Page 131 of At First Catch

The woman working the booth brightens.

“Well, there’s my favorite marina couple.”

Nolan closes his eyes briefly as I grin shamelessly.

“Good morning, Diane.”

“You bringing her flowers today?” Diane asks Nolan.

A wave of heat washes over my face, feeling like a thousand tiny sparks.

Nolan sighs dramatically beside me. “Am I legally allowed to exist in this town without public commentary?”

“No,” Diane answers.

Diane starts assembling flowers before Nolan can protest further. She wraps the flowers before handing them toward Nolan with a knowing smile.

“These are the good peonies. Don’t waste them.”

“I’m being threatened by florists now,” Nolan mutters.

I laugh while he pays, then he turns toward me holding the flowers out carefully.

The farmers’ market noise fades around the edges as I take in the look on his face—warm and overwhelmed and entirely sincere.

“For you,” he says.

I take the bouquet. “They’re beautiful.”

His eyes stay on mine another second too long. “Yeah.”

Heat blooms across my skin as I understand the meaning. Diane physically clutches her chest behind the flower stand.

“Oh, they’re disgusting,” she whispers emotionally.

I burst into startled laughter.

Nolan groans beside me. “I need everyone in this town to mind their business.”

“Never happening,” I tell him cheerfully.

He narrows his eyes before leaning closer.

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

The warmth in his voice slides low through my stomach anyway.

“Maybe.”

Nolan’s gaze lingers on my mouth for one dangerous second. Too intimate for a public farmers’ market.

His thumb brushes lightly across my knuckles. A tiny contact. Still enough to send warmth spiraling through me.

“You busy later?”

“Depends,” I say lightly.

“On?”