been a while, over a year in fact, since I’d wiggled anything near anyone. As I approached the teenage section, which was lacking in teenage girls seeing as they would be at school right now, I was shocked to find another hot guy in the section already. What the actual fuck? Was I still asleep and having some kind of sex dream? Would I be taking my clothes off next and indulging in a hot threesome with the two of them?
Hottie looked at me and licked his top lip and gave me a wink as if he’d just read my mind. I felt my cheeks burn. I’d not said any of my thoughts out loud, had I?
“Excuse me.” I addressed the second hottie, who I would now mentally call Broody because he was. “Could I just reach up to get a book down?”
“Allow me,” he said. “What would you like?”
I took in Broody. He was tall and his hair was so brown it was almost black. His eyes were pools of chocolate I wanted to dive into like I was a marshmallow. I felt just as soft and gooey near him. He had a healthy bronzed glow to his cheeks and whereas Hottie was all sculptured cheekbones and cover model, Broody was athletic and ripped.
“If you could grab me Glass Houses by Rachel Caine, please?”
He did so, the sleeve of his long, black leather coat catching the strip-lighting slightly. He needed a lesson in dressing really. It was a bit over the top. He wore black jeans, a black polo neck, black leather boots and then this long leather coat. He was going for sophisticated and coming off Batman Cosplay.
Do not think of sexy Batman fantasies, Mya! Oops, too late.
Anyway, I needed to pull my attention away from Broody because Hottie was patiently waiting for his book.
Broody passed me the book, his gaze intent on my face like he was performing an X-ray. He made me feel a tad uncomfortable and so I beckoned for Hottie to move towards one of the tub chairs we had in situ a few metres nearby.
“Here you go. This is the first in the series. Why don’t you take a seat and read the description? Take all the time you need. Also, there’s no pressure to purchase. If you don’t want it just return it to the shelf and have a look at the other books up there. There are quite a few I recommend. I personally love that genre.”
“You do?”
“Yes, it all started with watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel reruns. I started reading books in the genre and I was hooked.”
Hottie placed the book down by his side, his attention fully on my face instead. “I know this is completely unprofessional, but would you let me take you out to dinner? Only, I’d be really interested in hearing what other books you recommend, and TV shows, and, well, I just think we’d get along.” He trailed off, not making eye contact now. Then he held a hand up. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that. You’re helping me because it’s your job and I overstepped. I will purchase the book and leave you to get on with your day.”
“I’d love to go out with you,” I blurted out before he could change his mind.
He looked back up at me. “You would?”
I nodded. “Yes, like you said, we seem to have common interests. At the very least we can talk about paranormal reads, can’t we?”
“How about I book us a table at Moore’s, the bistro, for eight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yes, why not? Before another man comes along and makes you change your mind.”
My thoughts drifted to Broody, whose body I could still see from the corner of my eye.
“Okay.”
Hottie took out his mobile phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “Put your number in there and I’ll text you once I’ve confirmed a table.”
I saw he’d already typed in Mya, because of course my name was on the badge I wore on my black work blouse.
I typed in my number and handed my phone back to him.
“Excellent. So, Mya, I guess seeing as we’re going on a date tonight, I should properly introduce myself.” He held out a hand, and I shook it. Gosh, his hand was cold. The winter chill outside must have worsened since I came into the store this morning if his hands were still cold now. “I’m Lawrence. But my friends call me Lawrie, and you’re a new friend,