Page 6 of Triple the Secrets
Rogue grunted his agreement and then gestured for her to lead on.
As they moved through the stacks towards the back, she was very conscious of him following behind her. The heavy sound of his boots on the carpeted floor was still far too loud in such a silent space, and his scent wrapped around her far too easily for her liking. He didn’t crowd her, but she still didn’t like him at her back.
She didn’t like anyone at her back. So she quickened her pace, and when they reached the section she was looking for, she stepped back and indicated with a wave of her hand and said, “Here you go. We have a large assortment of books that I’m sure you’ll find interesting. I’ll leave you to it.”
Before she could leave, he stopped her when he asked, “I make you nervous?”
She stiffened at his question, unable to stop herself, but she glanced at him over her shoulder and said, “No. I don’t like to be far from the desk for too long.”
His eyes clearly indicated that he didn’t believe her for a second. He didn’t call her on it, instead saying, “Alright. Thanks.” Then he dismissed her without another look and started browsing the books on the shelves.
She nearly rolled her eyes as she headed back towards the desk. She didn’t mind bikers, and had actually met several when they had brought the boys, but this guy was obviously a whole different kind. He was rude, abrasive, and content to act like an ass .
When she emerged from the stacks, she made her way toward the boys and smiled at them when they looked up at her. “Gentlemen,” she said softly, warmly. “What are we reading today?”
“I wanna see the moose get home again,” Ronin said with a grin. “I liked it when you read it last time for me. I wanna try and read it myself.”
The book was age appropriate and she had no doubt that he could do it. “That’s wonderful. Maybe before you leave you can read it to me this time?” Ronin’s eyes lit up immediately at the idea. Her heart warmed. He had such a sweet little face, and she had to resist the urge to reach out and tousle his hair. “You keep reading it and practicing for me, okay?” He nodded and immediately dived right back in, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“I’ll help him,” Gabe offered quietly, nodding at her. “He’s getting really good at sounding his letters out.”
She smiled at him. “That’s great. And what are you reading today?”
“I’m researching how the Mexican traditions have influenced America,” he said seriously. “We’re going to be talking about it in class this year, I think, so I want to be prepared.”
She was suitably impressed. “I think that’s a lovely idea,” she agreed. “You let me know if I can help you find anything, okay?”
He nodded and smiled at her. “Thanks, Ms. Scarlett.” Then he put his nose back in the book.
She turned and had to bite back a yelp when she realized that Rogue was standing almost directly behind her. Where the hell had he come from? She tilted her head back and glared up at him. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she asked him tightly, careful to keep her voice soft.
He arched a brow. “Not on purpose.” He looked behind her. “I’m afraid I’m not going to fit in one of those things. You got a spot close to this so I can read these? Don’t want to be across the room from them.”
She relaxed. It was obvious to her that he was taking his job seriously by keeping watch over the boys. “We can move one of the smaller tables and a couple chairs over here.” She nodded at a circular table on the other side of the room that was on wheels.
“Just tell me where you want it and I’ll do it,” he said gruffly, handing her the books in his hand.
She directed him, and secretly enjoyed watching him move. She was right that the lower half of him was just as broad and strong as the upper half. His hips were slim, but his legs were long and she could see the muscles flexing in his dark denim jeans.Damn, she thought,I bet he could crush some big stuff with those thighs.Not that she wanted to see that, she assured herself. Still, it had been a long time since she’d seen a man she was attracted to and could enjoy staring at.
Her sex drive had all but dried up in the past three years, so her attraction to him was a bit of a surprise. Still, when he put the last chair in place and reached out to take the books from her, she gave herself one more moment to admire the sight of him moving around.
“Thanks,” he grunted before he sat down at the table and flipped open the first one.
She glanced at the boys one more time before she turned and headed back to her desk. She had work to do, and if she wanted to make sure she had time to let Ronin read to her before the girls returned from their day camp, then she had better get a move on.
CHAPTERTHREE
ROGUE
He watched the sexy librarian out of the corner of his eye. She worked quickly and efficiently on whatever she was doing behind her desk, and there was something that just kept pulling his gaze back to her. Maybe it was the fire he had seen in her eyes when he acted like an asshole. Or the fact that he knew she was on the run from something.
He didn’t know how he knew, but the minute she looked at him, he felt it deep in his gut. So deep, it had taken everything in him to keep from reaching over the desk, grabbing her, and carrying her out of there to safety. It was a reaction he had never had before. And never wanted to have again, as far as he was concerned.
Women weren’t for anything more than a quick round of pleasure. Even then, he was careful with his partners. The club girls were fine for a quick fuck to take the edge off, but when he needed something a bit more, he had a set criteria and if a woman didn’t meet them, then he never looked twice.
Which is why he was both curious and annoyed at the fact that this woman was pulling his attention. She might not be mousy or sweet like he first thought, but he had some serious doubts that she would be into his kind of sex. He wasn’t a vanilla kind of man, and he doubted she could handle him. So he would just watch her, make sure whatever was following her would end up at his club’s door.
He glanced at his phone. They’d been here for a couple of hours now, which meant the library would be closing soon. He typed out a quick message on his phone.
