“Not really.” I grinned, leaning back a little. “Give me someone who can throw me a challenge, who keeps me on my toes. That’s the story I’d like to read.”
Her lips curved, amused and just a little impressed. “Someone who can throw you a challenge … sounds like you might have met one of those already.”
I raised a brow, letting her words land. “Maybe …”
Was Livvi flirting with me? Or could that be wishful thinking?
And why did I suddenly feel a pang of guilt running through me? It wasn’t like there was anything really going on betweenReadToLivand me, but she meant something to me. The feelings I had for her were real despite our relationship only being online.
But then there was Livvi. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some type of feelings for her too.
“Oh, my gosh!” she gasped, drawing me out of my thoughts. “I was supposed to be back at work five minutes ago.” She rushed to gather her things and put her laptop in her bag. “I was trying to squeeze in some of my coding homework.”
I instantly felt guilty at the thought of keeping her from her work. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take up your time.” Sometimes I forgot that people had work and lives outside of an all-consuming sport like me.
She waved a hand, brushing it off. “It’s fine. Really. I probably needed the break.”
I wasn’t sure if she really felt that way, but she did seem to work herself to the bone. Working a full-time job and finishing up her double majors had to be a lot.
“Glad I could help with that, then.”
Her smile was soft but teasing as she stood, gathering her things. “Just don’t expect me to let you monopolize all my lunch breaks from now on.”
“Noted,” I said, grinning. Although the thought of coming here for lunch every day to see her was very tempting.
She slung her bag over her shoulder, about to leave, but I hurried to stop her, needing to up my chances of seeing her again.
“Wait.” I stood to join her. “Before you go … if Ididhappen to want to read one of those romantasy books, would you have some good recommendations for me?” The excuse I had come up with wasn’t a total lie. I did enjoy reading romantasy and was very interested in what books Livvi liked to read. There was a part of methat wondered if she would like my book,Shadow, Smoke, and Mirrors. And since she said she liked princes, if she would like Prince Cassemir. I could get to know a lot about Livvi by the books she read.
Her eyes lit up like I’d just handed her a treasure map. “Are you serious? Because I have a whole list I could give you. And they’re amazing. Some of them might even keep you up at night.”
I grinned, loving how she lit up about books. “Well, why don’t you text it to me? That way I can start plotting my reading list tonight.”
Her smile looked both equal parts happy and wary. “Sure. I guess I can do that.”
I handed her my phone, and she typed her number in quickly, her fingers brushing mine for a brief second when she returned it. “Done. And I’ll warn you, if you like feisty heroines, you might not get any sleep at all.”
I laughed. “I’ll take the risk.”
She gave me one last shy smile before heading out the door. I watched her go, feeling that rare lightness spread through me, the kind that made the heavy parts of my life—my dad, meets, pressure, my looming future—easier to breathe through. And suddenly, a text with a list of books felt like the perfect excuse to talk to her again.
CHAPTER 12
LIVVI
Ibalanced my latte in one hand and angled my phone in the other as I walked back to work, waiting for the little red light to blink before starting. The second it did, I put on my best mock-serious face for Cali.
“Okay, buckle up, because I have news. Big news. You’re going to scream at me through your screen when you watch this, I just know it.” I let out a dramatic sigh and started walking again, the sound of traffic and chatter filling the background. “So, remember how I ran into Talon at the bar the other night? Who I was absolutely, positively,one hundred percentsure I was not going to run into again?”
I paused for effect, then widened my eyes at the camera. “Yeah. Guess who just sat down at my table at lunch today?”
I shook my head, still in disbelief. “Crazy, right? And not only did he sit down—like, full confidence, no hesitation—but he started talking to me like we’ve knowneach other forever. Opening up about his dad and the pressure he feels with swimming. Meanwhile I’m over there trying not to choke while drinking my latte because, apparently, I’ve forgotten how to function like a normal human being.”
I brought the phone closer, whisper-shouting like I was telling Cali the juiciest gossip. “And Cali, he asked me to give him book recommendations. Actualromance novels.I know. I know. I almost fainted right there with my latte in hand.”
My cheeks heated even just retelling it, and I hurried to explain. “Somehow we got talking about what romantasy books are and then he was saying how he likes feisty heroines, which I tried not to swoon at. And then suddenly I’m about to leave because I didn’t even realize that I was late getting back to work, and he’s like, ‘Do you have any good book recommendations for me?’ Which—no pressure, right? Only now I’m in charge of single-handedly introducing this six-foot-three, tattooed enigma of a man to the wide world of romantic fantasy books.”
I continued to hold the camera out and gave a dry look. “And, of course, I said yes and put my number in his phone. Because apparently I’m incapable of forming boundaries when it comes to this man no matter how much I say I’m going to be strong and not be influenced by everything that makes him Talon Everhart.”