Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Jada

The store was pretty dead today.

Days like this worried me that the shop was going to go under. Maybe physical books were becoming a thing of the past.

The bell above the door dinged, and I smiled. “Or not,” I whispered.

A group of young women walked in and headed straight to the romance section to the right of the door.

I called to the women, letting them know to give me a shout if they needed anything. The bell above the door dinged again, and my stomach did a somersault this time. Creed walked in, his eyes sweeping the shop as he pushed his sunglasses on top of his head.

How was it fair for a man to be so handsome? He was wearing a crisp white shirt with the top button undone, revealing just a hint of his tanned skin. His charcoal gray trousers were perfectly tailored, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, giving him a casual yet undeniably stylish look. His brown leather shoes looked brand new, and a sleek, dark belt completed his business-casual ensemble. Man, he was just straight-up gorgeous. He always called me gorgeous, but he was the word’s true definition.

The women in the romance section looked up as he walked in, and a hushed chorus of admiration rose up from them. Creed nodded to them, acknowledging their stares, and then made his way directly to me.

“Hello, gorgeous,” he called, his voice smooth and confident.

I was behind the counter, my hands braced on the register to keep me from falling over. His eyes were heated, and it was unbelievable that he was headed right toward me.

“Hi,” I chirped, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

He stood on the other side of the counter, a smug look on his face. “How’s your day been?” he asked.

“Uh, it’s been kind of slow, but things seem to be picking up.” I nodded toward the women, who were now glancing at Creed while loading their arms with books.

Creed nodded. “Good, good.”

“What are you up to today?” I asked. I had no clue what it was Creed and the rest of the guys did daily. Mafia things?

“Had a meeting with the guys, and I figured I needed to grab some lunch, so I thought I’d head over here.”

I tipped my head to the side. “I’ve heard of people devouring books, but I don’t think that means what you think it does,” I laughed.

Creed chuckled, a deep, rich sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Very funny. I actually thought we could grab lunch together. What do you say?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I’d like that,” I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice, “but I can’t get away. I’m the only one here today, remember?”

“Then I’ll bring lunch to you. What are you in the mood for?” Creed asked, his eyes focused on mine.

The good thing about the bookstore being downtown was the fact I was surrounded by pretty much any food I craved. “Pho?” I suggested. “PhoTown is a block over, and their beef Pho Nam is to die for.”

Creed pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes. “Sounds good to me. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

He left to go get lunch, and I watched him walk out, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. A few minutes later, the women from the romance section came to the register with their books. They had a ton of great choices.

“You ladies have great taste,” I smiled as I began scanning their selections.

“You do, too. Your boyfriend could be on the cover of any of these books,” a woman with blonde hair and glasses laughed.

“Creed?” I asked, a bit surprised. “I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend, but he is nice to look at,” I laughed.

“Oh, he is your boyfriend. I’ve read about the way he looked at you. That man is head over heels in love with you,” the brunette laughed.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I continued ringing up their books. They chatted animatedly about the romance books they picked, discussing the various tropes and plots. There was an assortment of cowboys, billionaires, and even an MC romance.

They paid for their books, and I handed them their bags.

“We’re definitely going to be back if only to get a glimpse at your mafia man,” the blonde told me with a wink.

“He wouldn’t by chance have any friends, would he?” the brunette asked.

I laughed and shrugged. “I guess you guys are just going to have to come back and find out for yourselves.”

They left in a flurry of chatting and laughter, and I couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm. After they were gone, I worked on filling in the gaps on the shelves from the books they bought, my mind drifting back to Creed. The way they talked about him made me wonder if there was more to our relationship than I had realized. This was supposed to be a fa?ade just to get Candace’s attention, but I couldn’t help the way he made me feel.

Twenty minutes later, Creed walked back in with a brown bag in his hand. He looked even more handsome than before, if that was possible.

“Here you go, gorgeous,” he said, handing me the bag with a smile.

“Thank you,” I replied, taking the bag from him. The delicious aroma of pho wafted out, making my stomach growl.

We moved to my office in the back of the shop and sat down to eat. Creed unpacked the containers, and I eagerly dug in.

“So, how was business while I was gone?” Creed asked, breaking the silence.

“Busy, actually,” I replied. “Those women you saw were very enthusiastic about their books.”

He chuckled. “That’s always good.”

“And they seemed to like you, too,” I blushed. “They did say you could be on the cover of one of their romance novels.”

Creed laughed, the sound deep and warm. “I don’t know about that, but it’s flattering.”

“I might have to hire you and the guys to hang around the bookstore to help lure potential customers in. You can be book boyfriends come to life wandering around the bookshelves,” I suggested.

“Uh, I don’t think that will ever happen, gorgeous,” he chuckled.

“I don’t know. I bet Tatum could totally talk Murphy into it.”

Creed tipped his head to the side. “Well, you may be right. Pretty sure Tatum could ask Murphy to rope the moon, and he’d steal a rocket ship just to make it happen.”

“Must be true love if he’s willing to commit a felony for her,” I laughed.

“Put that on a bumper sticker, and you’ll sell loads of them,” Creed said, a playful grin on his face.

My eyes widened. “You might be on to something, Creed.”

“I was joking,” he laughed, shaking his head.

Creed obviously didn’t understand the romance readers of the world. A man willing to risk everything for a woman was the number one way for a book to become a favorite. We finished eating, and I realized getting pho wasn’t the best idea since it involved a lot of slurping and broth running down my chin.

“I was thinking about tonight,” Creed began, dropping his trash in the garbage can.

“Okay,” I said, curious.

“As much as I would like to just stay at home, we need to get out more.”

“Doing what?” I asked.

Creed shrugged. “Not sure, but I’ll figure it out. I’ll pick you up around seven.”

I scrunched my nose. “I think this is the time I need to tell you that I’m an old lady trapped in a thirty-five-year-old’s body. I like my dinner around five-thirty and my butt in bed by nine.”

“Give me tonight, and I promise you’ll be eating by five-thirty the rest of the week.”

I sighed but agreed. “Fine, but you better make this worth my while.”

“Putting the pressure on,” Creed laughed.

The bell above the door dinged, breaking into our private moment in my office.

“Duty calls,” I laughed.

“Go. I’ll clean this up,” he offered.

I headed out to the front, where a man and woman were browsing the new arrivals table. A few minutes later, Creed came out of my office. I was behind the register like before, but he moved behind the counter with me this time.

“I’m leaving, gorgeous.” He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me to him.

I tipped my head back, trying to calm my racing heart. Being in Creed’s arms felt incredibly nice. His touch was warm and reassuring, making me feel safe and cherished.

“Thank you again for lunch,” I whispered.

“Anytime.” He leaned in and pressed a hot, searing kiss to my lips. His lips were firm yet gentle, and the kiss deepened quickly. His hands traveled over my back, moving down to cup my butt. It was a hot and heavy kiss, and despite our clothes, I felt every bit of his passion and desire.

“Creed,” I gasped, pulling back slightly.

His eyes drifted open, dark with need. “Damn,” he growled softly.

“I, I...” I stammered, my brain fried from the intensity of his kiss.

He quickly kissed my lips and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes. “Make sure you pack an overnight bag. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He left, looking all sexy and confident while I was flustered and breathless.

I absently trailed my fingers over my lips, already missing Creed’s touch. The kiss had left me breathless and wanting more. I knew we were in the thick of acting like we were a couple, but there wasn’t anyone around other than two strangers who didn’t care whether Creed and I were together. Creed was either a really good actor, or he felt this just as much as I did.