Hannah was a witness at their wedding, and we had gone to the same schools growing up here, but yesterday in her bookstore was the longest exchange we抎 ever had. Not for lack of trying on my part, though. Hannah was afraid of her own shadow and something about me seemed to make her nervous.
Her mortified expression yesterday as I read the orc erotica flashed into my head and my grin widened.
I unzipped my bag at a leisurely pace. 揝omething I can help you with??
揥hy are you naked??Her voice was a squeak.
揑 was taking off my swimsuit. Why were you staring at me naked??I grinned and pulled a pair of boxer briefs on. I could see the blush on the back of her neck from ten feet away.
揑 didn抰 mean to see you naked. Carter said you were back here.?
揧ou can turn around, I抦 not naked anymore.?
She tilted her head first, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure I wasn抰 lying, before she relaxed. Her gaze lingered on my chest, though, like yesterday in her shop.
I bit back a laugh. Avery抯 shy, quiet little friend, checking me out. Who would have thought?
Something stirred in me and I had the urge to push her buttons further. She kept to herself. I never saw her at parties or in the bar, never at the beach on a nice summer day like everyone else. She just stayed in her bookstore.
She didn抰 realize it, but she was cute. At my brother抯 wedding, she had worn a light blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes. I抎 never seen her wear something like that dress, and throughout the night, my gaze kept returning to her, watching how it moved over her skin, how it hugged her ass. Her body was gorgeous, with slight curves and smooth skin.
I抎 never thought of her in that way before.
Today, she wore a baggy sweater with sleeves too long for her, jean shorts, and sneakers. Her legs were long and pale, and again I noticed how soft her skin looked.
I shook the thought out of my head. Hannah wasn抰 a hookup girl. Hannah was shy and terrified of everything.
Her throat worked and her gaze lingered on my boxers before she blushed again.
揥hat抯 up? Did you get a new shipment of erotica you wanted to show me??
She shot me a quick, annoyed glance and I rolled my mouth to keep from grinning. She shifted in place. 揇o you have an office we can talk in??
That piqued my curiosity. 揗y office is winter wetsuit storage right now.?
揙h.?She swallowed. She was cute, wringing her hands like this. 揘ever mind, then.?She whirled around.
I admired the curve of her ass as she walked away. I was about to turn to go back inside the shop when she stopped walking, took a deep breath, and stalked back to me, chin in the air and a determined expression on her face.
揑 have a proposition for you.?
My mind went to a dirty place. 揥ell, knock me over with a feather.?A lazy grin tugged at my mouth and my gaze raked over Hannah as I pulled a pair of shorts on over my boxers. Her muscles were so tense and tight. 換uiet little Hannah is going around town asking for sex.?
She choked and her face was so red, it could burst into flames. 揑 am not going around town asking for sex. I need your help with something.?
I nodded. 揝ex.?
Her head whipped around in frustration. 揘o! Nothing to do with sex. Or, not sex with you.?She shook her head. 揊orget the sex part. I need your help with厰 She bit her lip, and I raised an eyebrow. 揑 need your help with becoming棓
揂 surfer.?
揘o棓
揂 homeowner.?This game was fun.
揘o棓
揧ou want to travel more.?
She hesitated. 揧es, but no.?
揧ou want to enjoy your life, take it one day at a time, fully accept we抮e insignificant to the power of the universe, and that we should enjoy every second of our lives without guilt or attachment??
Something shifted in her gaze and she chewed her lip. Her eyes met mine. I had always thought her eyes were blue but there were shades of green in them, too. 揝ort of.?
Now she could really knock me over with a feather. What was going on in this bookworm抯 head?
揑 want you to teach me how to be a hot girl.?
I stared at her, confused and speechless and uncertain.
She waved her hands to clarify. 揧ou know a lot of hot girls. You sleep around a lot.?
I reared back with an amused grin. 揟hat sounded a little sex-shamey to me.?
She shook her head adamantly, eyes wide behind her glasses. 揑 didn抰 mean it like that. I mean, you know what all these women have in common. You only sleep with hot girls.?
My expression was a mixture of surprise and amusement. Is this what people thought of me? She was right that I didn抰 care what people thought. That seemed to help in the hookup department.
She took a deep breath and nodded. 揑 want you to teach me how to be like that.?