New Point (14 page)

“Like I said, my mom loved her kids more than anything, and she didn’t want us to be separated. In their will, my parents declared Blake my guardian. That was the only good thing to come of their death; it built an unbreakable bond between Blake and me. He had already decided to follow in his father’s footsteps at the time of their death, but this kept him in Chicago to provide a stable life for me. In that sense I was lucky.”

Miles lifts my hand, touching his lips to the backside. “You’re an amazing woman, Zoe.”

I fight back the tears welling behind my lashes. He doesn’t know how wrong he is about me. I’m nothing but child, still hiding from the demons that haunt her. “Thank you,” I manage to mumble.

“Do you know why I think you’re amazing?”

“Not really,” I admit.

“When you smile, it’s not because you want to get something for it. No, it’s because you want to share happiness.” At that, a smile touches my lips. Miles presses his thumb gently to the corner of my right eye. “There’s little crinkles right there that tell me the smile’s genuine. You’re amazing because you had a dream of running this reading program in New Point, and you’re achieving it. Imagine kids coming out of the library in the dead of summer giggling and full of life. They
don’t mind spending time indoors, reading no less. You give that to them, no one else.”

“That’s what you see when you look at me?”

One large hand cups the apple of my cheek, eyes boring into mine. “That’s only the beginning of what I see in you, Zoe.” I lift my hand to wrap it around his wrist, not to pull it away but to feel his warmth.

Out here with Lake Michigan’s waters teasing the hull of the speedboat, Miles and I move closer together. I’m giving him a part of me I’ve never shared with anyone else, and it feels as natural as breathing.

“We’ve been going slow for a week now, Zoe. Time for another step in the right direction.” His lips are so close now; I can anticipate what they’ll feel like pressed to mine.

“Okay.” He’s stolen my breath before we’ve even kissed.

Then I don’t have to anticipate anymore. The sensations are exactly like I remembered, if not better. Flutters of sexual awareness ripple through my stomach, and my heart rate accelerates. Miles tilts his head, running his tongue along the closed seam of my lips. I open eagerly, throwing all precautions aside. The scruff on his face tickles my cheeks, but I don’t mind. I want him this close, bristling against my skin.

He kisses me like he was made to do it. One hand cupping my hip, drawing me closer, while the other tilts my head exactly in place. There is an unmistakable purpose in his kisses, like this was the only thing in the world he wanted to do in this moment. If I wanted to move away (I don’t), my body wouldn’t allowed it. This man has cast a spell over me, and I am powerless to resist him.

Reluctantly he releases me several moments later. A little disappointed moan escapes my lips, and he smiles at me.

“Do you want to come over for dinner?” I say it not thinking of the implications.

He runs his tongue along his lower lip like he’s tasting our kiss all over again. “Nothing could stop me from having dinner with you.”

“
M
y sister trying to con you into babysitting?”

“What?” The smile freezes on my face when I look up from where I’m opening our beer bottles and find Miles waving his sister’s ivory business card.

“I –I…”

I’m caught, that’s what I am. There are two ways to go here, tell Miles the truth or lie.
Man,
I really don’t want to lie to him. Not that I didn’t know before, but after learning his story with Lacey, I know honesty is paramount to Miles.

Without knowing, he saves me from making a decision. “Kidding. I know she wouldn’t do that to you. Although my nephew would love to spend more time with you. He’s like me in that regard.”

I turn back to my task, trying to slow my pounding heart. What would I do if he asked me more questions? My stomach dips, thinking of how he would respond if he found out I was seeing Etta in a professional capacity.

“Need help, baby?” He’s at my side, hands extended for the beer. I’m too busy sweating his teasing about Etta’s business card to appreciate him calling me baby.

“Thanks,” I say, forcing my voice even. Miles doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss with me by his relaxed gait. “Your sister kept her maiden name?”

“Yeah, said it was too much of a hassle to change it on her license.” Miles leans down brushing a kiss across my temple as he takes our drinks. “Can’t get enough of your sweetness,” he whispers.

And just like, my anxiety disappears.

“I’m not ready to say goodnight yet,” Miles says after we eat, calm and confident with his forthright statement.

“Me either,” I admit, playing with my fork. “We could watch a movie?”

The words are hardly out of my mouth and Miles jumps up, collecting the dishes and placing them in the sink. I can’t help but laugh as he runs them under warm water hurriedly. He shuffles me into the living room and then stretches out in the corner of the overstuffed couch. I stand above him hesitantly until he makes the decision for me, pulling me into the empty space next to him. Miles makes himself at home, propping his bare feet on the coffee table and commanding the remote. When he turns on the television it opens to my video chat.

“What’s all this?”

“When we did the renovations, Blake wanted the house to be technologically advanced so he could work from home easily. This place has all the latest gadgets, including a video chat functionality on the TV. Since I moved out here, it’s been the best way to communicate with my brother.” I steal the remote, switching to the video streaming application and hand it back to him.

For a few silent moments he mindlessly scrolls through the movies, hardly pausing to study them. I turn to study his unfocused gaze. It’s a look I haven’t seen on him before, and I’m slightly troubled his unease.

“Miles?”

Eyes with a touch of uncertainty flicker to mine. His fingers tap on the couch behind me, making soft noises against the fabric. “Do you…” He clears his throat. “Do you have permanent plans to stay in New Point or is this a seasonal visit?”

