Page 8 of Her Purr-fect Christmas Mate

“Very well.” Mordecai looked down his nose at her. It should have been enraging. It shouldnothave made her think inappropriate thoughts about repressed librarians.

I’m a bookseller! If anyone here is a repressed book-adjacent person, it should be me!

Mordecai sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll hail a cab.”

Because we mere peasantry are incapable of such a thing. Sure. You go ahead.She hooked her arm around his and turned towards the street. “So, ClubInferno? Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought it of Mr. Blanderley. He’s always struck me as more of the sherry-and-cigarettes type.”

Mordecai muttered something, took a step with her—and his leg collapsed under him. His weight fell against her, and they half-tripped, half-stumbled to catch their balance together.

“Are you all right?” She stared into his white-lipped face. “Is it your leg? You should have said something!”

“And interrupt your scheming? Heaven forbid.” A whisper of a smile flashed across his face.

Peony stared. Was hejokingwith her?

And worse… did she like it?

Oh god. I do like it.

She sniffed. “Thank you. My scheming must not be interrupted. But if you’re that badly hurt…”

“It’s nothing.” He tried to put weight on his foot again and winced. “Itshouldn’tbe a problem. Why haven’t you healed it already?”

The last sentence was muttered in an angry undertone. She got the distinct impression she wasn’t meant to hear it. In fact, she would have bet he meant to say it inside his head, not out loud, except that the pain he was trying not to show on his face had overridden his plans.

“I’m very much afraid,” he said, straightening with a look of disgust, “that before I take you anywhere, I’m going to have to request your help again.”

“You didn’t ask for it before,” she pointed out.

“Then let me throw myself on your mercy without falling to the ground this time,” he countered through gritted teeth. Oh, hell, he really was in pain. Peony took a deep breath.

You can do this. It’s notthatmuch different to holding on to his arm.

She wrapped one arm around his waist and put her shoulder beneath his.

His coat wasn’t bulky and padded like hers. It was slim-fitting and probably made from the wool of sheep genetically modified to be both fashionable and extra insulating while still leaving her in no doubt of the shape of the body beneath it. Her cheeks flooded with heat. The arm she’d wrapped around him felt too warm. Other parts of her anatomy woke up with an excited tingle like they wanted the chance to heat up, too.

Oh god.

She cleared her throat. “Fine. Come on, let’s get your ankle iced.” She maneuvered him around, and together, they limped back to the Hypatia.

They were in the elevator when Mordecai finally realized she wasn’t taking him back into the bookstore. “Where are we going?”

“The first-aid kit at the store is good for paper cuts, less good for sprains.” She hesitated. Telling him felt like taking off a piece of armor.

What? That makes no sense. What’s so revealing about telling him that not only is he going to destroy your work, he’s going to leave you homeless, as well?

Oh, right.Thatwas why it felt like baring her secrets to him. Because it meant he would know exactly how much power he held over her.

Should have left him to freeze.

“We’re heading to my apartment,” she said shortly.

The words seemed to take a moment to penetrate his brain. She could live with that. Waiting for his reaction gave her something to worry about. Something that wasn’t—to take an example entirely at random—the fact that their bodies were literally rubbing against each other.

Through several layers of clothes, but still. Rubbing.

I am going to die. Right here. He isn’t even going to get a chance to demolish the building. It’s going to burn down from the fire caused by how turned on I am right now.

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