Chapter 3

"I hopethis doesn"t color your opinion of me."

My eyes scanned the shelves once again, but my cheeks flamed red. The man was gorgeous but his literary tastes left much to be desired. It"s not very often someone comes in requesting works by Marquis de Sade.

"Why would it? It"s a free country. People can read whatever they like." I say softly over my shoulder before going back to scanning the bookshelf. Just like both Maryellen and I had said earlier, the book he wanted, The Misfortunes of Virtue, wasn"t on the shelf. "Yeah, you"re going to have to put in a special order for that one."

Once I was certain the book wasn"t where it should be, I turn only to be confronted with the man"s massive frame.

When did he get so close?

"I"m researching toxic relationships. What better research than from the epitome of toxic himself." The man smiles wide at me and shoves his hands in his pockets. If I didn"t know any better, I"d think that he was embarrassed. It"s a show of morality. Something I very rarely saw while I was with Giancarlo and his family.

"That"s true. He"s a good subject to read up on." I offer and nod my head, suddenly desperate to make him feel at ease.

"You"re refreshing." He tilts his head but doesn"t break his gaze.

"Refreshing? I"m not sure if that"s a compliment or not." I chuckle and take a step to the side. I need to get control of myself. It"s only a man.

"It is. Most of the people I work with claim tolerance, but are rife with judgment and superiority. It"s nice to find someone who has an open mind." The man pivots his hips and leans against the bookshelf at his back. "So, would I be too forward if I asked your name?"

"No, not at all. I"m Rosie."

"Rosie, that makes sense, a beautiful delicate woman like yourself would be named after a coveted flower." He pushes his hand out for me to shake, "I"m Jasper."

"Jasper? That must have been fun during the Twilight era." I giggle and press a hand to my mouth.

"It wasn"t." Jasper shakes his head and shuffles his weight from foot to foot. "So, in an effort to ride this wave, do you think I can convince you to have dinner with me sometime?"

Dinner?

A date?

With a new man?

My heart galloped in my chest faster than a stampede of horses. It"s been months since Gian and I broke up. I know I need to move on, but the more I think about doing just that, the guiltier I feel.

"Um, I"m not sure about that." I watch in real-time as Jasper"s face falls and disappointment climbs up his features, "It"s not that I"m not interested, I just came out of a really intense relationship-" Before I can finish, Jasper raises his hand.

"I get it, believe me, I do. If dinner is too much, what about coffee? No pressure." He hits me with that smile again, and before I can stop, I hear myself say the word...

"Okay."

"Great! What time is your break? I was going to sit in here and read but I can go somewhere else until you"re ready."

"Two." Looking up at the clock, the hour hand mocks me. It"s already one thirty.

"I"ll be back in a half hour then." He takes a step back and looks me over once. "Until we meet again."

"Smooth." I giggle and shake my head.

It"s been a while since I"ve had anyone try this hard to get me in their good graces. Jasper turns on his heels and walks away from me without another word. That"s for the best because my heart is beating so fast I"m not sure if I can form any more words.

I walk back to the front of the library, where Maryellen is still leaning back in her chair staring at her phone. I wait until Jasper walks out of the library before I release a deep breath.

"That man"s nothing but trouble," Maryellen says.

She could be talking to her mini screen, but when I turn my head, her eyes are on me. "Hmm, you didn"t think he was dangerous when he first walked in."

"Oh, I can handle danger, but you can"t. I"m sure one wink is all it takes to get you on your knees." She chuckles and goes back to what she was watching.

If only she knew how dangerous my life was before this. Jasper may have an air of mystery around him but it"s nothing compared to Giancarlo.

When he was in the room he didn"t need to say anything, didn"t need to wink. I was on my knees before he even opened the door.

Being his good girl was all the motivation I ever needed.