Page 23 of Dark Moon Secrets

I shuffled quietly over to stand behind the glass counter where the cash register and a few trinkets sat. My eyes stayed firmly on him, wondering if he knew I was there and if I should say something. I didn’t want to speak for fear it would break the secret moment I had, seeing this hot guy for the first time.

An itch on the back of my calf muscle started to annoy me. I moved to scratch it, trying to be quick, but in doing so, I bumped the side of the counter hard enough to cause the trinkets to rattle.

After staring at this stranger for long enough, I had to say something now. I vaguely remembered I was meant to be the one in charge of this shop.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

My mind raced with sexy thoughts of how I could help him. I quickly shut them down. I didn’t know who he was. Fuck, he might not even be single.

He turned, and his eyes locked with mine for a moment. My heart raced as I stared into the sparkling dark pools. My mind exploded with lustful things I could do with him, and heat rushed to my cheeks.

I never knew I could lose control of myself so quickly and easily by simply meeting a stranger for the first time.

“I need some more incense.” He held up a packet of incense from the display. “White sage.”

I had no idea why anyone would want white sage. What was it for? What was it supposed to do? How the fuck was I going to fake this? I couldn’t run this shop without looking like a fool.

“Good choice,” I attempted to say confidently while nervously wiping my sweaty hands down the sides of my jeans.

“You’re new here? Summer job?” The man approached.

He was about my age, maybe a bit older, and I found it a little insulting he’d even consider I was a student and this was a summer job.

“I’m the boss lady.” I thrust out my chin. “Tanjie.”

“Oh…” He raised an eyebrow. “I like a boss lady.”

Was he flirting with me? Heat rose to my cheeks, and I tried not to show I was flustered.

He placed the box of incense on the counter, and I looked at it like it was some kind of alien. I had no idea what to do with the box or even how much it cost. During high school, I didn’t have a typical part-time job in retail. I’d worked at the local veterinary office for a bit, then took the safe option of a desk job, pushing a pen around and clicking on a keyboard.

“What are you doing here, Alaric?” Luna asked as she pushed through the velvet curtain. Her tone was stern and put me on alert.

“You know how I’m attracted to new smells.” Alaric turned his lustful gaze on me, and it was like a thousand butterflies took flight in my belly.

“Should I give you a warning, Alaric?” Luna moved to stand next to me, a protective air about her.

“Hey, I’m free to come here and buy what I need. You cater to many different types in this shop, so what’s changed?” Alaric challenged before taking out his credit card.

Luna frowned as she processed the sale and scanned his card. “Of course, but I suggest you don’t go liking any new scents around here…” Luna glared at the man. “I’m sure you get my meaning.”

“Free world, isn’t it? Or would you prefer to put me in chains?”

His attitude spiked my interest in him even more. I suspected he might be a bit of a bad boy—maybe things would be more interesting around here than I thought.

Maybe, but only time would tell.

It would be much better than going out each Saturday night with Mia and Caleb, which hadn’t resulted in any action for me in a long time. But then, looking for a sexy time or even something more serious hadn’t been easy, with the heaviness of grief weighing me down.

“Wouldn’t dream of putting you in chains.” Luna handed him the incense. Then she mouthed something to him and caused him to smirk.

Fuck, he was sexy.

There were a few things I’m sure we could do together that involved chains.

To the very depths of my core, I knew I had to get to know this man.

“See you around soon, I hope,” I blurted out like a lovestruck teenager.

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