Page 8 of Beautiful Chaos
They were kind.
His blonde hair combed to the side in a neat style without a hair out of place.
Absorbed in my observations, I noticed he said something while extending his hand towards me. Not catching his words, I responded to the gesture by reaching out my hand as well, as if to shake his.
“I meant the keys, Doll,” he said with a chuckle, holding my fingers in a soft grip with his large hand. His voice was deep and masculine. Ordinarily, I would be quick to correct the little nickname he gave me, but I ignored it as I was still trying to get my thoughts in order, and I think I kind of liked it.
“Oh, right, of course,” I said with a timid smile. I was pretty mortified about how spacey I was, definitely distracted. So, I just gave him the keys and backed off a little to put some distance between us. Honestly, I wasn’t too happy about the hold he seemed to have on me, even if it was brief.
He stuck the key into the lock giving little effort. A moment later the door unlocked and pushed open. He looked back at me with a smile that brightened his eyes.
Just as my mind began to jump to an overload of anxiety thinking about being in this empty bookstore with a man, I didn’t know Mrs. Lester rounded the corner. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for her punctuality for the first time. Being alone in a building with him after what happened last night was something I desperately wanted to avoid.
“Morning, Harper.” Her cheerful greeting jolted me back to reality and out of my anxious thoughts. I stood there, waiting for her to bridge the distance between us and the store. My body prickled fully aware that Mr. GQ was standing nearby.
Chapter 8
JASPER
Istood behind Harper as she held the door open, waiting for an elderly woman to enter the store. I couldn’t stop noticing how she puckered her full lips when she paused, or how her green eyes popped against her sun-kissed olive skin.
The wind blew a gentle breeze forcing the smell of lavender and vanilla to flood my senses. She smiled, welcoming the woman by name, the smile she wore genuinely met her eyes, causing them to scrunch at the creases.
Fucking Gorgeous.
The woman she called Mrs. Lester, walked through the door. Harper shifted to the side, moving her body out of the entrance walkway, while still holding the door open, inadvertently bringing herself closer to me. The difficulty in disregarding my body’s reaction to her nearness, was undeniable when goosebumps prickled my neck.
I reached for the door handle, intending to do the proper thing, and hold the door open for her. Harper immediately withdrew her hand but not before grazing mine slightly. I glanced down momentarily at the connection and when I looked back up, I met her beautiful green eyes gazing at me like she could see through to my soul.
God, she is beautiful.
“Let me get that for you,” I said before pulling the door open further. She hesitated a moment and then walked in first.
“Thank you, sir,” She managed to get out in a nervous almost whisper. She continued to look at me from the side as she passed me. She was so cautious and aware. I didn’t know if she recognized me from the lounge or if this was her reaction to any man in her presence.
Reflecting on the incident at the lounge, I recalled how she tensed up as men approached her, the panic etched on her face when they spoke to her, and the unforgettable fear in her eyes when that piece of shit draped his arm around her. Her defensive posture and how quickly she got up from her seat said more than anything. I couldn’t say that I blamed her, once I saw the Information Max was able to track down for me. Living in the shadows of her fears could not be a fulfilling life.
I planned on telling her who I was and giving her the purse she left behind, but that would guarantee no more reason to see her, I would have to walk away from this green-eyed goddess, but something in me wanted to know more. I chose to keep her purse and subtly test the waters, to gauge where I stand.
“Mrs. Lester, I’ll have some coffee made in a minute would you like a cup?” she offered the woman.
“No thank you, honey, not today.”
I glanced over the small counter. Harper stood in front of a small coffee maker, facing the wall, where she was almost out of sight. To her right was a small mirror where I watched her silently mouthing the woman’s response as she spoke them, seemingly anticipating her words.
A small chuckle escaped me as I found her antics amusing. She froze, her head whipping in my direction as she caught me staring at her. Her cheeks flushed pink just before her lips curled into the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, stealing my breath from my lungs.
She gave a silent shrug of one shoulder, dismissing the matter entirely.
She walked around the counter picking up a stack of worn books from a shelf next to the counter. She instinctively walked them over to the woman and handed them to her.
“What page did you get to last week?” she asked.
“Would you believe me if I said 157?” The woman responded proudly with her chin raised.
“Oh wow! that’s impressive. 157 in three Saturdays? " Harper cooed
“Let’s shoot for 200 today. What do you say?”