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“Jesus, you must have hit hard for it to scar.”
“I was in a hurry to answer the door.” I sigh when his fingers brush over the inside of my thighs.
“Why does it turn you on when I get stern?”
I think that over, frowning. “Because you’re taking control of the situation, and I can trust that you have what’s best for me in mind and that you can handle just about anything. I don’t have to handle it, and I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone in my life do that for me before. Not even my parents. So being with someone who can take the worry away from me? Yeah, that’s amazing.”
He doesn’t respond right away, at least not with words. He covers me, kissing my shoulders and neck, and he takes my hands in his and presses them over my head on the mattress as he nestles between my legs and gently pushes inside of me.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you,” he whispers against my lips. We both sigh when he’s seated fully, and then he starts to move, slowly at first, building us both up to a fervor that always seems to happen when we’re together. “I’m happy to take care of you, especially like this.”
I grin, but then my jaw drops open when he slips one hand between us and presses his thumb against my clit.
“I didn’t know I could feel like this,” I admit with a whisper.
“Goddamn, baby.” He tips his forehead to mine, and we fall over the edge together.
It’s raining harder than I’ve seen in years. I’m standing at the counter in the flower shop, watching through the window as it comes down in sheets, as if the gods are standing on the clouds, dumping buckets of water.
“It’s angry out there,” Ida says. “But it’s supposed to be done by this afternoon and become sunny again.”
“That doesn’t seem possible,” I murmur, shaking my head. “And we need the rain. It was a dry summer.”
The bell over the door dings as Holden Lexington pushes inside, dripping wet.
“You don’t own an umbrella?” Ida asks him.
“Hell no. I live in Montana. The weather changes on a dime.” He strolls inside to the counter and grins at me. “I need a bouquet of flowers, please.”
“Sure. Do you have anything specific in mind?” I ask him.
“Sunflowers, with red roses mixed in.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “That’s pretty specific.”
“They’re her favorite,” he says with a shrug. “Do I need to come back for them?”
“I can deliver—” Holden’s already shaking his head before I can finish the sentence. “Okay, no delivery. Give me five, and I’ll have them ready for you.”
“Excellent, thanks.” He chats with the other ladies as I pull the bouquet together, and I have to admit, the bright yellow and deep red are stunning together.
“She has good taste.” I pass him the wrapped bouquet with a smile.
“I’m the one with good taste,” he says with a wink. “Thanks, ladies. Have a good day.”
Just after Holden leaves, we see three people come running down the sidewalk, huddled under umbrellas. They rush into my shop, bringing the rain with them, and when they lower the umbrellas, I realize that it’s my parents.
“Mom?” I frown over at them, a little miffed that they’re soaking my hardwood floor. “Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Surprise!” Evan, the third in their little trio, offers me a big smile as he spreads his arms out wide, as if he just jumped out of a cake or stuck a landing at the Olympics.
“Hello, doll,” Dad says as they all walk over to me, and Dad leans in to buss my cheek. “We haven’t seen you in a while, and Evan thought it would be fun for us to come for a visit, since you don’t seem to make the time to come home.”
“I am home,” I say sweetly. My mom’s looking around the shop with a wrinkled nose. She never could understand why I would lower myself to retail. “How are you guys?”
“Oh, we’re just fine,” Dad says. The whole time, Evan just stands there, preening as if he found the holy grail. “Let’s head out and get some lunch.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t go. I’m working.”
