She almost slams into my chest, and I drop the notebook so I can grab on to her shoulders to catch her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She nods but won’t look up at me, and that’s not going to do. I need her big brown eyes on me when I try to explain. “Sierra, look at me.” I put a finger to her chin and tip it up.
Her eyes widen, and she looks frightened. I smile, doing my best to put her at ease. “We need to talk.”
She blinks and continues to stare at me. At this point, I’m not going to ask for more. “I owe you an apology for what I said earlier and for not remembering you when I first saw you.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine, really. I’m pretty forgettable.” She winces, and because I don’t want to let her go, I put my hand on the side of her neck and rest it there. My thumb strokes right over her pulse, and it’s practically vibrating under my touch.
“First of all, you’re definitely not forgettable. I was a stupid kid... a dumb jock.”
“You were not, you were smart.”
I smile because even though she has every right to be mad at me right now and say some shit, she’s still defending me. Maybe I haven’t totally screwed up my chances. I take a deep breath. “No, if I was smart, I would have skipped the parties and instead I would have been hanging out with you.”
She’s shaking her head. No doubt nothing I’m saying to her makes sense.
“Thank you for sending me the care packages.”
Shock registers on her face, and she pulls out of my grasp. “You’re welcome. I just wanted you to know that we were thinking of you. I’m glad you’re home and safe.” Still she looks as if she’s been caught. “I mean, I would have done it for anyone.”
I nod, but we both know the truth. I decide right then that I can’t just let this go. “Go out with me?”
She’s already shaking her head. “No, that’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
She picks up books off the table and holds them to her chest. Her long black hair is in waves across her shoulders, and the way she’s holding herself it’s like she’s trying to hide her face from me. “Because you feel bad for this morning. That’s the only reason you’re asking me out. I’ve forgiven you. It’s done. Thank you, but no thank you.” And this time I know the only way to stop her from leaving where I’m at is to physically stop her, and already I know I’ve lost some of her trust, so I’m not going to do that. I step to the side and watch her walk off.
Her pants are tight against her shapely curved ass, and I don’t want to look away. How in the world did I ignore this woman in high school? How did I find interest in anyone else when she was right under my nose?
I go to the back of the library and check the rear door, measuring and looking at the hardware already in place. It’s an industrial door, and I’ll have to bring more parts to do it, which is fine by me. It will give me an excuse to come and see her again tomorrow. I walk to the front of the library and install the camera, rewire the outlet, and update the code panel. When everything is ready, I call her to the front. She walks slowly toward me, no doubt worrying what I’m going to say next. I know I don’t even have a chance to get close to her if she has her guard up with me all the time. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to go over the new alarm.”
She nods and stands beside me to look at the panel. Her soft flower scent fills my nose. “Uh, you hit this button, then the code.” I show her the numbers. “And then you hit the away button when you’re leaving. If you are staying, you would then push stay instead of away.”
She repeats everything I just said. When I nod my head, staring at her, trying to will her to look at me, she doesn’t. She just says “thanks” and walks back to her desk.
I’m not used to being dismissed, but I can’t be mad about it. “I’ll be back in the morning to install the rear alarm.”
She nods and starts helping someone else. Reluctantly, I walk away.
Chapter4
Sierra
He feels guilty. That’s all. That’s why he asked me out. I repeated that to myself all night last night and this morning as I walked into the library. I refuse to let myself get caught up in the past. At one time, all I could think about was Evan McCarthy. I refuse to fall into that trap again.
I’ve had to mentally prepare myself all morning knowing that I’m going to see him today when he comes to finish the alarm system. I barely get to the front of the library when I can feel his eyes on me. “Morning, Sierra.”
I plan to only glance his way, but the smile on his face and the way the blue of his shirt brings out the blue of his eyes gets me all messed up. I trip over my own feet, and I prepare to fall through the glass door of the library, clenching my eyes tightly shut. Before I can hurt myself, Evan’s strong arms go around me, and he pulls me tight against his body.
He doesn’t let go. He stands there with his arms tight around me. “That’s twice I’ve almost caused you to fall, but I’m not going to lie to you, I like the way you end up in my arms.”
My hands go to his chest, and I mean to push away, but what do I do? I curl my fingers into the front of his shirt and hold on tight. I’m staring up at him, completely lost in his gaze and speechless. His lips are so close to mine, I could just raise up an inch on my tiptoes, pull him down by his collar, and kiss him.
His hands tighten on my waist. “I would like to kiss you right now, but I’m guessing you don’t want Cassie over at Sugar Glaze to tell the town that I’m violating you in front of the library.”
I reluctantly drag my eyes from his and look down the block, and sure enough, Cassie is standing outside the bakery watching us. I step out of Evan’s embrace, and for the briefest of seconds, he hesitates on letting me go. He could have kissed me and I wouldn’t have tried to stop him. As a matter of fact, there’s no way I would have been able to stop him.