You're to Blame(38)

“The library, huh?” Duke leans forward, but his eyes don’t focus on me. Instead, they widen and scan the space, like I’ve just invited him to Hogwarts.

“Don’t spend much time here?” I giggle, and his head snaps back to me.

“I’m more of a solitary studier. This many people around would drag my attention away.” He shrugs. “People watcher.”

“That’s why I study up here.”

“It’s quiet because this is where people go to hook up. It’s so secluded, there’s no way to get caught.”

Why does he have to look at me with those smoldering eyes and cute smile? Now, all I can think about is us hooking up. Snap out of it, Charlotte.

“Hook-up? No, they don’t. I study up here every week, and I’ve never seen anyone hooking up.”

“My guess is your nose is too far into your books, and you don’t hear them slinking up the steps.”

“Duke, that only happens in movies.” I twist in my chair, inspecting my surroundings.

“Whatever you say.” He holds his hands up, relenting his side of the argument. “So, why’d you beckon me to the library? To hook up?”

His playful joke feels like more than that.

“Since when is it a crime to enjoy your company?” He has a right to be confused. We sort of have a tit-for-tat thing going on.

Duke strums his knuckles on the table. “Depends.”

I love the way his lips curl in the corner when he’s being playful.

“On what?” I lean back in my chair, testing him, or more like goading him.

“What do you plan on doing with me?” His voice is deep, and every word is said with seduction and willingness. The air outside is cool, but dammit, Duke’s presence compensates with a certain kind of heat when we are this close together.

“Where are you supposed to be right now?” I softly kick at his backpack.

“Where I’m at.” Duke bites the corner of his bottom lip and checks over the mess in front of us. “How’s the article going?”

“Slow moving. I’ve had a hard time scheduling with Mr. St. James. I think I have enough from Derks, but I’m still planning on shadowing him, which will be interesting, to say the least.”

“I have to ask, why journalism?” Duke peels his jacket off like a damn model, exposing his toned arms one at a time.

“We all deserve the truth, Duke, and sometimes it gets lost in our own reality. I think that’s what’s wrong with our world. No one is willing to tell the kind of truth that can hurt others, but the way I see it, not knowing the true story is just as painful.” Maybe I should start telling the truth I’m always searching for in my stories.

“Wow,” Duke exclaims.

“What?” Duke’s scent hits me.

“You’re poetic.” He dips his chin, hiding everything I need to see.

“No one has ever called me poetic,” I admit.

He glances up, and our eyes lock. We’re stuck in unrelenting time.

Discomfort settles deep within the walls of my heart. The word is intimate and sincere to the point of being unbearable. A guy like him shouldn’t look at me the way he is now. Does my stare resemble his? Shit. I know it does.

“You’re passionate, is all. That’s all I meant.” Duke can backtrack all he wants, but my heart felt those words.

A beautiful ache forms in my lower belly. The innate urge to reach out and touch him filters from my heart, until it reaches the tips of my fingers. He runs his ring along the edge of the table, pulling me away from my wild dream.

“Yeah, well, I just hope it comes through in the article. This is my first real shot, and I don’t want to blow it.” Confidence isn’t easy to come by.

“You’re nervous.” Does he have to be so observant?

“I don’t know much about Ari St. James, but what I do know is he doesn’t allow many people close to him, especially the press.” I’m nervous about this interview. Derks has been a breeze. He’s easygoing. Ari St. James, according to what I read, hasn’t been interviewed since he allegedly attacked a reporter. Of course, there was no evidence of the crime.

“He’s definitely not known for his giving personality,” he scoffs.

Animosity rolls off Duke’s shoulders in waves. His eyes deflect around the room. The thighs of his jeans are going to rip if he keeps assaulting the fabric like that. His lips curl, and even though he’s fuming, he’s adorable. Ari has clearly not left a good impression on Duke to garner this kind of reaction.

“Do you know something?” I brace my forearms on the table and lean into Duke’s space, eager to see what he has to say. Our knees brush, and enough electricity to bathe our town in light surges through my body.

His hair falls into his eyes, and I wonder what it would feel like to brush it back to reveal his intoxicating green eyes. Would they stare at me like it’s the first time seeing me? Maybe he’d look at me as if he’s known me forever.

“Look at you.” He chortles, leaning back in his chair. The heat from our connection disappears. “You’re fully intrigued.” Ari St. James is a surprising tick for him.

“You should expect nothing less from me.” I smirk, mirroring his position in my own chair.