Wylde (Arizona Vengeance 7)

It’s something, however, I have great hopes will get better with time.

Reaching out, I take Clarke’s hands in mine. “You’re going to be fine. This is going to be a great success. I promise.”

“How can you promise?” she asks harshly, an edge of hysteria in her voice. She glances over to the table that’s been set up for Pepper—who is currently in the bathroom touching up her makeup before we open the doors—and then fearfully regards me. “What was I even thinking by asking someone like Pepper to come to my little bookstore? I mean, sure… I invited my entire customer list, but most don’t buy children’s books. What if no one shows up? Pepper is going to hate me and—”

There’s no other intervention that works quite as well on a distraught woman than a searing kiss meant to distract. This is accomplished with one hand behind her neck, the other on her lower back so she’s drawn in tight, and all of my focus and dedication on kissing her properly.

Veronica, who is behind the cash register, snickers. Over this past week, I’ve come to realize she takes great amusement in watching me fluster her friend. One day, when I was helping stock shelves, she confided that she thinks I’m just the saving grace her bestie needed in her life and she wanted me to know—confidentially, of course—that her loyalties were now solely with me if Clarke ever got squirrely and tried to end this relationship.

I’m not sure how that makes me feel. On one hand, it’s nice knowing Clarke’s best friend thinks I’m good for her and will work with me to make sure Clarke knows that, too. But on the other, she has to feel there’s room for worry by making that proclamation, which means she must have some doubts as to whether Clarke has sticking power with me.

Regardless, I refuse to dwell on future what-ifs. Instead, I focus on kissing my girl senseless.

When I decide she’s discombobulated enough to no longer concentrate solely on her anxiety, I let her up for air. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she murmurs, “Well… that was nice.”

Still with my hand at her neck, I pull her in close, placing my lips at her ear where I whisper low enough it remains private. “I can certainly take you back to your office for a few minutes before we open those doors and distract you in another way. Guaranteed to mellow you out a bit if you’ll let me.”

Clarke gasps at the thought, but she immediately pushes me back, muttering harshly. “No way. People would know.”

“No one would know,” I assure her, but then dart a glance at Veronica. Okay, she’d know, but whatever.

Pepper comes out of the small hallway that leads down to the men and women’s bathrooms. She’s a striking woman in her own right. Not to my particular taste, but I get why Legend is nuts about her. She has the most amazing light blue eyes, which seem to shimmer against the crop of almost blue-black bangs that cut over her forehead. She wears her glossy hair in a short bob, and she has sort of a schoolgirl-rocker vibe going on with her outfit. In a red wraparound dress with white polka dots and black Doc Martens, she’d used a leather choker with silver spikes around her neck to tie it all together.

She heads over to Clarke and me with a relaxed smile. It starts to turn into a frown as she takes in Clarke, who is practically radiating with nervous anxiety.

“Are you okay?” she asks Clarke, clearly concerned.

“I’m just terrified this is going to be a bust,” Clarke answers truthfully.

“No way,” Pepper assures her with a careless wave of her hand. “But even if it is, we’ll have a great time hanging out. Your store is absolutely charming. I’ve told several people to come by, so it will be fine.”

“I just don’t want to let you down,” Clarke admits glumly.

I settle my arm around Clarke, intent on drawing her in for a hug. I want to ease her fears, but I can’t. We’ll have to let this play out.

Before I can even curl my fingers around her waist, someone knocks on the front door of the bookstore, which we’ve yet to unlock. I glance at the clock, realizing it’s already nine.

It’s showtime.

Clarke makes a distressed sound in her throat and my gaze jumps to her. She’s staring out the glass door and windows at the front of the shop. When I turn that way, a rush of giddiness sweeps through me as I see a long line of people waiting to get in.

Seems the little social media outreach me and some of my teammates conducted worked. I move to the door while Clarke scrambles alongside Pepper to sit at the table. Clarke had ordered a huge shipment of Pepper’s most popular children’s book, The Grand Adventures of Penelope and Bert. Clarke’s going to be ringing up books at the table with her mobile device. Veronica’s going to cover the register for regular shoppers who might be so generous as to buy something else while here.