Play Fling (A Stupid Cupid Book) (38 page)

“Elijah Stokes,” Ben affirmed, framing an air
name plaque. “It suits him, don’t you think?”

“Definitely.” Now, for the more important
question. “Why did you say he won’t be back?”

“Yeah, so, he came in yesterday and I made it
my mission. I mean how long can you go on thinking of someone as
‘Angel Eyes’ or ‘Tasty Treat’, right?”

Maybe she’d strangle Ben after all. But she
knew rushing him would shut him up. Plus, the name Angel Eyes gave
her pause. No wonder she’d given him wings. “He was here
yesterday?” Sadie lined her cart, her palms sweating. Maybe Cynthia
would add Thursdays to her schedule. If she could get the
microfiche machine down.

“Yep. Jealous much?” Ben started on a cart,
too. “So, yesterday, I figured if I lingered around him long
enough, his girl would say his name.”

His girl? Probably the
honey
-
skinned one
with runway legs. Sadie swallowed against the lump in her throat.
“Oh?”

“Oh and she was wearing the
most divine nude lace
-
up corset and these velvet jockey pants. Divine. I had to get
a closer look. And I figured, if she didn’t say his name, I could
go up and ask him, you know, compliment her, segue into an
introduction. But I didn’t have to.”

Conversation? Yeah, right.
Cajones, Ben did not sport. “So she said his name?” Lovingly?
Passionately? Was it too much to hope she wasn’t his
girlfriend
?

“No. He got a phone call
and answered ‘Elijah Stokes’.” Ben paged through a book before
sticking it in his cart. “And then she said something about coming
back one last time tomorrow, which means today. Come back for what,
I couldn’t tell you
,
but I’ll be trying to find out
,
if you know what I
mean.”

Last night’s hot kisses came into sharp
mental focus. Her first cart alphabetized, Sadie hurried to finish
the next. Keeping her hands busy tempered her rapid heartbeat.

“So, you’ll never guess who the history
department….”

She tuned Ben out.

She couldn’t lose control over her reactions.
She couldn’t let him see how much the idea of never seeing Elijah
again panicked her. She couldn’t reveal all those dreams. And
because she wanted to keep her only sort of friend, she couldn’t
pad his already extensive Sadie files.

The books smelled fusty and good, the plastic
covers crinkled against her fingertips. Sadie focused on the smells
and the lull of Ben’s voice.

“I’ll start with this up on main,” Ben said,
leaving her two more carts to categorize.

Sadie nodded and smiled tightly up at him as
he strolled to the elevators. Sadie’s rush returned. The seconds
crawled by as she waited for the elevator’s ding, the cart’s clank
over the threshold, the groan of moving metal. Forever ended and
she pushed the pent up energy from her tight lungs in a loud
whoosh.

Alone at last. Well, alone
with him—Elijah—at last. Save for the other patrons here and there,
or, possibly,
his
“girl”
. A pang shot through her. Was she
his girlfriend? Not like Sadie could just go up and flirt with him
yet, anyhow. What would she say? “You won’t believe this but I keep
having erotic dreams about you. And you can’t keep your hands off
me.”

Yeah, right.

Five minutes of
composure
-
gathering later, Sadie wheeled her cart in his direction,
determined to do what Ben couldn’t. To do what she previously
couldn’t. To take a chance.

Would he notice her first? Maybe he’d look up
as she passed and smile. What would she do? Smile back? Wave? What
excuse would get her talking to him?

Nothing big. Chit chat. Or a question.

He wouldn’t be back either. Ever. The idea
kicked panic into her stomach and determination into her heart.

She’d be
med
-
free within
days. Back to the strong woman she was before one minor, totally
overblown freak out two years ago. Soon, she’d walk without
tripping, speak without stumbling, high
kick
without falling
over.

She’d be Sadie again. Kickass and
confident.

She’d have a real shot at Elijah. At
life.

~~~

Available in ebook and in print.

About the author:

In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott
escapes into the addictive complications her characters lives
present. She often burns dinner, is a sucker for chocolate and
still believes in happily ever after. You can find her online or in
her sunny Arizona home playing with her two kids, husband and one
day, many cats.