“Thanks.” Ugh, clumsy should have been her middle name.
“I am happy to be of service, princess.”
Gah. The man drove her crazy. Just hearing his deep voice sent waves of desire to her core.
As she climbed onto the stool, she focused on the screen saver flashing on the laptop—anything to avoid looking at his handsome face and losing herself in his eyes. But he was still close enough to inhale his scent of pine trees and fresh mint.
“I don’t want to be a distraction. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay. It’s a surprise, but a wonderful one. I’m so happy you didn’t have to leave today. Do you still have to go, or is it called off entirely?”
“Yes, eventually, and probably without a lot of notice.”
“Did your boss let you have your time off again?” Gwen signed into the computer and checked the online store. Luckily, there were only a couple orders. Maybe if it stayed slow, she could sneak off to Beans with Luke. Or even to her house.
“Yes, but we can’t go far from post, just in case. I’d like to spend a lot of it here with you. Do you think you can handle dating someone like me?”
“I thought we were already dating?” Hopefully, she hadn’t read him wrong. He’d shown up on his day off, called her, and texted her. It seemed like dating.
“Yeah, I guess we are.” Luke’s big smile warmed her like she’d been standing in the sunshine.
As Gwen met his eyes, she flashed him a bright smile. “Does this mean you’re my boyfriend? Dang, that seems weird to say. What expression do adults use?”
“I don’t suppose lover would work…at least not yet.” His words resonated deep inside, their promise heating her core.
Lovers. Was she ready for that yet? If last night’s dreams were any indication, her subconscious was more than ready. Too bad her brain wouldn’t stop reminding her that they’d only known each other for a few days.
“I’m teasing, princess. You can call me whatever you’d like.”
Just thinking about words to call him made her giggle. Before she could try any on him, her grandparents came out of the kitchen.
“What’s got you giggling? Ahh. Hi, Luke. How are you?” Gramps asked as they shook hands.
“I’m well, sir. How about you?”
“Great, great. Can’t stay away, huh?” Gramps asked with a wink.
“No, sir. I’d hoped to find a rare book when I came the first time, but I found a hidden gem.”
“Ohhh, Gwenie-bee, he’s a keeper,” Grams gushed.
Gwen was surprised Grams didn’t clap her hands and jump up and down.
“I’m glad someone else finally realized it.” Gramps clapped Luke on the back. “C’mon, Becca, let’s leave them alone. I’ll cover the phone. You just visit with your young man.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Nonsense. Nice seeing you again, Luke.”
“Same here, sir.”
Gramps practically dragged Grams into their living quarters. They worked that matchmaker card hard. It was kind of cute but more than a little embarrassing.
Gwen cleared her throat. “I’m glad we had the book. It’s wonderful when you find a unicorn.”
“Princess, I was talking about you. Finding the book was great, but you’re the real treasure.”
Luke walked around the desk and palmed the side of her face, then kissed her. It started out gentle, but as soon as his arms wrapped around her waist, desire flared. Gwen’s groan parted her lips, and his tongue swept inside, sliding along hers. All thought evaporated like smoke.
Her palms skimmed up his firm chest and over his shoulders, finally reaching his neck to tangle in his chestnut-brown hair. Tugging gently, she pulled him closer to deepen the kiss as she leaned into his lean, muscular form. Any doubt she’d had about his interest disappeared as his erection rested against her stomach.
The ding of the bell over the door doused their passion with a bucket of ice water. Damn. He’d literally swept her off her feet. Gwen ran her hands through her hair, hoping she didn’t look like she’d been ravished.
“You’re dangerous,” she whispered as Mr. Hopper walked up to the desk with a twinkle in his eye. No doubt he’d caught at least a glimpse of their embrace.
“Hello, Mr. Hopper. How are you?” Gwen greeted the old man.
“I’m doing well. I woke up this morning, so that makes it a wonderful day.”
