Page 36 of Taken By Sin

“Nope.” He smirks, flexing his muscles.

“Bye, Magnolia!” Violet sings behind the bar. “Bye, Maxy Waxy.”

I take one last look around the café, locking eyes with a waving Violet.

“By any chance, are you hiring?”

EIGHTEEN

The sun has fallen, leaving Sin’s office in a warm stream of amber lamplight.

A quiet sound alerts me, I turn to see Sin leaning against a nearby bookcase, watching me. It brings me back to when we met, with him coming in as I was cataloging books. It reminds him too, because as he eases forward, taking an impossibly long yet effortless step toward me, he pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

“I’ve heard you’ve been in here all day.” His voice covers me like a blanket.

He’s not wrong. As soon as Max and I got back to the house, all of my books were on white trolleys in the library, waiting to be shelved.

I went through a rather manic process. Organizing by color, which was insane. It looked so pretty but made it hard to find authors or series. Then, in alphabetical order of books, which again didn’t make much sense.

I’ve just finished.

I try not to visibly melt at Sin’s touch. “Well, you got here at the perfect time. Everything is categorized just like a regular library, so it’s much more effective that way.”

In truth, I was just wanting to reorganize so many times because I wanted to touch the spines and smell the pages.

“Where have you been?” I ask.

“Miss me?”

Yes.“Didn’t even notice you were gone.” I wave my hand in the air carelessly.

His eyes darken. “Don’t lie,” he says playfully, but there’s an undertone of venom sweeping across his lips.

I peer up, gazing at him. “Of course I missed you. I wanted you to come with me this morning.”

His strong arms envelop me, and I sink into his embrace. “I would have if a threat didn’t arise.”

I tilt my head in inquiry. “Threat?”

His gaze ponders up the shelf, and I admire the straight set of his jaw. “I don’t want to talk about it; I want to see everything you’ve done.”

A topic I’ll bring up later, of course, but for now I’m too excited to pry.

“Do you like the chaise I bought for you?” he asks.

A new, long velvety green chaise lounge that’s perfect for snuggling up with a book sits beside the window. “I do, and I can’t wait to read on it.”

His eyes hold mine, a longing moment where it seems his mind is going somewhere else. To where? I’m not sure

Sin plucks a random book from the shelf, opening it. “Why wait?” He pans his hand, inviting me to lie down.

I sink into the chaise lounge, watching him. The soft velvet feels good against my skin.

He clears his throat dramatically, and I laugh. The only sounds are the gentle rustling of paper as he turns the pages.

“Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”

I swoon listening to him read Romeo and Juliet. How did he know this was my favorite?

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