Page 4 of Kiss me Forever

“I agree,” I tell him. “Not too many people feel this way.”

“It’s their loss,” he says, his voice still serious. I know well that he’s not a man who enjoys small talk.

I move down the list and spot his book. Now a real smile appears on my lips as I move over to a pile and start looking down the spines. “We might be able to make your day,” I tell him. I’m also trying to fight back my excitement because on the paper it shows a high price for this first edition book. It’s one of the books I was planning to list online because I could never sell it for what it’s worth at our little sidewalk sale.

I pull out the book then hold it like a trophy for a moment before I hand it over. “This is a first edition, first printing in pretty amazing shape,” I say after a moment. “I’ve had it for a few months and have researched it, and the value is fifteen-hundred dollars. I’m willing to negotiate with you, though, if that’s a problem.” I was hoping to get eight hundred dollars out of this as that will provide a lot of new books for our library, but I know it’s hard to sell rare books. The right person has to come along who’s willing to pay the value.

He looks at the book for a moment, a slight gleam in his eyes. At least he’s finally showing some expression. I bet this man is good at business because he’s truly hard to read. That’s why I like books so much. You might be in suspense for a while, but you’ll eventually get the whole story out of it.

“I’ll pay full price,” he says. “I’ve done my own research.”

Of course he has. I barely manage to contain my glee. We’re going to celebrate after this sale. I don’t even know where the book came in from, just one of many of our donations. Most people don’t know the value of the books they’ve had stored in their attics for too many years to count. I’d never take advantage of this if I knew who donated it, and would let them know immediately, but I’m always grateful when we can sell them.

“That’s wonderful. You can do the transaction with Mrs. Hargrove up front. I’ll walk you there and let her know,” I say.

“I appreciate your help,” he says.

“I appreciate your business. Is there anything else I can assist you with.”

There’s a slight hesitation on his part, and then he shakes his head. “No, this will be all. Thank you, Piper.” His words fall off as he holds out his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Carter.” I immediately stop as I realize I’ve just played my hand, letting him know I remember exactly who he is. His smile grows as he reaches out and takes my hand. I’m nearly shaking in front of him.

“I was wondering how long you were going to pretend you didn’t recognize me,” he says in that deep drawl that’s already gotten me into trouble with him once before. “I also remember telling you more than once to call me Magnus.”

“We’re both well aware you’re not a man to be forgotten. That doesn’t mean I wanted to see you again,” I say in as confident a voice as I can manage.

“You’re not a woman to be forgotten either,” he practically purrs.

“Well, business is done, and I have a lot to do,” I tell him, finally able to rip my hand back away from him.

I can’t stand in this room any longer with him, so I quickly turn and exit, feeling him right on my heels. I walk a bit faster than normal as I take him to the front desk, then tell Mrs. Hargrove the price. I’m grateful for her as she doesn’t even bat an eye though I know she has to be just as excited as me about the transaction. It isn’t often someone walks in to purchase something.

“I’ll leave you to it, Mr. Carter,” I say as I turn to leave. He stops me.

“I like this library. I might have to come back,” he tells me.

This isn’t what I want to hear. I don’t like how flustered I feel around him. “I’m glad you like it, Mr. Carter. I take a lot of pride in the place.” I don’t say anything about him coming back. I don’t know if my hormones can handle it.

His eyes meet and hold mine for a moment too long. The sparks between us seem to ignite though I’m telling myself it’s simply a fluke. I quickly look away. I think I’m doing a fine job of hiding my reaction from him.

“Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Carter.” I don’t give him a chance to respond this time before I turn and walk away, and head straight to my office where I shut the door, something I rarely ever do. I lean against it and let out a shaky breath.

I shake this off after a bit too long, and then I go to work on my computer. By the time I come back out, I’m still feeling a bit off, but I’m me and have no doubt that I’ll shake all of this off quickly. Even though my thoughts come back to Magnus a few too many times, I force myself to pull it together.

By the time we close for the day, and I make the walk home, I decide to give Livie a call. She’ll make me feel better about the situation. I put in my air pods then ring her up. She quickly answers.

“How’s it going?” she greets.

“Magnus Carter came in today,” I tell her with a sigh. “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Ohhhh, I want to hear more,” she says, her voice instantly perking up.

“The man is still tall, dark, handsome, all of the normal tropes, but he also carries such an air of confidence, authority, and intenseness that I feel like I can’t breathe around him. I honestly can’t remember this ever happening before with any other man but him. Today, he says he was looking for a rare book that I happened to have in the back room. It has to be just a coincidence, right? He bought the book for fifteen hundred bucks which is great, and then he was gone again as soon as he was there.”

“Sounds like somebody still has a crush,” she taunts. I laugh. I knew talking to her was the right move. I make it to my place and walk inside where I quickly throw myself down on the couch.

“It’s a crush that will soon evaporate. I’m sure I’ll never see the man again, which is good, because I certainly don’t need complications in my life, and that is a one-night-stand kind of man which I know very well.”

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