Mr. Hopper was one of their original customers from when they’d opened the bookstore in the early sixties. He liked to chat with Gramps, and Gwen figured he was probably lonely, especially since his wife had passed about two years ago.
“Can I help you find something?” Gwen asked.
“I think I’ll just look around. Is your grandfather here?”
Gwen smiled. “Yes, let me get him for you.”
“I’ll keep watch for you,” Luke offered. He’d already regained his composure. It wasn’t fair since her heart was still racing.
“I can use the intercom, but thanks,” she said with a smile.
While Mr. Hopper waited, Gwen picked up the receiver on the phone and pushed the pager.
Gramps picked up almost immediately. “Need help out there?”
“Mr. Hopper is asking for you.”
“Please tell him I’ll be right there. In fact, why don’t you take off? Grams and I can handle the store.”
Gwen checked the time. It was only two, too early for her to leave. “It’s okay, Gramps. I’ll stay for a while longer.”
“You inherited all of your grandmother’s stubborn genes, girl. I swear,” Gramps said before he hung up.
Gwen chuckled. It wasn’t a bad trait. She had a feeling if she continued to date Luke, she’d need every one of those genes to help her stand her ground with the sexy alpha.
Chapter 10
Merlin hadn’t planned on kissing Gwen until after she’d left work. It wasn’t the smartest move he’d ever made. But when he saw the disbelief in her gorgeous, green eyes, he couldn’t resist.
When Gwen had melted into his arms, it was like he’d been born to hold her. The need to possess overwhelmed him and the kiss could have spiraled into more, but Mr. Hopper’s arrival had saved his ass.
After Gramps and the old man wandered off to peruse the stacks of books and chat, Merlin leaned over and dropped a gentle kiss on Gwen’s forehead.
“I should never have kissed you while you’re at work. I’m sorry,” Merlin whispered near her ear.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I could have pushed you away,” she whispered back. But when he quirked an eyebrow, she giggled. “Let me restate that. I could have tried, but we both know you would have stopped if I asked.”
“That’s true. I’d never force myself on you.”
“Exactly, so no worries. But I still have a lot of work to get through, which won’t happen if you’re standing there. You make it difficult to concentrate.”
Chuckling, he moved to the other side of the desk. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will. As Grams would say, ‘You’re just fishing for compliments now.’”
“I am not. Okay, maybe a little. I don’t mean to be a distraction, but I get it. Whenever I’m around you, I want to kiss you senseless. But you have work to do, so I’ll be over there, looking for more books to add to my collection.”
“Excellent plan. If you have questions, you know where to find me,” she said with a smile.
It wasn’t easy to walk away from her—the pull was strong—but she had to work. Having to look through the stacks of books wasn’t a hardship. It was his second favorite thing to do after kissing Gwen.
The bookstore’s stock was predominantly rare books, so he was surprised to find a couple of sections of current fiction and non-fiction releases. He’d bet it had been Gwen’s idea to expand the stock to include the newer books to bring more people into the store.
As he perused the shelves, his unea
se returned. Gwen had been excited to see him, but something was bothering her. When she’d opened the door, she’d been so distracted that she hadn’t recognized him. Even when she’d realized it was him and a huge smile had spread across her face, it hadn’t reached her eyes.
Merlin had initially planned to just stop at the bookstore to ask Gwen to dinner, then explore Lancelot while she finished her day. The plan had changed when he looked into her troubled eyes, and his alpha mode kicked into overdrive. Hanging out in the store wasn’t a bad idea, but trying to stay away from her was proving to be more difficult than he expected.
As he wandered around, the quality of the books and the items in the display cases impressed him. The glass-enclosed display cabinets were filled with jewelry, sculptures, and other artifacts her family had collected over the years. Most of the pieces looked Middle Eastern, but there were also some Roman and Russian items.
