Page 194 of Dark Love

“I’ll make us omelets while you get ready.”

That man is too much. Too sweet. Yet it’s literally nothing to him. A drop in the proverbial bucket. “Vex?”

“Yeah, Dahl.”

“The bags are spectacular. Try not to spoil me too much.”

He chuckles. “I’ll spoil you as much as I like.”

That man is crazy in love with me. From what he does to how he stares at me, everything says love. Adonis didn’t even look at Mindy last night. “Vex?”

“Yeah?”

“Mindy likes Adonis.”

“And?” Vex leans back against the doorframe and stares at me.

“Adonis doesn’t like Mindy.”

“Okay?”

Where am I going with this? “He might be a nice guy, but Mindy deserves someone who looks at her like you’re looking at me right now.”

“Dahl, I’m not helping you play matchmaker.”

Was I asking him to? “You have to know more nice guys than I do.”

“Nope. Not happening. I’d burn the world down for you, but I’m not doing that. You’re on your own.” He stands up. “Now go get dressed. I have some spoiling to do.”

Hmmm. Maybe Imogene can ask Payne about some of Vex’s friends. I’ll worry about that later. Right now, I have to figure out how to actually make it out of this closet of dreams. The black tote in the middle is perfect to hold all the books I’m going to get.

***

“How does this do to start our day of books?” Vex holds out my frozen drink covered in whipped cream.

“Perfect” One of these days I’ll talk him into getting one for himself. “Is this the biggest bookstore in Urbium?” The center staircase goes up and up. I drink in the scent of new books.

“There’s a distinct possibility that it is.”

So many new worlds in one space. “You know we can’t spend all day here. You promised to show me your library.”

“We can stay as long as you like.”

Then we’d never leave. “How about we play a game?”

“Oh?”

“Each of us has to pick a book for the other person.”

“Interesting. But I have a bit of an advantage.”

Organizing my library gave him more than a bit of one. That doesn’t matter. I know exactly what book I plan to give him… My own.

That’s a big step. No one knows that I write except for my parents and the writers I meet at the conference every year. Vex trusts me. I need to trust him with one of the bigger parts of my life.

And then I’d be able to write in front of him, instead of sneaking around to get my words done. But he can never read the book.

Ever.

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