5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Susie

Unfortunately, my encounter with a modern-day Adonis, who is likely completely off-limits due to some bro code my extremely dense older brother goes by, did nothing to cure me of my writer's block. Which I mean, come on—that storyline has tropes galore!

A silent groan escapes me, and I drop my head in my hands. I’ve never been in this position before, and I’m getting discouraged, but focusing on it isn’t going to help.

It’s time to redirect my attention. I need a distraction from the problem at hand, Adam, and my writing…Chase immediately pops into my mind. I slide my phone over and open The Blitz Brigade. Does it matter that I looked five minutes ago? Not even a little.

My phone is on do not disturb, so maybe something came through—nope—still crickets.

Like the blank void in my mind.

My heart drops, and I blow out a breath, rumpling my hair.

What else can I do? I glance around the library and see no one else here besides me, Mrs. Baker, and Maggie. The two of them are chatting quietly amongst themselves while organizing books to return to the shelves.

I could go home, but what am I going to do there? Sit around and mope? Not an option…yet.

The library door groans, and in walks the Adonis himself.

Adam Daniels is a reader? Could he pile on the tropes anymore?

My eyes narrow as I realize, not for the first time, how much I sincerely dislike my brother.

“Hi. Adam Daniels, right?” Mrs. Baker holds out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Baker, the town librarian, and this is Maggie, our assistant librarian,”

His big hand engulfs hers gently, making Mrs. Baker look even smaller.

My stomach swoops, and the butterflies are back in full swarm. Can this man get any more swoony?

Off-limits, girl, off-limits.

“Nice to meet you,” I can’t see his expression from here, but if the adoration on Maggie’s face means anything, he’s smiling at them. “I’d like to get a library card. Can you help me?”

“Will you be helping the Mavericks get to the playoffs this season?” Mrs. Baker's eyes crinkle around the edges, and I hear her snicker. “I’m just kidding, child. Of course we can help you! Are you an avid reader?”

“A good amount of the time, it helps me relax.” He nods, and Maggie spins away from him, swatting her hand in front of her face. The smile she throws my way turns my lips up at the corner. I understand her reaction to this man who is six feet two of near perfection.

“I don’t have anything with my address yet since I just got to town yesterday. Will my driver’s license be enough?” He reaches his hand into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet.

“That’s fine for now. Once you get a utility bill, just bring it in for verification.” She covers her mouth and whispers something to him, and he laughs.

A flutter runs through my entire body at the sound. I smack my forehead with my palm and shake my head.

“Something to be said about small towns.” He shrugs, and Mrs. Baker winks at him.

“Go ahead, look around, and let Maggie or me know if you need help finding anything. By the time you come up to check out, I’ll have everything done for you.” He turns his head and looks around.

My heart races, and I slump in my chair. I’m still embarrassed about my earlier rambling session, and I’m not ready for more of the same. I need to get my wits about me where he’s concerned, and I don’t care what Mrs. Baker or Maggie think.

When I’m certain the coast is clear, I pop my head up and look at what Adam is doing. I catch him just as he strolls down the thriller aisle.

“Typical,” I mumble before flipping the magazine open to help cover my face.

He slowly peruses the books, running his hand over them, but instead of stopping at any one in particular, he turns the corner and disappears behind the shelves.

Well, isn’t that interesting? If Mr. Adam Daniels isn’t a thriller type of guy, what genre reader is he?

I lean in my seat, trying to magically make the shelves blocking my view disappear, nearly knocking myself over but to no avail. As tall as he is, those bookshelves are a good foot taller.

“Mmmhmm.” I glance over to see Mrs. Baker watching me, an amused smile on her lips. Heat creeps up my face. My heartbeat is throbbing throughout my body.

I smile sheepishly, shrug a shoulder, and pretend to be focused on the magazine I’m holding up to cover my face, even though she knows exactly what I’m doing.

“All done?” Maggie asks, causing me to pick up my eyes and glance at Adam as he casually walks out of the romance aisle.

Surprise washes over me, and my eyes widen. I lift the magazine higher, peek around the edge, and watch him place the book on the counter.

Maggie quirks an eyebrow and gives him a mischievous smile. “Good choice.”

Hmm…an MMC who reads romance novels?

A spark of creativity has ideas starting to turn over in my mind. Maybe this was the plot twist that I needed…

Adam's shoulders tense a bit. I’m beyond curious to see what book he picked out, and I’m almost positive it’s a romance novel. A grin pushes its way to my lips.

“Here’s your library card. The book is due back two weeks from today,” Maggie says as she hands over the book and card, along with his driver’s license.

“Thank you,” his deep voice runs through me like a warm breeze on a hot summer day. Just as he turns to walk out, he glances in my direction; I slouch lower and pull the magazine up, ensuring my entire face is covered.

I’m sure this looks totally natural and not at all strange.

When I hear the door close, I bring the magazine down and stare at the door.

The laughter from the reception desk reaches my ears, and my body heats. Pushing the chair out from under me, I pack up my things.

