Kaiya wasn’t interested in running, though. She was interested in having a fun, intellectual lunch conversation. She and Drake debated the soundness of the principles in Philosophical Riddles, then moved on to discussing their favorite classic novels. From there, they discovered that they both loved a good mystery novel, and they engaged in a lively argument over who was the best mystery novelist of the day.
One o’clock rolled around and the café slowly emptied out as the lunch crowd all returned to their offices. But Drake and Kaiya stayed put and ordered coffee and dessert, barely missing a beat in their conversation as they laughed so hard they nearly choked on their slices of the café’s famous banana cream pie. Drake felt high on life as he looked over at Kaiya. She was so perfect. She was smart, beautiful, and funny. Why had he never noticed her before? He’d been looking for someone exactly like her, and she’d been right there in front of him the whole time.
When the secondhand on his watch reached one forty-five, he reluctantly signaled Missy for the check. He never wanted this lunch to end, but he had a two o’clock appointment scheduled. He didn’t want to make his patient wait. Kaiya didn’t fight him for the check, and Drake appreciated that. He hated it when he took a woman out and he had to play the game of fighting over who was going to pay for it. Kaiya just smiled graciously at him with that gorgeous smile of hers and offered to pay next time.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said. “It was lovely. Next one’s on me.”
“No way,” Drake said. “I don’t like to let a woman pay. It was my pleasure. I’m happy to hear that you want there to be a next one, though.”
Kaiya’s smile widened as they stood and headed for the door of the café. “I would love a next time,” she said, sounding shy for the first time since Drake had run into her at the coffee shop. “I must admit it’s nice to meet a man who actually enjoys talking about books with me.”
“Well it’s nice to meet a girl who appreciates my brain and not just my wallet,” Drake said. He regretted saying it almost immediately. It was kind of a childish thing to say, after all. But Kaiya didn’t seem bothered by it. She just looked up at him through her long thick eyelashes and smiled coyly.
“I definitely appreciate your brain. But I must say there are other parts of you I’d like the chance to appreciate as well.”
She licked her lips as she spoke, and her meaning was unmistakable. She was inviting Drake to kiss her, and he suddenly felt his heart pounding as the nervous feeling from before lunch returned. He desperately wanted to impress her. And he’d been dying to kiss her since the moment she walked into that café today. Perhaps the middle of Main Street wasn’t the best place to make out. There were curious eyes and nosy gossips everywhere in this small town. But Kaiya clearly wasn’t bothered by that, so neither was Drake. If she didn’t have a problem with the whole town seeing him kiss her, then he was going to kiss her, loud and proud.
He pushed her up against the brick wall behind her, then slid his hands up to her cheeks. He pressed his body against hers as his lips found hers. She let out a little moan as he slipped his tongue between her lips, and the sound of it sent a thrill through Drake’s core. He closed his eyes and kissed her deeply, pressing harder against her body and memorizing the way her soft curves felt against his broad muscles. She reached up to hold his forearms, gripping tightly as he continued to hold her face in his palms. His tongue danced with hers, warm, wet, and ecstatic. He felt another thrill of pleasure going through him, and a stiffening stir of pleasure between his legs.
Somewhere behind him, he heard a loud, long whistle.
“Look at Drake Wilson,” a loud voice called out merrily. “Get some, boy!”
Another voice joined in the cheer, and Drake pulled back to smile at Kaiya.
“Looks like we got caught,” he said.
“Oops,” she said with a coy shrug.
Drake’s smile deepened. “I’d love to kiss you all day, but I’m going to be late for an appointment if I don’t get going. When can I see you again?”
“Do you have plans tonight?” she asked.
Drake felt a wave of anticipation wash over him. “I think I do now,” he said. “Pick you up at seven?”
Kaiya grinned and nodded. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen, then grabbed Drake’s hand and wrote a phone number on it.
