Page 37 of Let Me

“Why?”

“You seem like the kind of woman who enjoys a good love story while you’re looking for your own happy ending.”

“Yep.That’s me.I amthatwoman.”

He drags his index finger across the book spines, then says, “I have a book joke for you.”

“Oh no.”

Grinning, he says, “Hear me out.”

“Okay.What you got?”I ask, pinching back a smile.

He clears his throat and asks, “Why wasn’t the paperback attracted to the hardback?”

“Why?”

“It thought the hardback book had a bigprose.Get it?Nose—prose.”

I snorted a laugh and covered my mouth with my right hand to quiet myself.Then I say, “Judah, don’t ever tell anymore jokes.”

“It was funny, though, right?”he asks, amused.“See, that’s why you’re laughing.”

“No, sir.Don’t you ever in your life—” I say, still laughing, “—tell that joke ever again.”

Still amused, I say, “You’re cute, though.”

I take a book from the shelf and read the back cover.Judah takes it out of my hand and says, “I’m choosing your book,” then puts the book I was reading back on the shelf.

He roams the shelves with keen eyes, then turns to me and asks, “What’s the name of the last author you read?”

“Rochelle Alers….I think.”

“Okay, so you’re not getting one of hers.”

“But she’s one of my favorites.”

I take one of her books off the shelf.He takes it from my hand and puts it back on the shelf then steps up to me, crowding my personal space with his lengthy body, caging me between his arms as he rests his hands on the shelf behind me.

“What part about me telling youI’mpicking your book don’t you understand?”

“Um,” I say, nervously chewing my lip while staring helplessly into his eyes that are laser-focused on my face.The energy between us is palpable.Electric.A force.An uneasiness creeps over me.The good kind.The kind that makes butterflies flit around my stomach.The kind that makes me unaware of what’s about to happen next while at the same time having a pretty good idea.He’s going to kiss me.

The smile falls from his face when he stares down at my face.It falls from mine when I feel his thumb floating lightly across my freckled cheeks.A shiver traverses down my spine that nearly paralyzes me.

“Judah,” I utter in a single breath.

Before I can lick my lips, he bends down and swipes his hot, wet tongue across my lips in one steady motion, then pulls my lips into his mouth, sucking on them for a moment, then kisses me gently, yet with enough pressure to make my toes curl.He takes my lower lip into his mouth and then the upper, then both again, not preferring one over the other.He wants my entire mouth, and I willingly give it to him, angling my head up as his hands settle behind my head.After the initial shock has worn off, I relax into it.Why shock?Because from everything I know about Judah, he doesn’t want a relationship with anyone.He’s dismissed women who thought they’d change his mind.Yet, he’s kissing me like that’s all he wants.

He moans softly, reestablishing a new grip on my neck and delving deeper, connecting our mouths in a way my mouth has never been connected to anyone.

More moans come.Some from me, but most from him.It tells me he’s deprived himself of this – of allowing himself this kind of connection because of his health.Right now, he’s making up for all of it.

He’s not letting up or letting me go.

He kisses me deeper – so deep, he’s tasted my thoughts for tomorrow and tickled my brain with the effortless swipes of his delicious tongue.I skip breaths and heartbeats and just when I think my feet are going to lift from the floor, he stops and stares down at me, licking his lips like he’s gearing up for round two.

I’m tempted to look around to make sure no one in his circle is witnessing this, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from his.There’s so much emotion in his gaze.So many words he leaves unsaid but that kiss spoke for him.It said so much.So freakin’ much.

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