Katherine straightened the stack of books on the table for the fifth time. Or maybe the tenth time. She had lost count at this point as she nervously chewed on her lip, looking around the sitting room surrounded by bookshelves. When she bought this bookstore six months ago after moving to this small town, one of the things she had hoped to do was convert this backroom into a place where people could meet and talk.

With the plushy, vintage chairs, and leather couch, one could spend hours snuggled up with a good book. That is… if anyone showed up. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, it was past 7, and still, no one had come in yet. She rearranged the finger sandwiches on the table, checking her reflection in the hall mirror as she brushed her bangs out of her green eyes. She was about to start putting everything back up when the bell went off up front. 

Katherine made her way through the rows of bookshelves back up to the register at the front of the store, surprised to see several ladies milling about up front. 

“Hello!” A lady of about forty called out to her as Katherine greeted them all. “Are you having your book club meeting tonight?” 

Katherine sighed with relief, running a hand through her long blonde hair nervously. “Yes! It is definitely still on, I’m so glad you all could make it. Please, follow me right this way.” She led them back to the room and started handing out sandwiches and drinks, so excited that people had actually shown up as she was still struggling to fit in to the small-town culture. 

“Now that we are all settled,” Katherine looked around the room as the idle chatter died down, “I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for what you all might like to read?” 

The room erupted into ladies talking rather passionately over one another as they each vouched for a book that they thought deserved to be the first. Katherine fought hard to keep the smile off her lips as she watched them all talk amongst themselves so animatedly. 

Breaking through the chatter, the chime up front echoed down the bookshelves and into the room. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back! Don’t mind me, you all can keep discussing!” She said over her shoulder as she walked back up front. But the person standing in the entryway of the shop made her stop short and hide behind a bookshelf. Katherine peeked around the corner of the shelf to make sure she was actually seeing who she thought she was seeing. 

Rowan Deane leaned against the register counter, his cobalt t-shirt and leather jacket stretching over his muscled chest and strong, tattooed arms.  Katherine swallowed, running her hands over her long skirt to smooth out its imaginary wrinkles before she stepped out from around the corner. 

“How can I help you?” she asked, clearing her throat as she walked towards him. His bright blue eyes were on her immediately and instantly made her regret wearing her oversized sweater as the room seemed to turn up several degrees. 

“I’m here to join your book club,” Rowan said, flashing her a quicksilver smile as he took her in, looking over her face and outfit. 

Katherine laughed nervously, her voice going into a higher pitch as she walked closer to him as she went behind the counter, bending down to grab some notepads and pencils for the ladies. “You are something else. Did you have nothing else to do on your Saturday night so you decided to come in and make fun of me?” she asked as she straightened, glancing up at him. His eyes pinned her to the spot, their intensity turning her insides red hot and molten.

She remembered that look from a couple months ago, the last time they had been alone. The town’s Christmas party where her wounded heart over Grant having just broken up with her and a very sexy Rowan all too willing to make her forget all about her ex was the perfect storm for what they did that night. They had hooked up in the bathroom, feverishly kissing each other like their lives depended on it. They had been very close to a home run but thankfully Rowan had come to his senses and stopped them before they did any more things they might regret.

Since then, she had avoided him like the plague, so ashamed of how she had behaved even though technically she had done nothing wrong, but she had just never done something like that before. Rowan made her feel like she had missed her footing somewhere, he made her feel off-kilter, her mind scrambling into a million pieces whenever he was near. And Katherine liked stability, she did not like to feel scatterbrained and amiss.  All the more reason to avoid him like the plague, even if bad boys and tattoos were her Achilles heel, her kryptonite. 

“I’m not messing with you.” His serious tone shocked her back to the present as Rowan leaned over the counter, his face very close to hers. “It might surprise you that I like to pass my time in more ways than just kissing people in bathrooms.” Katherine’s face flamed in embarrassment as Rowan chuckled, his smile lighting up his face and making his eyes squint in the corners. 

She gave him her most ferocious scowl as she pivoted and stormed back to the room full of ladies, whose chatter had died down considerably and were very surprised to see their host had spent so much time talking to whoever up front and that it was the town’s renowned player.  Rowan’s entrance into the room was followed by many hushed whispers as the ladies all looked at him with varying levels of apprehension and confusion on why he was here.  He made the wise decision to pick a chair farthest in the back, a sea of side eyes following him as he did. 

