Chapter 9
Tour-Guide-Kane
Kane
Could I have someone drive us around? Yeah, easily. But I actually like driving, it keeps my mind busy. Besides, I didn’t want to be that guy.
When she walked out of the house, I was grateful I was already sitting down.
Lord, have mercy.
She’s got on a green hoodie, black leggings, and hiking boots with fluffy socks peeking out of the top. It’s not anything special. Not anything designed to grab attention and yet, here I am gripping the wheel like it’s the only thing keeping me from completely losing my damn mind.
How the hell does she make hiking gear look like something straight out of a photoshoot? She could probably wear a paper bag and still look hot as fuck.
I make the grave mistake of letting my mind wander, picturing her bent over the hood of the car in just that damn hoodie.
I shift in my seat, praying no one notices.
What the hell am I supposed to do all day if just knowing she exists makes my body react like this? I’m not fifteen, for fuck’s sake.
I exhale slowly, forcing myself to focus on the road.
I point out a few landmarks, throwing in bits of history. Cam, never one to pass up the chance to add a little flair, jumps in with tales of ancient curses, mischievous Fae, and dark legends. It’s the kind of thing that holds their attention far more than a rundown of historical battles ever could.
Raven soaks up every word. She leans forward, hanging onto every detail, and fuck, I hate how much I like watching her like this.
When we finally pull up to our first stop, a small, weathered bookstore tucked between stone buildings, I catch the way her eyes linger on it.
This place has been around for as long as I can remember, and the owner is a good friend. I park the car and the second Raven steps out, she exhales a quiet, “Wow.”
I don’t even try to hide my smirk. “Thought you might like this place,” I watch the way her fingers flex, like she’s already itching to get inside. “There’s a pretty impressive section on mastering darts you should check out.”
She barely hears me. She’s already moving, taking it all in like she’s trying to commit every detail to memory.
“This place is perfect,” she whispers.
I wasn’t sure just how deep her love for books ran, but if she loves this place? She’d lose her mind over the library at the estate.
Cam strolls up beside me, his hands in his pockets, grinning like an idiot. “Mind out of the gutter, mate.”
I shoot him a sharp look, but he just laughs and saunters off.
Once we're inside, the scent of aged paper and polished wood fills the air. Raven heads straight for the folklore section, trailing her fingers along the spines like they’re secrets meant only for her. I pretend to browse nearby, but let’s be honest, my attention is completely on her.
She’s fascinating to watch. The way she tilts her head when something catches her eye, the way her lips part slightly as she skims a page like she’s trying to drink in every word.
Rachel and Cam are off doing their own thing, talking and laughing somewhere in the back. I hear a sharp inhale and look over just as she pulls a book from the shelf, her eyes wide with excitement.
Scottish Folklore and Legends.
I read the title aloud, and the grin she gives me is enough to knock the air right out of my lungs.
“Rachel, look at this!” Raven calls out, waving the book in the air like she’s just discovered treasure.
Rachel, already balancing a ridiculous stack of books, grins. “Obviously, you need to buy that.”
“I could stay here all day,” Raven admits, clutching the book to her chest like it’s something precious. A strange tug pulls in my chest, but I shove it down before I can think too much about it.
Rachel wanders off, disappearing deeper into the store, leaving us alone in a quiet aisle.
Raven steps closer, stopping right next to me at the bookshelf I’m leaning against. Her shoulder is just inches away, and close enough to feel the warmth of her body.
“Thanks for bringing us here.” Her voice is soft, as she pulls another book off the shelf.
“My pleasure, Your Highness,” I murmur, letting the teasing edge curl through my voice.
Raven bursts out laughing.
I lean in just enough for her to feel the shift. My hand hovers near the shelf and I'm so damn close that if I moved even an inch, I’d brush against her shoulder.
I watch as her breath catches for the briefest second, but it’s enough to make my pulse kick up a notch.
“You’re dangerous in a bookstore,” I murmur, keeping my voice low so no one else hears us.
She tilts her head up, and I can see the heat she tries to hide.
“If you’re thinking this is the part where I rip your clothes off between the romance and folklore section—” she pauses, and her lips twitch. “It’s not.”
I blink, caught between surprise and amusement.
Then, slowly, I grin taking a deliberate step back. It's just enough to give her space, but not enough to erase the heat between us.
