Page 43 of I Blame the Rival

The brutal honesty tugs at my heart. There was a reason I felt drawn to my mystery pen pal all those weeks ago, and it wasn’t because we both believed in fairytales.

It was because we both needed one.

The love seat pressed against the wall catches my eye and suddenly an idea sparks.

“Here, let me pick out a book and we can read together.” I point towards the oversized chair, “Would you be comfortable sharing that?”

Skylar blinks in surprise and nerves hit me unexpectedly. I don’t want this day to end, so here I am, making another ridiculous suggestion in the hope that we can spend more time together.

I blow out a breath, “Never mind. That was a silly idea-

“Okay.” Skylar nods slowly, flicking his gaze from me to the small couch, “Let’s do it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He walks over to the ancient furniture and analyzes it, “We’ll fit better if we each take a side. Our legs might overlap though.”

“That’s okay.” The words slip out much too quickly and Skylar glances at me with bright eyes.

“Did you pick out a book yet?”

“Uh… yes.” Grabbing the one with an adorable purple cover, I press it against my chest and creep closer. Skylar holds out a hand and I stare at it, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Can I see it?”

I blink, realizing the hand is for my book and not me. Passing it over with a blush staining my cheeks, I’m about to suggest we abandon this idea when Skylar turns and walks out of the room.

Skylar

“Skylar Vin! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

Betty croons at me as I approach the checkout desk, her octogenarian status shining through the thin tuff of grey hair and countless wrinkles lining her face.

“Good to see you, Betty. Can I purchase these please?”

She grins, “How’s your mama holding up? It's been too long since she came to visit me.”

“I’ll let her know she needs to come by.”

“I’m just playing you.” She cackles, showing off the few remaining teeth, “The lovely Amber was in to see me just last week. Now, you and your brother on the other hand…”

She shakes her head, “You’ve both been denying me a proper visit. An old biddy like me needs to see some handsome youth or else I’ll shrivel up and die, you hear me?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She barks out a laugh before ringing in my order, “That sneaky humour of yours is going to get you into trouble one day. Don’t tell your brother this, but you’ve always been my favourite of Amber’s children.”

“I’m sure you tell Vector the exact same thing.” Passing over some cash, I slide the two books back into my arms, “Take care, Betty.”

“I always do.”

I duck back into the romance section and find Lacey browsing the shelves again. Her fleece sweater rides up when she reaches for a book on the far shelf, exposing a sliver of skin. My eyes follow the smooth line of her stomach, down the curve of her ass, and over the endless length of her legs.

Even though she said she likes it when I look at her, I try not to do it too much. She’s skittish and a little unsure at times, so I’ve been doing my best not to scare her.

It’s hard though. I’ve never met a more beautiful person in my life.

“Did you find something else?”

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