Page 129 of Off Limits

“You’ve got this.” Dex pressed another kiss against my neck. “Just take a deep breath and remember that you’re amazing, and you worked damn hard for this.”

I let go of his arms, and he loosened his hold so I could turn and hug him properly.

“Do you want me to ease your mind and tell you what’s going on out there?”

I nodded against him.

“Isaac and Jamie were trying to wrangle people into a line when I came to check on you.”

“Wrangle people, as in multiple people?” I pulled my face out of his neck.

“As in lots of people.” He pecked a quick kiss against my lips. “The line goes out the door.”

My jaw dropped. What the hell?

“Are you sure?” I had to ask.

He gave me a patient smile. “I’m sure. And all the books you brought have already sold.”

“What?” I gaped at him. “All of them?”

“Every last one.” He grinned. “Are you ready to go out there?”

I buried my face in his neck again. “Almost. Just need a few seconds to process that. I was so convinced no one would show up that now I’m freaking out that people actually showed up.”

He chuckled and gently rubbed my back. “Take your time. You’ve got a few minutes until things officially start.”

I drew in a couple of deep breaths and forced myself to calm down. Dex was right. I could do this.

Hopefully.

“Ready?” he asked again when I finally pulled away.

I nodded, not trusting my voice, and held out my hand.

Dex took it and led me out of the back office and into the main part of the store.

The signing was being held at a used bookstore that I’d been frequenting for years. I loved shopping here because the building was a converted Victorian-style historical home, and the entire bottom floor was a maze of rooms and nooks and crannies that were crammed full of every type of book you could imagine.

The owner was also the biggest book nerd I’d ever met. We spent hours talking about our favorite reads, and he’d tracked down more than one hard-to-find book for me over the years.

He’d been ecstatic when I told him I’d published several books when we’d been talking one afternoon and had not only stocked the entire series to sell, but he’d also created a special feature wall for them and promoted me as a local author.

About a month ago, he approached me about doing this signing, and after lots of encouragement from Dex, I said yes.

Hopefully I didn’t come to regret that decision.

“Excuse me.” Isaac came up to my table, his arms full of my books when the signing was over and the last customer had left the store. “Are you the super famous author who wrote these amazing books?” He carefully set the stack down. “Can you sign these and make them out to your biggest fan?”

I snickered at his antics. “My biggest fan, huh?”

“Hell yeah. Only your biggest fan would wrestle these away from a little old lady to make sure that he gets your autograph while she can kick rocks.”

I shot him a dubious look. Knowing Isaac, that scenario wasn’t completely farfetched.

“It’s me. I’m the little old lady,” Jamie said flatly as he came to stand with Isaac. “I snagged them before we opened the doors,” he assured me. “No little old ladies were involved.”

Isaac elbowed Jamie in the side. “Maybe not, but mine is a better story.”

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