Page 8 of Librarian & the Rockstar

"I…thank you," I whisper, my heart twinging. "Um, for everything."

He shoots me a tiny smile, dusting his hands off before rising gracefully to his feet. His gaze drifts down my body. "They fit you."

"Yes. Um, thank you. Again."

"Looks better on you than they do on me."

My cheeks heat.

"You hungry?" He nods toward the coffee table before I can even process the comment. "I cut up some fruit and cheese. It's not much, but I thought…" he trails off awkwardly, clearing his throat.

I gape at him for a long moment, caught off guard. He seems nervous, like he doesn't know what to say or do now that I'm in his space, wearing his clothes. And then realization dawns.

"I promise, I won't tell anyone that you're here or that you helped me," I blurt. "And as soon as the storm passes, I'll get out of your way."

He stares at me for a long silent moment. "Who says you're in my way, Loralei?"

"I…I…."

His lips curve, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's all good, baby. I'm not worried about it."

Ash Kilborne just called me baby.

That settles it. This is definitely not reality. This is way better than that.

"Come on," he says, holding out a hand to me. "Come eat."

I glance at his hand for a split second before slipping mine into his, my heart beating like a freaking war drum.

Chapter Four

Loralei

"You're the town librarian?" Ash asks, grinning at me from the opposite end of the couch where he's sprawled with his hands on his stomach and his feet on the coffee table. The plate of cheese and fruit is all but gone between us. The cabin is nice and toasty. Unfortunately, it's also still storming outside. It hasn't let up at all.

"Yes. I have been for the last four years."

One dark brow arches. "There's no way you're old enough to have been the librarian that long."

"I'm twenty-seven."

"Really? I thought you were twenty-one or twenty-two."

"Nope. Twenty-seven."

"And already lording over the literary scene in town," he murmurs. "Impressive."

"Book nerds start early," I say with a shrug.

He just chuckles in response, stretching his arms over his head. His t-shirt rides up, exposing a strip of skin right above his waistband. Jeez. Do his abs have abs? And am I allowed to ask if I can lick them? Probably not, right? "What's your favorite thing to read?"

"Romance."

The way he smiles at me makes my heart flip. "Yeah? What kind?"

"Just romance," I mumble, avoiding his gaze. There's no way I'm telling him that I read filth of the highest order. Some things, rockstars do not need to know.

"Uh-huh."