Max nodded and got to work lighting a fire in the cast iron stove that graced the one corner of the front room. She couldn’t help but notice the width of his shoulders as the material of his jacket stretched tight across them, nor did she turn away from the sight of his taut backside as he squatted down to strike the flint and light the tinder.
He certainly had put on muscle in the last eight years. Olivia bit down on her bottom lip. She wondered what it would feel like to run her hands across his broad back or be enveloped by those strong arms. Max rose, and she quickly turned away to assess the other end of the room. The last thing she needed was to be caught gawking at him. Max was far too charming; he did not need any encouragement.
The narrow store consisted of two rooms separated by an oversized opening trimmed in dark wood. All the wall space in both rooms was lined with dark wood bookshelves. In the front room, Mr. Buxley’s mahogany desk sat near the large mullioned window that took up the entire front wall next to the door. The weak sunlight from the gray day outside did nothing to brighten the place.
Olivia walked to the desk and ran a fingertip through a layer of dust. “The shop has been closed for over a week now. We’ll have to dust along with any organizing. Mr. Buxley said he was expecting a shipment of books this week. How large, I have no idea.”
First things first. She went behind the desk and spotted the small safe underneath. Delving back into her pocket, she pulled out the smaller key that Mr. Buxley had given her yesterday when she visited him. Unlike the front door, this lock turned smoothly. Inside was a smaller drawer with money separated neatly into piles of notes and coin by denomination. Clearly, Mr. Buxley’s disorganization did not spill over into his money management. She closed the door before rising. Max already walked around with a long piece of kindling lighting sconces. Olivia hurried over to help, lifting the glass hurricane off the next sconce while Max lit the wick of the oil lamp.
They moved to the back room and lit four more. This room was more spacious and had a table with four chairs where patrons could sit down and read the newspaper. A pile of newsprint sat on the table under a layer of dust. In the back corner was a narrow spiral staircase that led up to a large hole in the ceiling. She gazed up at it, but the darkness above held no clues.
Max came to stand next to her. “What do you suppose is up there, attic space?”
“I have no idea, but I have often wondered. It doesn’t have a hatch to close it off. It seems like an awful waste of heat.” She glanced sideways at him. “Shall we take a look?”
Max grinned. “Absolutely.”
He put his foot upon the first stair before she caught his arm. “Oh no, you don’t. This is my store, at least for now. I get first peek.”
“What if it’s full of bats?” He arched one eyebrow.
“Then I will scream very loudly, and you may come to my rescue. Now kindly move out of my way.”
Max chuckled but moved back. Olivia grabbed a handful of her skirts with one hand and the metal railing with the other. It was a bit cumbersome navigating the curved staircase. At the top, she looked down at Max. “Can you pass me a lamp, please?”
Max grabbed one of the oil lamps from the table and climbed up to hand it to her. “Livvy, be careful; this staircase is quite rickety.”
She poked her head and shoulders through the opening, holding the lamp up high. “No bats,” she called out. The space was quite a bit larger than she’d expected. Wood plank floors ran lengthwise across the space, as did the rafters above. A row of narrow windows looked out at the rooftop next door. The room was full of crates.More books?Olivia stepped up to the top step and swung her lamp around to the left. There were paintings of all sizes in gilt frames leaning along the back wall. A beautiful woman in a starchy Elizabethan collar stared back at her through the gloom. And right in the middle of the room was a large trunk, the kind one would take on a long voyage.
Olivia carefully backed down two stairs. She turned to look down at Max, who still stood on the second stair. “Well? What is at the top?” he asked.
“A lot of wooden crates, many paintings, and one rather large trunk. Just storage, I guess. However, I cannot fathom how Mr. Buxley got any of it up these stairs. He is about seventy-five and thin as a rail.” She passed him the lamp. “I’m coming down.”
Max stepped off the stairs and set the lamp back in the center of the table. Olivia gathered her skirts again and slowly made her way down. It was impossible to see the next stair, and she had to carefully feel with her toe the location of each tread. Halfway down, she missed a step, and even with her grip on the railing, she lost her balance. Her stomach rose into her throat as she tumbled, but a pair of strong arms caught her, and she sucked in a deep breath of relief.
She looked up into worried amber eyes. “Thank you.”
“Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?” Max asked.
“No, thanks to you.” She wiggled to get out of his embrace. But instead of setting her down, Max slid an arm under her legs to shift her higher against his chest.
“You just shaved a year off my life. I turned, and you tumbled right into my arms.”
His forehead was wrinkled in concern, and his lips set in a thin line. Their faces were so close Olivia could see the dark brown flecks that made a starburst in the honey color of his eyes. Just a couple of inches closer and his lips could press against hers. She still remembered how his kisses had always made her feel hot and desperate low in her belly. Would it be the same between them? It had been so long since she had tasted true passion.
Max’s gaze roamed down to stare at her mouth, and Olivia’s breath caught in her throat.
“Hello. Is the shop open? Olivia?” Charlotte and Daniel Weston strolled through the front room and abruptly stopped in the archway between the two rooms. Their shocked faces were comical.
Dear Lord.“Hello, you two. Um, this is Maxwell Drake, Henry’s heir.” She glanced up at Max. “These are my good friends, Lord Daniel Weston and Lady Charlotte.”
Max stepped back from the staircase and set her on her feet. He looked between her and her friends. His cheeks flushed a charming red. “She lost her footing on the stairs…I caught her.”
Chapter Eleven
Daniel Weston steppedforward. “Well, that’s good luck. It’s nice to meet you.”
Max automatically shook his outstretched hand. He glanced at Olivia. She was straightening her skirts. When she looked up, she had a smile on her face. Likewise, the Westons both wore friendly grins. Relieved everyone planned just to ignore the fact he had been holding Olivia in his arms; Max returned their smile. “A pleasure to meet you both.”