Library

Chapter 2

2

ISLA

The door opens and I inhale the scent of fries, burgers, and beer. My stomach rumbles. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen Dom, but I’m meeting Chloe at his bar and hoping to see him. Chloe owns the hairdressing place beside me and recently got engaged to Dom’s best friend Lachlan.

I find her sitting in a booth near the back, close to the bar where Dom usually is. I grin when she waves at me and points at the fries she’s already ordered. Glancing at the bar, I ignore my sinking heart when I can’t see Dom and weave through the crowd to reach Chloe.

“I’ve got cocktails coming,” she says as I sit across from her.

“You’re the best.” I snag some fries and hide my groan when the salt hits my tongue. “Dom not here?” I ask, avoiding her gaze, instead focusing on the food and not so secretly peering at the bar and staff room.

“I haven’t seen him, but guess what I found out,” Chloe asks, her eyes full of mischief as she leans over the table.

“What?” I shove more food in my mouth to cover my disappointment. I saw him last week to do his nails, but it’s been too long. I need to see his face.

“Someone told me Dom has a book in the back for you.”

The food sticks in my throat and I swallow harshly, coughing when the food doesn’t move.

Chloe shoves a glass of water at me. “What’s your face doing? It’s all red and your eyes are freaky.”

“I’m fine.” Cool water soothes my spluttering.

She narrows her eyes at me. “Did you know?”

Not willing to answer her question yet, I shrug and pick at my cuticles. I haven’t told Chloe about the book exchange we do. She already thinks I should get over myself and be honest with him. This would give her more ground to argue. We exchange books. So what? It doesn’t mean anything.

Although he’s never given me a book at the bar before, we’ve only exchanged them after I finish his nails. And his offer to text him was unusual. I have his number, but all the shop owners have each other’s numbers. I’ve only ever texted him about our appointments.

“Maybe.”

“Isla, how do you know he has a book for you?”

“He told me.”

“When.”

“When I saw him last.”

Chloe crosses her arms. “You do his nails but always say he never talks.”

“He talks sometimes.” My eyes lock with hers, her green eyes gaze into my soul, but I break first. “We kind of have a book club,” I admit.

“What?” Chloe gapes and leans over the table again, grabbing my hand. “Tell me everything.”

I pry my hand from hers. “There isn’t anything else to tell. We bring each other books and talk about them.”

“You have the same book taste? I find it hard to believe Dom reads the same things as you.”

My finger runs across the wood grain on the table. “We prefer different genres, but he tries what I recommend. He’s started giving me less intense thrillers.”

Chloe’s eyes widen. “You’ve been reading thrillers? You hate them.”

“But he doesn’t.” My hand rubs across my forehead, and I thank the waitress when she sets down our drinks. I gulp mine and follow it with salty food. “I wanted to talk to him about something. Besides, it goes both ways. He reads the fantasy books I like.”

“You need to tell him.” Chloe ignores the food and drinks. Instead, she continues to stare into my soul with her eyebrows brought together in concern.

“Tell him what?”

“Isla. You’re both putting in effort to learn about each other. Trying what they like. That’s what people who care about each other do.”

I nod. “Because we’re friends.”

“No. Because you’re both in love with each other,” she says, exasperated.

I bite my lip and hiss when I pull a hang-nail back too far. Really shouldn’t do that, I know better, but it’s a distraction from Chloe’s statement. It isn’t true, but what I would give for him to love me.

I’ve been doing his nails almost as long as my salon has been open. At first, it was to practice designs and learn more about my trade, but now I have clients who would be more than happy to help. Now it’s about talking to him, seeing his face, wondering what he thought about my book recommendations, and what he’s going to wear the next time I see him. It’s enough seeing him every month. It has to be. Seeing him at the bar doesn’t count. I hardly ever get to talk to him.

“Hey, Isla.”

