Actually, I liked it a lot.
“I don’t really want to put a label on it right now.”
“Are you glad you waited, even though you thought he was dead?”
“I am,” I told him. “Especially more so, now that I know you knew he wasn’t.”
Kansas apologized for pushing me all these years, but the words weren’t genuine. Kansas had always been jealous of the closeness I had with Constantine, despite us being close as well. Now, he had a real person to be jealous of, and his feelings for me only seemed to have intensified.
The entire, day he’d been finding reasons to touch me. We sat on my couch together, holding hands. He would step up behind me and put his arms around my waist in a backward embrace. I loved the closeness, and I didn’t feel guilty about it.
“Do you have a specific time you have to be back at school?” I asked as we got into my car to head over to the greenhouse.
He sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have left at all. It’s fine, I’ll work it out with my professors.”
“I’m sorry, Kansas. I shouldn’t lean on you as much as I do.”
He rested his hand on my thigh. “I like that you do. Once I’ve graduated, I’ll be closer.”
“Will you?” Hope swelled in my chest.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll go wherever you want me.”The words settled around us, but one unspoken word hung between us.
Constantine.
We parked under a shade of trees. I popped the trunk and pulled out the bolt cutters I’d bought earlier.
“I know it’ll be obvious it was me, but I really don’t care at this point.” I rolled my eyes as I closed the trunk and started off toward the greenhouses. “Those are my fucking flowers.”
Storming the entire way, I looked around only briefly before reaching the doors and putting the simple lock between the bolt cutters. Crunching them, the lock snapped, and I tossed it on the ground.Kansas followed behind at a more leisurely pace, his head tilted upward.
“What?”
“Nothing. We going in?”
I creaked the door open and peered inside, and then, I laughed. “I don’t know why I’m scared, no one’s ever here this late.”I held the door for Kansas and shut it behind us. I waved him in and we walked to my space. It was pitch black, so I used my phone’s flashlight, scanning the rows.
“I hate how moist it is in here. I’m already sweating,” he complained.We reached my row and started down the aisle, and I raised my light to see my plants and my heart dropped.
No!
I sprinted to the end of the aisle and instantly burst into tears. I collapsed in front of my plot and sobbed.
“Who did this?” Kansas came up behind me, furious.I looked up and reached for the roots yanked from their home. Someone had not only pulled my plants up, but they’d sheared them into a hundred pieces. Black petals were scattered all over the ground, and not a single one was left untouched. Nothing was salvageable.
“Emi. I fucking know it was her.” I glared over at her perfect pumpkins. I picked one up, tossed it as far as I could across the greenhouse, and erupted into sobs again.I’d poured so much love into those flowers, and she’d destroyed them just because I told her to make her boyfriend own up to his shit. She was beyond cruel.
Suddenly, warm arms slid around me and soft lips kissed my neck. I closed my eyes as a delicious shiver ran down my body.Kansas’s hands moved up and under my shirt as he continued kissing me.
“Even crying, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. His fingers pushed under my bra and cupped my breasts. He pinched my nipples, and my clit throbbed with desire. My core began to ache as he pressed his hard cock against my backside. “Is it fucked up that even though I know you love him, I still want you?”
“I love you too,” I gasped as a hand moved away from my chest and began creeping down my belly, reaching under my skirt.
“Do you? I always thought you loved him more, even in death.”
“Why does it have to be one or the other?”
“What are you saying, Eisley?” He pushed my panties to the side and spread my pussy lips, diving into my wetness. “Are you saying you’re going to let yourself feel good with me?”
