Dark Wish

My eyes widen, and panic floods my veins.

I immediately step back, hiding behind the bookcase again, and I close my eyes while my heart races in my chest.

I wasn’t watching. I swear I wasn’t looking at this gorgeous man. And he didn’t see me.

Right?

But when I open my eyes again, there he is, right in front of me.

“Can I help you?” His voice is low—like dark chocolate you want to lick off someone’s body low—and it makes me gulp.

Staring at him for a moment, I slowly part my lips, but words fail to come to my mind. The stranger is so handsome up close that he takes my breath away.

I shake my head.

He leans in, tilting his head. The intoxicating scent of expensive cologne reminiscent of luscious trees and green forests fills my nostrils, almost pulling me in closer for another whiff.

“Are you sure?”

I shudder, my body inching back from the sheer power he exudes. His mere proximity is making me sweat, and my eyes can’t stop looking at all the tiny details, like the excited glimmer in his eyes and the hint of a smirk on his lips.

I nod a few times. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Stare?” he interjects.

I swallow hard in response.

A brief smile appears on his face. He holds out the book he was just reading. I gaze at it for a moment, wondering what he wants from me.

“You’re a librarian, aren’t you?” he says. “Would you put this back for me, please?”

My cheeks turn crimson red again. “I, uh … of course.” When I take the book from him, our fingers briefly touch, and it feels as though lightning just shot up into my veins.

“Thank you,” he says, and the smile that follows reminds me of a wolf showing its canines. “I can appreciate someone who does their job thoroughly.”

I swallow hard.

I didn’t want to, but my body responds so strongly to everything he says and does that it feels as though I’m forced. Like a magnet relentlessly pulled closer to him.

Suddenly, he leans in and whispers into my ear, “I will see you soon.”

My heart drops into my shoes as the stranger walks off and leaves me breathless.

Who was that man? And what did he mean by see you soon?

Eli

It wasn’t an accident that I was there at that exact moment in time.

She may think it was, but she concocted that lie in her head to make the idea I was there in the first place palpable.

There was only one reason for me to be present in that library, and it wasn’t to read some book. Sure, I picked a random one up just for the fun of it, but reading wasn’t my goal.

It was a means to an end.

That book allowed me to blend in and wait … until she finally laid her eyes on me.

I just wanted to see how she’d react. What kind of look she’d throw my way once she saw that I was there not just to read but also to engage with her.

I couldn’t stop myself, even if I wanted to. I was that turned on by the mere look in her eyes and the way her body yielded to mine as though it was always meant for me and me alone. As if it knew it belonged to me.

But I must wait.

Hold off.

Be patient.

It’s not my best asset, but it’s what must be done.

Because I have to know what kind of person she truly is.

The real sinner beneath that perfect angelic veneer.

Amelia

After my shift finishes at the library, I run home for a quick microwave meal before my nighttime job at Joe’s Hotties. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to survive.

Besides, it pays the bills. And the very hefty college student loans I still have to pay off.

My grandparents didn’t leave me an inheritance. They gave all the money to a company and never told me why.

So I have no choice but to work as hard as I can and be proud of myself.

When I get there, I put on my apron and wait for the orders to come in. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket, and I take it out and check who it is.

Chris?

I haven’t heard from him in hours. He’s always so busy with work. In fact, I don’t think we’ve said more than a few words to each other in days. He’s always on the run and never home. Why would he suddenly call?

“Hey,” I say as I pick up.

“Hi, just wanted to tell you I won’t be home on time tonight, so go to bed without me. ’Kay?”

Nothing new there. “Okay. Anything else?”

“No, I’m in an important meeting, so don’t call me.”

He hangs up the phone before I can respond, and I don’t know why but that still surprises me.