You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 180

VOID

I'd never seen confusion look so pretty on a face. It perched in her eyes like a timid bird with no intention of leaving its branch.

Rali Hayes. Right in front of me.

If I were a vampire, I'd pull her by the waist, press her into the shelf, and kiss her until she forgot the taste of her own air. I'd thread my fingers into her short hair, feel the tug at her scalp, set my mouth to the hollow of her neck.

I'd hook her leg against mine, slip beneath her denim just far enough to find skin. I'd slide along her thigh until my palm cupped the curve of her ass.

I'd touch her in places that turned breath into moans, make her whimper in my arms, make her feel how much this man had missed her.

And then I'd compel her to forget. Because strangers don't get forgiven for doing things like that.

"Y—Yes."

For one stupid second I thought she was saying yes to 'that.' But then I remembered I asked a question that wasn't related.

'She works here.'

I glanced around the place. I was in a bookstore. Fuck, I hadn't even considered what I was going to do here. I'd walked into a bookstore and forgotten to think like a man who plans.

When I first walked in, my mind almost slipped its leash thinking she wasn't in as she hadn't been among the girls that welcomed me. Then I spotted her tucked into the corner behind a shelf, a book lifted to her face, and the world snapped back into place.

I didn't give a fuck about the other girls anymore. Ask me to describe them now and I couldn't do it to save my life. How was I supposed to focus on anyone when Rali Hayes was right in front of me?

She tucked some hair behind her ear. It was the third time she was doing that; and the third time she was taking a gulp down a very dry throat. She was nervous. 'Too nervous.'

I'd done my part making sure I looked responsible enough. No part of me screamed 'gangstar.' So what was she still worried about?

She took an instinctive half-step back—so quick I wasn't sure she knew she'd done it. It dawned on me that she didn't want to be around me. What was going on with her?

"I need books," I said, and heard how idiotic it sounded, like it was possible to need snacks in a bookstore. "Got recommendations?"

Her lungs let out a careful breath, the kind people release when a bomb doesn't go off. She was relieved I was here for the books and not something else.

"Of—Of course, sir." Another swallow. Her gaze slid to my brow piercing, then fled. "Wh—What kind of books are we looking at?"

"Anything," The word left my mouth before my brain stamped it.

Rookie move. You don't walk into a store filled with over fifty categories and not have any in mind.

She gave me a small, beady look—politely suspicious—and I knew I had to patch the hole.

"My friends and I, we're doing sort of a reading challenge. For a week, we're meant to just read. The person with the highest number of books read gets an awesome reward."

That seemed to interest her. Yet, she took another step back. Fuck.

"O...kay. I—I think I can help with that."

She stuttered too much too. What the fuck was going on with her?

Katya had warned me she was easily frightened and didn't talk much. But it didn't have to be to this extent. How the hell do I make her feel safer around me?

She turned and led me deeper into the stacks. From behind I took in the whole frame of her.

She'd lost a lot of weight. Lost most of the things that made her Rali. Like someone had erased her in pencil and forgotten to shade her back in.

When she stopped at a tall shelf and faced me, I stared deep into her eyes. Black. Deep black. It hit me then: she was wearing contacts.

Her eyes flashed with a small surprise. At least there was something else other than the usual fear. I'd love to see passion in them. 'Again.'

"Um...I think you should start with one or two series first to avoid buying books you'll end up not reading," she said gently.

"But you recommended them to me."

"Oh." Guilt flashed through her eyes; guilt that confused me.

"I—I guess I should apologize for that. I'm sorry, it's just..." She sighed, her shoulders dipping. "I recommended this many books 'cause we're on a target here. My boss will be giving a good reward to anyone with the most sales. I thought I could catch up with my colleagues, but I'm clearly doing a bad job in the process."

Her hand flew to the chain around her neck, worrying the pendant. That one small habit put rain on the desert in my chest.

'There's a hint of Rali in there.'

Katya had been fucking right.

"So, maybe just one series for now. When you're done, you can come back for another. B—But I'd appreciate if you could tell your friends to come get books from me."

I lost the thread on what she was saying, just to watch the flickers in her face. Didn't even realize she'd stopped speaking until she took a cautious half-step back.

"It sounds like you think I can't finish the series." I held her gaze and didn't set it down.

Her eyes smiled even if her mouth stayed still. "I doubt you can even finish Ravenhood in a day."

I looked at the stack, then back at her. "What if I told you I could finish two series?"

Her eyes doubled in size, right before she scoffed. "T—That'll be eight books, sir. I doubt that's possible."

"Let's bind it with a wager. If I finish everything by tomorrow, you owe me a hundred dollars."