“That’s my cell. Text me so I have your number, and I’ll text you back my address,” she said. Then, with a wink, she turned and walked down the street in the direction of her bookstore. Drake knew he needed to hurry back to work, but he couldn’t resist watching her for just a few moments, admiring the sway of her hips as she sauntered away.
Seven o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Three
Kaiya smiled when she looked at her wristwatch. It was finally four forty-five, a respectable time for her to start her closing duties for the bookstore. The store had been slow today, which normally would have meant she would spend the afternoon sitting behind the counter reading a good book. But she hadn’t been able to concentrate on reading today. All she could think about was Drake Wilson.
She’d had no idea he was such an avid reader. She’d always thought he was nice guy, if a bit cocky. He and his brothers were widely known as the hottest guys in town, although Drake had been the only single one left in the bunch. Kaiya would never have considered dating him if not for their chance meeting in the coffee shop, where he ran into her and knocked her copy of Philosophical Riddles out of her hands. Now, he was all she could think about. She ran her fingers over her lips where he had kissed her only hours earlier, and she smiled.
Their little lunch rendezvous had been a breath of fresh air for her soul. She had begun to think there were no men left in the world who would be interested in discussing books with her. As a book lover and bookstore owner, Kaiya considered the ability to discuss books to be a nonnegotiable in a partner. Now, she had found a man who could talk about books, was funny and kind, and was gorgeous to boot. Kaiya felt like she had won the lottery.
She also felt completely intoxicated just at the thought of Drake. She realized she was acting like a silly schoolgirl with a crush, but she couldn’t help herself. He had been so wonderful, and she got to see him again tonight. How could anyone expect her to be calm right now? Kaiya felt an excited flip-flop in her stomach at the thought of dinner tonight. She was almost certain he would kiss her again, and she could hardly wait for that moment. The thought of his body pressed against hers filled her with a sweet, tingling warmth.
Kaiya forced herself to focus on tidying up the bookstore. It was only ten minutes until closing now, and she could get everything done except counting her cash drawer before officially locking the door. She rushed around the shop, straightening books and dusting shelves. Some days, it felt like every book was out of place by the end of the day. But today had been so quiet, with so few customers, that almost everything in the store was still neat and organized.
Kaiya grabbed some window cleaner and a roll of paper towels and wiped down the front windows until they were sparkling. She smiled at the warmth of the July sun that flooded in through the glass. A lot of people hated the Texas heat, but she had always loved how bright the sun could get here. She looked out at the street for a few moments, watching the last few shoppers scurrying to finish their afternoon errands. Most of the stores here on Main Street closed down at five o’clock on weekday afternoons, so anyone who hadn’t finished their shopping yet was running out of time right now. Kaiya loved how the majority of the businesses in this small town still respected family time. Sure, it was a little inconvenient if you needed to run an errand and couldn’t get to the store before five. But, overall, it was nice to know that store owners, and even shoppers, were making their way home to their families at a decent hour.
Kaiya turned to take her cleaning supplies to the back room of the store. While she was there, she surveyed the storage area to make sure everything was neat and tidy
. Everything was in its place. She glanced at her watch, and smiled when she saw it was one minute until five o’clock. She could go ahead and lock the door, count out her cash drawer, and then head home to get ready for her date with Drake.
But as she took a step toward the front of the store again, she heard the bell above the front door jangle. She groaned inwardly. Of course, on the one afternoon she actually cared about getting out of here on time, she would have a last minute customer. Reminding herself that she should be grateful to have so many people shopping at her book store, she put a big smile on her face and went to greet the customer.
“Good afternoon. Can I help you find anything in particular today?” Kaiya said as she took her place behind the front counter again.
The man who had just entered the room was partially hidden behind one of the long rows of shelves, but Kaiya could still tell that he was unusually tall. She squinted in his direction, trying to see if there was anything familiar about him. As far as she could tell, she had never seen him before. Kaiya knew almost everyone in the small town of Persimmon Springs, and it wasn’t often that visitors came through here. But this man didn’t look like any of the townspeople. Not even close. He didn’t even seem to be a distant relative of anyone who lived here.
