by Evie Claire
“What can I help you with?” she repeated her earlier question, lifting her gaze once her cheeks cooled. Maxwell eye’s danced, hazel and happy, like he’d just unwound the first binding of her riddle. His pause and smile grew wider, obviously waiting to see if she would blush again.
No, she would not. She was professional. Instead, she arched her brow, wordlessly asking the question a third time. He pocketed her business card and cleared his throat.
“I’m in charge of the faculty fundraiser this fall. Mrs. McTavish thinks your library will make the perfect venue.” It was something in the way he said ‘your’ that caught her attention. No one had yet to give her such importance. Her chest swelled.
“I’m not sure why it isn’t used for events more often. The space in the back is beautiful. It’s all beautiful.” Talia’s gaze lifted to coffered ceilings and ornate moldings that ran the length of the room and framed each window. It reminded her of a church—floods of natural light and the stark contrast of white walls and dark wood. It was quiet. Sacred. Divine.
“Very,” he answered, though Talia could tell his gaze was on her. Warmth blossomed at the base of her neck. She breathed deeply, pushing it away.
“Special precautions have to be taken to ensure the safety of our books, but it’s been done before. Would you like a tour?”
Maxwell nodded and followed Talia’s outstretched arm.
“This is my favorite spot.” Talia stepped down into a recessed reading area that ran the width of the library and held large floor-to-ceiling arched French doors along the back wall. These opened onto a small patio that over looked a traditional English garden. Flooded with light and built to be an open area, the space was perfect for gatherings. “This is also where we house the faculty’s work, so it’s fitting to hold a faculty fundraiser here, don’t you think?”
“Yes. It naturally lends itself to an intimate tea-sipping affair, I believe?” Maxwell nodded his approval and tucked his hands into the small of his back, turning as he took in the room with growing appreciation.
“That’s an event I would definitely attend.” Talia leaned against a nearby bookcase, mentally chastising herself for her earlier judgment of Maxwell. She had been harsh. He was nothing of the sex crazed maniac she’d assumed him to be.
Silently, Maxwell made his way around the room, half stooped, searching the shelves for something. He paused on the far side, craning his neck to read the spine of a book without removing it. Hands still at his back, his shoulders bounced as he chuckled to himself.
“Found it,” he mumbled.
“Found what?” Talia pushed off her prop to join him.
“My book.” His finger traced a spine. Without thinking Talia reached for it. Their hands momentarily brushed and while Talia recoiled out of habit, Maxwell kept his right where the contact had been established.
“Monogamy Is for Losers.” Talia read the title in her hand, then shook her head, the idea causing her ears to warm. She wasn’t the kind of girl who talked about such things so openly. Again, her cheeks took a flying leap over blush and landed with both feet on lava-level hot. She gulped, brought a hand to her throat and slide the book back into its spot. A spark in her gut flamed to life and burned along with her cheeks, a spot that quickly turned embarrassment into annoyance. “You believe that?” Her tone was judgy. This time she didn’t chastise herself, instead embracing the assumption she had tried to convince herself was preposterous. “You believe monogamy is…”
“For losers? Yes.” He smiled, enjoying her unraveled state. “Marriage is a relatively modern concept. I’m not yet convinced it has bettered mankind. But, your opinions are more important than mine, right now.”
“How so?” Talia crossed her arms and lifted her chin.
“As a librarian you’re surrounded by books every day. In your professional opinion, what would you say is a book cover’s number one job?”
“To stand out from the rest. Grab potential reader’s interest.” Talia shrugged away the question, still uneasy, but desperate to be an adult about it all.
“And would you not agree that one way to do that is to elicit an emotional response in a potential reader?”
Talia took a slow breath, relaxing her shoulders and finding his unassuming gaze a bit easier to meet. What was he getting at?
“My book’s title does that, wouldn’t you agree?”
Again, Talia offered a small shrug. Yes, his book had caused an emotional reaction. Not because she was a prude that judged one’s moral compass by things like monogamy, but because the title seemed to prove all the rumors she’d heard about him. Rumors spread by a handful of Talmadge University employees who regarded their interludes with Maxwell as a gold medal moment. It was that she reacted to, not his book. But the book made for good cover.
“What’s your favorite book?” He switched gears when Talia remained silent.
“Wuthering Heights,” she said over her shoulder when she turned for her desk. Not wanting to encourage his thoughts on monogamy, it was best to get back to the matter at hand.
“That’s interesting.” He was a single footstep behind her, again closer than most people would follow, treading on the edge of her personal space. “Do you view love as a destructive force?”
At her desk, Talia found the calendar and paused, quickly flipping the pages through several library events already scheduled. What was with his questions? He was a Harvard-trained psychologist, but she wasn’t exactly sitting on his couch begging to be analyzed.
Talia spun around on her heel and again, he was right there, so close she saw how intently curiosity burned behind his hazel eyes. She brought the calendar up to her chest for cover and released a slow breath. She recognized when someone had a genuine love of learning. It was what she now understood in Maxwell’s aggressive approach, and it somehow disarmed her. His book, after all, would likely be a career high. One would naturally want to explore other’s opinions of it.
“I don’t think love is something anyone can control. That often leads to destruction—but destruction can be good or bad. If you’re analyzing me from an academic standpoint—I would say it’s the yearning that I identify with in Wuthering Heights. It’s human nature to want what you can’t have.”
“What do you want, Talia?”
Love stories you’ll never forget
By authors you’ll always remember
eOriginal Romance from Random House
randomhousebooks.com
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