Chapter 9
SPENSER
I’ve never done this before, but I really want to make an impression.
Juliet’s gift was so thoughtful and perfect—the lighting in my apartment is so much better now—and I want to return the favor.
No, I need to. I have a gift for her to unwrap, but before I give it to her, I want to do something else.
Something brand new for both of us.
Something big.
As the last customers leave and I lock the front door, I take a deep breath. It’s silly to be nervous. Either she’ll say yes and it will be magical, or she’ll turn me down and we’ll go about our nights. No big deal.
“Juliet? Do you have plans now?”
She shoots me a bemused smile. “At ten o’clock? No, can’t say that I do.”
“I’d like to show you something.”
She waits a beat, and when I don’t move or say anything, says, “Okaaaay. What?”
I give my wings a nervous shake. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to show you.”
Again, she waits. I still don’t show her anything. “Any time would be fine,” she says, her smile growing wider.
“We have to go outside, though.”
“Are you being mysterious on purpose?”
Nope. Just nervous and awkward. I answer her question with a question. “Do you trust me?”
She must hear the seriousness in my tone, because she stops smiling and nods. “Yes.”
“Good. Then put your bag behind the counter and come out back with me.”
I lead her past my office and the stairs, through the back door, and into the alley, where the full moon illuminates things better than any streetlight. “Close your eyes,” I instruct.
She does as told, and in one swoop, I throw my arms around her and pick her up, flapping my wings at the same time. In seconds, we’re rising, my store rapidly shrinking below us.
I hope she’s not afraid of heights.
“You can open your eyes now,” I tell her, but she already has.
“We’re flying,” she whispers.
I shift her in my arms, cuddling her closer, and nod. “We are. Look down. You can see all of Harmony Glen from here.”
She glances below, her hazel eyes wide. “It’s so beautiful. All twinkling lights and shiny water. The homes look like dollhouses. The river is a ribbon.” She looks back at me. “You must do this all the time.”
“Very rarely, actually. And never with anyone else.”
She blinks, her eyes looking huge in the moonlight. “Never?”
I shake my head. “Nope. You’re the first.” I circle around, making sure to fly over both the lake and the conservation area.
A slow smile blossoms across her face. “Why me?”
“You’re special, Juliet. Smart, inquisitive, thoughtful, kind.
Beautiful.” Here, under the full moon, I have to confess.
“I’ve been trying to fight these feelings, because I’m your boss and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I’m attracted to you.
I can’t seem to help it. You’re the flame to my moth. ”
“Oh, thank god,” she mumbles, which is not what I was expecting.
“What was that?”
She wiggles in my arms and I clutch her tighter.
“I’ve been dealing with the same thing,” she says, her mouth close to my ear, breath tickling me.
“My attraction to you is driving me crazy, but I know better than to mix business with pleasure. So I’ve tried so hard not to let it show.
But it’s killing me. Are you aware of how hot you are? ”
I throw my head back and laugh, feeling more joyous than I have in years. Flying high, this woman in my arms, knowing she feels the same way…this is a rare moment of perfection.
“I really want to kiss you,” I tell her. “But I kind of have to focus on flying.”
“I really want you to kiss me. You better take us back to the store so we don’t crash and die.”
I do as she asks, swooping back down until we land lightly in the alley.
Then, without waiting another second, I finally, finally press my mouth to hers.
She tastes like the cinnamon and honey tea she had earlier.
Her lips are full and soft, and she lets out the breathiest little moan when we make contact.
It sets something wild loose in me and I lick at her lips, demanding that she part them. When she gives in, I slide my tongue against hers, desperate for another, deeper taste of her.
Her hands slip into the fur at my neck, making me shiver, and I yank her closer, letting her really feel what she does to me. She gasps at the hardness pressing into her, and I can feel the heat pouring off her in waves.
Panting, I pull back, breaking the kiss.
My god, I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
I want to rip off her clothes and plunge into that heat, driving us both wild with pleasure.
I want to hear her moan my name.
I want to feel her squeeze me until I pop.
I want, I want, I want.
But not here, in an alley, like a one-night-stand quickie.
I push a hand through my hair, trying to regain control. Everything in me protests, from my pheromone-sensing antennae to my hard and aching cock. Maybe she’ll want to come upstairs and we can continue this, but before we do anything else, I need to give her the other gift.
