His Shy Librarian: A steamy older man younger woman romance novella Read online

  I sighed. Those kinds of love stories, and the couple sitting across from me, were lovely. But they always left me feeling more alone than ever.

  Replaying the way I stumbled backward into Mr. Reiner and how he grabbed me in his strong arms, left me feeling flushed, and then alone. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. After all, that kind of thing in a movie almost always meant that they’d be together by the end.

  I knew that couldn’t happen to me, but it was a wonderful fantasy, for a while.

  “That sandwich must be amazing.”

  I flinched at the loud voice. It had obviously been said twice, louder the second time, but I’d been listening to the story of Osiris and Isis, and watching the lovebirds across the yard, and apparently been holding the sandwich up to my lips for God knew how long. I pulled my earbuds out and turned to look over my shoulder.

  Richard Reiner grinned down at me.

  “Oh,” I said, shaking my head. “No, it’s not very good at all. I was distracted.”

  He walked around the bench and sat next to me. “By what?”

  I wrapped the sandwich back into the baggie and shrugged. “Just listening to an Egyptian myth story and got caught up in it.”

  He tilted his head. “Which one.”

  My face heated up. I could have lied and chosen another myth, but most Egyptian myths had some great love or union at the heart of them. But I could make it seem less like I was mooning over it. “Osiris, Isis and Set.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, and clasped his hands together. “Which part do you like best? The love story or the jealousy and murder?” He raised his eyebrows, his piercing blue eyes glimmering.

  “Not the jealousy and murder,” I said, trying to avoid saying love story. That alone made me feel like a silly twelve-year-old.

  “I like the whole thing,” he said. “And that Horus, their son, ended up King of Egypt over Set in the end. It all worked out.”

  I stared at him.

  “What, you think just because I’m a professor of economics I don’t appreciate a little history and drama?” He nudged me with his elbow. “I’m a man of many interests and talents.”

  If my face had been warm before, it was aflame now. I could only imagine what those talents might entail. “I—I’m sure you are,” I said, my voice huskier than I meant it to be. I rubbed the back of my neck.

  Mr. Reiner wore a deep blue shirt with a silver tie and black slacks. The blue set off his eyes and made them more mesmerizing than they already were, and his dark hair and slight stubble looked fantastic above the lightness of his tie. I wondered if he gave much thought to the way he dressed every day, about how he would look, or if he happened to be one of those gifted people with an innate sense of style. Of course, you could have put him in a stretched-out T-shirt and holey jeans, and the sex appeal would still come through.

  “Karey?”

  I was doing it again, getting distracted with my thoughts. “Sorry. Didn’t get enough sleep or something.”

  He nodded his head, his smile broadening. “How come you’ve never been in my class? Aren’t there a couple of gen-ed requirements you could have fulfilled with economics?”

  There was. And I’d pointedly not taken them, both because economics didn’t really interest me, and because my body would have rebelled if I’d had to sit in a classroom with Richard Reiner three times a week without getting to reach out and— “Just didn’t work out that way,” I said with a shrug, catching myself getting stuck in my head again.

  “Why don’t you let me give you a crash course?”

  “In economics?” I must have made a face because he laughed.

  “Yes, in economics. There’s a seminar about the impact of e-commerce on the future economy this Saturday in Portland. Let me take you. It’d be a shame for you to graduate college without some kind of economics education.” He stood and put his hands in his pockets. “We can’t have your father thinking you got a sub-par education at his school, can we?”

  “Um, okay.” I laughed, not quite sure what was happening. Portland was almost an hour’s drive. “Are there other students coming?”

  “No, just us. I thought…” He leaned forward and bent over to speak to me softly. “I was hoping you might like that.”

  Two hours in a car alone with him. Two hours of talking, being a foot away from him. I would like that. Even though I was bound to make a fool of myself. He’d realize what a nerd I was, and maybe would avoid coming to the library when I was there. It could be disastrous.

  But there was no way I could say no to that smile and those sapphire eyes.

  “I would like that. I will.” I beamed at him, and he turned to walk away. “Mr. Reiner. Can we meet at the parking lot near the chem building instead of you picking me up at home? I’ll probably be running errands earlier, and it’s just easier than driving back there.”

  That was a little white lie. I just thought it would be better to meet there than have him pick me up at home where Dad might ask questions I really couldn’t answer.

  “Sure thing. And Karey, please just call me Richard, or Rick. Most of my students do, and I’ve known you a lot longer than any of them.” He flashed his sexy smile at me. “See you Saturday.”

  I watched him walk away, the hands in his pockets pulling his slacks tighter across his ass, and it was the perfect combination of curve and muscle. Everything about that man was sexy. And now I was going to be alone with him in a car on Saturday.

  I was hoping you might like that.

  I knew with my dad as the dean, nothing more would come of it besides a seminar and maybe some flirting—was he flirting?—but that didn’t matter. I was thrilled with that much, and only hoped I didn’t end up looking foolish.

  I squeezed my thighs together, a little heartbeat between my legs. Rick. It almost seemed illicit to call him by his first name, but I couldn’t wait to try it out on Saturday.

