Tongue (Ruthless Kings MC #8) - K.L. Savage Page 0,27
across the wood of the shelf. “Your real name. Reaper told me the people you guys care about only know your real names. Is that true?” I whisper, making sure no one can hear us.
Silence.
“Please…” I feel him everywhere, all the time, and it’s getting to the point where I need more than him watching me. “Please, tell me something.”
“I’ll always be watching you,” he says just as quickly as the space on the other side of the aisle is empty.
The doorbell chimes, and I spin around to get one last glimpse of him, but no one is there. It’s only the melody of the bell swaying back and forth as the door slowly closes. I walk down the aisle, giving a customer a polite grin, and speed up my strides as I pass the middle-aged woman. She’s in the romance section, reading the back of a book to see what it’s about.
I open the door and run down the three steps until I’m outside in the sun, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. There are a few dozen people on either side of the street. Some are entering Paula’s Candy Shop, and some are entering the hardware store. I push my glasses up my nose and examine each side of the street, looking for any sign of leather or the sound of a bike.
He’s a phantom, appearing out of nowhere and vanishing without a trace. He makes me wonder if he’s real or if I need to seek medical attention. Tongue is messing with my head and my heart.
“Are you okay?” Andrew asks from the doorway of Page by Page. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing … I—” I spin around again, hoping I can see him because I can feel him. He’s here. Where? Where is he? It’s like he’s bathing me in his vision, memorizing me. I know it should freak me out, but my gut tells me he won’t let anything happen to me. “I thought I saw someone I knew. I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You sure you’re okay?”
“Actually, I don’t think I’m feeling well. I’m going to go home for the day. Is that alright? Do you need me here?”
“No, you go ahead. It’s fine. Get some rest.”
I run up the steps and give him a hug. “Thank you. I’m just going to run in and get my purse. I’ll be on my way.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Andrew says, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
I don’t question it, but the kiss was a little too close to my mouth for comfort. Andrew has always been an affectionate guy, so I’m not going to read into it. “Hi, how are you?” I ask a customer as I pass them, giving them a quick nod as I make my way to the employee room. I pass the bookcases where I spoke to Tongue, and I wait to see if he appears out of thin air, but it’s only books.
Only. Books.
I never thought I’d ever think of books in such generality, yet here I am, disappointed to be staring at a bookcase because I’d rather see his face. I’ve been forbidden to see him, warned away, and was bluntly told the guy is dangerous.
I don’t care.
There’s a force pulling me toward him. Tongue has made roots somehow, latching himself onto the inside of my heart and soul. The longer I’m away from him, the tighter the roots constrict around my bones. When I’m near him… When I’m finally able to breathe again, I’m exhilarated.
It isn’t normal, but it all makes sense as to why I’ve never dated before. Normal isn’t something I want out of someone. I need more. I need a story.
I want to write a book from beginning to end with someone, chapter by chapter, ache by ache, until we get our happy ending.
“Excuse me?”
I close the door behind me after grabbing my purse and smile at a customer. “Yes?”
“Where is your porn?”
I blink at the woman. She has to be in her nineties. She’s hunched over with a long wooden cane in her hand and a scowl that would make that guy Reaper flinch.
“Well?” she asks me impatiently, huffing when I take too long to answer.
“Ma’am, we aren’t that kind of store. We sell books.”
“No shit. I’m old, not blind. I’m looking for books.”
“You must want the romance novel section. Two aisles over on your right,” I say, showing her the way by pointing to the rows.