Free Bending Bethany by Aria Cole Page B

peered up at me, and I realized she was waiting for my reply. I turned to the circulation desk and re-adjusted my needy cock before placing the crinkled application on the polished wood and turning to her.
    “Well, you’re the only one that applied, so it looks like you’ve got the job.”
    “Really?” Her eyes widened and she advanced, the soft cotton of her shirt draped across her round and perky tits, making my mouth water. I let my gaze linger a moment longer as her nipples hardened into stiff peaks.
    Fuck, I wanted to run my hands up her curvy little body, tear that flimsy barrier from her skin, and have my way with her. The beast that lived deep inside my gut rattled the cage as my heartbeat slammed in wild beats through my cock. “Familiar with libraries?” I stalked back down the aisle I’d been in before she’d appeared on my stoop. I shelved a few more books, unwilling to look in her direction, irrationally angry that she had this effect on me. Who was this woman walking into my library and causing me to act like a goddamn animal?
    “Spent a lot of time in them in school,” she finally offered.
    She was close behind me, much closer than I would have guessed. Much too close for her safety. I almost felt like warning her off, but instead I said, “This place is small. Non-fiction, fiction, end-cap for the dirty romance novels—lot of women come in asking for that one—” I cut my dark gaze to her as I pointed at one with a sexy cover. Her eyes flared, cheeks pinking up the sweetest shade of rose I’d ever seen. I imagined the shade her nipples might turn when she was aroused. Dark rose? Dusky pink? The riddle rattled through my lascivious brain on repeat.
    “I don’t read those,” she stammered. Flustered looked good on her. “But I’ve probably read over half your fiction section.” She pointed one long finger at the small sign that hung at the end of the next aisle. When I didn’t respond, her gaze flashed back to me, then down to the wet boots on her feet. I saw her thighs shift beneath the dark fabric of her leggings, which clung tightly to her legs like a second skin. When she turned away, my eyes ate up the sight of the curvy outline of her thighs. The soft swell of her curvy ass begged for my hands. She had curves for fucking miles and I wanted her in my bed. More than any woman I’d ever seen in my life, I wanted this one.
    “I would expect you to be well read if you apply for a job at a library,” I responded finally. Her eyes flashed with hurt and I was shocked to find my heart stutter for a moment in the cavity of my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. “I don’t have time to train someone, so I expect you to pick up the job without an issue. Now enough of the small talk,” I rumbled, taking a step closer to her and invading her personal space by anyone’s standards. “Tell me what you need from me.”

Two
    Elle
    I just needed a job. I came here for a job. But there was something about this man. I didn't know how to answer his questions, and his whole demeanor was so intimidating. He was terrifying and yet somehow beautifully ravaged with a thick scar slashed across one cheekbone, losing itself in the coarse hair of his well-kept stubble. He didn’t quite have a beard, but it was long enough for someone to push her fingers through. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen and that scared me. I knew a lot about handsome and terrifying men. Men were dangerous. They were scary and mean, but I knew how to keep away. I knew no one would keep me safe. I learned at a young age to stay away from men. They took what they wanted and left. They didn't protect but destroyed.
    Maxwell's words hummed on a loop in my head as his dark eyes roamed across my body in a lascivious manner before he adverted his eyes away. Men never turned their eyes away; this was new. Usually, the men that my father had hanging around would look at me like I was dinner. Shame never dwindled in