“And now you can do that.” I grinned at him, and he answered me with an adoring smile that made my belly do a little flip.
“But I don’t want to, Emma.” He brought his teacup to his lips.
“What?” I spluttered, almost choking on my tea. “What do you mean, you don’t want to? This is your life, and you’re so fucking good at it. I don’t think I’ve loved anything as much as you love plants.”
“I won’t take offense to that.” Dan raised an eyebrow.
“Come on.” I shook my head and lowered my teacup. “You know what I mean. People deserve to know the truth, and you deserve better.”
“I disagree,” he responded, and I scrunched up my face. “Maybe all this shit happened for me to end up exactly where I am.” He slid the tea tray to the other end of the mattress. “I’ve already got the best sitting in my bed, wrapped in a bedsheet and scowling at me.” He leaned forward and kissed my nose. My face relaxed but I still glared at him. “Emma, finishing the rose is enough for me. Life on the farm and in this town is enough for me. Spending every day with you”—he kissedmy lips—“is enough for me… too much sometimes.” I grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. “Violence, Miss Walters?! I’m gonna make you pay for that.”
He growled and leaped on top of me, making me squeal, before exquisitely torturing me until he had to leave to do some work on the farm.
An hour later, I was freshly showered, dressed, and craving something more substantial than cookies. I packed up my laptop and decided to head to Erica’s early so I could get some work done before my shift, and also for waffles.
There was no more work to be done on festival planning for the day, and by the time I finished my waffle, I still had over half an hour before the start of my shift at the diner. I stared at the screen of my laptop, wondering if, for once, I should ignore my curiosity for the greater good instead of giving in.
I gave in.
The first hit on the search for Dan’s name was an article from the paper that we’d lovingly called in the office theDaily Fail. My heart leaped into my throat as I read the scathing assassination of Dan’s character. It didn’t even sound like they were talking about the person I’d spent the last two months falling in love with. They even managed to turn his family’s defense of their son into something sordid. There were unflattering photos of his parents and brother, interviews with Dan’s classmates. The part that enraged me the most was the interview with Wesley Manfield himself, talking about how much he’d loved and trusted Dan.
“He was like a son to me and the love of my daughter’s life. We’re both absolutely heartbroken.”
There were photos of Melanie leaving her apartment, attempting to cover her face, juxtaposed with photos of her with Dan “during happier times, before his betrayal,” as the caption read. Melanie was a tall, slightly curvy woman with long, brown hair. And yes, she was beautiful. They looked like they were happy. I scoured the interview for a quote from her, but there wasn’t one. How could she ever have claimed to love someone as wonderful as Dan and not have said even a word in his defense?
I slammed my laptop shut and took three calming breaths. Hit pieces were not new territory for me. Combatting their negative effects was a huge part of my job—or at least, it had been. Despite Dan’s adorable declaration in bed this morning, he did deserve better. Maybe in the past he was used to having girlfriends who didn’t fight for him, but that was no longer the case. If Dan wasn’t gonna work to restore his reputation, then I was going to do it for him. I swiped to open my phone and sent Max a text message asking for a list of her UK media contacts. A satisfying smile spread on my face as I scrolled through Max’s almost-dozen replies.
“When are you going to be finished?” Dan growled into my neck with the cutest hint of a whine.
“I am so close.” I giggled and tried to focus on the stack of permits on the kitchen table.
“You are not even close to being close,” he whispered into my ear, making me shiver.
“You didn’t get enough last night?” I put down my highlighter and turned to face him. He shook his head with a mischievous grin. “Or this morning?” I dropped my voice to a low whisper.
“No,” he replied before he scooped me out of my chair and deposited me onto the table so I could wrap my legs around his waist. “I’m addicted, I’m afraid.” He pressed our lips together before he pulled my T-shirt over my head.
“Dan, the permits!” I squealed when he pressed his face between my breasts, gently dragging his teeth over the flesh exposed by my bra. He slammed the file shut and tossed it on the countertop before pulling his shirt over his head and letting it drop on the floor. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. His erection caressed my sensitive folds through the thin fabric of my leggings. His warm, giant palm pressed into my chest, gently easing me back until I was fully reclined against the cool wooden surface.
“Here?” I asked. “On the kitchen table?” Dan’s fingertips dug into the skin of my waist as he tugged my panties and leggings over my hips.
“I can’t think of a better place to enjoy my favorite meal.” He swiped a finger between the slick folds of my sex and tucked it between his lips. “Can you?” He raised an eyebrow.
“We’re gonna have to disinfect this table when we’re—” My sentence was cut short by Dan swiping his tongue between my legs and sucking my clit between his lips. My body went rigid and I let out a loud moan.
Disinfectant was the last thing on my mind.
“I bet you would look beautiful in a sari.” Dan had his head propped up on his palm and elbow, and he was gazing at me with a big smile on his face.
“I’ve never worn a sari, but I’d be inclined to agree with you.” I smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. We were curled up on the living room floor, mostly nude and wrapped in a giant quilt Dan had retrieved from the hall closet. “What made you say that?”
“You know my brother is getting married soon.”
“I do.”
“You should come to the wedding with me.” His grin was still firmly in place, but I felt the smile slide off my face.
“You want me to come with you to your brother’s wedding?”
