Page 33 of His Sacrifice

“What are you up to today?” I asked. I had no clue what it was Creed and the rest of the guys did daily. Mafia things?

“Had a meeting with the guys, and I figured I needed to grab some lunch, so I thought I’d head over here.”

I tipped my head to the side. “I’ve heard of people devouring books, but I don’t think that means what you think it does,” I laughed.

Creed chuckled, a deep, rich sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Very funny. I actually thought we could grab lunch together. What do you say?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I’d like that,” I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice, “but I can’t get away. I’m the only one here today, remember?”

“Then I’ll bring lunch to you. What are you in the mood for?” Creed asked, his eyes focused on mine.

The good thing about the bookstore being downtown was the fact I was surrounded by pretty much any food I craved. “Pho?” I suggested. “PhoTown is a block over, and their beef Pho Nam is to die for.”

Creed pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes. “Sounds good to me. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

He left to go get lunch, and I watched him walk out, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. A few minutes later, the women from the romance section came to the register with their books. They had a ton of great choices.

“You ladies have great taste,” I smiled as I began scanning their selections.

“You do, too. Your boyfriend could be on the cover of any of these books,” a woman with blonde hair and glasses laughed.

“Creed?” I asked, a bit surprised. “I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend, but he is nice to look at,” I laughed.

“Oh, he is your boyfriend. I’ve read about the way he looked at you. That man is head over heels in love with you,” the brunette laughed.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I continued ringing up their books. They chatted animatedly about the romance books they picked, discussing the various tropes and plots. There was an assortment of cowboys, billionaires, and even an MC romance.

They paid for their books, and I handed them their bags.

“We’re definitely going to be back if only to get a glimpse at your mafia man,” the blonde told me with a wink.

“He wouldn’t by chance have any friends, would he?” the brunette asked.

I laughed and shrugged. “I guess you guys are just going to have to come back and find out for yourselves.”

They left in a flurry of chatting and laughter, and I couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm. After they were gone, I worked on filling in the gaps on the shelves from the books they bought, my mind drifting back to Creed. The way they talked about him made me wonder if there was more to our relationship than I had realized. This was supposed to be a façade just to get Candace’s attention, but I couldn’t help the way he made me feel.

Twenty minutes later, Creed walked back in with a brown bag in his hand. He looked even more handsome than before, if that was possible.

“Here you go, gorgeous,” he said, handing me the bag with a smile.

“Thank you,” I replied, taking the bag from him. The delicious aroma of pho wafted out, making my stomach growl.

We moved to my office in the back of the shop and sat down to eat. Creed unpacked the containers, and I eagerly dug in.

“So, how was business while I was gone?” Creed asked, breaking the silence.

“Busy, actually,” I replied. “Those women you saw were very enthusiastic about their books.”

He chuckled. “That’s always good.”

“And they seemed to like you, too,” I blushed. “They did say you could be on the cover of one of their romance novels.”

Creed laughed, the sound deep and warm. “I don’t know about that, but it’s flattering.”

“I might have to hire you and the guys to hang around the bookstore to help lure potential customers in. You can be book boyfriends come to life wandering around the bookshelves,” I suggested.

“Uh, I don’t think that will ever happen, gorgeous,” he chuckled.

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