“I’m not actually here to buy anything,” the man said. His voice was deep and strong, which seemed fitting for his tall, muscular frame. When he came around the corner of the shelves and into full view, Kaiya nearly gasped at just how tall and muscular he actually was. The only men she had ever seen who were quite so tall and strong were the Wilson boys. This guy stood about as tall as Drake, and he had the muscles to match. He had a strange look about him, too. His ears were a bit pointy at the top, almost like an elf’s ears. They were almost hidden by his dark brown hair, which looked like it hadn’t been cut for a while and hung past his shoulders in neat waves. His eyes were black as onyx, but glittering as though they were filled with diamond dust. His tanned skin seemed to almost shimmer, too. When he moved, his arms turned somewhat iridescent against the afternoon sunlight, with hints of purple, blue, and green. Kaiya rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things. Perhaps she had been spending too much time reading lately. This man seemed like a character right out of one of her favorite fantasy books. Something about him seemed otherworldly. He had a kind expression on his face, but his eyes still looked fierce.
He was holding a large package in his hands. It was a cardboard box like the ones Kaiya often used to ship large quantities of books. He walked up to her and set it down on the counter with a slight thud.
“I’m here to deliver these to you for safekeeping,” he said.
Kaiya raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to say. This whole situation was getting weirder by the moment.
“Uh, I’m not sure what’s in that box, or why you need someone to guard it. But this bookstore isn’t exactly the best place for safekeeping,” Kaiya said. “I don’t even have a store alarm, because I haven’t really needed one here in Persimmon Springs. There’s not a lot of book thievery going on here, you know?”
The man looked over his shoulder uneasily, as though he was worried someone might be watching him. The streets were nearly empty now, though. Kaiya felt a sudden shiver of fear as she realized she was very alone with this strange man. He didn’t seem dangerous though. Just odd.
“If someone wanted to take these from you, they wouldn’t need an alarm,” the man said. “I’m hoping that they’ll be safe because no one would ever think I’d have the audacity to bring them right here to Persimmon Springs itself.”
Kaiya frowned. She was starting to get a little annoyed with this strange guy. “What are you talking about? What’s in this box? You can’t just walk in here and expect me to randomly agree to watch over a box of god knows what.”
The man’s eyes glittered with an emotion that looked like a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I don’t have time to explain things. I have to get going before the wrong person sees me here. If anyone knew I had just sauntered into Persimmon Springs, this box would be in enemy hands before nightfall.”
Now Kaiya really wanted to roll her eyes. This guy seemed like he was certifiably crazy. She glanced at the clock on the wall, which was now showing it was past five o’clock. She didn’t want to waste any more time on whatever game this guy was playing. She just wanted to close up the store so she could go get ready for her date with Drake.
“Ok, fine,” Kaiya said. “Leave the box here. I’ll, uh, put it in the back room for safekeeping, like you asked.”
A smile spread across the man’s face, and he looked immensely relieved. “Excellent,” he said. “I truly appreciate your help.”
“No problem,” Kaiya said, still doing her best to keep from rolling her eyes. “Um, just one question, though. How long are you wanting me to safeguard these? When are you coming back for them?”
“I’m not coming back for them,” the man said. “They need to be passed on to the right person.”
“The right person?” Kaiya said, doing her best not to sound completely sarcastic. “And how, exactly, am I supposed to know who the ‘right person’ is?”
“You’ll know,” the man said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Then he turned and walked toward the front door, leaving the box behind him, sitting on Kaiya’s front counter. Kaiya did roll her eyes now, since the man’s back was turned to her and he couldn’t see her. He really was crazy if he thought she was going to keep a box of junk in her store, and then pass it along to some random person whom she would supposedly magically realize was supposed to have this shit. And, heck, even if she did find this random person, she didn’t even know who this guy was that had just dropped the box off. What was she supposed to say? Here’s a box of random stuff left by a weird random guy whose name I don’t even know?
