The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled your nose as you stood in line waiting your turn to make your order. This was your Sunday ritual. Get your favourite overly sweet latte from the little coffee shop on the corner, then enjoy it on the 6-block walk to your favourite bookstore. It was your way to reset before the work week, and it was honestly the day you looked forward to the most.
"Next please," the barista announced.
You stepped forward with a friendly smile and made your order. After paying you stepped to the side and waited for your coffee to be ready.
After a couple minutes, passing the time by watching people sitting at small tables near the windows, you heard your name being called. The barista handed over your drink telling you to have a nice day. You smiled to return the kindness and went on your way.
———————-
It was a beautiful fall day. The sun was shining brightly, taking the chill off the morning and warming your skin gently. You finished your coffee as you began to approach the book store, so you discarded the empty cup in a nearby trash can.
Taking a deep breath, you turned your face up to the sun and smiled softly. You felt so at peace and calm in that moment. The streets around you were still quiet, but starting to wake up after a busy Saturday night.
A sudden car horn honking snapped you from your brief reverie, and you sighed as you turned toward the door of the book store. Barnes Books. It had been your favourite place since you first stumbled upon it a few months ago, and hadn't missed a Sunday with Daphne, who worked the morning shift and kept you company as you wandered through the shelves.
A little bell tinkled as you pushed through the entrance, the familiar scent of new books greeting you. You definitely didn't need any new books, your shelves at home were overloaded with titles that you still hadn't even opened yet. So today you thought you would just look around a little bit then head home.
"Morning, miss. You're here early this morning." The deep voice startled you a bit, only because it was definitely male, not the female voice you were expecting.
Seeing him come out from the back room, you smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I uh, usually come in around this time on a Sunday. Daphne not working today?"
"Nope, she is away this weekend, so I'm covering for her." He stepped towards you with an outstretched hand. You caught his eyes, which were a captivating shade of grey-blue. "James Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky." He grinned, and you couldn't help but widen your smile.
"Nice to meet you. Wait, Barnes... is this your shop?" You asked, seemingly putting the pieces together.
He nodded and chuckled. "It is, and I usually don't work weekends. So that must be why I have never met you before."
You felt your face heat slightly, and glanced down at the floor. He was cute. No, that wasn't a good enough word for him. He was a dream. It wasn't just his eyes, which pulled you in so deep that you got lost in them. It was his chestnut brown hair that was expertly styled so it looked like he just rolled out of bed. The way the fabric of his Henley stretched over his chest and arms told you that he definitely spent time at the gym.
As your eyes snapped back up to his after roving over his body, you caught him gripping his bottom lip between his teeth. Oh. Oh.
Bucky cleared his throat and gestured around the store. "So, what are you looking for this morning?"
You glanced around briefly and spotted your usual haunt, the fiction section, which then slowly morphed into the romance section. "Not really looking for anything in specific, but I'll just go wander around if that's okay."
Smiling, he grabbed a nearby stack of books and started arranging them on an empty table. "Of course. Just let me know if you need anything."
Mumbling your thanks, you started wandering through the shelves, getting lost in the titles. You didn't even think about Bucky after a while, but every time you heard a small thump or footsteps nearby, your heart rate increased and you held your breath. You weren't scared of him, but you barely knew him and he had a profound effect on you.
Time passed without notice as you started getting into the romance section. One title in particular caught your attention, so you picked it up off the shelf and started reading the back. Ah, this looked like one of those 'spicy books' your friends were always telling you about.
"That's a pretty popular one, so I don't think you'll go wrong." Bucky appeared from around the corner, glancing at the book in your hand. You jumped at the sudden sound of his voice, and brought your hand to your chest.
He laughed and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Do you read romances a lot?"
You shook your head. "Not usually. Sometimes when I'm in the mood I will, but I usually just listen to my friends talk about how much they adore them."
Bucky tilted his head and leaned against the shelf that was in front of you. He was still a couple steps away, but the smell of him started enveloping you, making it your turn to bite your lip and turn your gaze downward.
You caught his gaze as it flicked down to your lips, which led to him pulling his lip between his teeth again. God that was the sexiest thing you had ever seen.
"And..." Bucky began, hesitating. "What mood do you have to be in to read them?"
He pushed himself off the bookshelf and stepped towards you. You put the book down and felt your brain empty of all coherent thought.
"Um... I uh..." Your mouth went dry, so you licked your lips to give you a second to come up with something to say.
Bucky's gaze darkened as he watched that gesture, taking another step so you could feel the heat radiating from his body.
You forced yourself to take a deep breath, but the air was filled with his musky scent. There was a need building in you. A need you didn't know was still there after being alone for so long.
"When I, um," you tried to continue. Bucky was right in front of you now. His chest inches away from brushing against yours.
He reached out his fingertips briefly, but pulled back again. There was one small part of him that was holding back. Trying to communicate with him because your brain was betraying you, you sent out your hand to brush it against his.
Realizing you were feeling what he was, Bucky pushed forward, pressing his body against yours so your back was flush against the bookcase.
You looked up into his eyes, and felt a sense of safety wash over you. Bucky would never hurt you, just take a breath. "When I am feeling lonely. They are almost like book boyfriends."
Bucky chuckled, and you felt the vibration of it go through you. Oh this man was deadly.
"And you don't have a real boyfriend to keep you company?" He asked, leaning forward so his mouth was sharing your air. You felt like you might combust if he didn't do something soon.
Shaking your head briefly, you glanced to his lips then back up to his eyes. "No, I don't."
That was all Bucky needed. He closed the gap between you and slotted his lips against yours. Oh my god. It was a gentle kiss, with the smallest amount of urgency behind it. His tongue danced across your lips which had you granting him access, and he was then tasting every corner of your mouth.
His hand rose to slide through your hair and cradle your head, but his other hand stayed clasped with yours. The kiss was consuming you, you were handing yourself over to him. He could take you anywhere and you would never say no.
Bucky pulled back from you to lay a soft kiss on the tip of your nose, then rested his forehead on yours. He kept his eyes on yours, your chests heaving from the searing kiss.
Suddenly he smiled and let out a breath. "God I should have worked a Sunday a long time ago."
You looked at him, confused. He gave you another kiss, but on your forehead this time.
"Because then I would have finally met you."
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Eeeeeeek I loved writing this. I love Bucky. He can be so cute.
Thanks for reading! 💙