Katherine took her seat in one of the chairs in the front of the room. Shooting one last seething glare at Rowan, she picked up some books from the table beside her and started talking with the group about books she thought might be a good first pick for their club.   The ladies chittered over which books they should pick, going back and forth over which would be the best fit for their club and if these picks were even any good or if they needed to do an overhaul of their book club before it even began.  

Katherine was beginning to regret this decision of starting this whole thing when she glanced over at Rowan. His arm was propped up on the small table next to him, his chin in his hand so his mouth was covered but she could make out the upturned edges of his smile behind his hand as he watched the chaos unfold.  He must have felt her eyes on him as he looked over at her, his smile deepening as Katherine felt her face reddening in mortification that he had caught her looking at him. What was wrong with her? 

“Okay ladies!” Katherine raised her voice a little to be heard over them all. “It’s getting rather late since we had a later start so I think we should maybe reconvene once we all have a better idea on what kinds of books we would all like to read. How about for our first month we do a classic? Now you all can think for the next week about what your favorite classic is and why it’s your favorite and then we can meet again next time to discuss and decide. How does that sound?” The ladies looked around the room at one another, all starting to nod in agreement as one by one they all stood up to leave. 

“Thank you so much for having us all, I’m sorry we were all so over the place but we were just so excited!” said one of the ladies as Katherine led them all up front.

“I wasn’t very prepared either so I apologize, next week will be more organized and we’ll all have a book in mind so it should go more smoothly.” Katherine bid them all goodbye one by one, closing the door behind the last woman. She locked the door from the inside, turning the OPEN sign off. “That was a complete and utter disaster.” She sighed, leaning her back against the front door with her head in her hands. 

“I wouldn’t say it was a total disaster.” Rowan’s voice, laced with amusement, said from right in front of her as Katherine sat bolt upright, pushing her bangs out of her face. “Was it amusing? Yes. Disaster? Nope.” He smirked down at her, booping her on the nose with one of the books she had pulled. 

“Ugh.” She grabbed the book from him, pushing past him as she went back to the room to start putting everything back in order. “Why are you even here? You were literally the only guy here in a room full of middle-aged women. I know you did it just to get under my skin. Everyone else has gone now so you can go ahead and leave.” Katherine took a stack of books and started making her way to one of the bookshelves, meticulously putting the books back in their place.  

She felt Rowan join her in the aisle, silently helping her put away books as well. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He caught her looking, arching his eyebrow flirtatiously at her. Katherine scowled, turning her back to him as she continued shelving books. 

The next thing she knew, Rowan was behind her, his hard manhood pressing into the folders of her skirt. Katherine gasped as his hand rested near her face, his arm outstretched as he leaned in closer to her. She had gone completely still, barely breathing as he brushed her hair away from the side of her neck, delicately placing his lips on the hollow of her neck. Her breath skittered, heart pounding in her ears as his kisses continued, ever so slowly, as though he was drinking her in. 

“Ever since that night at the party, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” His whispered breath was warm against her skin as he continued to gently place kisses on her exposed neck. “You have no idea how much I’ve thought about you, about us in those moments, and about how much I still want you.” He nipped her then, shocking her even more than she thought she already could be. 

Katherine gasped, spinning around to give him a piece of her mind. This whole thing was completely unorthodox, the audacity this man had to just waltz in here and start romancing her was unbelievable. Her words died on her tongue as she looked up at him, their faces only a couple of inches apart. His manhood was now pressing against her inner thigh as Rowan leaned in even closer, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. She swallowed, tearing her eyes from him as she looked away, this whole situation too much for her to process. His fingers gently took her chin and turned her head so she was looking at him again. 

He leaned in, kissing the edge of her mouth so tenderly before gently placing a kiss on her mouth. “I want you, Katie,” Rowan pulled back, leaning his forehead against hers, “more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. It’s different with you and I want that. If you’re willing to, I would like a redo of the Christmas party. Only this time, I’ll do it right and treat you right.” Katherine let out a breathy laugh, in disbelief that this was happening right now. 

Without a word, she grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and pulled him into her, kissing him with as much fire as she could muster. Rowan gripped her hips, pulling her flush against him as he ground himself against her. Katherine felt herself getting wet as he started sucking on her lip, his tongue asking for entrance that she gladly gave as he pushed them up against the bookshelf, some of the books falling to the floor. 

What an evening this was turning into indeed… 

To Be Continued!