“Heading out, Susie?” Mrs. Baker asks teasingly, indicating she finds my behavior amusing.

“Yup.” My cheeks heat even more.

“We will see you tomorrow?” Maggie struggles to hold back laughter, and I shove the remainder of my things away.

“Most likely,” Fully packed, I grab everything and head for the door. I quickly wave over my shoulder, refusing to meet the humor I’m sure to find dancing in both of their eyes. “Have a good night.”

“You too,” Maggie and Mrs. Baker say together.

As the door closes behind me, their laughter follows me.

The soft murmur of activity in Thanks-A-Latte barely registers as my writer’s block has dissipated, and the words are freely flowing.

I could scream in excitement, except I’m too busy immersed in the story.

When I got home from the library, ideas were brewing, but after a quick conversation with Chase, it was like a dam of words was unleashed.

I absently reach over to my large triple latte and take a swig of the room-temperature liquid.

His chocolate brown eyes move to my lips. My breath catches at the heat reflected in them, and my heart skips a beat.

Is he finally going to kiss me, for real?

As if reading my thoughts, his eyes flick back to mine. “I want to kiss you but don’t want it to be pretend. Can I kiss you like I mean it? Because I really want to.”

A spark runs through my body at the intensity, staring back at me, and my knees nearly buckle. Any response I may have uttered gets caught in my throat. I swallow and slowly nod. His hand reaches out and cups my cheek while his other hand slides around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Just as his lips touch mine—

“Susie?” A husky male voice penetrates my haze. I blink rapidly a few times, trying to return to reality. When I look up, I find the brown eyes I’ve been writing about all day staring at me with amusement dancing in them.

Heat creeps up my face, and my stomach flutters. I take a deep breath and force myself to relax.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you,” he quickly pushes out while he fidgets with his drink. “I just wanted to apologize if I came off as rude yesterday.”

“Oh, Thank you. I appreciate that,” I slightly lower the lid of my laptop. “I hope I didn’t talk your ear off. I sometimes tend to ramble.”

His eyes twinkle with humor. “It made me laugh for the first time since I found out I was being traded.”

“Well, in that case, I’m happy my weird behavior was helpful.” His eyes widen, his lips form an O, and I can’t help but chuckle. Soon, his laughter follows. “I was just teasing. Do you want to sit down?”

I hit the save button one last time before closing my laptop fully.

“I don’t want to interrupt you if you’re in the middle of something,” he says, stopping to pull out the chair and pointing to my laptop. “You were pretty immersed in whatever it was you were doing. I called your name three times…”

“Yeah, that can happen, and you’re not interrupting at all. It will be there later.” My brows pull together, and I wave my hand at him. “Sit.”

“Are you sure?” He tilts his head, a slight frown marring his forehead. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

Can this man get any sweeter? Down, girl. Off-limits remember? You only get to write about him in your books.

“Adam,” I offer a soft smile and point my finger at the chair he’s holding. “Please, sit.”

He places his drink on the table and pulls out the chair. I rest my chin on my hand and watch him as he easily slides onto the seat.

It’s official. Josh is getting coal in his stocking this year. I shake my head at where my thoughts have traveled.

“What are you grinning about over there?” Adam beams at me, and I notice a dimple pop on his left cheek.

Oh yeah…definitely coal.

I look away and let out a breath. “I was just thinking of a conversation I had with my older brother. Speaking of Josh, how are you settling in?”

“Well, I’ve been a Maverick for two days, so there’s not much to report.” He pulls his drink in front of him and wraps both hands around it as if looking for warmth. I can’t help but notice the peppermint tea tag, and a small grin crosses my lips. “It’s different than my other team, though.”

He looks down at his drink before meeting my gaze. There’s a smile on his face, but I don’t miss the sadness lingering in his eyes.

“You’ve been playing with your brother your whole life, right?” His eyes widen. “I guess you can say football is a tiny hobby of mine, and by tiny, I mean I’m completely obsessed. I know players, stats, games, and whatever information is available. I’m a pretty amazing General Manager in my fantasy football league.”

“Fantasy football, huh?” he laughs a bit uncomfortably. “It’s still weird to know that people I don’t know have access to so much of my private life. It’s not something I’m sure I’ll ever get used to.”

“Well, you and Steve are unique because you’re twins and have been on the same college and NFL teams. Everyone was talking about you when the two of you were drafted.” I grab my cup and wrap my hands around it trying to hide the awkwardness I suddenly feel at revealing how much I know about him. “It was a very inspirational story!”

“Yeah, I know. Part of me hoped that we’d retire together,” he shrugs and gives me a tentative smile that tugs at my heart. “After my dad passed away, it was my mom, Steve, Olivia, and me. Leaving her behind when we went off to college was tough, but we had each other.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing, and the sadness returns. “This, though, is even harder.”

I gaze into his eyes, aware that he’s choosing to be completely open and vulnerable with me, and my stomach flips.

Josh is getting. So. Much. Coal.