Page 60 of Long Hard Road
She pressed a hand to her heart. “You’re about to give me another orgasm, Sullivan.”
“I had no idea it was that easy.” I loved her flirty smile and the way she leaned toward me when I spoke, like just a few inches between us was too much.
“What kind of books do you read? Romance?” She waggled her eyebrows. “An obsession with smut would explain a lot about your bedroom skills.”
“I like non-fiction. History stuff mostly. Classics. Some science fiction. Thrillers and mysteries.” I grabbed one of my favorite books from the shelf and added it to the one I was already holding. I thought Madison would like it. “I’m not opposed to reading a smutty story though, as long as we can role-play it later.”
“If you keep saying shit like that, I’m going to have to ask you to marry me.”
“If you keep smiling at me like that, I’ll have to agree to marry you.” I selected another book for her and took the one she handed me. “Napoleon?”
“Not a fan?”
“I don’t know much about that time period. I may have to borrow this when you’re done.” I was intrigued by the idea of trading books with a woman I also wanted to trade orgasms with.
“You can read it first.” She patted the top of the stack. “I’ve got some other reads to keep me busy.”
“Do you want to keep looking?”
She shook her head. “The more I look, the more I will buy. Let’s just stick with these books for now.”
Harper’s customer was just leaving when we reached the counter and she was downright giddy when she saw us.
“I was just thinking about the two of you.” She grinned as she took the stack of books from me. “Will you be bringing your new girlfriend to the game this afternoon, brother?”
“Shit, the game. I forgot.” I gave Madison an apologetic look. “The twins are in a hockey league and they play on Mondays at 4. I usually try to go.”
“That sounds fun.” She smiled as she reached into her pocket for her wallet.
I handed Harper my credit card. “My treat, angel.”
“Nate, I can’t let you do that.” She frowned and looked like she was thinking of snatching the card from Harper’s hand.
“Yes, you can. I’m wooing you, remember?” I winked at her. “I’m sure you can think of a way to pay me back tonight.”
“Okay, ew.” Harper swiped the credit card with a grimace. “I’m happy that you two are happy, but please don’t make sex jokes in front of me.”
“Will you be at the hockey game?” Madison asked, probably trying to get the conversation back to a topic that didn’t make her cheeks flush.
“I’ll be there. The whole Sullivan clan will be there. Well, the ones who live in town, anyway.” She handed me the bag of books. “Thank you for supporting a small business, Mr. Sullivan.”
“I have a feeling we’ll be back soon to spend more of my money.” I winked and held out my hand to Madison. “Ready, angel?”
Before I had even parked my truck in front of the cabin, I sensed that something was wrong. There was nothing obviously out of the ordinary, but the guard who was usually stationed in a vehicle a few feet from the cabin was no longer there. Madison noticed immediately.
“Where’s Gino?”
“I’m not sure.” I checked the clock. “Looks like it is almost shift change. Maybe Gino decided to take off a few minutes early.”
“Eli will be pissed if he finds out.”
“He should be. Those guys have one job. Protect you and make sure the cabin is safe. It’s ridiculous for them to fuck that up.” I yanked open my door and stepped into the snow. I looked for any signs that someone else had been walking through that snow and let out a string of curse words when I saw footprints headed in the direction of Madison’s car.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Stay in the truck.” I swore again as I took a closer look at her car. “Call Ellison and tell him to get his ass out here.”
Madison ignored my orders and jumped out of the truck. She came around the front of it and froze. “What’s wrong with my car?”