Page 28 of Undeniable

I really did laugh then.

“Andhe wants to read a romance novel? Dude,” she said, stretching out the word. “That’s so hot.”

“What?” I yanked the phone from her hand, my eyes quickly scanning the screen.

He wanted to read a romance novel and discuss it? Over the phone? I gulped. While the novels we’d read had certainly contained sensual, even steamy, scenes, none were strictly romance novels. They were more action and adventure with a side of romance.

“Do it. Do it. Do it!” Alyssa said, her fist pounding my desk. “He has the hots for you.”

I often got the feeling Connor was interested in me, and the idea that Alyssa thought so too made me giddy. But…it was completely pointless. I had a crush on him, so what if it was actually reciprocated? He lived on the opposite side of the country, and I’d likely never meet him.

Even if we did meet and somehow hit it off, I wasn’t interested in long-distance. I’d watched my parents’ marriage crumble because of competing goals and schedules. I’d seen them torn apart because of loneliness, infidelity, and distance. If there was a surefire way to make a relationship fail, it was trying to carry it out from across the country.

“Why are you hesitating?” she asked. “He’s single, right?’

I gnawed on my lip. “I think so.” At least, I hoped so, though we’d never discussed it directly.

“He has to be,” she said, clearly wanting it to be the case. “And,” she said, holding up a finger, “since I’m a romance novel expert, I have the perfect book for you.”

“You do?” My mind was elsewhere—trying to think of reasons why this was a bad idea. But all that came to mind was what Connor might look like,soundlike, especially as he read a steamy scene in a romance novel.

“Of course,” she scoffed, snapping me out of my daydream. “You have to have him readInsatiableby Meghan Hart.”

“Yeah?” I answered absent-mindedly.

She nodded. “Trust me. Her books are sexy but tasteful. She’s an indie author from my hometown. There’s a whole day dedicated to celebrating her writing.”

Why did that not surprise me? Probably because it was the Alondra Valley.

I loved it there. It was so cute and charming. And they had an amazing indie bookstore—Bibliophile.

“So…are you going to do it?” Alyssa asked.

“I don’t know,” I hedged. “I mean, do you really think this is a good idea?” I certainly had my reservations, though a part of me was curious too. Curious and…

“I think it’s a great idea. And I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of it. I also—” she leaned forward “—think you should take him up on his proposal to talk on the phone.”

“What?” I shrieked, but then I clapped my hands over my mouth as if that could take it back. “I mean, are you crazy?”

I could think of a million reasons why talking on the phone with Connor was a terrible idea. For one, I felt comfortable with him; I liked him. And I didn’t want to ruin that. Also…I could revise my emails and texts, not so much with a conversation over the phone where I’d be on the spot to be witty and sexy and whatever else.

“Aren’t you curious?” she asked, and I shook my head. “Not at all?”

“No.”Liar.

“Come on. Live a little.” She grinned.

“I don’t know,” I hedged, despite the fact that it was tempting. I was undeniably curious about Connor. I couldn’t get that image of his bicep out of my head—again, assuming it was actually his. “That’s not exactly within the parameters of the program.”

“So? It’s a pilot program anyway. And you’re the one spearheading it. Besides, you guys are already texting. What’s the difference?”

It was bad enough that I’d given him my number; it would look even worse if someone found out that I was breaking my own rules. But Alyssa made a good point.

“What would Molly and Amy do?” she asked referring to the main characters inBooksmart.

I knew the answer to that.

“What if it’s awkward?” I whispered, a tendril of excitement curling itself around my heart and taking hold.

---