“I have something for you,” I say, breathless.
She shoots a pointed look at the bulge in my trousers. “I noticed.” Her breath is also hitching, which satisfies something deep inside me.
I give a tight chuckle. “Not that. Come on.” I unlock the back door and lead her inside, where I grab the wrapped present I’d stashed under the counter. “This is for you.”
She rips into it with gusto, clearly uninterested in trying to preserve the paper. When the wrapping is gone, she’s left with a leather-bound book that is clearly old. The brown cover is a bit faded, the spine a little worse for wear, but the gold embossing of the title is still legible.
“Grimm’s Least Popular Fairy Tales?” she asks.
“I stumbled across it on an online auction for rare books. Apparently, it’s the ones that are the most, well, grim. The creepy and dark ones that don’t get told as much. Stuff you’d never find in collections of the most popular tales. Hansel and Gretel couldn’t handle it.”
She looks at me, her eyes shiny. “Like the ones my dad would tell me.” She clutches the book to her chest. “Spenser, this is amazing. Thank you. What an incredible night.” She shakes her head, like she can’t believe it’s real, her thick, chocolate-brown hair rustling with the movement.
“Do you want to come upstairs?” I ask. I’m torn on how I want her to answer.
Obviously, I want her more than my next breath. But it’s been a long time for me and I’d hate to embarrass myself. More than that, I don’t want to rush what might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
And now that I know she feels the same way I do, there’s something to be said for a little anticipation.
“I want to,” she says, “I really, really do. But I think I should go home. If you’re open to it, I’d like to explore what this is between us. But I need to take it slowly.”
I nod. “That works for me.”
“Excellent.” She nudges her shoulder into mine. “But if you wanted to walk me home, I wouldn’t say no.”
I put my arm around her and pull her close. “It would be my pleasure.”
JULIET
As they prepare to leave for the day, Jin pulls the hood of their sweatshirt over their head and gives me a dubious look. “I hope you brought an umbrella. We’re supposed to get a heckuva storm this evening, and I know you always walk.”
I shrug. “I actually didn’t, because I forgot to check my weather app this morning. But it’ll be fine. A little rain won’t hurt me.”
Jin raises their black brows. “We’re not talking about some sprinkles. We’re talking thunder, lightning, potential flash floods…a proper spring storm is about to roll through.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”
Jin nods and hurries for the door, obviously in a rush to get home before the weather turns. I look out the windows, but I can’t see what the fuss is about. It’s cloudy and a little breezy, sure, with a cooler temperature than usual, but there’s nothing ominous happening.
Spenser and Flicker join me at the window. “You ready for the storm?” he asks.
“Not you too.”
He gives me a curious look. “Whaddya mean?”
“Jin was just warning me about the dire weather.” I gesture outside, where nothing is happening. “Eek, look at it go.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, you precious Harmony Glen newbie. You’ll learn.”
I resist rolling my eyes. Spenser and Jin are behaving like old sea captains predicting a Nor’easter. I’m fairly sure the storm—if it materializes—will be a regular old thunderstorm that I’ll survive just fine, especially given the warmth and coziness of the bookstore.
Two hours later, I’m rethinking my skepticism. It’s grown significantly darker, the wind is howling through the trees and blowing leaves down the street, and in the distance, I can hear the rumble of thunder.
The customers are all murmuring to each other, in a hurry to check out and get home before the storm hits. In my pocket, my phone vibrates with another weather alert.
All right. Maybe I should have listened when my friends warned me about the coming storm.
I stand at the window, watching the clouds rolling, and out of nowhere, rain begins pelting the windows, the wind sending it sideways like little bullets.
A giant clap of thunder echoes above us, making everyone in the store jump, and then the power flickers.
“Attention!” Spenser shouts. “Anyone who wants to try to make it home, leave now. Just put your books on the counter and we’ll hold them until morning.
If you want to wait things out here, you’re more than welcome.
Gather together and I’ll get some emergency flashlights in case the power goes out.
I’m gonna hold off processing any more sales until this passes. ”
One or two men hurry out, empty handed, but everyone else huddles together in the open foyer of the store, under the comforting glow of the twinkle lights.