“I want to do this.”
“I deserve to enjoy this.”
As I step out of my bedroom, I suck in a breath when I see Remington standing so casually in my living room. He takes up so much space, but in the best way. He fills the room with his safe, comforting presence effortlessly. Remington’s eyes lock with mine as I take him in slowly, head to toe. His blond hair is perfectly mussed, like he’d ran his fingers though it recently. The deep olive-green, long-sleeved Henley hugs all of his hard-earned muscles, and makes his amber eyes stand out even more. The jeans he’s wearing are a dark wash that traveldown his perfect, thick legs to his booted feet.Jesus, I am a sucker for a man in boots.And these are not the ones that are just for show, they are well worn, but cared for, and I am sure will do amazing things for his ass if he turned around and I got a peek.
From behind his back Remington pulls out a bouquet and steps toward me, handing the flowers to me. “You look so incredibly stunning,” he rasps as his eyes trail over my face, lingering on my lips.
Goose bumps race across my skin, and I bite down on my lip. “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself. And thank you for these, they’re so pretty. What are they?” I ask, finally giving the flowers the attention they deserve. There are a mix of two different flowers this time in pinks and whites, each uniquely shaped but interesting and textured.
“The pink ones are snapdragons and the white ones are dahlias. I know people typically do roses for first dates, but I think you require something unique,” Remington says with a smile that tugs at something low in my belly.
“Unique, huh? Because I am the crazy girl you meet burning stuff, and roses are too normal?” I ask with sarcasm directed at him and that constant skepticism directed at my own heart.
Chuckling with a low, sexy hum he says, “Absolutely not. Unique because you are special and deserve something with thought and care behind it, not just grabbing the easy thing that everyone else might pick.”
“Oh,” I say, feeling unexpected wetness gathering in the corners of my eyes as he continues.
“Mm-hmm. Flowers represent a lot of things to a lot of people. Mean a lot of different things, too. Including these ones. Do you want to know why I picked these for you, Lainey?”
“Yes,” I whisper so softly I’m not sure Remington can even hear me.
Stepping even closer to me he says, “Dahlias have a whole list, but for you I picked them because they can represent beauty, inner strength, and growth.” I suck in a breath. “Snapdragons can not only represent strength, but also mystery. And they are just really fucking fun.” Remington gives me a full-on, world-spinning, heart-racing smile. I watch as he takes one of the delicate pink flowers from the snapdragons in between his thick fingers. I assume he is going to crush the petals, or pluck them off, but instead he gently pinches the flower, and it pops open revealing the hidden inside of the plant.
I grin back at Remington. “I want to try it!” Pinching the flowers myself carefully, the little heads of the petals pop in my fingers—open and shut, open and shut. It’s magical, simple, and whimsical. I look up to see Remington already watching me with so much emotion written all over his handsome face. “I had no idea a little flower could be so much fun,” I admit to him, and my shoulders slump.
“Hey, hey,” he says, wrapping me in a hug, his clean soap and cedar scent and strong arms comforting me. “I figured you wouldn’t know the fun of this if you didn’treallyknow about different flowers. My mom had snapdragons planted all along the front porch of our house growing up, and my sister and I used to spend a lot of time playing with them. Watching all the different bugs come to them, my favorite was always the praying mantis. Anyways, I want to give you all the flowers, Lainey. The simple ones, the romantic ones, the unique ones,andthe fun ones.”
“I love them,” I say earnestly. “Thank you, Remington.”
He smiles at me and asks, “Ready for dinner?”
“Yes! I am starved. Probably not best first-date etiquette to say that, huh? But I was so busy with work, ameeting that ran late, and then getting ready that I didn’t get a chance to eat much today.”
Frowning at me he says, “There are no fancy rules or etiquette for dating me. The only thing I want is your honesty. I don’t like that you didn’t eat all day today, that isn’t good. Let’s go remedy that, shall we?”
“Okay, let’s go.” After putting the flowers in water, I grab my purse, phone, and keys to lock up. We step out into the hallway, and I shut and lock the door. Lacing his fingers through mine, Remington makes my heart rate take off as we head toward the elevators.
“By the way,” Remington says as we step into the open elevator car, “I don’t like that you buzzed me up and left your door unlocked. I wish you would have waited for me. I tried to text you that, but you didn’t respond.”
“Oh, I didn’t even see that, sorry,” I say, tension souring my gut. “I really wasn’t ready when you buzzed, and was in my robe, and needed to get dressed. I was in a hurry, and I didn’t want to waste your time, and was trying to just be as fast ...”
Remington cuts my flurry of words off as he leans his body into mine against the wall, strong hands framing my face. His eyes looking deep into mine, thumb running along my jawline halting my rambling. “Breathe, Lainey.”
I instantly obey.
“I don’t mind that you needed some more time to get ready. I would have sat and waited twenty minutes, two hours, as long as you needed. All I cared about was you being safe. Leaving your door unlocked and just letting me come in isn’t safe. What if someone other than me walked in? I know that this is Fox Grove, but you never know. Next time please wait for me to come to the door, okay?”
I grin at him. This man. He is flipping my world upside down with every sentence that comes out of his mouth, andhe has no clue. It’s just him beinghim. “Next time, huh? We haven’t even completed our first date. That’s some confidence you have there, Remington.”
“Oh trust me, beautiful, there is definitely going to be a next time.” He winks at me, steps back, and pulls me off of the elevator, out of my building, and into the fresh spring air.
9
Remington
Jesus, Lainey is absolutely stunning. When she walked out of her room it left me speechless and just staring at her for way too long. Thank fuck she was staring right back at me, tracing her alluring blue eyes over my body, going wide when she realized what she was doing. Having her hand in mine as I walked her to my truck felt like slipping my hand into a tiny, warm pocket that was meant only for me. I didn’t want to let her go as I opened the passenger door and helped her inside the cab. She quietly thanked me, and I rounded the black hood, taking a deep, steadying breath before I allowed myself to join her, knowing that the second I did my truck would be engulfed with her sweet, honeyed scent. I prayed the deep-grey fabric would soak it up and let me hold on to a small part of her even after tonight was over.
I swear to God this girl is already sinking in so deep. I know that once I really get to know her more there will be no going back. Lainey Quinn is fucking me up, and I am here for it.