Momentarily I’m stunned into silence.
He’s worried about me leaving? We’ve only started dating…He senses it too, our connection.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it made me feel like beaming.

“Blake wants to think I’ll be back before summer’s end.” I keep my tone even.

“I didn’t ask what Blake thinks. What does Zoe Baker, city girl, librarian extraordinaire, captivating temptress think?”

I almost don’t hear the compliment, reveling in this new nugget. He’s twisted up in me just like I am him.

Shaking my head to clear the thoughts, I focus on what he said.
Captivating temptress?
My cheeks flood with color. “Who knows what the future has in store for me? I have no intention of leaving any time soon. My mom was on to something when she bought this house. Whether she knew it or not, New Point resonates with me. Don’t tell Blake, but I don’t think I ever truly was a city girl. That’s just where he was. When I was growing up, Blake was home. Now it’s time for me to find my own way.”

Miles arm threads his arm around my shoulder, tugging me closer. He presses the softest, most tender kiss to my lips, lingering for an extra beat. “You can’t imagine how glad I am to hear you say that, Zoe.”

My stomach flip-flops with pleasure. “I can imagine because I feel the same way.”

An hour later we’re in the middle of a boxer bio-flick, and I’m almost jumping out of my skin. Miles keeps brushing his thumb against my shoulder, sending pleasurable zings all over my body. I fight the urge to shiver each time he touches me and sometimes I fail, causing him to smirk.

Kiss me!

He doesn’t.

A sigh escapes my lips as the fighter trains. In my periphery I sense the wicked twist of his lips.

“Not into boxers?”

“More like bartenders,” I grumble.

In a flash, he’s got me pinned to the couch, hovering above me with a teasing gleam in his eyes. He balances his weight not to crush me, wedging a leg between mine. I can feel the entire length of his warm, hard body.

“That’s convenient, because I’m only hot for librarians.”

“Oh, yeah? Even if they’re nerdy?”

“Especially if they’re nerdy,” Miles murmurs, dipping down and pressing his lips to mine.

Automatically my hands reach up and tangle into the curly hairs at the nape of his neck. There’s only one word to describe this kiss—demanding. His tongue darts into my mouth when I gasp for breath. His hunger for me sends ripples of pleasure down my spine. Without breaking our kiss, Miles shifts our bodies so we’re lying side by side. My hands fall to his chest, feeling the persistent thump of his heart.

I don’t want this kiss to end.

What is Clarkes Elementary? Clinton Smith becomes background noise. Nothing can distract me from this man.

Miles cups my elbow in one hand, tickling at the skin with his fingertips. He’s relentless in his kisses, more so than the other times we’ve been together. It should scare me, should turn me off, because his intensity opens us to a deeper level of intimacy, physically and emotionally. Instead, I’m eagerly anticipating his next move, each nibble on my lower lip, each swipe of his tongue against mine.

When we come up from air –seconds, minutes, hours? I could scarcely say– we’re both breathing heavily. Miles drops a row of kisses along my cheeks and the bridge of my nose, reverent touches of his lips.

“I want to memorize every freckle on your body. Kiss each one with my lips; trace a map of them across your skin with my tongue.”

“That’s an ambitious plan, and you haven’t seen half the freckles on my body,” I whisper.

His eyes glimmer with mischief. “Nothing will deter me from my goal. No matter how long it takes, I will discover every inch of your body.” He nips my nose. “One.” His voice is raspy and full of promise.

Please, please let me keep him.

R
olling my shoulders backward, I will myself brave.

There’s nothing to be afraid of.

It’s lunchtime Wednesday. Back at the library, a volunteer covers the circulation desk while I prepare for my new weekly date with Etta. The first two days of the week galloped by uneventfully.

Etta’s bent over the reception desk, signing some papers when I enter.

“Ready?”

Easy for her to be relaxed, she’s not the one who has to spill her guts.

“Yes.” I muster a slight smile and follow her to our unofficially assigned seats.

“How’s work today?”

The mention of my job distracts me momentarily, and my tense shoulders lax. “I have no complaints about my job,” I answer honestly. “There’s a renewed purpose to my life because of it. Working at the library gives me something positive to focus on and goals.”

“Such a strong work ethic,” she murmurs.

I smile faintly, knowing she’s referencing my desire to emulate my father’s dedication to his job.

Abruptly Etta shifts back to the task at hand. “You didn’t have goals before you came to New Point?”

I shake my head. “There were plenty of goals before Clarkes happened. I wanted to work my way up to head librarian at an elementary school, and then get a job for the school district creating programming for schools to enact and engage their students.”

Etta watches me thoughtfully. I can almost see the cogs turning in her mind. I wait for her next question. “What draws you to a career consistently interacting with young minds? Most people don’t have the patience for children.”

“A lot.”

She smiles slightly. “I’m all ears.”

My gaze falls to my hands where they rest on my lap, fingers knitted together. “After my parents died I spent a lot of time with my nose crammed in a book. Sometimes Blake would bring me to business meetings with him, rather than sticking me with a nanny, and I’d pass the time by reading. In high school, it was much of the same. I found that solid friendships were hard to come by when your brother and pseudo-uncle are famous. There was a librarian at school who took interest in me. Not in the academic sense, though we never become friends per say, but she recommended books to me, and we discussed them. It was an outlet and a safe place where it didn’t matter what my background was. If I have that impact on just one child, my career will be worth it.”