“Forget tulips. I want to hear more about this camping weekend you all had without me,” Sydney says, shooting me a glare that fizzles immediately as her expression turns to one full of glee, her green eyes dancing. “Tell me again how many mind-blowing orgasms Ronin gave you?”
I slap Sydney’s arm, hushing her. “Excuse you, keep it down. What if someone’s in here? There could be a kid back there, hiding in the play area.”
“Well, if we have a random kid stowed away, that’s a whole separate issue. Hello? Anyone there?” Sydney calls out to the back of the store.“Yoo hoo!Hello?” She turns back to me. “See? Just us. Spill.”
I catch her up on everything that went down over the weekend. When I finish, Sydney pretends to swoon against the desk.
“First kiss in front of a waterfall? It’s like a fucking fairy tale.”
I smile, memories of being held by Ronin—being kissed, being touched—flooding my mind. “Yeah. It was.” I clear my throat, my cheeks warming as I divert my gaze. “It actuallywasn’tthe first time we kissed though?”
Sydney is silent for a beat. Then,“Excuse me?”
I pretend to straighten one of the framed artprints hanging on the wall behind the desk. Her death stare is like a laser beam into my skull. “Yeah, so we slept together when we were eighteen, nothing else to tell—let’s move on, shall we?” I spit out in one breath.
The door chimes as someone enters the shop, and I suppress a groan. This reprieve lasted all of two minutes between customers, and my feet hurt. All I want is to sit down.
“We are going to table this and come back to it, Mellie Baker,” Sydney stage-whispers as footsteps approach.
I turn around to welcome our guest, and I’m greeted instead by Ronin standing at the desk holding two coffee cups.
“I thought you could use a pick-me-up. It looked pretty slammed over here,” he says.
“You are a saint, truly,” Sydney replies, grabbing one of the to-go cups and inhaling. I catch her casual perusal of Ronin, her eyes wandering up his body appreciatively. I kick her shin behind the desk, earning a smirk from her as she sips her coffee.
“Thanks, Ro,” I say, reaching for the one he holds out to me. “You have impeccable timing.”
I’m rewarded with a smile I return, taking a grateful sip of my drink.
Ronin leans his elbows on the desk. “So, what time are you done here today?” he asks.
“Well, it was supposed to be in a few hours, but it looks like Syd’s going to need help closing,” I answer.
Sydney quietly excuses herself and leaves the front desk, heading into the shelves and straightening a few books out of place as she passes.
“Well, I was wondering,” Ronin begins, meeting my gaze. “Would you like to have a late dinner with me?”
“Tonight?” There go my writing plans. A sacrifice I am willing to make if it means more alone time with Ronin.
“Yes, tonight. At my place,” Ronin smiles, his twin dimples flashing. “I thought maybe I could take you up on that meal I owe you. I’ll cook.” He cocks his head to the side as he stares, waiting for my answer.
My heart rate speeds up. I lower the coffee back to the desk.
“Dinner at your place. Is this you showing me your romantic side already, Ronin?” I lean in, placing my elbows on the desk across from his. Our faces are only a foot apart. The lingering scent of diner food clings to his clothing.
“Well, I did say when I asked you on a date, you’d know,” Ronin says. He leans in a little further. “Assuming you’re still interested, that is.”
“Oh, I’m very interested,” I reply coyly.
“I was hoping you would say that.” He reaches into his back pocket and presents a single pink tulip for me to take. When I reach for it, he holds on for a second, not letting go. I meet his stare with my own.
“Oh, and Mel?” he says quietly, leaning down to my ear, “This is me romancing you.” He lets go of the tulip.
I twirl the flower between my fingers with a small smile. “Not bad, Mr. Kane. Not bad at all.”
Ronin closes the distance between us, kissing me, a quick, sweet tease of what may come later.
“Tonight,” he says, voice strained. “I’ll pick you up at seven, is that alright?”
