Batting his hand away, I throw my head back in laughter. “It’s more than sex, Colt.”
He takes a step closer to me. “Are you in love? How the hell did I miss that happening?”
I dart a hand in the air. “Not love. Deep like. Admiration. I fucking adore her.”
“Sounds like love to me.”
“It’s not love,” I say as much to convince him as myself.
How the fuck could I have fallen in love this quickly?
“Call it whatever the hell you want. I want to know who she is. Where did you meet her?”
“Keep this quiet.” I tap a finger on his shoulder. “This stays here.”
His eyes skim my face. “Holy hell. You’re head over heels for Bella Calvetti, aren’t you?”
I raise my brows in a silent question because how in the fuck did he figure that out?
Resting a hand on my shoulder, he laughs. “You spend all your time with her. She’s beautiful, and there’s a bag from Calvetti’s in your kitchen. Great detective work on my part, I’d say.”
“You’re a regular Sherlock.”
He pockets his phone. “I’m going home to my fiancée. Lock Bella down, Barrett. She comes from good people.”
“You’ll say hi to Eden for me?”
“Don’t I always?” He taps my cheek. “I’ll be in touch. Thanks for the old pizza and cheap beer.”
I follow him as he makes his way to the door. “You brought the beer the last time you were here.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he laughs. “That’s how I know it’s cheap. Grab the bull by the horns, Barrett and grab Bella before some asshole scoops her up.”
There is no way in hell I’ll let another man near her.
Chapter 46
Bella
Picking up another book with a torn cover, I look around the interior of Rusten’s Reads. It’s Saturday morning in Brooklyn. This is the time when foot traffic is at its peak. The store is in a prime location, yet the only other person in here is Misty Furst, one of the owners.
Barrett hasn’t mentioned the business since we met with Ivan at Axel NY. I have no idea if he plans on following through with acquiring them as part of Garent Industries, or not.
“How are you making out, Bella?” Misty calls from where she’s stacking children’s books on a small circular table.
“Good.” I smile, waving the two books I’m holding in the air. “I’ll find another and then I’ll be good to go.”
I shift my gaze to the shelf in front of me. My reading tastes vary. One month I’m all about romance. The next I might be consumed with mystery novels. Today, I’m drawn to the science fiction section.
I peek around the bookshelf when I hear the bell above the entrance door ring. Hoping it’s a crowd of at least twenty people; I take a step back when I realize who I’m looking at.
Barrett?
Dressed down in a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater, he approaches Misty. “What have you got for me today, Misty?”
“You won’t believe it.” She shakes her head, sending her short gray curls bouncing. “We do have a copy of Pride and Prejudice tucked away on a shelf in the stockroom.”
“I’ll take it,” he says, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.