“So long as you stay above the waist,” I answered, finally finding my words.
“Noted. And this?”
He sliced his opposite hand through my hair, down and around until he cupped the back of my neck. His hold was both aggressive and gentle, a dominant caress that let me know it was up to me what came next and that he would be more than willing to deliver on whatever I asked for.
So long as I used my voice to ask for it.
I swallowed harshly. “F-fine, I suppose. Maybe a bit excessive.”
I was a horny bitch, but my stubbornness far outweighed my libido. That and my mother’s nagging voice in the back of my head shouting, “Consequences, Nessa.”
With my left hand clenched in his, held hostage behind my back, my right aimlessly sought out something to cling to and landed on his bicep.His throwing arm.
“Oh, angel.” He leaned down, nudging the curtain of copper curls away from my neck to carve out a space for his face. “We’re just getting started.”
Without missing a beat, he returned me to my feet and stepped away. I struggled to catch my breath, my head still spinning. “What—”
“We’re going to be late. Still want to drive?”
Drive? I could barely breathe.
“What do you think?”
Clarke modeled the crown of flowers and twigs on her head.
“You look like autumnal, pumpkin spice royalty,” Kaylani told her. Whereas she had opted for a witchy mixture of deep purple blooms, black netting, and small crystals, Clarke had gone with a fusion of fall colors and flavors—sage, rosemary, burnt-orange marigolds, and a few sprigs of berries.
I put my high school theatrical skills to use—something I had done often as of late—and bowed my head. “All hail the most basic of bitches.”
Our laughter was cut abruptly short when Ryan raced up behind Kaylani, swinging her into his arms. At the same time, Soren settled a hand on Clarke’s waist and dropped a kiss on her upturned nose.
“I made you something, angel.”
I whipped around, coming face to chest with my faux boyfriend and the bouquet in his outstretched hands.
“You made this?”
“Hell yeah, I did.” He winked. “Peep the mums. Do you think they’re hiring?”
I pressed my lips together, trying—and failing—to suppress a smile. Of course, he knew what mums were; he had them tattooed on his chest.
“Thank you.” He handed over the bouquet, which I promptly lifted to my nose, closing my eyes to inhale the delicious scent. It was better than any bath bomb I’d ever used.Hm, there’s a thought.
“We should use any leftover or discarded flower petals to make bath bombs or potpourri.”
“Ooh, I love that,” Kaylani said.
“Me, too,” Pink echoed.
I waited until the rest of the group had moved on before asking him, “You a bubble bath guy, Pink?”
An amusing vision of him gloriously naked and surrounded by bubbles popped into my head. It would take one hell of a bathtub to fit his tall frame.
“Depends.”
I quirked a brow. “On?”
He opened the door to the farm’s store for me. “On who’s in the bath with me.”
