Page 34 of Love Me Reckless

“Library-warming-present.” I flash the cover.

Her eyes light up, like I’ve offered her something precious. She flips through the pages, the story drawing her in. “The illustrations are amazing. Where did you find it?”

“A little girl on the ferry. I think she left it for me.”

“That’s so sweet. You should keep it.”

“Let’s give Princess Magnolia a wider audience.”

Kirilee presses the book to her chest and smiles. “Okay then.” She slides the book into place, then turns to me. “I have something for you, too, actually.”

I shoot her a curious glance, but she quickly reaches into her car and lifts a thick book. “I know it’s big, but I promise it’ll be worth it.”

I’ll make sure of it.I force my mind from the gutter and lift the tomb from her hands. The flashy gold cover with a dragon in black ink behind the boldface title doesn’t give me much to go on, but right now, I don’t care. She bought this for me.

“Looks like I have some reading ahead of me this winter,” I say, ignoring the knot in my chest.

“Since you were so curious about spicy dragon romances, this will give you a taste.”

A taste, huh?Just say the word.

With a laugh, I give her a little bow. “Thank you.”

“Do you have time to see the property I found?” She bites her lip and winces with one eye shut, like she’s bracing for me to say no. “The open house goes until six.”

“Sure,” I reply. “Let me just put away my bike.”

When I wheel my mountain bike into the garage, Carson pokes his head from the mudroom. “I’m doing tacos tonight. You okay with spicy beans?”

“Sounds great.”

“You’re welcome to invite a guest.” He pumps his eyebrows.

“Thanks, I’ll ask her.”

“Cool.” His gaze lands on the giant book I set down on the workbench so I can hang my bike from the empty hook next to his. “You gonna read that whole thing?”

I laugh. “That’s the plan.”

He glances down the length of the garage to Kirilee’s SUV. “Whoa… is that…?”

“Kirilee? Yes.”

His eyes widen. “You either have the biggest set of gonads this side of Texas, or you have rocks for brains.”

I give Kirilee a quick glance but thankfully her attention is on her little library. “It’s not like that.”

“Uh huh.” He slips back inside.

I’m tempted to keep the book with me or go hide it in my room. But this isn’t the foster home or that ramshackle group house I lived in while I was with the railroad. I don’t need to worry about my stuff going missing or getting locked out on purpose or having to fight so I don’t get fucked with.

I give the cover a quick caress, then head back to the curb.

We climb into Kirilee’s SUV and I pretend like it’s not the first time I’ve been inside a luxury car. The tan leather seat cradles me like a glove and the dash and console are tidy and shiny and once the door shuts, it feels like a tank. I’m sure there are a hundred airbags in this thing.

“What’s on the agenda for your bachelorette party?” I ask.

She turns right at the light, and we pass the elementary school and the ball field as she talks. “We have two suites at the Shore Lodge in Darby. We even get our own private hot tub and fire pit. Sofie and Ava are planning a spa trip on Saturday morning. We’ll go to dinner and walk around downtown. It’s supposed to snow but the ski area there isn’t open yet or we could go skiing on Sunday.”

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