Page 36 of Monster: King of Nevada

“Ella.” My brother waves, a massive smile on his face. The bruises have almost disappeared now. “Where you going?”

“Just to the bookstore. How was school?” It’s been a while since I’ve seen him quite this happy.

“Good, got an essay to write.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so pleased about that.

“I’m guessing you like this new school?” He reacts to my question enthusiastically.

“Owen said if I get caught up, he’ll take me to get my learner’s permit next week.”

“He did, did he?” I glare at the man looking anywhere but at me now, lips twitching as he tries not to laugh. “Go on in and get started on that essay. I’ll help you once I get home.”

After kissing my cheek, Oliver runs off.

The bookstore, Turn the Page, is an independent one that I was excited to find. They specialize in romance novels by indie authors and a mix of other books for women. Their selection of baby books is a huge draw as well.

Lucas parks, and I suddenly feel shy. “You can, uh, wait out here if you want to.”

He gives me a dubious look like I’m nuts.

“Right,” I say.

We get out of the car and cross the parking lot. He holds the store’s door open for me, and the tinkling bell draws the woman behind the counter’s attention as she scans books in her system.

“Welcome to Turn the Page. Let me know if I can help you find anything.” The woman’s eyes are bright and happy as she smiles at me, not hovering like so many others sometimes do.

“Baby books?” I inquire, wanting to start there.

“Sure! Are you expecting, or is it for a friend?” Her question is friendly enough, but I see Lucas tense at the personal question, eyeing her critically now.

“Myself. I’m having twins.”

The woman claps her hands and jumps a little. “That’s so exciting. Congrats, girl!” I follow along until she stops on one wall. “Funny enough, these bad boys sell almost as much as the romance books.” We share a secret laugh over that. I can only imagine.

“Did you happen to get D.L. Gallie’s newest book, ‘Finding You’, in yet?” I ask, wanting to know where to go next. I’m in love with Gallie’s hockey series, and since this one is one of her personal favorites as well, I can’t wait to read it.

“At the counter,” the clerk gushes. “I was scanning them in. They’re even embossed with a signature by the author. I’ll set one to the side for you.”

Leaving me to browse, she heads back up front.

“Romance is popular, huh?” Lucas asks, eyeing up a table of viral must-reads. “Lots of baby making,” he muses with half a smile.

After grabbing a general pregnancy book, a book of names, and one specific to carrying twins, I move on over to the romance section that is filtered by tropes and sub-tropes. Finding the Morally Grey Hero section, I make a beeline for the alternate edition of “Raw Bloody Power” by Dee Garcia,grabbing it up quickly. Spotting theDrowning in Sinsduet by A.R. Hall, I grab those, too.

“The Scars of Us” by Nikki Sparxx catches my eye, so I grab it without reading the blurb. Lucas offers me a basket for the heavy load in my arms. “Thanks.” He holds it for me as I move from shelf to shelf, grabbing books by Susana Mohel, Kimberly Knight, and Annelise Reynolds before I finally decide I’ve got enough.

Heading to the counter, the woman’s smile brightens as she notices my haul. “Fantastic choices.” She places the D.L. Gallie book she held for me on top and rings me up. “We get a new shipment of books the first Saturday of each month.” With a wink, we head out, and my stomach grumbles.

“I didn’t realize we were in there for so long,” I whisper when I notice the time on the dashboard.

“I wasn’t about to tell you to finish up.” Lucas laughs. “You looked like you were in heaven.”

“I was,” I sigh.

Until I met Theias, I’d have said there’s nothing better than a good romance novel. Now, I think they come second to him.

“Is there something wrong with me?” I whisper. It’s almost all I can think about. The me from a month ago was terrified of intimacy. She would shrivel in the face of a man like Theias. He broke down all my walls in a single argument.

“Why would you ask that?” I feel Lucas’ eyes on me.

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