Page 134 of The Secret

If Christmas had come early for Kit, then Quincy Philips was her Santa Claus, and she trotted off after him, glancing back at me occasionally to check I was behind her, which I was, staring at her ass. I was still there as we entered the building, with a vast oak paneled entrance, and ceilings so high they could have stacked all the books on end and they probably wouldn’t have reached.

Her neck craned as she read each Shakespeare inscription carved into the walls, and Quincy Philips began his detailed tour, holding her rapt attention. I doubted he’d ever had anyone on a tour who was as eager about Shakespeare as Kit was.

I tried to stick with them, tried to listen to what he was saying, but Shakespeare and I had never seen eye to eye, and at some point I fell far enough behind that I felt it was acceptable to sit down to make some calls, catch up on work, send some emails, and check in with my portfolios while the markets were closed for the weekend.

An hour later, I wandered off in the direction they’d gone. My sizeable contribution had bought a ‘before hours’ tour, which meant the only people in the building were employees of the Folger, and there were few enough around that my footsteps echoed as I walked. It also meant I could find them easier than I would have been able to, as I simply followed the sounds of Quincy Philips’ exaggerated whispers.

I found them leaving an enormous cathedral style room, Kit waiting patiently as he opened a thick oak door marked PRIVATE, with a bunch of keys that easily weighed a couple of pounds with how many there were on it.

“Hey,” I kissed her head. “Enjoying yourself?”

“It’s incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like it, nor met anyone who knows as much about Shakespeare as Quincy does. It’s unbelievable.”

Quincy, eh?

Quincy’scheeks turned a distinct shade of pink. Looks like I wasn’t the only one smitten by Kit Isobel Hawkes.

Cool air rushed out as the door opened and he guided us down a narrow set of steps into a dark-ish room. Rows and rows of shelves lined the walls, reminding me of the wine cellar at Rafe’s Hampton’s house. Except instead of wine, the walls were filled with books. Along the far end were glass rooms, toward which we were walking.

Quincy Philips stopped outside one. “Mr. Williams, if you don’t mind waiting here, there isn’t enough space for three of us.”

“Not at all.” I was merely the spectator to Kit’s show today, and all I cared about was making her happy, making sure she was having the best experience possible.

He held the door open for her and she stepped inside, closing the door behind both of them, and pushed a large green button on the wall I hadn’t noticed before. A whoosh of air sounded around me. I rammed my hands into my pockets, tipping back on my heels as I watched him hand her a pair of white gloves then open a glass drawer containing a thick, ancient book which he lifted out and placed on the illuminated counter.

From the way her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, I hazarded a guess this was an original Shakespeare manuscript. The tightening in my chest coincided with the lump forming in my throat, one I was finding hard to swallow. The level of happiness I saw on her face matched the one I felt every day, and I’d been responsible for it.

I’d made her smile, I’d made her happy.

And fuck me, but if I hadn’t been head over heels in love with her this morning, I was now. Cupid hit me with his arrow square between the eyes, and another one in the heart for good measure.

My stomach was rumbling by the time an alarm buzzed on the door, alerting them to get out of the room and marking the end of the tour. The three of us walked up to the daylight and outside, where the car was waiting for us.

“I can’t thank you enough for this, Quincy. It was incredible.” She wrapped him in a hug.

His cheeks flushed again. “You’re welcome, Kit. Please do call me if you need anything for your course, or would like to come back and visit. It’s open to you any time.”

I was offered his hand. “Mr. Williams, thank you so much for contacting me.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for organizing this morning. I can confidently say she’s had a brilliant time.”

He waved us off as we got into the car and she turned, her hands cupping my face and pulling me in for a kiss I had no objection to. Shifting her into my lap, my hands stilled at the base of her neck and I gave her the kiss she was asking for.

I dragged my lips away before she straddled me. Our driver might be paid a lot for discretion, but I had no intention of fucking her in the back of the car while he waited for instructions on where to go next.

“I take it you had fun,” I laughed against her lips.

She reared back to answer me. “I can’t believe you did that for me. It was the sweetest, most incredible gift I’ve ever had. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me; your happiness is all I need.” I meant it. I didn’t want or need thanks. Folding her in my arms, I kissed her nose. “Are you hungry?”

Her brown eyes flashed golden before darkening with arousal, which had an immediate effect on my dick. “I am, but not for food.”

“Sit there, and don’t move.” She giggled loudly as I shoved her off my lap and lowered the privacy screen to speak to the driver. “Can you take us to the hotel please?”

“Yes, sir. Mandarin Oriental?”

“Yes.”

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