"Um excuse me," Emma said with a frown, "this book is mine."
The person standing before her didn't relinquish the book in question, and Emma glanced up at him…and then promptly wished she hadn't. This guy was hot. Like middle-of-summer in Phoenix hot. Like compared-to-him-the-sun-was-kind-of-warm hot. No one had a right to look that damn good this early in the morning. She should just arrest him and haul him off to jail for that alone.
Very much against her will, her heart swooped and her breath caught at his very proximity. She saw the exact moment he noticed her reaction. A sly, maddening, delighted (sexy) grin came over his face. Emma frowned thunderously up at him, as angry with herself at her reaction as she was at him for his…well, his very existence.
"Much as I hate to contradict a lady," he drawled (Oh gods, even his voice and accent were hot. She was in serious, serious trouble), "I believe this book, in fact belongs to me. I was here first."
Her frown deepened. "I don't think so. Give me my item before I punch you in the face."
He chuckled, leaning forward and crowding her space. (Her stupid, traiterous heart picked up yet again.) "Oh Darling, I can think of some far, far more pleasant ways we can spar than a bout of fisticuffs."
Was it suddenly hot in here?
"Look, I don't have time for this," she said with a sigh, her voice beginning to raise. "Just stop being a jackass and give me the book."
Suddenly a small man with a brown beard, a grumpy look on his face, and a hat that read "security" stepped forward. "There a problem here folks?"
"None I can't handle," Emma gritted out. "Soon as this guy admits I got here first and gives me my merchandise I'll get out of your hair."
"On the contrary," the man said. "I was the first one to claim this particular prize."
The security guard, who wore the name tag "Leroy", glanced back and forth between the two of them for a moment, and then shrugged. "Look, I won't have any fighting in this store. Work it out among yourselves, or I'm kicking you both out. Then neither one of you gets the stupid book."
For a moment Emma merely glared at the man, and he looked back at her, a look of steely determination on his face. Finally he sighed.
"Look, love, the security guard's right," he said. "While quite enjoyable, our standoff will get us nowhere."
Was the (hot as hell) guy going to actually be reasonable and give in?
"So here's what I propose," he said. "We purchase the book and then adjourn elsewhere to discuss the particulars of whose prize it will be. Perhaps you'll allow me to buy you a cup of coffee at Granny's?"
She crossed her arms across her chest. "Are you seriously asking me out right now?"
He chuckled, and the sound did things to her, things that brought the color to her cheeks and stole her breath clean from her lungs. He leaned even closer, so close she could feel his minty-fresh breath against her cheek. "Sadly no. I was merely proposing a parlay of sorts, a chance for us to settle our differences like adults. However, if you're hoping for a romantic evening out on another occasion, I could certainly accommodate you."
"In your dreams!"
He wiggled his eyebrows. Actually wiggled them! "Perhaps."
Emma growled. "Are you kidding me right now? It's too early for this!"
He seemed to sense he'd pushed her as far as was prudent, and he sighed. "I vow to be the perfect gentleman. IIf we at least secure the item, we can then decide later who is the victor."
She gave him a quick look and could see the sincerity in his eyes. She was good at spotting when someone was lying, after all. Finally she sighed. "Fine. But we both buy it–split the cost fifty-fifty. That way neither one of us can claim ownership of the book before we get everything ironed out."
"Here you are folks," the perky brunette waitress said half an hour later. "One black coffee and one hot cocoa with cinnamon.
Killian heard the waitress lean whisper "Emma, he's hot" to the woman on the other side of the booth.
She growled and whispered "Ruby, shut it!" back.
He chuckled. This was turning into one of the most delightful mornings he'd had in ages. When the waitress had flitted over to another set of customers, Killian leaned back and grinned at his companion. "She's right, you know," he said. 'I have been called devilishly handsome."
"I'll give you the devilish part," she said with a wry quirk of her brow. "Look…what did you say your name was?"
"Did I fail to introduce myself? How very rude of me. Killian Jones, at your service," he said with a bow. Her cheeks colored alluringly at his formality, and Killian was delighted at her reaction to him.
She was utterly captivating, and the truth was, he hadn't been so quickly, completely and charmingly smitten with anyone since Milah. Though he very much wanted to attain the fairy tale book for his Alice, he couldn't say he regretted the complications this morning had brought.
He didn't know what possessed him to ask this woman to coffee. All he knew as they stood facing off in the bookstore was that he did not want their time together to be at an end anytime soon.
"Emma Swan," she muttered.
A fit of pure devilishness came over him, and he reached over, took her hand and brought it to her lips. "Enchanted." he whispered.
Her quick, indrawn breath made his grin widen, and she quickly pulled her hand back and busied herself with taking a sip of her beverage.
"So, Killian Jones," she said, her voice not quite steady, "what are we going to do about this book? I don't mean to be a jerk about it, but I really need this book. My son…well, this is the only thing he's asked for, and it's been a rough year for him. I just…I just want to be able to give him this one thing so maybe I don't feel like such a failure as a parent."
His heart turned over. He could tell she'd said more than she'd intended. Emma Swan didn't strike him as someone who let her walls down quickly or shared her feelings of inadequacy with strangers.
"As a single parent myself, I can relate to the feelings, love," he said, "but I've no doubt book or no book, you're hardly a failure as a parent."
"Yeah, well," she said, glancing uncomfortably aside. "I feel like it."
Killian was silent for a long moment, taking a sip of his coffee. If it weren't for Alice, he'd give up his claim on the book in a moment, but it was for Alice. Was there any way they could both get what they wanted?
"I don't wish to be intransigent either," he said finally, "and my behavior today is not a matter of mere stubbornness. My daughter also has her heart set on this particular book."
Her eyes softened at his statement, acknowledging their dueling claims as parents wanting the best for their respective children. "Yeah, I get it, so that brings me back to my original question. How do we decide who gets the book?"
Suddenly an idea struck him. It was unorthodox to say the least, unorthodox to the point of being downright bizarre, but it did have it's merits–namely the fact that, should she agree to it, they'd be forced to see each other again on a fairly regular basis.
"I do have an idea," he said slowly, "but it may sound positively daft."
She gave him an assessing look, taking another dainty sip of her cocoa. "Okay, I'm listening."
"What if we share the book?" he blurted out.
"Share it? What do you mean?"
"I mean," he said, "what if we trade off? Your lad gets the book one week, and then my Alice gets it the next, and so on."
Her brow furrowed. "You mean like…joint custody…of a book."
He shrugged with a grin. "I told you it would sound daft."
Killian was encouraged by the fact that Emma didn't outright shoot down his (odd) idea. She seemed to consider it, staring into space for several moments, before briefly nodding. "It is a weird solution, but I think it might be the best way we can both get what we want. Can't believe I'm saying this, but you have a deal."
Notes: Merry week before Christmas! Sorry it's taken me several weeks to get back to this story, but as always, it's a busy time of year. I was hoping to get this story finished in this installment, but these two just wouldn't stop flirting and being all sexual tension-y long enough for me to finish the story, so surprise! You'll get a part 3 next week! (I do promise to finish it in a week this time!)