Free His Absolute Assignment - Elise's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum (#1) (A Contemporary Romance Novel) by Cerys du Lys

vivid memory.  That was when I first met Lucent, right here in the library.  We weren't in this room, or at least not yet, but as the story progressed we would eventually come here.  It took a little more time, but it was good time.  I thought of it like stretching outwards, pushing boundaries a little, seeing what we could get away with with one another.
    Another knock, but I was done writing this time and I knew I could take a little break.
    "Miss Tanner?"
    I blinked and peered at the closed door.  Lucent?  Standing quickly, I hurried over and opened the door.  He stood there, smiling, apologetic.
    "My apologies for intruding upon you," he said.  "If you're busy I can—?"
    "No, no," I said.  I peeked around outside, scanning the upper halls of the library.  No one was here except us.  "Come," I said, grabbing Lucent's hand and tugging him in.  "Come inside.  We can sit here."
    Lucent came, chuckling as he did.  I smiled and pulled him all the way in, then tipped the door shut with my foot.  We were alone now, no more need for pulling or tugging or dragging, but I kept holding his hand.  I squeezed slightly, enjoying the feeling of our hands together.  Lucent must have decided he liked that feeling, too, because he shifted his grip to twine our fingers together.
    "I hope I'm not bothering you," he said.  "I tried to call you once I finished with Mr. Landseer."
    "Oh," I said.  "Um... whoops.  I got excited and I must have left my phone in my car.  With my purse.  It's just outside," I added.  "I didn't lose it or anything.  Everything's fine there.  I don't..."
    I didn't want him to think I was careless or reckless or irresponsible.  I didn't want Lucent to think that he needed to take care of me because he didn't think I could take care of myself.  I did like when he offered to help me, but this was different.
    "I was simply needlessly worried, that's all," he said.  "I hope you don't mind that I'm here.  I thought I'd wait for you outside, but then Miss Mitchell saw me.  To make a long story short, she convinced me to come inside and told me where you were.  I was waiting in the hall for awhile before I finally decided to knock."
    I laughed.  "You're funny."
    "Oh?" he asked, squeezing my hand in his.  He stepped around in front of me and took my other hand, too.  We stood there, holding hands, him looking down at me and me looking up at him.  "What exactly about me do you find entertaining, if you don't mind me inquiring?"
    "I like how you're very worried about me sometimes," I said in earnest.  "I like how you're worried about me, but you're also worried about worrying about me.  It's endearing, I think."
    "You find amusement in my concerned fretting?" he asked, attempting to maintain a mien of stoicism but giving in to a faint smirk.
    "I do," I said, nodding.  "Quite and rather."
    "Pip-pip?" he offered.
    "Cheerio!" I said.  It was a silly and dumb thing that Margaret and I joked about with each other sometimes; acting at some feigned attempt at cliche English.  Lucent liked to tease me about it.
    Without thinking, I stepped forward on tiptoes and pressed my lips against his.  I was smiling and kissing, and Lucent was kissing, then smiling.  He tried to let loose my hands to wrap his arms around me, but I held him tight and wouldn't let him go.
    He grinned then, pleasant and Cheshire-like.  I closed my eyes and gave in to emotion and sensation.  I felt freed and lifted in a lot of ways.  Partly because of Lucent's presence, and partly because of my writing.  I thought I had a good story, and I'd spent so much time at writing the beginning of it today.  What I loved the most about it was that it was mine and Lucent's.  It wasn't a story without the both of us; it was a story because of the both of us.
    "Were you writing?" Lucent asked, glancing sidelong at my laptop after we broke away from our kiss.
    "Yes," I said.  Scrambling away from him, hurrying to the desk where I'd