The bell jangled above the front door as the man opened it, but before he left completely, Kaiya called out to him. She knew she should just let him go so that she could lock up and leave, but her curiosity was getting the best of her now.
“Wait!” she said. The man turned slowly, a questioning look in his eyes.
“You didn’t even tell me your name,” Kaiya said.
He blinked at her a few times, his black eyes still glittering as he tried to decide whether to answer her. Finally, he gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug.
“I’m Pierce,” he said. Then he turned and disappeared out the front door without another look back.
Kaiya sighed into the empty room. “Well, Pierce, I hope you’re not too disappointed when I get rid of whatever random shit you just left on my counter,” she said. Then she went to lock up the front door of her shop. She flipped the little sign in the front window from “Open” to “Closed,” and she pulled the window shades down, blocking out the afternoon sunlight and her view of the nearly deserted street.
Kaiya glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was almost five-fifteen now. She wanted to get going so that she would have plenty of time to get ready for her date tonight, but she was curious about the box. Was there actually something interesting in it? Or was it just junk?
Then, fear gripped her heart as she had another thought. Was it something dangerous? What if Pierce had left her some sort of bomb, or some sort of dangerous chemical powder? She didn’t have any enemies as far as she knew, and she didn’t know why anyone would want to harm a random bookstore owner in a small town. But Pierce had seemed so strange. The guy might be just off his rocker enough to do something crazy like blow up a random bookstore.
With a feeling of trepidation, Kaiya tiptoed over to the box and gave it a gentle nudge. It didn’t move. Whatever was in there was extraordinarily heavy. She pushed it, harder this time, and it slid reluctantly across the countertop. She had managed to move it about an inch. The box felt like it was full of a bunch of books or something. Kaiya reached under the counter for a box cutter, and gently, slowly, cut the ta
pe from the box’s top seam.
Wincing with worry about what might face her, she opened the top flaps quickly, as though pulling a bandage off. But no bomb or other dangerous weapon greeted her. Instead, she saw a stack of several leather journals. They filled the whole box, and were rather dusty. Kaiya’s heart rate slowly returned to normal, and she picked up one of the journals. She brushed the dust off the front cover and opened it, revealing cream colored paper that was covered with crisp, black ink.
The whole journal was filled with the same neat handwriting, but the words were foreign to Kaiya. She had always been a fan of language, and had a cursory knowledge of many foreign languages. But she didn’t recognize a single word of the writing in these journals. Nothing looked even remotely similar to any other language she had studied.
“Weird,” Kaiya said. She picked up another one of the journals and flipped it open, just to see. She was greeted by the same strange language written in the same neat handwriting. She checked three more of the journals to find the same thing.
“Who was that guy?” Kaiya said, flipping quickly through another journal. “And why in the world did he want to leave these all with me?”
Kaiya glanced up at the clock, which was now inching toward five-thirty. She needed to get going, but she didn’t want to leave these strange journals on the counter. Her part-timer was opening the store tomorrow, and Kaiya instinctively felt that she needed to keep these journals a secret. With some difficulty, she lifted the heavy box off the counter and carried it to her small office in the back area. She pushed it underneath her desk so that it was out of sight, and then left, closing the office door behind her. There was no reason for her employee to go into her office, so the box should be safe in there.
Kaiya grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the back exit, locking the door behind her. She would do her best to forget about the strange journals and just enjoy her evening with Drake. Part of her wanted to talk to him about the odd delivery, but part of her wasn’t so sure. Pierce had been so strange, and the whole situation was bizarre. She didn’t know how she could possibly explain the journals to Drake without his either thinking she was off her rocker, or without him worrying for her safety.
Lone Star Secret (Shifters in the Heart of Texas Book 4) Page 2
