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“Yes,” Axl said, and his voice was low, raw. “I will marry you here.”
Suddenly Leighton wanted nothing more than for him to mean that. Because to be loved by a man like Axl would be like being swept away on a raging river. It would be endless passion and unfaltering loyalty.
It would be forever. Like Bill and Soon-ja.
And now she ached for something she hadn’t even known she wanted.
Axl.
Nine
Axl was torn between thinking that bringing Leighton to Soon-ja’s garden was the biggest fucking mistake he’d ever made and the best decision ever.
She belonged here, among the thick walls of flowers, all pink, super feminine. Leighton was a girly-girl and he responded to that in the very depth of his masculine soul. He felt big and strong and protective around her. He liked her delicacy, her womanly curves, her sweet kindness.
The backdrop made him want to scoop Leighton up into his arms and haul her off to bed and never let her go.
Which was insane.
And the reason this was potentially a very dangerous mistake.
This was all fake and she was leaving in a week and he wasn’t cut out for forever. And Leighton wanted that. He could see it in her eyes.
What he wanted was a short hot affair that let him feel everything and nothing. That sparked high then flamed out so he could go back to his ordinary bachelor life. The loner on the lake.
They were staring at each other, clearly both wishing they
could strip each other down, when Bill cleared his throat. “So when is this shindig happening?”
Leighton broke their gaze and turned to Bill. Her cheeks were pink. “Saturday. If that’s okay.”
“This Saturday? Damn, kid, you don’t let the grass grow under your feet.”
“It’s because it’s going to be filmed for TV. Leighton works on a wedding show. Are you cool with the greenhouse being on TV?”
“TV? No kidding. That’s fine. Soon-ja would be tickled by that, I’m sure. The last few years she was big into those Korean reality shows with all those young kids dating each other.” Bill shook his head. “Not my thing. I like a good fishing show.”
“Me too.” Axl would rather rip his fingernails out than watch reality dating shows.
“I’ll send a crew out here tomorrow,” Leighton said, pulling her phone out. She started taking photos of the space. “Axl, do you have a tape measure?”
That made him laugh. “Now where would I have a tape measure? My pocket?” He patted his jeans. “Fresh out of tape measures.”
“Don’t be a smart aleck. I was more hopeful than anything.”
“I can go get you one. I’m sure Bill has one lying around.”
She made a face. “Don’t worry about it. The crew can measure it tomorrow.”
Leighton was on her phone, planning this wedding, looking very official. He thought she was cute. Adorable, actually. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.
He whispered in her ear, “You’re very beautiful when you’re organizing things.”
She pulled away, tossing her hair back. “Hush.”
Bill had sat down on a bench and Axl sat next to him, watching Leighton take more pictures and touch foliage, and bend over to smell a flower.
If he ever were going to get married, it would be to a woman like Leighton. Or hell, Leighton.