I squeak and jump in my seat, eyes flying to him. Dom’s standing next to our table, a book clenched in his hand, his eyes more grey in this light, roaming over me. I drink him in. His hair is messier than usual, as if the night has already proven stressful. His blue T-shirt stretches across his shoulders and clings to his chest.

“Hi.”

He glances at Chloe. “The salon going well?”

“It’s perfect. I’ll tell Lachlan you say hi.” She winks at him.

“Said hi to him at the bar, but thanks.” He rolls his eyes at me and glances at where Lachlan sits at the bar, pretending not to watch us. I turn my giggle into a cough.

“I thought you might want the second book early. The cliffhanger is brutal.”

“I know! I couldn’t believe the ending.” My hand reaches for the book and I shiver when I brush his skin. It shouldn’t affect me like this. I touch his hands every month, but only in a professional setting. In the bar, when he’s brought me a book because he’s thinking of me, I can’t help the fluttering from spreading through my body.

“You enjoyed it?” He taps his fingers on the table. A smile spreads across my face when I see the flames painted there, my tiny claim on him.

“I did. Thank you for lending it to me.” A glance at Chloe shows she’s watching the exchange with raised eyebrows, sitting back in her chair, bouncing her eyes between us as if she’s watching a tennis match.

Dom flinches when the sound of shattered glass interrupts our conversation. He glances behind him. “I have to fix that. I’ll send over more drinks. See you later, Isla.”

“Thanks, Dom,” Chloe says as he walks away. He doesn’t turn back, too focused on the bar. His jeans cling to his ass and I tilt my head, following him until he disappears. When he’s out of earshot, Chloe spins to me. “When’s the wedding?”

“What?” I splutter. His book gets tucked into my bag safely. No way am I telling Chloe I’ve already designed my wedding nails.

“I just watched him talk to you and barely look away. He brought another book for you in case you finished the other one early and were suffering from the end. Isla, when’s the wedding?” Her eyes gleam with excitement.

“There isn’t one. He’s my friend. He doesn’t see me that way.” If he did, there would definitely be a wedding, but I’m not telling Chloe that either.

“Friends don’t look at each other like that.”

“Like what.”

“Like he wants to eat you.”

“Chloe!” My cheeks heat and I bite my lip. Scanning the bar, I try to find Dom, but he’s hidden by the other customers. “He doesn’t. Does he?” It’s an intriguing thought, but I send it scattering before I can imagine his hair brushing my stomach.

“You need to tell him how you feel. I think you’ll be surprised.”

“And what happens when he doesn’t return my feelings? I lose my friend, my book buddy, my—” I cut myself off before I say my Dom . In my mind he is, but I know it’s not going to happen. I can’t risk it.

I won’t.

Chloe squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry for pushing. I think you should go for it, but maybe I’m wrong.”

“This isn’t like you and Lachlan. I don’t want to ruin anything. I’m happy with the way things are.”

Chloe nods, withdraws her hand and snags a chip. “How’s the business? I’ve got tourists coming out of my ears.”

“Same. Lots of nude colours and blues.”

We discuss our stores and the tourists who still flock to the beach even though we’re in autumn and the weather’s cooling. I try not to let the stab in my chest show when she talks lovingly about Lachlan and instead search deep for excitement and happiness for her. If I were in the same position, she’d be happy for me. I refuse to ruin her excitement.

The crowd gets rowdier with drunken slurring, so we have to yell at each other to hear. Friday isn’t our usual day, but schedules are difficult to align—especially when Chloe would probably prefer to spend the night with Lachlan. Lachlan’s waiting at the bar for us to finish so he can take her home. I ignore the thought. It’s born of envy and nothing else.

A jolt runs through me when a heavy body crashes into the seat beside me. Butterflies churn in my stomach but sour when I glance at the man who’s pressing against me. It isn’t Dom. I edge closer to the wall, away from him. “Can I help you?”

He turns glazed eyes on me and grins. “Hey.”

