Page 138 of As the World Falls

I nearly growl in frustration. “Why when he never has been?”

“James…”

“Fine. I’ll be good for your sake. Give me something to do. I’ll help out around here.” Just then, Lance comes around the corner, spotting us two, and practically blows smoke out of his nose as he shakes his head and takes off again.

“I’m sorry,” Cecilia mutters. “He’s in a mood today because he doesn’t understand why Marco is always with me, and I can’t exactly tell him the truth.”

“When isn’t he?” I gripe. Honestly, I was about done with his dramatics. Maybe Tobias can have a word with him. It’d probably go over better than if I did.

Cecilia sighs. “Why don’t you just hang out at my desk and organize all the returned books by genre? It’ll make putting them away tonight quicker.”

I drop my mouth and kiss her again. “Don’t leave me alone long, babe. I get ancy.” She bites her lip and rolls her eyes, shoving me toward her desk.

An hour later, I’m flipping through a book that has some very suggestive…actually, it’s downright filth, and boy, does the author have a way with words. I kick back in the chair and prop my feet up on the corner of the desk just as Cecilia whizzes by and slaps them off.

“Did you finish organizing the books?”

“By genre and alphabetical order,” I chime, not taking my eyes off the book.

She stops behind me, resting her chin on my shoulder. “What are you reading?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a romance about some rich guy and his maid, and she’s doing some…stimulating… things with her feather duster. It’s quite good.”

Cecilia giggles. “I cannot believe you’re reading that right now. But you’re right, it is a good book.”

I spin in the chair to face her. “You’ve read this?”

“Duh. Billionaire romance is a top five favorite of mine.”

“I’m starting to feel like this was your plan all along. Did you trap me to fulfill a little fantasy of yours?” I pull her into my lap and turn the book's page with my other hand. “Because if so, we should try the whole servicing me as part of your job duties. I mean, technically, I have been your employer.”

She wraps her arms around my neck as she gets comfy in my lap. “I think I could get down with that idea, even if it’s slightly demeaning, but I’ve come to accept there’s something wrong with me.”

I groan, dropping the book and filling my hands with her ass instead. “Join the club,” I murmur, kissing her.

A loud gasp startles us, and we break apart to find the culprit. A middle-aged woman clutches her chest as she stands a few feet from the desk, staring pointedly at Cecilia in my lap.

“Mrs. Reynolds,” Cecilia squeaks, scrambling from my lap. I let her go without issue because this was the library, after all, and this looked to be a now-traumatized customer.

“Cecilia, how inappropriate,” she scolds, causing me to stand defensively at Cecilia’s back.

“You’re right. I’m so sorry you had to see that. What uhm…what are you doing here?” Cecilia asks.

The woman takes on a more pleasant expression despite not acknowledging me yet. “I thought I’d drop by for a visit. I made those toffee chunk cookies you love,” she says, pulling a container from her giant tote bag over her shoulder.

Cecilia walks toward her and takes them, hugging her simultaneously. “Thank you. It’s so nice to see you. I’m sorry I had to miss Lance’s birthday dinner. My brother and I had some stuff going on.”

Lance? Why would this woman care about Lance? Unless…

The woman waves her hand, dismissing her apology. “Oh honey, that’s okay. I am so sorry to hear about your dad, by the way. How are you doing?”

Cecilia smiles solemnly. “I’m doing okay. I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

“You’ve got Lance, too,” she adds saccharinely. “He’s always been so protective and taken with you.”

“Yeah…” Cecilia draws out, and I notice her sudden discomfort as I watch the conversation unfold. “He’s a good friend,” she adds.

I clear my throat, making Cecilia jump, and the woman finally looks at me. “Oh, I’m sorry, this is James,” Cecilia finally mentions, walking back to me and looping her arm within mine. “My…boyfriend,” she adds awkwardly. I hated the termsboyfriend and girlfriend. They sounded too mundane for what I felt for her.

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