Page 51 of Seas the Dating Coach

“Yes,” I answer.

Vivian barely contains a squeal while touching the cover. “The Duke’s Honoris the first of eight. And when you’re done withthis series, you should try Annie Ardent’s Wellington series. It’s similar to the Worthington series but kisses only.”

My forehead wrinkles. “Kisses only?”

“The one you’re reading has…” Her voice trails off as that captivating blush stains her freckled cheeks.

Our proximity creeps into my consciousness as I watch the color slip down her neck. With Vivian standing between my spread knees, our eyes and mouths effortlessly align. All I would have to do is slide my palm behind her neck and demolish the remaining distance. I nearly complete my mental plan before remembering Vivian’s reaction last time we were this close.

There’d better be an ostentatious medal for willpower, because I earn two of them, leaning back and moving the book between us to create space.

“I admit, I’ve never read a romance before. I usually stick to non-fiction, the classics, or Pulitzer Prize winners.”

Vivian rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me you are one of those snobby literary types that can’t be bothered to pick up a book just for the fun of it. Books like this aren’t supposed to make you rethink the state of the world. They’re supposed to be an escape. A little drop of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day.”

The corner of my mouth kicks up. I love when Vivian gets feisty like this.

“I never said I was.”

“Oh. Well…” She tucks her hands into her dress pockets. “What made you pick this book up?”

“One of the librarians wanted me to read it.” My free hand tightens on my knee to keep it from sliding over Vivian’s distracting curves.

“Who?” Her confused gaze falls to the cover as she retreats a small step.

Yes, move backward. In fact, would you mind walking down a block or two so I don’t snap and devour those perfect lips?

She’s been nervously chewing on them all morning, and I desperately want to soothe them with my own.

Forcing my gaze back to her eyes, I say, “I don’t know. They keep leaving it on my desk. A stack of them.”

“What do you mean?” Her nose wrinkles, and it’s like an imaginary sports commentator laments over my impending loss to my impulses.

I take a slow, controlled breath. “I mean that, every other day, this book and the next three in the series show up on my desk. I don’t know who puts them there. They just…arrive. I’m pretty sure I’m being hazed, but to keep them from popping up, I checked them out.”

“Finn.” Vivian settles her hands on my shoulders, and I nearly swallow my tongue. “Those aren’t from your staff.”

“They’re not?”

Vivian shakes her head, her slow, mischievous smile making me grip the hardback book like it’s my lifeline.

“The library is giving you those.”

“What?” My brows pinch.

“Remember when I said there’s a little bit of magic on our sandy stretch of beach? The library is known to present people with the books they need to read. It’s done it to almost every local over the years.”

That…that makes no logical sense. The migraine I’ve been fighting all morning swirls my skull, its tendrils squeezing like taloned claws. My free hand comes to my temple, rubbing as I close my eyes.

“Finn?” Vivian’s voice reverberates with concern before I feel her cool fingers on my face.

My hand drops away immediately, her touch infinitely more soothing than my own. I keep my eyes closed as she removes my hat, one thumb holding perfect pressure against my left templeas her other fingertips trace through my hair. An embarrassing, open-mouthed sigh leaves my tight lungs as I sag into the caress.

“There’s Tylenol in the first aid kit,” Vivian tells me, not moving.

“I have my migraine prescription in the glove box.” The truth just leaves my slack lips, effortless.

I wait for my shoulders to bunch, for the unease that accompanies divulging personal information to spike over my muscles. Other people might think it silly, trying to conceal something so insignificant, especially since so many post their unfiltered lives all over social media. But my father drilled into me that one should never reveal a weakness.

---