When they’d had their coffee date, Gwen had mentioned that her parents did most of the traveling. He vaguely remembered her saying they’d gone to Egypt this time. Remembering that piece of information intensified his unease and tightened the muscles in his shoulders. The classified intel from Sand indicated there could be a huge attack in the area. Information he couldn’t share with anyone.
Merlin’s gut told him that Gwen’s parents needed to leave Egypt as soon as possible. But he didn’t have the first clue how to convince her. Even if she could reach them, they wouldn’t listen without a good reason. He wouldn’t under the same circumstances. Besides, Gwen was smart, and she’d want to know why he wanted her to contact them. If he shared any classified intel, his ass would end up court-martialed. Too bad the CIA wouldn’t post a travel alert and ask all Americans to leave the country.
Voices interrupted his pondering, and he listened to Mr. Hopper and Gwen’s grandfather discuss a book about ancient Rome. It was enlightening to hear the two elderly men chat about the Holy Roman Empire with more clarity than any history professor.
While Merlin eavesdropped, he discovered an early edition of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities. He’d just opened the cover when his phone buzzed.
Woof: You okay?
Merlin: Yeah. Why? What’s up?
Woof: You met with Roe, then you didn’t show up at the Mug. Just wanted to check on you.
Merlin: No worries. I decided to visit Gwen.
Admitting he’d come to see Gwen when he got off work said a lot more than the words implied. But it was ridiculous to fight the obvious. He couldn’t get her out of his mind when he wasn’t with her, and when he was, he couldn’t keep his hands or lips off her. The petite redhead had gotten under his skin from the moment their eyes had met.
Woof: When do we get to meet her?
Merlin: Not sure. Probably soon. See you in the morning.
Woof: Copy that.
The guys would give him shit, but they’d be happy for him, too. He was the oldest though not by much. After Zip and Woof had settled down with their women, it had triggered an emptiness that had shocked him. Since meeting Gwen, the ache had eased, and when they were together, the hollowness inside had dissipated. And they’d only known each other for three days.
Just as Merlin shoved his phone into this pocket, it buzzed again.
Jangles: Maybe we should take a road trip now?
Merlin groaned. Woof must be at the Ugly Mug with Jangles, maybe Duff, too. He could picture what would happen, and it wasn’t pretty. They’d strut up to Gwen to introduce themselves and proceed to tell her every embarrassing story about him they could remember. It was way too soon in their relationship for her to have to put up with his team. He needed to put a stop to it before they got any more ideas.
As he tapped out his reply, the phone buzzed again.
Jangles: Just kidding. See you tomorrow.
Merlin: Asshole. Thanks.
Expecting another text, he waited a moment before tucking the phone away. Merlin wasn’t sure if they were going to show up or not, but he hoped not.
“Everything okay?” Gwen asked from behind him.
He smiled as he inhaled her honeysuckle scent, and his cock stirred in his jeans. She shouldn’t have been able to surprise him. Staying alive was all about situational awareness—losing it meant ending up dead. He needed to up his game if Gwen could slip under his radar. Anyone trained would have gotten the drop on him.
“Great. I’ve been enjoying this.” Merlin held up the copy of A Tale of Two Cities.
“It’s such a tragic story, though.”
“Yes, but there’s still a touch of optimism after Colton’s speech.”
“True, sort of like the end of Gone with the Wind. There’s that spark of hope that Scarlett will find a way to win Rhett back.”
Merlin smiled. He’d expected her to be a romantic and would have been surprised otherwise. Her love of classics and the stories she grew up with made it inevitable.
“How’s work going?”
“I’m done. Gramps has kicked us out. Said it wasn’t right for me to make you wait. I told him you didn’t care.”
Merlin grinned. He liked Jack Dedmond more and more.
“I didn’t mind hanging out. I feel like a kid in a toy store. But getting to spend more time alone with you is great.” Merlin checked his watch and was surprised he’d already killed two hours. Gwen had cast a spell over him, yet he was supposed to be the magician.
“Let me grab my bag, and we can go.”
