“Good. I want to be your best.”
“What?” Her eyes swung to mine.
“Your best customer. I want to be your best. We'll start with one of everything, but I may want to change up my order next week—I'll need you to be hands on with what's in season. I only want the best—understand me?”
She nodded quickly.
I grinned, stepping down the length of the counter to come closer to her again. I plucked the red rose stem from her fingers and grazed the edge of the ruffled petals along her temple, down her jawline, and then dropped slowly down her throat to land at the hollow. I imagined my lips replacing the petals as they caressed her creamy skin.
“Precious petal,” I said under my breath.
“What?” she breathed.
“I want your most precious petals only.” A cocky grin lifted my lips. “I'm sure you're up to the job.”
“Yes, of course, it's just...I don't understand what you're going to do with all of these flowers.”
“Don't worry, they're not for me. My cabin up on the ridge is sparse, I don't need smelly shit cluttering up the space.”
“Oh.” Her eyes were as wide as the petals of the rose when I buried my nose in the base, hoping to find her honeysuckle scent clinging to the delicate blooms, but irritated to find only the sickly-sweet scent of any other rose.
“One other thing.” I passed her the rose and she took it with tentative fingers. “Don't ever bring roses.”
She gulped once before nodding, scratching down on the pad:zero roses. “And your address for delivery?”
“504 Lovers Ridge.” I watched as she wrote my words on the pad, underlining it twice.
“Okay then, I guess I'll have your first delivery for you tomorrow. Is there any theme I should go with this week?”
My eyes tracked up and down her pure features. “Well, since you brought it up, how about deadly love?”
CHAPTER TWO
Poppy
“He sounds batshit bananas,” my best friend, Bela Andrews, laughed over the speaker of my phone.
“I can't even begin to describe it. His body is beastly, like this guy could be Thor in another life, he just needs the shield and sword.”
“He sounds sexy as hell, to be honest.”
I burst into a laugh, Mrs. Clawson's fresh vase of calla lilies for the library nearly toppling as I did. “If you like to date Roman gladiators, maybe. Personally, he scared the shit out of me. That's why I called, in fact, I wanted to bribe you with pizza and hard lemonade in exchange for delivering my last order of the day. His.”
“Hm, the barbarian that ordered flowers? I don't think he wants to seeme, Poppy.”
I groaned, sliding the last lily into place to complete the arrangement. “The flowers aren't even for him, he said—”
“Oh, sometimes I swear you are so dense. He probably wants to see you again, this is the best way he guarantees he gets more of you.”
“No, that's definitely not it. He's older, Bela, like a lot older than me.”
“Like how old?”
“Like...Captain O'Henry old.”
“Poppy! You're hot for a guy that's as old as your dad?! You minx, I didn't know you had it in you.”
“Have what in me? Sometimes I think you're the crazy one. Listen, the guy is a beast, a big tall broad manly man-beast. Honestly, he sends shivers of fear through my veins. I don't have a thing for him, I'm afraid of him. There's a difference.”
