He crosses his arms across his chest and stares me down, but I’m sure as hell not going to back down. There’s only one way he would know about what I’m doing. Now, taking another moment to look at him, he looks familiar.
My eyes narrow. “I’ve seen you before. A lot, actually. You’ve been watching her too.”
His arms drop to his sides and shame flitters across his features for a moment before he closes off his emotions behind a mask again. I don’t like it. For some reason, one I really don’t want to analyze right now, I want to see his genuine reaction. I want to know why he’s just as obsessed with Edison as I am.
I stick my hand out between us, surprising even myself, “I’m Jude. It seems we have a mutual interest.”
His hand slides into mine and something settles inside of me at the touch. It’s been a long time since I’ve been attracted to a man, but it’s not foreign either.
“Killian, and it seems like we do. I think we need to talk about it.” He pulls out his wallet and then a card. When he hands it to me, I look down to see it’s his card for a business—Misfit Tattoos. “My cell phone number is on the back. Call me.”
I give him a nod, my mind still whirling with whatever the hell is going on between us. I don’t trust my voice right now, a feeling I don’t like.
He turns and opens the door, but then looks at me over his shoulder, his eyes raking down my body. I…like it. A lot.
His voice is soft, as if cajoling me into answering, “Do you love her?”
“She’s mine.”
He sighs and nods before walking out the door, but I still hear him whisper, “Mine too.”
CHAPTER 3
EDISON
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I’m sorting through and checking books in. It’s not a feeling I’m unfamiliar with, not even a little bit. For the past few months, I’ve had this feeling like I’m being watched, but something is different today.
It’s more intense. It feels like it’s barreling down on me and I’m powerless to stop it.
I should hate this feeling, but I don’t. I keep that fact buried deep inside of me in a corner where light doesn’t reach. Because it’s wrong. Isn’t it?
When I look around, I don’t see anything, but the feeling doesn’t go away.
After I move the last book on my stack, there’s a folded note underneath with my name on it. Finding it causes me to smile. I have a feeling I know who it’s from. When I unfold it, I start smiling so hard my cheeks start to hurt.
You’re smile is bringing light to someone’s cloudy day.
—Jude
I look around again, expecting to see him, but he’s not there. Thinking about it, I haven’t seen him in a few days. I rub the spot over where my heart beats because I miss him.
It’s not like I know him well; I shouldn’t be missing him. Then again, he’s genuinely nice and thoughtful. Also, who doesn’t like a man who does such a good job keeping my home away from home clean, especially when there’s books involved?
Thinking about the way Jude looked at me a few days ago makes a shiver run down my spine. His eyes are a beautiful gray color which pull me in. He can be so charming, but also reserved and quiet as if he’s always assessing his surroundings.
I also can’t deny the way I want to touch the tattoos on his neck when they peek out of the collar of his shirt. It’s gotten colder so I can’t see the tattoos on his arms, but when he started working here at the beginning of the semester, they called to me. Seeing those makes me wonder what he’s hiding underneath his shirts other than the obviously sexy chest he’s sporting.
Tattoos.
Fucking hell; that’s a whole other tangent I’m more than happy to explore.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Killian Matthews, the owner of Misfit Tattoos. I reach up and rub my hand over the rose on my shoulder he inked on me a few months ago. I was thrilled when I got my appointment with him because he’s so damn talented.
Then I met him, and my stomach felt like it was on a rollercoaster. I’m not sure how I sat still enough for him to work. It felt like my entire body was shaking under his touch. My panties were pretty much ruined by the time I got home too.
There’s something about a man who makes art, right? Every time I look at the rose on my shoulder, I think of him, and I’m tempted to reach out, but what would be the point? He’s so…him and I’m just me.
I love books and I’ve always been a quirky, nerdy girl. I’m not the right girl for a guy like Killian. Hell, I’m not the right girl for Jude either considering he’s just as sexy.