Blackmailing Belle (The Lost Girls, #4)

by Holly Roberds

"You may have memorized my website bio." Her eyes meet mine, unflinching. "But it doesn’t say how important it was for me to build something of my own. I want to get books into the hands of readers. I want to promote my favorite authors. I want to create a safe haven for readers where they can escape into fantasy and romance. Making that kind of sanctuary is important." I lean back, lips curling. "Quite the ambitious little bookseller, aren't you?" "That's not why you picked me, though. Not because I have dreams, but because you thought I'd be content to sit quietly in your haunted mansion forever, reading my little romance novels." She doesn't raise her voice, but there's steel in it. I start at her use of the word haunted. Does she know? Feel the presence of all those who used to live here? My skin itches at the thought. Thankfully she doesn’t notice my reaction, but continues on. "Because obviously, someone who reads shifter romance must be desperate enough to accept a life with a monster." Her face tenses. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to refer to you as a monster."