Page 122 of Vicious Kingdom

All too soon, the music ended, the engine cut, and silence pulsed inside the helmet. We were at our destination.

A used bookstore, the largest in the city.

Anticipation shimmered down my spine. This hadn’t been on the survey his secretary had me fill out. The idea was all Leo.

It’s like he knows me.

My husband pulled up his visor, then turned to do the same to mine. “I fucking love the way you hold me.”

I gave him a squeeze.

He helped me off the seat. “Give your legs a second to adjust while I tell you the rules.”

I unbuckled my helmet and handed it to him. “Rules? On a date?”

He nodded, looping the straps on the handles.

“Do I need a safe word?” I murmured.

Leo’s body tensed. His hungry gaze snapped to mine. A rough curse escaped his lips, and he let go of his hand to brush back the short strands of hair on my head.

“Such a wicked mind,” he rasped, accent thickening as he spoke.

Fuck—I was obsessed with this man.

“So…the rules?” I asked, my own voice thick.

Leo shook himself. “There’s a trend online. You have five minutes to look, three minutes to shop, and you get two baskets.”

My poor heart did an excited little flip. “Counter proposal.”

“Anna,” he warned.

But I melted into his body, sliding my hand over his chest. “You be a gentleman and hold the baskets—”

“Naturally!”

“—no time to look, and six minutes to buy.” I arched my brow in challenge.

His eyes narrowed. “How will you know what you want if you don’t browse first?”

“Because, lion, I already know what I want.” I wasn’t talking about books, but when it came to shopping for reading material, I was a pro at selecting. Plus, I knew this store like the back of my hand.

“Alright, I accept your proposal.” Leo laced our fingers together and drew me inside.

The familiar scent of paper and ink enveloped me as we stepped through the automated sliding door. Towering shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, creating a labyrinth of literary treasures that seemed to go on forever. This wasn’t just a bookstore—it was a sanctuary.

Sunlight filtered through tall, arched windows, casting golden beams across the worn hardwood floors. Dust motes danced in the light, glittering like tiny stars above the maze of books. In some corners, the shelves were so tightly packed that volumes jutted out at odd angles, creating a beautiful chaos.

“Mio dio,” Leo whispered, his eyes widening as he took in the vastness of the space.

I smiled, running my fingers along the spines of nearby books. “Three floors, over half a million titles, and the best rare book collection in the city.”

“You sure you don’t want to go back to the original proposal?” he pressed.

I handed him two baskets. “Have your charge card ready, Mr. CEO. I’m going to show you how it’s done.”

Leo arranged the handles and pulled out his phone. “Your time starts now, cara mia.”