“I’ll have the same.” He smiled like he was pleased with me for following his example. Adelie left us alone again; the approval in his gaze did something to me that I’d rather she didn’t see. I slid closer to him, needing to be near him. His strong thigh touched my own, and the warmth threatened to burn me alive. The confident shinein his eye told me he understood my actions better than I did.
My eyes locked on his lips, and his firm hand lifted to stroke my cheek with his rough fingertips. Faint scars decorated the back of his knuckles as if he’d been in a few fights, and it only made him more dangerous, more desirable. A thin scar split his perfect eyebrow, and I wondered how he acquired it.
My head tilted to the side, relishing his skin on mine. His full lips were so close now I only needed to lean forward an inch and they would touch my own. Adelie came back with our salads. I jumped away from him like I’d been under some powerful spell and broken loose.
He laughed softly at my reaction and thanked her. I muttered a thank you a moment too late. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. The appreciative way he eyed me made my insides molten and once again I thought something had to be seriously wrong with me. Being embarrassed in front of him burned in my stomach and drenched my thighs. “Where were we?” He teased as he patted the bench beside him.
“I’ll stay over here.” I took a sip of my wine to emphasize my point. Drinking more was a mistake. My hammering pulse and absent inhibitions should have stopped me, but they only egged me on. I laid my hands on the table. This was too intense, too fast. We should be having light first-date conversations. Instead, every word, each action, felt like blood magic. That had to be why he floated through my veins.
He flipped my hand over, holding it in his and tracing patterns in my wrist with the other. A shiver ran up my spine. “Why won’t you sit by me?”
Goosebumps broke out on my skin. “I lack control when I’m near you.”
“Is that something important to you? Being in control.” His fingers moved to the crease in my elbow and back down.
“Sometimes.”
“But not always?” A hint of mischief played in his voice, suggesting he was eager to test the limits of my control.
“No, not always.” I laid my hand against the one moving over my skin, stopping his progress. “Sometimes the moment can be deliciously out of my control.”
He pulled his hands back and sipped his wine, then tilted it toward me. “Steak was an excellent choice for this.”
“I should hope so, Mr. Harris,” I answered him dryly.
“Mason will do for you.” He swirled his wine in his glass with an enigmatic expression. “How was your first day? I was thinking of you rifling through the books, eager to please.”
Adelie dropped off our brie, and we ate it off little crostini—it was delicious. “It was great, actually. I was busy all day, and a bit terrified, but I think I did well. There’s a lot more to learn, but I do love being around books and I’m quite eager to please.” I batted my lashes at him innocently. My nose scrunched up when I remembered the conversation I had with Eileen. “I had an odd interaction with the old librarian, and my staff hate me, but I’ll live. There might be something a little weird about my boss too.”
“Don’t poke your adorable nose into places it doesn’t belong.” The gravity in his voice surprised me.
“What do you mean by that?” The normal conversation broke some of the spell I was under. I was growing accustomed to him trying to tell me what to do, but this seemed pointed.
“I mean, do your job, and if something strikes you as odd, avoid it rather than trying to turn over stones until you stumble into more trouble than you’re prepared for.” My eyes traced his full lips, and I had to remind myself to not get distracted by his over-the-top sex appeal.
“Why would you assume that’s what I’d do?”
He scratched his thumb along the five o’clock shadow beneath his lip. “You’re a thrill-seeker, and you love learning new things. A mystery, real or imagined, would certainly get you into trouble.”
“Uh, I am the opposite of a thrill-seeker.” I argued. “I’m nervous and awkward, and I rarely move outside my comfort zone.”
He laughed, a deep rumbling sound. “But when you do, you leap out of it and straight into the unknown.” I considered what he said. He could be right. I stayed in my box until the moment I decided not to.
“How would you know what I would do, or even if there is trouble for me to uncover?”
“You’ve shown me. I pay attention. And, as far as the library goes, they deal directly with the City Council and everyone knows politicians are usually corrupt. Just mind your business and keep yourself safe.”
“Okay.” I popped another brie-covered crostini into my mouth.
“Okay?” He lifted his eyebrow at me, torn between distrusting my quick acquiescence and enjoying my compliance.
“Mm,” I nodded into my glass of wine.
“You’re quite an unusual creature, aren’t you?” I tried, but couldn’t guess at his meaning.
“So I’ve heard.” Our food arrived and interrupted my train of thought.
“You’ll be careful.” There was no question, only a command.