  Chapter Four

  Richard

  No Saturday in my entire life had taken as long to arrive, not even when Christmas fell on Saturdays or the year my family went to Disneyland when I was a kid. Anticipating a date with Karey made the rest of the week crawl, and I had to admit that was because I wanted to spend time alone with her so badly.

  I always had, but I’d never let myself think too much about it. I’d certainly never given myself permission to do it.

  But I’d done it, and she’d responded as well as I could have hoped for. Her surprised expression and the glint in her eyes when I’d made it clear that we’d be alone, the blush on her cheeks, had made me want to kiss her right then. If we’d been in a romance novel, that’s probably what I’d have done. Pulled her into my arms and hungrily kissed her mouth, no hesitation or uncertainty.

  It was a great fantasy, but the real world demanded its due. And because of that, I kept wondering if I shouldn’t call her father and have a talk with him. It almost seemed sneaky, taking her out without Lawrence knowing. Of course, maybe Karey would mention it.

  No, that’s why she wanted to meet instead of having me pick her up at home. That was obvious.

  I smoothed down the lapel of my suit jacket—a little formal for a seminar but this was our first date, after all—and decided that Karey would tell him if she wished. She was a grown woman, not a child. Very much a grown, beautiful woman who I wanted to show an enjoyable afternoon and evening in the city. And maybe not tonight, but soon, show an unforgettable night in my bed.

  We met in the parking lot where she’d wanted. I was going to get out of the car to open the door for her, but she hurried out of hers and into mine before I even had my door open. Afraid of someone seeing us together, maybe?

  It was unfortunate, if only because I didn’t get to see her standing there in her higher-than-usual heels, and the slightly shorter skirt. She was still dressed fairly business casual, but instead of a long skirt, a fitted skirt ended just above her knee. A buttoned blouse was tucked into that, and a thin sweater w
ent over the top. Her skirt and sweater were a silvery gray, and the buttoned blouse carried the slightest touch of pink, matching her shoes. Heavier mascara showed through the glasses that she pushed up on her nose.

  I’d never seen her dress this way before, and I was tempted to ask her about it, but I didn’t want to make things awkward.

  She looked ready to go to work in an office, but compared with the clothes she usually wore, she looked dressed to the nines.

  “You look fantastic,” I said.

  She beamed and pushed her long, brown hair over her shoulder. “Thanks. I, uh, borrowed the skirt and shoes from my friend Allie. I thought maybe since it was a business seminar I should probably look business-like.”

  I chuckled as I backed out of the lot and then pulled onto the road. “If we worked in an office together and you came in looking the way you do? I’d have a hard time getting any work done.”

  She put her hand on her chest, her pale cheeks flushing. “Is it too much? I could change.”

  I laughed again. “Karey, stop worrying about it. You’re just beautiful. It can’t be helped.”

  A tiny smile found her lips as she looked down and away, ignoring the compliment. I didn’t think she believed it, but wasn’t sure.

  “I made our reservations for dinner after the seminar,” I said, to change the subject. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Mind? No, of course not.”

  Karey crossed her legs, and I was tempted to slide my hand from her ankle to her knee. Further, under the skirt to the soft skin of her inner thigh.

  I shook my head. I needed to concentrate on my driving if we were going to get to this seminar in one piece.

  “I hope you’re not bored the entire time.” I’d worried about that, but thought maybe if it seemed she was on the verge of unconsciousness at any point, we could simply leave. Since I wasn’t speaking, I naturally wasn’t required to be there. “Too bad it’s not about economics through history.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be bored, but I can’t promise I’ll absorb everything. It might not be that enjoyable to be there with someone confused the entire time.” She scoffed self-consciously.

  “Karey, it could be in a foreign language that neither of us could understand, and I wouldn’t be bored. I’ll enjoy being there with you.” I could have confessed that I’d had no real intention of attending this seminar until I realized it was an excuse to ask her on a date. I came close. “I’m not really going for the subject matter as much as the company, anyway.”

  Jesus, she was sexy when she blushed and licked her lips like that. My only concern now was whether or not I was going to have a hard-on for the entire drive to Portland.

  To my surprise, the drive was mostly spent laughing and chatting about times I’d had with her father and things I didn’t know that she remembered from her childhood, things that went on at school, and the everyday adventures of being an economics professor and a student librarian. We talked in a way the last few dates I’d had could never have lived up to. We already had a connection, and finally being alone long enough to have a real conversation only solidified it.

  By the time we reached Portland, she was leaning my way when she laughed, and she’d put her hand on my arm a couple of times. I loved that. I wanted to pull her close, to hell with two-handed driving.

  When I pulled in the parking lot outside the auditorium, she started to open her door. “Ah, ah,” I said, wagging my finger. “Just sit still for a minute.” I hurried around to her side and opened the door with a flourish. “My lady.” I swung my arm to welcome her out of the car.

  She giggled and took my offered hand to step out and stand. “My, what special treatment.”

  “You deserve it.” I pulled gently on her hand until she stood right in front of me. I could have kissed her, or pulled her against me. God, I couldn’t wait to feel her tits pressed against my chest and see in her eyes how much she wanted me. And I knew in my heart, in my gut, that was going to happen. Now that we’d had more than a moment alone together, I was sure it was simply a matter of time.