“Would you like to have an early dinner? Or…” He didn’t know what the “or” was. He knew what he’d like it to be, but suggesting they go to her house and make out probably wouldn’t earn him any brownie points.
Gwen’s cheeks turned the peachy-pink color he loved, and her emerald eyes sparkled with mischief. “Dinner works. The ‘or’ will have to wait.”
Merlin burst out laughing. The little redhead kept surprising him.
“Do you have a place in mind? I don’t know the restaurants around here,” he asked as he followed her toward the desk.
“Bye, Grams, see you tomorrow,” she called as she grabbed her purse from behind the desk.
“Bye, have fun,” Grams yelled back.
“And Gramps, if you need anything, call. Okay?” Gwen said as she gave the old man a hug.
“We’ll be fine. There’s only about an hour until we close.”
“If that man calls again, see if you can get a return number,” Gwen added.
“I will. Now, go before you come up with some other excuse to stay.”
Merlin chuckled when Gwen rolled her eyes at her old man. Their closeness made him smile, even as a tinge of regret laced his thoughts. His granddad would have loved Gwen and her grandparents.
“Geesh, Gramps. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me,” Gwen teased.
“I am. Now, skedaddle. See you in the morning, Gwenie-bee.”
“Night, Mr. Dedmond.” Merlin held out his hand.
“Call me Jack. I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot of you around here,” Gramps said with a sparkle in his eye.
“Excellent observation, sir…err, Jack.” Merlin winked.
“If you’re done with your bromance, I’m ready to go.”
“Bromance? That’s a new one on me.” Gramps chuckled.
Merlin shook his head and rested his hand on Gwen’s lower back and steered her toward the front door. As they stepped into the late afternoon sun, he checked the area. Not that he expected trouble, but he was determined not to let his guard down again. “Do you know where you want to go?”
“Hmm. Are you craving anything in particular?”
“Not really. I’m not picky,” Merlin answered. He didn’t care what he ate as long as he got to spend time with her. They could be spun up tomorrow, and every minute with her counted.
“There’s an Italian restaurant on Eighth Street. Tuscany Trattoria. It’s only about ten minutes away, and the food is delicious. You can follow me if you want.”
“You tried that last time, and it didn’t work. What makes you think it will work now?” Gwen asked with a hint of laughter.
“Can’t fault a guy for trying.”
“I guess. You get to follow me this time. I promise not to lose you.”
“I appreciate that.” Merlin grinned. The guys would be surprised to see him laughing so much.
“What are you doing?” Gwen asked as Merlin followed her to the parking lot.
“I’m walking you to your car.”
“You don’t need to. I do it all the time.”
“When I’m around, you won’t. Is it a problem?”
Gwen stopped at her car and looked up at him. She’d put on sunglasses when they left the bookstore, and without seeing her eyes, he couldn’t read her expression.
“No, it’s not. Just not something I’m used to,” she answered with a smile
Relieved she wasn’t going to argue with him, he held the door as she got in. “Give me a minute to get to the truck,” he said as he closed the door. Then he jogged over to where he’d parked in front of the bookstore.
The restaurant was as nice as Gwen said. He let her select their meals, and she’d nailed it. When the food arrived, his stomach had rumbled. She giggled, and it was nice to see the clouds had left her eyes.
“What do you think?” Gwen asked as she watched him take his first bite.
“It’s delicious. This is Northern Italian? I’m used to spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or fettuccini Alfredo. I’m glad you suggested it,” he said.
“Yes, it is. I get takeout from here if Grams doesn’t give me some of whatever they’re having. I’m a lousy cook. Just to warn you, if I turn the oven on, Sir Galahad hides under the bed.”
Merlin had just taken a drink of wine and almost choked. “I seriously doubt it,” he said after he stopped laughing.
“Oh, it’s true. You won’t get any home-cooked meals at my house and live to talk about it.”
“It’s okay. I like to cook, and I’ll make sure you don’t starve, princess.”
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