Page 44 of Almost Always

“No, bourbons!”

She grinned at his excitement. “Fantastic choice. Floribundas?”

“Definitely prefer David Austins.”

“I’ll add sweethearts and sprays too, just forvariety.”

Ripley chuckled. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Bear gets this list.”

She started to respond when a deep voice said, “So everyone knows that Daisy’s highly opinionated about her roses?”

She turned to find Rafferty standing in the middle of her shop with a wide grin. His hair was tucked under a cap, sunglasses hooked into the front of his dark T-shirt, drawing her attention to the hint of tattoos on his chest. Not to mention the way his arms were crossed over his chest, making his forearms flex.

Whatever happens, do not drool.

“Roses are overrated,” she countered, waving a pencil at him. “Even your nonna thought so.”

He chuckled. “Nice to see you again, Ripley.”

“You too. I’ll uh…be over there,” Ripley said and hurried out of sight, leaving them alone.

She didn’t take her eyes off the handsome man in her shop, because he was an absolute sight to behold. She knew he was heading to New York the next day and felt her heart do a tiny dance that he’d come to see her before leaving. He blew out a breath, fluttering his lips as his eyes did a sweep of her. Goosebumps spread across her skin, weirdly enjoying how it felt to have him look at her that way. His arms flexed as he shifted his stance, feet spread shoulder width apart as he stared at her. Tilting her head slightly, she bit her lip as she stared at the strength of his legs encased in khaki pants.I want to lick him like a scoop of ice cream. The thought startled her and she realized that without a kid and dog to distract them, she was blatantly checking him out.

“You’re stunning,” he said. Her eyes dropped to her rumpled and stained apron over a light peach outfit. “I bet that dress is really nice too, but just all of you.”

She leaned against the table and arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying that because I called you hot?”

“Partly. But also because youarebeautiful. More people should tell you that.”

Staring at him, she willed her knees to not give out at the sincerity of his words. He stepped towards her, bringing his delicious leather and fresh linen scent with him. The shadow of his cap did nothing to hide the sparkle in his eyes and she breathed out slowly.

Cool it, you hussy.

“What brings you by?”

“Was thinking about you.”

“I tend to have that effect on people.”

He shook his head. “Other people aren’t thinking what I’m thinking.”

Oh my god. “Enlighten me.”

“Our first kiss.”

“What about it?” she asked, sounding steady even though she was tightly gripping the table with both hands.

“The best kiss of my life,” he added and she blinked to stare up at him.

This was taking their flirting a step further and she didn’t know how to respond. Yes, their history was lingering beneath the surface of every conversation they had. But this…this was next level. The first time they’d kissed, slight scruff clung to his face and her skin tingled for hours afterwards. That beard would do so much more damage and she was giddy thinking about it.

“You don’t have to lie to make me kiss you again,” she teased.

“I’m not lying. I don’t care how many people we’ve kissed after that. It was a kiss that I still remember.”

“How many people did you kiss after that?”

“None that were important.”

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