  But I took a deep breath and held her gaze, then turned and held my arm out for her to take. “Shall we?”

  She took my arm with the sweetest expression on her face. “Mr. R—”

  I put my hand over hers where it held my arm.

  “Rick,” she corrected herself. “No one’s ever treated me like such a lady before.”

  “I’ll always treat you like a lady.” I took her hand and kissed it, then curled it back around my arm. She moved closer to me, and I hoped the seminar ran short because I could hardly wait to get to dinner.

  And what I hoped would come after.

  Chapter Five

  Karen

  Sitting next to Rick, his forearm pressed against mine on the armrest of the auditorium seat, I could barely focus on the seminar. I’d meant to try, pick something up I could discuss with him after so he would know I understood, but I was all a flutter from the praise and compliments he’d showered on me during the drive.

  At the same time, I felt a little ashamed that I’d borrowed Allie’s clothes. I didn’t have anything that resembled these clothes. In a way, I almost felt like it wasn’t me he was praising, but her.

  Of course, when he’d taken my hand to help me out of the car and offered his arm like a prince escorting a princess, whose clothes I was wearing became a minor issue.

  I couldn’t concentrate until nearly the end of the lecture, and by then I wasn’t sure what the man was talking about in anything but the most basic ways. When it was over, we rose and headed back to the car. When we got in, I expected him to immediately ask what I thought of the lecture, and I was going to have to scramble to come up with something intelligent to say.

  I watched the muscles in his jaw flex as he started the car, the way he blinked slowly and flared his nostrils as he took a deep breath. But the question never came. Instead, he asked, “I hope you’re hungry?”

  “I am.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re still awake.” He grinned as he drove. “I’m not sure what I’d have done if I’d found you asleep at the end of it.”

  I laughed. “I couldn’t have slept if I’d tried.” And not because of the lecture. Because I was sitting next to you.

  “Glad to hear it.” The sun was going down, but his face seemed bright as he grinned and winked at me. “I’m starving, and plan on getting the biggest steak they’ll allow me to have. How about you? Have you been to Reveille before?”

  “No.” When he said we were going out to dinner, I figured a standard restaurant. To my mind, Reveille was a place you went for a special occasion when in the city. “I’ve never even looked at their menu online.”

  Rick didn’t look at me, but his grin grew. “It’s a day full of firsts for you then, isn’t it?”

  I only nodded in reply, wondering, and maybe hoping, he meant something beyond a trip to the city with him and a fancy dinner out.

  Once we were seated in the restaurant, I thanked Allie in my head again for her clothes. I felt slightly underdressed, so I could only imagine how awkward I’d have felt in my own long skirt and cardigan.

  “I’m Susie, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” Susie handed us our menu and took our drink order, and she managed to never look me directly in the face a single time. She stared at Rick, instead.

  I couldn’t blame her. He was gorgeous and easy to stare at with his dark hair, blue eyes, and dimples that wouldn’t quit. Students and college faculty alike often slipped in their propriety when Rick walked into the room. He always flustered me, but I ended up awkward and doing things like stumbling over my words or, on one memorable occasion, taking a rubber band off his ordered library books and accidentally flipping myself in the face.

  But I’d never seen anyone flirt so openly with him before. For all the server knew, I was his girlfriend or wife, and she just went on staring at him, smiling, even arching her back a little so her breasts pushed
out more. At least that’s what I thought she was doing. Maybe she stood like that all the time?

  We ordered—I decided on the sirloin tips with mushrooms, and Rick got a huge porterhouse. Susie barely nodded in acknowledgment of my order, but acted like his choice of food was the most brilliant string of words she’d ever heard in the English language. I almost felt bad for her at acting so… available.

  And I got a little hot under the collar. She was openly flirting with my date.

  Then I noticed something that washed all that ire away, and in fact made me feel even more special than his fawning over me getting in and out of the car.

  Rick never even looked at her. His eyes were on me, except when he glanced at her briefly as he ordered, as was only polite. But through all her laughter and praise at how he’d chosen the steak so wisely, and her boob-pushing and back-arching, Rick looked at me.

  Warmth rolled down my stomach, right to my pussy. I had to take a quick drink of water to cover the rush it gave me.

  And then I smiled at her sweetly before she walked away, and that made me feel sort of triumphant.

  “So,” he said after we were alone once again. “You stayed awake, that’s good. But did you enjoy it?”

  I blew out a breath. “I did. I can’t claim I understood all of it. I was with him when he was talking about the disruptors in retail, how those things affect commerce and therefore the economy, but when he went in depth, some of it was beyond me.”

  Rick nodded. “It got a bit dry there, I’ll admit. And it ended up being more about commerce than the economy, per se, though, they’re indisputably linked. What’s good for retail stores, particularly mid-sized organizations, is good for the economy, so the more those stores compete with the websites slapped up for low prices and the massive, venture capital-funded operations, the more the economy is likely to grow. The more mid-sized stores that fail, the more it regresses.”