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Jemma sighed happily as she turned the page and grabbed her new fountain pen to continue taking notes. The books in this section of the library were much more interesting than any of the books her parents ever gave her.
It was all worth the secrecy and tiptoeing around her own house at a late hour as if she was a burglar. Still, it was all so silly. She was a grown woman and a student at Oxford University. She shouldn't have to bribe a maid to get out through the service entrance to be able to go to the University library whenever she pleased and without a chaperone. Some of the drawings in the biology book she was currently reading would probably have Mrs James fainting on the nearest settee, Jemma thought with a wicked smile. When would she finally be allowed to do as she pleased and go wherever she wanted without a chaperone? They couldn't possibly insist on sending Mrs James with her when she was thirty? And she certainly wasn't planning on marrying to get out of being chaperoned. Her books and science were all the company she wanted and she didn't need a husband who would try to take that away from her.
A small noise, a shuffling maybe, pulled her out of her musings. She looked up and around but couldn't see anything. The library was dark except for the lamp right beside her. After all, it was late and Christmas was only a few days away. Most students were with their family or out to celebrate somewhere a proper lady like her wouldn't be invited to. Not that she was interested in going, not when she finally had the science section all to herself. Just when she was about to get back to her reading, there was another noise and this time, it seemed to come from the other side.
It was probably nothing. Just old wood creaking. Maybe a mouse thinking everyone had gone home already. Still, her heartbeat picked up. If it was one of those dangerous men her mum always spoke about and she was murdered tonight, Jemma was certain the words engraved on her tombstone would be "I told you so".
Another noise, louder, seemed to come from right behind her. She practically jumped out of her chair and turned around. Book in hand, she backed away against the closest row of books and willed her heart to slow down so could hear any sort of danger coming her way. Something moved in the shadows at the end of the opposite row of books and, without thinking, Jemma threw her book in that direction, as hard as she could.
"Oooow!" The cry was followed by a whimper of sorts and soon a man walked out of the shadows, rubbing a hand over his forehead.
Well, he was a man, that was clear from the trousers, jacket and cravat he was wearing, but he didn't look like the dangerous men her mum always talked about. For one thing, he didn't have fangs or red eyes. In fact, when he stepped a little closer, she could see that he had the loveliest blue eyes she'd ever seen. He was just a little taller than she was with solid looking shoulders but most definitely not the half-man, half-animal kind of beast she'd imagined when her mum warned her about the dangers of leaving the comfort of her home to go to university.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," she said as she sprung into action. She walked up to him and, with her hands on his shoulders, pushed him into the chair.
"Hey! What are you—"
"Are you hurt?" she interrupted, pushing his hand away and turning his face towards the light. There was just a small red mark close to his hairline so she threaded her fingers into his tight curls to look for more signs of injury. For a second, she smiled despite herself. His hair was soft and springy with no trace of the fashionable sticky pomade men used these days.
"I'm fine, really," he said, a little louder, and she only then noticed his lovely Scottish lilt. "Can you please—"
She moved back, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She'd attacked him and now she was mauling him. She supposed her mum was right when she said she didn't have the proper manners of a lady. Most of the time, she didn't care, but now she'd gone and made a fool of herself. What must he be thinking? It wasn't like it was obvious she had medical training.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just—"
"Then why did you throw a book at me?"
"Why were you sneaking around like that? It’s very suspicious."
"I was being quiet, we’re in a library!" he cried out, putting his hand in front of his mouth before the sentence was over.
They both looked in the direction of the front desk in slight terror for a long moment. The librarian was a very scary man and more than one tall and muscular young student had cowered before the old man for having talked too loudly. When nothing happened for a minute and they looked back at each other, Jemma couldn't suppress her laughter and he soon joined her.
"Shush, we'll get caught," he said, after a moment, his eyes still shining with mirth before he went and picked up the book she had thrown at him along with the one he'd been carrying.
He handed her the book with a shake of his head. "I can't believe you threw that book at me."
"Again, I'm really sorry. A woman has to be careful and I couldn't tell if—"
"Oh no, I completely understand hitting me but is this how you treat innocent books in your house, Miss…"
"Simmons. Jemma Simmons," she finished for him, her lips pulling up into a smile at his teasing.
"Leopold Fitz. Please never call me Leopold," he said with a grimace. Jemma scrunched up her nose at that. She'd taken enough liberties with him. She wasn't going to call him by his given name without being invited to do it.
"And no, I don't usually treat books in such a poor way but it wasn't like I had any other weapon at my disposal."
"A grave oversight. Maybe keep a less valuable book at your disposal, just in case. Something from the religion section, maybe?"
Jemma raised her eyebrows at that before her eyes landed on the book he'd been holding. Leonardo Da Vinci's machines.
"I take it you're a scientist, Mr Fitz?"
"Engineer. Well, trying to be. I do take interest in other topics though, just—"
"Just not religion," she finished for him.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It just seems like the kind of books people like to use to hit people over the head with."
Jemma couldn't help grinning at that. He was a little bit scandalous and she couldn't deny that she enjoyed it a lot. If Mrs James was here and hadn't already fainted from the anatomy drawings, this conversation would have done the trick.
"Miss Simmons, can I hum… can I offer to escort you home?"
Annoyance coursed through her.
