Page 11 of Lightning Angel
Her preference for no-spice romance had roots in past encounters with books that left her with inappropriate thoughts and desires. The struggle to get over them had been real, but she got off it eventually with help from her sister and…
And God.
Alexa pursed her lips, an ache forming in her heart. What was this feeling?
Because you’re hurt, silly. He has abandoned you. He doesn’t care for you anymore. He has decided you’re a waste of time to give His attention to.
Alexa agreed with the cold voice in her head. Yes, God cared for herthen, but not anymore.
Her aversion to spice wasn’t unnoticed by the girls in her social circle, the so-calledmean girlclub. They took pleasure in teasing her about her choice whenever they could, labeling herchurch girlas a playful dig. Though, even after she had shed the confines of religious associations, her preference for closed-door romance remained unwavering.
The Google results showed her, not to her surprise, that it was a spicy book. She moved on to another titleand did the same.
Book after book, Alexa continued her hunt for a good read. When she was on the brink of giving up and going for a familiar read, she found a book with an irresistible blurb and opened it to read it. Only to shut it close when a character named Jude popped up on the second page.
Alexa huffed in frustration; she didn’t want to think about him. But, how to do that?
She pulled another book from the shelf, and allured by its cover, opened to read it when a sudden thud echoed through the quiet ambience. She turned, and her eyes widened in surprise to see a book on the polished wooden floor.
Alexa closed her book immediately and bent down to retrieve the fallen one. Her eyes shifted to the tall, back open, wooden shelf on her left, and seeing the narrow gap between the lined books, she realized it had fallen through.
Some careless reader must have placed it, she thought.
Alexa straightened, and just as she was about to place the book back in its place, through the narrow gap, she spied a tall young man in black attire on the other side. His back was turned to her, and he looked engrossed in a book.
Alexa’s eyes observed him silently.
Oh boy, he had ahotback.
And his stature was not only attractive, but oddly familiar.
Why did he—hisback—seem familiar? Had she seen him somewhere?
He wore a button-down with sleeves rolled up to his elbow, paired with jeans. Alexa was ready to bet onanything that, if he turned, she’d lose her breath; he was a gorgeous man. If someone with a back as attractive as his wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous on the front, then the world was surely spinning in the wrong direction.
Drop-dead gorgeous…
This was the second time she had used the term today.
Then it struck her. She remembered the handsome stranger from church. Black attire, tall, pale skin… yes, pale skin, with an attractive back…
Alexa’s eyes widened. She put the book back on the shelf and retreated. Could it be him? Her heart accelerated for no reason.
What should she do? Should she go and sayhi? And what if it wasn’t him?
Perhaps she could go, pretend to look for a book, and see if it was him. If it wasn’t, she’d turn back.
And what if itwashim? Would he recognize her? They’d locked eyes, after all.
If it was him, she would strike up a polite conversation and act surprised to recognize him as the boy from—
Alexa nearly jumped out of her skin with a small gasp as another book tumbled to the floor. She stared with wide eyes, her eyes flickering between the fallen book and the oblivious reader she could now again see through the gap.
And, this was the same book.
She held her breath. Was he trying to play? With her?
Alexa didn’t know what came over her. She grabbed the fallen book and put it back in its place, just before pushing it out. She covered her mischievous grin with ahand as the book tumbled out of the shelf to the floor on the boy’s side.