“You’re really here, right?” I asked him.
The man frowned and tilted his head. “Are you okay?”
Had he really asked that? “No. A man—one who could fulfill my most secret fantasies—came into the library with his pet monkey, then returned with flowers, teased me about solving our funding problem, failed to restrain his monkey, brought beignets, and then tried to…” Kiss me, and I’d wanted him to so badly. “And now he’s broken into my apartment. That would scare the fuck out of anyone. The other option is that I’m hallucinating, and, if so, I should check myself into a mental ward.”
He laughed. “I tend to have that effect on people.”
“Making them hallucinate?”
“Making them question their sanity. You’re not hallucinating, though. All the things you described were very real.”
“Then why am I not more afraid of you?” Fuck. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
His lips curved up into an absurdly sexy smile. “Come on.” He put his arm around me and guided me into the kitchen like he already knew the layout of the place. Hell, maybe he did, or maybe it was just so small there weren’t any mysteries about where things were.
He encouraged me to sit, and he made coffee, not even having to ask where I kept the supplies.
“Just cream, right?”
“Yes.” I was not going to let it impress me that he remembered.
He added cream to both cups, then a huge spoonful of sugar to his. His back was to me, and I couldn’t stop staring. I clearly saw his muscles moving under his t-shirt. I bit back a sigh. His back was so fucking sexy. What would it be like to watch him move like that naked? The thought sent heat all through me.
He glanced over his shoulder and grinned as if he’d known I was watching him. He had to know how fucking gorgeous he was.
“Here.” He handed me a mug, then placed the book he’d brought on the table beside it.
When I saw the title, my breath caught. It was Down by Lilac Creek. I couldn’t stop myself from picking it up. I turned it over in my hands and examined the spine, then I examined the copyright page. It was a first edition and in fantastic condition considering its age. I wished I could keep it.
“Where did you get this?”
He shrugged. “I have my methods.”
“I’m not accepting a stolen book from you.”
He grabbed the book, and I bit my lip to keep from protesting its loss.
“I don’t have any use for it, so either you take it, or I’ll destroy it. We wouldn’t want any evidence of my crime lying around, would we?”
My pulse sped up, and my stomach flip-flopped. There couldn’t be many copies of this book left in existence. “You wouldn’t.”
He arched his brows. “Are you so sure? You seem to believe I’ll do almost anything, no matter how evil.”
Did I believe that? Not really. “You’re involved in something illegal. I’m sure of it.”
He nodded. “I am. More than one thing actually.”
“And you stole this book.”
“I’m not going to discuss where the book came from.”
“You wouldn’t destroy it. Sell it maybe, but—”
“Do you believe I could kill?”
Did I? I nodded slowly.
“But you don’t believe I’d destroy some dusty old book?”
“You’re not like that.” Why was I so certain I was right about that?
“Like what?” He stepped over to the stove, lit one of the burners, and held the book above it.
“No! Don’t!”
“I’m not a good guy, but I brought you a gift. Are you going to accept it?”
“Turn the stove off now.” I moved closer to him. Was there any chance I could get the book from him without hurting it?
“Will you accept the book? Because if not—”
“Stop it!” The words came out choked, and I realized I was close to crying in front of this man who was… I didn’t know what.
He cut the flames and crossed the distance between us. A tear slid down my face and fell onto the book.
“Please take it.” His voice was soft now. “I bought it for you from a collector. I knew you wouldn’t want stolen goods.”
I took the book and held it against my chest as I wiped my tears with my other hand. “You… bought it? How? I’ve looked, and I could never find a copy.”
“I told you. I have a lot of contacts.”
“I can’t… You really got this for me?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t sort through the tangle of emotions I felt, but I knew for certain I was going to give him what he wanted: access to the archive and… anything else. I was done fighting what I was feeling. Gwen kept telling me I wasn’t really living. Well, I sure as hell would be if I let the man in front of me direct my actions.
I sat back down at the table and took a sip of my lukewarm coffee. “What do you want to look at in the library, and were you serious about helping with funding?”