“Hi. There a reason you’re sitting here?” I glance at Chloe, whose face is clouded. There isn’t reason to panic. Yet.

“You’re hot.” He drapes a heavy arm across my shoulders and yanks me close.

“I’m having a girls’ night tonight.”

“Not anymore. You should come dance with me.”

His breath smells of hard spirits and is damp and cloying, surrounding me, trapping me in the booth with no way out.

“No, thank you.” I pull away, attempting to remove his arm. His hand clenches painfully on my shoulder.

“Why not? I’m a good fuck.”

He shoves his face close to mine and I jerk back.

“Leave her alone,” Chloe snaps, reaching across the table to tug him away. He slaps her hand away.

“I don’t think I will.”

I shove against his chest. He yanks my wrist tightly, crushing it in his grip, and wrenches me closer. I yelp and his eyes flare. “Let me go.”

Jerking my head back, I use my body weight to lever myself out of his grip, but he follows and traps me against the wall. He flings a hand across the table to get close to me, glass shatters, and I put my hand on the table, attempting to stand in the booth, to climb across the table. Anything to remove myself from this situation. How it escalated so fast, I don’t know. His hand glances off my cheek and I flinch, clenching my eyes shut. When I open them, he’s gone and I take a breath. There’s shouting. I don’t know where Chloe is, and the creep is on the floor.

Dom’s yelling at him, nudging him with his foot, not quite kicking, but urging him away. Out of the bar. Away from me, thank god. I shudder and collapse in the booth, my knees tucked under me. Dom turns to me and I gasp. He’s panting, chest heaving, and my eyes are drawn to the motion. But his eyes. He looks wild, eyes narrowed and angry with a frown turned towards me.

Dom steps forward and sets a knee on the booth, hovering over me. I don’t move. My eyes are wide as I gaze at him. I think I’m gasping for breath. My hand throbs, and my head tightens with an imminent headache, but Dom’s here. I don’t feel trapped. I feel safe. He’s blocking everything else out, his stormy eyes softening as he analyses me. A finger brushes my cheek, helping to settle my heart rate, to calm my breathing.

“Are you okay?” His voice is gruff but concerned. He tucks hair out of my face and rubs his thumbs across my cheekbones, back and forth in a mesmerising motion.

My body feels numb. “I think so.”

“I’m taking you home.”

“I’m fine.” I blink at him. Sounds blur together, and the walls sway.

“You’re not.” Dom grasps my hand to help me out of the booth, and I suck in a sharp breath. Pain radiates from the base of my pinky finger down to my palm. He lets go quickly and glances at his hand. There’s blood on him. He grits his teeth and takes my hand softly, careful not to touch my palm, and turns it over.

My head tilts to look at my hand. It has a cut along the outer edge of my palm, close to my pinky finger, running towards my wrist. It looks shallow and is small, but it’s bleeding and stings. “Huh.”

He ducks his head to look closely. “I can’t see any glass.”

“Cool.” I press napkins to the cut, hoping the blood will stop and wince at the burning sensation.

“I’m taking you home.” Dom pulls me out of the booth gently with his arms wrapped around my biceps to shuffle me forward.

When I’m standing and leaning against the table to stop swaying, I see Chloe off to the side, pale-faced with her hands clasped together and Lachlan behind her. I’m airborne and cradled against a hard chest before I can check on her. I frown in confusion and tilt my head to see Dom staring down at me. “Oh.”

“I’m taking you home.” He tucks my head against his chest and walks through the crowd to the door.

“Okay.” Tension drains out of my body. Should be dismayed with him manhandling me, but all I feel is safe, having Dom block out the noise and the stares. “Bye, Chloe.” I wave a hand over his shoulder, hoping she sees and snuggle my head deeper into him. I take a deep breath of cedar mixed with salt and oil from his shift and release it slowly, replacing the creepy guy’s scent with Dom.

Relaxing against him further, I close my eyes, surrounded by his scent and his arms holding me close.

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