might be a bit old for me.”
Leif chuckled. “A bit? A lot. But thanks.”
“You guys should go,” she said quickly, her cheeks all rosy again. “I’ve got the shop for the rest of the day and the times we’ll be open for the weekend. You don’t have any more meetings this afternoon and I can lock up.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, eager to take her up on it but not wanting to inconvenience her. “We don’t mind hanging around a bit. Leif can browse while we finish up.”
“No, I’ve got it,” she insisted, practically shooing us to the door.
Leif grabbed a weatherproof jacket he must’ve slung over the counter while he’d been waiting for me, and I raced through gathering my things before we headed out just before the sun would start setting over the city.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, taking his hand. We stepped into the early December snow flurries outside. “Why didn’t you tell me when you were on your way?”
He grinned. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you definitely got that right. Where’s your stuff?”
“At the Harpeth,” he said. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous, so I checked in there rather than assuming that I was staying with you.”
“It’s an amazing hotel,” I replied, but I still wished he had been presumptuous. “You’ll love it there.”
“I do. It’s nice, but I’m not here to lounge around a pretty hotel,” he said playfully. “I’ve missed you, bug. More than I had any right to, considering it’s only been a few days, but where to first? I’m loving Tennessee so far.”
“I’m glad.” I smiled. “I thought you might. I just wish I could’ve seen the look on your face in Nashville at the airport. It’s pretty cool, right?”
“Try incredible,” he countered, easily following as I led him down the street. “So, where are we going first?”
“You picked a fun day to be in Franklin,” I said coyly, dragging the anticipation out as long as I could. “Austin has the Zilker tree, but we’ve got a pretty nice tree that gets lit in the center of the Franklin town square as well.”
“Are we going to see it?” he asked.
I grinned. “The lighting is happening later this evening. It’s a pretty big deal.”
His eyes widened before he let out a whoop, his cheeks flushed from the cold outside. I didn’t remember ever seeing him look happier than he did right then. With his head on a swivel, he kept looking around like he couldn’t get enough, but every few seconds, he looked down at me again.
His hand never left mine unless it was to wrap his arm around my shoulders, and so far, he seemed to be having a great time in Tennessee—even if we were just walking to a restaurant.
“Before the lighting, I thought we could go have dinner at the Cork and Cow.”
“Sounds good,” he agreed immediately. “What exactly is the Cork and Cow?”
“It’s a really nice restaurant. It’s fancy, but their steak is out of this world and they’ve won awards for their wines and their adventurous cocktails too.”
“I’m definitely interested in all of that,” he said, grinning. He leaned over to kiss the top of my head. “Mostly, I’m just interested in being wherever you are, though.”
“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” I admitted as we walked up to the historic, posh, brick-lined steakhouse. “Fair warning though, after you eat here, you might never want to leave.”
He looked right into my eyes. “I have a feeling I was already going to have that problem, so bring it on. We’ve got some pretty good steak in Colorado too.”
“Sure, but not as good as this,” I teased, leading him into the restaurant and giving the hostess my name. “It’s a good thing I was prepared and made reservations for us despite not hearing from you today.”
“It’s because you trust me,” he said. “You knew I’d be here. It’s pretty early for dinner, though.”
“That’s okay. We can always grab a snack after the lighting. Right now, I just want to look at your pretty face and spend time with you someplace warm, but not private, because I also really do want to be at the lighting.”
He laughed but nodded his agreement. “Yeah, we might’ve missed it if we went back to your place. Or mine. Or even into your office at the store.”
That ache spread through my body again, but as we were seated at the table I’d requested near the window, I swallowed the lust and focused on the boy instead. “You’ll never believe what I have to do next for the Naughty List.”
“What?” he asked eagerly, leaning forward after we’d given the server our drinks order. “It can’t be that bad. You were kids when you wrote that thing.”
“That’s what I thought too,” I admitted, my heart pounding. I looked around before I told him. “I have to steal something, and I think you might have to help me.”