Page 3 of Words of Love

Sam was logging in to the computer, both hands on the keyboard, the apple now stuck between his teeth. The newspaper lay on the counter, open to a half-completed crossword puzzle.

Clearing her throat, Brooke dumped the books on the counter. He took hold of the apple and bit into it.

Not once in her life had Brooke thought there was anything remotely sexy about a man eating fruit. But the sight of Sam cupping the apple in his big hand while he tore through the ruby-red peel and crunched into the flesh with his straight white teeth…

Her breath shortened.

Though she wasn’t interested in Sam romantically, it wasn’t the first time he’d had an electric effect on her body. Whenever she saw him at a town festival, a little zinging sensation went through her like a shock.

Which was all fine and good, but she’d learned the hard way that azingcould short circuit in a bad way. Better to avoid them altogether.

“You buying those?” Sam asked around the apple bite.

She tried to muster up some distaste for him talking with his mouth full, but the way herolledthe apple over his tongue and bit down again with a—

She had to get out of here.

“I am, indeed.” She took her wallet out of her purse.

Sam wedged the apple between his teeth again and wiped his hands on his jeans before he started ringing up the books. His gaze lingered on the titles—The No-Brainer’s Guide to Self-Enrichment, How To Stop Screwing Up Your Life,andI’m Okay, but You’re Still Meh.

Heat rose to her cheeks. She hadn’t told anyone about her current existential crisis, and she certainly didn’t want Sam speculating about why she needed self-help books.

“I don’t need a bag.” She pushed her credit card across the counter and tried not to think about how much debt it was already holding.

He stacked the self-help books in front of her, took another bite of the crisp apple, and set the fruit on a paper towel. After wiping his hands on his jeans again, he picked up the romance novels and began scanning them while he chewed.

He was probably rolling the apple over his tongue again. His jaw muscles worked. His throat rippled. The sweet, fruity scent drifted to her nose.

Brooke unzipped her hoodie to let cooler air circulate around her body. Had it always been so warm in here?

Sam glanced at one of the romance covers,The Pleasures of the Pirate, which displayed a buxom woman clutching the legs of a shirtless pirate with an impressively unrealistic set of abs.

“For…uh, research,” Brooke mumbled, heat crawling up to her ears.

Why hadn’t she been organized enough to order her books online? She normally didn’t give two hoots what anyone thought of her reading choices, but it wasn’t the first time Sam had made her kind of jittery and nervous just by doing…nothing.

He was ringing up a copy ofSlave to You, which bore a particularly erotic cover of a half-naked man blindfolding a woman clad in lacy lingerie.

“Research for a…um, a Valentine’s Day article,” Brooke added hastily.

Without a response, he rang up her other romance novels, includingLoving the Billionaire,A Knight to Remember, andPrince Charmer.

Still flushing, Brooke turned to examine a display of bracelets. Braided cords held a metal disk, each one engraved with a different word—Read. Create. Believe.

She skimmed her fingers over the bracelets and picked one off the rack. A purple cord secured a copper disk bearing the wordCourage.

“This too, please.” She pushed the bracelet across the counter to Sam.

He picked it up, his eyes skimming the word. She’d have sworn she heard his internal scoff.

Her phone buzzed with a call. Since Sam was still at the computer, she excused herself and stepped to a nearby shelf. She pulled her phone from her bag. The nameMichaelpopped up on the phone screen.

Her stomach tensed. “Hi, Michael.”

“How’s it going, B? Any plans for New Year’s Eve?”

“Not yet.” Catching Sam glancing in her direction, Brooke turned away. “What’s going on?”

---