“Good to know,” I say smoothly. “I’d hate for us to traumatize the customers.”
Her eyes flash with something unreadable, but a slow smile tugs at her lips.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
She rolls her eyes and brushes past me. Her shoulder grazes mine and it’s the lightest touch, but fuck.
She hugs the book to her chest like a shield and throws a jab over her shoulder. “Just keeping things realistic.”
“Realistic? That’s what we’re calling it?”
I step close enough to let my breath tease against the shell of her ear and she tenses slightly.“That’s interesting, because the way you reacted just now didn’t seem like it was nothing.”
She exhales sharply but recovers fast. She spins on her heel, meeting my gaze head-on.
“Oh please,” she draws it out, tilting her chin like I don't rattle her. “Not everyone wants you, Kane. Maybe I just have a thing for bookshelves.”
I arch a brow, enjoying this far too much. “Is that so? Because if you’re into wood and leather bindings, I could think of a few things that might interest you.”
Her mouth parts slightly, but she clamps it shut.
She narrows her eyes, and I can see the fight to suppress whatever is on the tip of her tongue. “You’re annoying.”
“And yet,” I say, leaning against the shelf beside her, “you’re still standing here, looking at me like you’re two seconds away from proving me wrong.”
She huffs a laugh, shaking her head as if trying to rid herself of whatever this is between us. But she doesn’t walk away.
Instead, she plucks a book off the shelf, flipping it open with forced nonchalance. Her breathing is heavy, and she’s pretending like the book in her hands is the most interesting thing she’s seen all day.
“For the record, the only thing I’d do between these bookshelves is read.”
“Pity.”
Her head snaps up, eyes locking onto mine. And before I can push her further, she flips to a new page and her expression shifts.
“You know,” she begins tracing the edges of the worn pages.
“I actually love books. Growing up, it wasn’t always the cool thing to love, but my grandmother used to read to me every night.
She would tell me stories about magic, curses, witches, shadows, and angry kings.
” Her eyes shimmer as she chuckles softly.
“I would always ask her how I could find these places so I could run away there.”
I lean against the shelf, watching her. “And what did she say?”
She smiles, and something warm flickers across her expression.
“She’d say, ‘You can never find it, but it will always find you.’”
I tilt my head, letting her words settle.
“Smart woman.”
She nods, absentmindedly running her fingers over the book in her hands.
“She really was.”
I hesitate, then say, “My mum’s the same way. She loves reading, she can’t get enough of it. She always says books are her escape.”
“Sounds about right,” she murmurs, looking up at me. “Smart woman.”
For a moment, we just… stand there. The air between us isn’t playful anymore, it’s something heavier. And then just like that, it’s gone as soon as Rachel’s voice breaks through the moment.
“Raven, stop flirting and come look at this!”
Raven startles, blinking like she’s shaking herself out of whatever spell we’ve fallen into and rolls her eyes.
“As if I’d ever flirt with him.”
I cross my arms, watching her try to walk away. “Careful. Lies have consequences.”
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder with a slow, sweet smile. “So does an ego too big for its own good.”
I let out a low chuckle, stepping forward just enough that she has to tip her head back to meet my eyes. “And yet, here you are, feeding it.”
Her lips part, and I can see the battle in her eyes. The sharp retort she wants to throw at me warring with whatever else is lingering beneath the surface. But instead of indulging me, she scoffs and turns back toward Rachel.
“I’d say keep dreaming, but I’d hate to feed into whatever delusion you’ve got going.”
“Not a delusion, Princess, more like an observation.”
She exhales, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walks away, but not before I catch the way her fingers tighten around her book. I watch her go, laughing under my breath.
Yeah. I definitely hit a nerve.
She makes her way to Rachel, tossing out some comment that earns a laugh, but even as they talk, I watch her fingers drift absently over the book’s cover.
As soon as their conversation fades, she flips it open.
Her posture shifts and her focus sharpens. Page after page, her brow furrows and her lips part slightly in concentration. It’s like the rest of us disappear, swallowed up by the pull of whatever she’s reading.
I lean against a nearby shelf, watching. She’s lost to the world, oblivious to anything outside those pages, and for some reason I can't look away. There’s something so sexy about her right now. But I’ve lingered long enough.
I push off the shelf just as Rachel drags her toward the counter. Cam appears beside me, “She’s got you all kinds of fucked up, doesn’t she?”