He grunts when I shove at him again but still doesn’t let me go. “I don’t think I will.”
My mouth falls open. “Are you crazy? You’ve essentially broken into my business. We’re closed. I could call the cops and have you arrested, you lunatic.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’d be back before the day was out.” The smug certainty on his handsome face makes my fingers itch to slap him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Must be fate. I felt this wild need for a new book.” He glances around and feigns surprise. “And look! So many books! Guess I came to the right place!”
A rumbling growl rolls up from my chest and erupts out of my throat like a rabid animal.
“I am not open right now. You are breaking and entering. Get thehell out of here and leave me alone!” I screech.
“Tsk, tsk, Cleo! What happened to the customer is always right.”
Gasping like a fish out of water, my eyes bug out as the man calmly turns and checks out a display of the new thriller. He picks it up with one hand while still holding onto me. Turning it around, he sneaks a look at me and grins. “This looks good. I think I’d like to buy this one.”
“I-I-I…” I stutter over and over, completely floored by the nerve of this man. My eyes drop down his body and I groan softly to myself when I remember how hard his body felt pressed against mine. My eyebrow lifts and I glare at him.
“You appear to have a problem. Perhaps you should go home and take care of that.”
He shrugs but barely blinks. “Can’t help it. I kinda like you. My body absolutely likes you. I can’t control that.”
“So let me go and then your problem should disappear,” I huff.
“Only if you promise not to take off on me. I’ve got something I want to ask you.”
“Unless it’s ‘are you sure I should go home?’ I don’t have anything to say to you right now.”
“Don’t be like that, Cleo. You’re gonna make me think that you don’t like me.” His soft lower lip plumps out in a pout that makes me want to nibble on his lips.
“Ugh! If only you would catch on. Fine. Tell me or ask me whatever the hell it is that you want to ask me and we can be done with this idiotic conversation.”
“Fine. Would you like to go out with me?”
My eyebrows shoot up and my lips drop open like a puppet. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“Nope. I’m totally serious.”
“Then I can say with total clarity that you’re out of your ever-loving mind. Why the hell would I go out with you?”
“Because I’m a good guy. I have a job, a place of my own and some women even think I’m a catch.”
I blink at him and then close my mouth with a snap. “Wow! You’ve got quite the ego on you. But it doesn’t matter what you say. I’m not going out with anyone right now. So you’ll have to find yourself another, more willing woman.”
“I don’t think so, kitten. Not unless you can give me a good reason. Because I can’t believe that you won’t give me a shot. I’m a good guy. Solid, respectable. You’re not gonna find another guy like me around here.”
“Once again. Has anyone ever dented that massive ego of yours? I hate to be the girl to hurt your feelings but not every woman is going to fall over their feet to go out with you. Some of us just want to go home and go to bed.”
His mouth pops open and I slap my hand over his mouth. His golden-brown eyes sparkle over my fingers. “Do not say it. I do not want to hear the comment that I know is just dying to fall off your charmed tongue.”
His teeth close over my fingers and he nips at them until I lift my hand, growling.
“Are you an adult?”
“I am. You can check if you want to.” The sparkle in his eyes is even brighter and he holds his arms out to the side, inviting me to feel him up.
“Oh no! I don’t think so!” I push at his chest and try to push him out the door. “You need to go.”