"I may have overreacted by throwing this book at you but I'm perfectly capable of remaining alone here and defending myself if necessary. Plus, I still have a lot of work to—"
"Oh no, I'm not worried about that. Your book throwing is extremely efficient and I fear for the next person who would dare startle you. It's just that—" He took his watch out of his breast pocket and looked at it before turning it towards her. "The library will be closing in a few minutes so I figured you would be leaving soon anyway and I-I would very much like to continue this conversation with you a little longer. If you wanted to, of course."
Oh.
"Our conversation about which type of book is best to throw at people's heads?"
He tilted his head as a mischievous smile spread over his lips. "I was planning on subtly moving the conversation towards the subject of your studies or maybe your strange habits of studying at night but I'm flexible."
Jemma felt a little thrill course through her as their eyes met once more. This handsome young man was flirting with her and she couldn't deny that she wasn't immune to his charm.
"Unless you want to be locked inside. I've always dreamed of spending the night here myself."
Jemma scrunched up her nose. He was a little bit weird too. Not unlike herself.
"Imagine that: no people, no noise, just you and all the books all to yourself," he said, looking away, as if caught in a daydream for a moment.
She laughed. "That does sound nice."
"So?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I should probably go home before someone notices I'm gone. And I would also enjoy continuing this conversation."
He beamed at her and waited for her to pack her pen and notebook in her satchel before offering his arm.
However charming Mr Fitz was, she was not interested in romance in the slightest but she could never say no to what was setting out to be an interesting conversation. Maybe they could even become friends.
Jemma was pulled from her reading by the sound of footsteps approaching and looked up just in time to see a familiar figure step in front of her.
"Put the book down, it's just me."
Jemma rolled her eyes as she placed a bookmark inside her book and closed it carefully.
"Fitz! I was not going to throw that book at you even if you were a criminal of some sort. Do you know how much it's worth?"
"More than your life?"
She shook her head. "Anyway, I knew it was you. You're always so quiet."
"I'm not," he replied with a grin. "An elephant could walk through that door and you wouldn't notice. Nothing can distract you from your books."
Sitting straighter in a way she knew would catch his attention, she let her eyes roam over his very nice form. He still had the beautiful, angelic face he had when they first met but his shoulders had broadened even more and his clothes fitted him better. He looked delicious as always and she'd missed him. Meeting his eyes again, she smiled wickedly.
"Some things can."
Fitz grinned in amusement —she wasn't very subtle— but she could still see the flush of his cheeks and spark in his eyes that wasn't there a moment ago. Taking the last few steps separating them, he took her hand and pulled her up with more strength than she expected, forcing her to put her hands on his chest for balance. His arm went around her waist to pull her even closer and she let out a small shriek of delight. Even through the material of her dress, she could feel the warmth of his skin. She never told him how much she liked it when he rolled up his sleeves. They would never get anything done if he knew.
"Can I escort you back to your room?" he offered, voice an octave lower already.
"I'm afraid not."
His face fell for a second, before she spoke again. "I was thinking of spending the night here. You know, no people, no noise. Just me and the books."
"Ah!" His other arm went around her back and up, into her hair, sending sparks all through her body. "And I don't suppose I could join you."
She'd known the moment he stepped inside the library that she wouldn't finish her article tonight. Tilting her head to the side, she reached for his collar and loosened his cravat, exposing his lovely neck.
"Maybe you can, if you're very quiet, husband."
Eagerly reaching behind him, he pushed the door closed and turned the lock. The sound made her belly clench with lust. Experience had taught their butler to know better than to walk into their bedroom, or any other room, unannounced, but just in case, locking the door had become a habit of theirs.
"Wait?" he said, moving his hand over her neck and cupping her cheek instead. "When you say you want to spend the night here, you're not planning for us to study like we did for our final exams five years ago."
When her growing feelings for Fitz had become impossible to ignore, Jemma had thought it would be a distraction. Getting into Oxford had been complicated enough, she didn't want to waste time on romance and have people think she had only come to find a husband. And he had been a little bit of a distraction but he had also made her life so much more interesting. He made up for the time spent organizing a wedding or going to social events by being the most supportive, loving and all around wonderful person she had ever met. Even going as far as sneaking into the library at night to help her study even though he insisted she was more than ready for the exam. In retrospect, he was probably right but he didn't need to know that either.
Turning them around, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back until he fell back onto the settee. Before he had the time to recover and sit properly, she lifted up her skirts and settled on his lap, with one knee on each side of his hips. Cupping his cheeks with both hands, she pressed her lips to his. His arms went around her once more, pulling her closer, and she sighed into the kiss. They had been married for four years now and she still wasn't used to how his kisses and his touches felt.
"Hmmm," she whispered against his lips. "I was in fact thinking of the night we got engaged."
"Oh," he said, letting his hands wander for a moment before they settled on her bottom. "Then this settee is much too comfortable. If you want it to be the same, we need a big sturdy table, a darker room and mmmph—"
He groaned as she captured his mouth again and suckled lightly on his lower lip. "Shush husband. You're supposed to be quiet."
That was a night she'd never forget but being married and having their own home with plenty of rooms and comfortable surfaces had its advantages. Fitz laughed, knowing she would never be able to keep quiet, and kissed her again with the same passion he put in everything he did.
Jemma still considered books to be some of the best companions a woman could have but, once in a while, a human man turned out to be even better. So good in fact that he made her forget about her dear books for a moment. But hopefully, the books would forgive her for being so scandalous in this sacred place of knowledge. After all, they occupied the best room in their home and Jemma was proud to say that none of them had ever been thrown at someone's head.