Page 4 of Savage Possession
“You ever change your mind, you call me. Day or night. I’ll drop everything.”
I take half a step back. She stares up at me, those wild blue eyes bright with a hundred secrets and even more questions.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she whispers.
I grin, slow and wolfish, letting her see a little of the predator beneath. “Because you make me want to be a better man. Because you’re too damn beautiful to let walk out of here thinking you’re alone in the world.”
A shaky exhale. “You can tell?”
She pulls away, but I don’t let her go immediately. I lean in, letting my voice go even lower, filthier. “I can tell we are not some random meet-cute, as a friend of mine would put it.”
That puts a smile on her pretty lips. “I’d love to meet your friend, but I have to go. It’s already getting dark and I’m expected home soon.”
She goes to pass the book back to me, but I’m not letting that happen.
“You keep the book. Actually…” I step over to the small coffee bar and reach behind the counter where Arabelle keeps bookmarks with the store's logo. I flip it over and put my number on the back before I turn back to Isa. “And tuck this between the pages.” I give her the bookmark and she does just that.
“When you can’t sleep tonight, think about me. Think about what it would feel like to have me reading you all my favorite dirty scenes, making you blush until you beg me to stop. Then come find me and let me finish the story.”
Her breath hitches with a note of despair and wickedness. I let her go then, knowing the memory will haunt her all night. It’ll damn sure haunt me.
She edges toward the back door, glancing over her shoulder, still clutching the book and bookmark to her chest.
“Goodnight, Ash,” she whispers, almost too soft to hear.
“Goodnight, Isa.” I watch her slip out the door, her silhouette etched in gold and shadow, the scent of her autumn and vanilla perfume lingering like a promise I know I’ll do anything to keep.
The silence in the bookstore is deafening. My body thrums with want, my hands still tingling with the memory of her touch. I lean against the shelves, head thrown back, letting the taste of her linger on my lips. I’ve never believed in fate or destiny or love at first sight, but this girl? She’s the start of a whole new chapter for me, whether I’m ready or not.
The thing is, I don’t just want her. I crave her. In every way a man can. I want to protect her, tease her, see if I can make her scream my name loud enough to shake these old walls. I want to be the only thing she thinks about when she can’t sleep at night.
Fuck, I’m already ruined. And I didn’t truly get to kiss her properly yet.
Tonight, I’ll dream about her. Tomorrow, I’ll show up for Arabelle’s next project just to see if Isa wanders in again. Hell, I’ll build a hundred damn bookshelves if it means I get to see her smile at me the way she just did.
Let the monsters come. Let the world burn. I’ve found something worth fighting for, and I’ll die before I let it slip away.
Little do I know how right I am. Isa’s monsters are about to become mine, and my life is about to be rewritten by the most beautiful, dangerous sweet angel I’ve ever met.
Fuck. Me. I’m in love.
2
ISABELLA
Ithink I’m in love.
I never believed in love at first sight. I thought it was a lie and some pretty illusion people told themselves to justify surrendering to the first person who made them feel alive.
Ugh. That probably makes me sound a little jaded, but once you get to know my life a little more, you'll understand why.
All that said, I can't shake off the butterflies zooming around inside me. It’s been four miserable days since I walked into the Broken Chapter and my perspective on love shifted.
I roll my eyes at my crazy thoughts. One freaking kiss and here I am thinking I could do forever with that man and not bat an eye at my instant decision.
One kiss and the taste and scent of him follows me day and night. I remember the way his rough, work-worn hands felt in mine and how easily his strength gentled when he had his hands on me.
I will never forget how his rough voice went soft for me, how he looked at me like I might be some sort of miracle instead of the girl trapped in someone else’s life.
