Page 26 of Don't Make Me Beg
Lucy’s brows furrow as if confused, but then she must read between the lines because she nods and presses her lips into a tight smile. “Never mind that. We’re just happy to see you again.”
“Is that Scout?” I hear Paige call out before popping around the corner carrying a tall stack of books. “Thought you’d forgotten all about us.” She waddles toward the door, the heavy books nearly crushing her petite frame. “You should see the romance section. It’s nearly taken over my whole store. Sales have been so good, I’m considering pivoting to solely carrying romance.” She grunts, adjusting the heavy pile of books in her arms, and I rush over to help her.
“Here, let me help you before you hurt yourself.”
She waves me off. “Oh, this is nothing. I’ve been working out hard in the gym.” She flexes a thin, fragile-looking bicep. “I can easily carry twice this much.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Paige. Just use the rolling cart like a sane person before you give yourself another bulging disk,” Lucy huffs, wiping her hands on a towel before chasing after her friend.
“Never a dull moment around here,” Hazel says, blowing out a sigh of exasperation as a wave of new customers begin filing in.
I take it as my moment to escape, politely waving before sneaking off to sift through the shelves of books in the next room over.
The vibes shift from the dimly lit, cozy Coffee Shop to a brighter, more upbeat energy as I make my way through the rows of bookshelves straight toward my favorite genre. The romance section.
I can’t help but smile as I drag my finger along the rows of brightly colored books.
Paige wasn’t kidding. She’s got quite the selection here. All the books are separated into their respective sub-genres, ranging from cute contemporaries all the way to dark romance. There’s even a special section dedicated to the most recent Phantom romance novel, which is where Paige and Lucy are currently standing, fighting over where to hang the banner.
I smile to myself as I flip through what I thought was a manga monster romance but quickly realize it is actually an erotic graphic novel. A warm blush heats my cheeks, and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head at the detailed image of the monster gripping his massive tentacle-like dick as a woman kneels before him.
It’s vulgar and borderline disgusting, but for some reason, I find myself captivated as I stare at it. It’s one thing to read erotic romance…but seeing it feels like something else entirely.
I can’t help but feel in awe of the way the artist was able to bring the image to life, noting all the fine details in the monster’s expression that may go unnoticed by the untrained eye. The way he looks down at her with such need and desire, it’s carnal and primal, like there’s nothing in the world he needs more than to have her.
It’s certainly not the type of love that was modeled for me growing up, and I’m not quite sure it even exists outside the realm of fiction. I can’t help but wish the man I marry would look at me like that. Maybe that’s my naivety talking, but that’s the kind of love I always dreamed of having—not with a monster per se—but to be the object of intense desire.
At least the universe got the monster part right…
Maybe I need to be more specific next time I make a wish.
Then, as if on cue, I nearly throw the book in the air when I hear a familiar voice talking on the phone. “Yeah, thanks again,Judge Sinclair. Don’t worry, we’ll find her… Trust me, she’s going to come home. No, that won’t be necessary, I’ll take it from here. I’ll let you know when I find her… Okay then, goodbye.”
My heart falls to my stomach, and I feel the blood draining from my face, hearing the sound of Jimmy’s voice. I can’t believe he’s here, and from the way it sounds, he’s looking for me.
I bite my cheek as I consider my options. Sure, I was planning on going home this evening, but I’ll be damned if I am going to be treated like some runaway child who needs to be brought to heel.
Did he talk to Hazel? How does he even know I’m here right now?
Heart pounding in my ears, my eyes scan the room, searching for an escape route. I won’t be able to go through the front entrance because I’ll have to cross in front of him, not to mention anyone else who may see me.
Since the three buildings are connected, my only other option is to go back through Coffee Shop, then I can use Hazel’s front door or make my way over to Bakery, which is probably the least busy during this time of day.
I breathe in a calming breath as I drop to my knees, leaning forward to peer around the bookshelf to see if he’s in view. I’ll need to be fast, but if I can get on the other side of the Phantom display, it’ll be easier to get away unnoticed.
Crawling forward, I shake out my hands, leaving my position behind the monster erotica graphic novels, and dive to the next aisle.
Relief floods me as I successfully cross the aisle going unnoticed, but it’s quickly replaced with panic when I hear Jimmy’s voice, even closer now. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Scout Sinclair. Have you seen her in here today?”
A moment passes when I finally hear Lucy’s voice. “Nope. I haven’t seen her.”
“I haven’t seen her either,” Paige says in agreement.
Why are they covering for me? They know Jimmy—well, they knowof himat least—and I certainly haven’t told them what has been going on in my life. Is my female intuition really that terrible that I agreed to marry him?
I don’t have time to answer that question. Right now, I just need to get out of here.
I’m giving myself a mental pep talk to make a run for it when I hear a throat clear behind me. I slowly look up to find Luka smirking down at me, looking like the devil himself.
