Page 59 of The Little Shop of Curiosities, The Music Box Part 2

“We will.” She turns towards me, offering her thanks when I step out of her way.

Once she’s gone and we’re alone, I step closer to the desk to meet him as he rounds it.

“Sam,” he says, and I can tell he’s pleased to see me from his smile. “I was just thinking about you.”

“What a coincidence because I was thinking about you too.” I grin and hand him a single rose.

He takes it with a chuckle. “What’s this for?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s not Valentine’s Day,” he says wryly.

I shrug. “Close enough. Besides, I won’t actually be here for Valentine’s, and I’d been hoping to take you to dinner.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why am I not going to be here or why do I want to take you to dinner?” I tease.

“Both.”

“Because I need to drive the client Danny and Tris had me track down to that hotel they stayed at in Yorkshire.”

“Surely that’s not part of your job.”

“Not really, no, but she’s really old and her mobility is practically nonexistent. She’s in a wheelchair more often than she’s out of it, so there’s no way she can travel up there on her own, and she wants to see the place where her younger brother died.”

“Her brother?” Harrison frowns in confusion.

“Apparently, he was evacuated during World War II and died while he was staying there. They couldn’t bring him back to London, so the owners allowed him to be buried in the family cemetery on their land. Esme, that’s the client, wasn’t born until after the war, so she never knew him.”

“I see.” He bites his plump lip, and I desperately want to lean in and taste him. “And the dinner?”

I smile and reach out, tugging a lock of his bright red hair playfully. “Because I like you, Prickles. I don’t want there to be any mistakes here. This isn’t some hookup or friends-with-benefits deal we’ve got going on. I want to take you on a date.”

“Oh.” He blushes and looks down at the flower as he rolls the stem between a finger and thumb. “I’d like that.”

“As soon as I get back, okay?” I promise.

He nods. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“If I set off early enough, I could make it there and back in a day, but the drive will be hard on Esme. I can’t really make her get up at five in the morning, and who knows how many times we’ll need to stop along the way for bathroom breaks. By the time we get there, it will probably be too late to come back the same day, so I expect two days at the most.”

“But you’re not going today, are you?”

I shake my head. “Tomorrow morning.”

“Good.” His lips curve as he steps around me and locks the front door, then turns the sign to Closed. Grabbing my tie, he tows me towards the back room.

“You got plans for me, Prickles?” I grin.

“Well, I didn’t get you anything for Valentine’s Day. I’ll be honest, it didn’t even occur to me. It’s not something I’ve ever celebrated.” He closes the door behind us as we step into the back room. After placing the rose on a shelf, he turns around to face me, pulling me against him so I have him pinned against the workbench, currently littered with herbs and other items. “I’ll have to think of something else to give you.”

I barely have time to formulate a response when his lips crash against mine and his arms wrap around my neck.

Fuck, his kisses are addictive.

I moan loudly as I pull him even closer, my tongue dipping into his mouth to taste him. Something seems to snap in both of us, a need so strong I don’t think there are words to adequately describe the feeling. His hands tangle in my hair, nails scratching my scalp and fingers tugging my hair as he feasts on my mouth.