Page 28 of Poinsettia Lane

With a shrug, she gives in to temptation and pulls a glove off, then slides her hand through the long leaves and seed fronds. They tickle against her palm.

Asim picks it up by the lip of the plastic pot as she pulls away.

“Deergrass,” he says, “great for stabilizing the soil, and interestingly, ladybugs love to spend the winter hibernating in it. You’ll probably see some birds snacking on the seeds when spring hits too.”

Everly’s eyes are fixed on him and she has to remind herself to blink. Asim has her rapt attention and doesn’t even notice as he casually spouts off information while plucking a few dead leaves out of the grassy clump. He handles the Deergrass with intuitive care and tenderness, to the point that Everly thinks she might be a tad envious of a freaking plant.

Asim draws her attention back to the space between them as he shows her a trick to ensure the readied space is big enough. He sets the entire potted plant into the hole he prepared, then points out how it should be at least half again as wide as the pot it currently grows in. He scrapes some more dirt from the sides of the hole, then pulls the bundle of roots out of the plastic and sets it gently into the center. Asim encourages her to alternate filling in the hole around it with handfuls of compost and the dirt from the pile he made earlier. They fill it back in, mixing it all together and tamping it down with their hands as they go before moving on to the next one.

Working side by side, they get a couple more plantedbefore Asim pauses. He stands and looks between the plants still sitting on the patio and the terracing in front of him.

“I think we might need to reorganize a bit," he says.

“What do you mean? I like the design we made yesterday.” Everly frowns, her eyebrows scrunching as she tries to see whatever flaw he’s noticed.

“It’s just that everything we picked out is all about the same height and size. I’m wondering if you might want a little more variety. Maybe something taller or more dramatic in the corner there.” He points to the far corner of the patio where it meets the edge of the dirt section they’ve prepared. “It would give the space a little more depth and visual appeal, I think.”

“Oh, yeah that sounds nice.” Everly sweeps her gaze across the plants they selected, realizing he’s right. They’re all between one to two feet tall. “Maybe a tree in the corner there, and some sort of wider bush down below on the second level?”

“Now you’re talking, you’ve got a good head for design.” Asim smiles at her. “I have a few ideas for you. Why don’t you swing by the greenhouse this week and we can pick out a couple things.”

“I’d love that. Thank you so much for your help. Again," Everly says.

“You don’t have to keep thanking me, I’m happy to be here, Ever.” Asim calls her a nickname she’s never heard before, but she loves it coming from him, especially with the way that accent makes it sound like a sultry purr. She likes everything that comes from his lips, honestly.

The blush creeping over her cheeks is mirrored in the soft tilt of his eyes as he smiles down at her, and Everly doesn’t think she’s mistaking the heat or hunger in his gaze when she catches him looking over at her throughout the day as they continue working. They get a couple more plants in the ground and Asim finishes tearing out the rest of the grass before calling it a day.

“Are you available Wednesday?” Asim asks, dusting off his hands on his jeans as he straightens and plants the tip of the shovel into the soil next to him. “If you want to come after close, I won’t have to worry about other responsibilities when you’re there and we can shopin peace.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Wednesday is great.” Everly, trying and failing to keep the grin from taking over her face, is inordinately pleased that he wants more alone time with her.

As she walks him to his truck, she does her best to quell the fluttery feeling in her chest. Asim closes up the back, wipes off his hands and face, then walks back over to where she’s standing off to the side.

“This may sound weird, but I had a lot of fun with you yesterday and today. I like sharing my joy of plants with others, so thank you," Asim says, piercing her with those green eyes and scattering sparks along her skin.

Everly huffs a laugh, hoping he can’t tell how hot she is, and not just from the hard work they’ve done.

“I can’t believe you just thanked me for putting you to work.”

She makes light of it, but Everly gets the sense he doesn’t do much for fun, and the hint of surprise in his voice indicates he isn’t used to it. She likes to think she played a part in bringing more joy to his life, and she determines to make more of an effort to do so in the future as well.

Asim chuckles with her. “I like working hard, and it’s worth it to spend time with you.”

He tucks a lock of hair back into her french braid, then trails the backs of his knuckles gently down the side of her face, along her jaw and down the line of her throat. She’s certain he can feel her pulse pounding out of her skin under his fingers. His face has gone soft, and he’s smiling down at her. Everly’s mind is screaming, begging for him to kiss her, touch her, do anything to follow up that sweet gesture that burned her to her core.

Asim almost gives her what she wants; leaning down, he brushes a gentle kiss over her cheekbone, and she feels his breath on her ear as he slowly straightens and drops his hand back to his side. All she can do is blink up at him for a moment. Her mind is blank, she’s forgotten how to function.

“Breathe,” he whispers, a sweet smile on his lips. She wants to feel those lips again, and she wants them on hers this time.

It takes her another precious few heartbeats to process what he just said, and then her body catches up with her lack of oxygen, agreeing with his instruction. Everly inhales a small gasp, sucking in air as a blush scorches her cheeks.

Asim’s lips quirk into that boyish grin and he reaches out again to gently squeeze her arm. She’s starting to find that gesture endearingly comforting. Asim turns back to his truck, hopping up into the seat and pulling the door closed. He rolls down the window as he starts it up and pops his head out, forearm propped on the edge of the open window. He thumps his fist twice on the outside of the door before saying “see you Wednesday, Miss Moore,” and driving off.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE FOLLOWING DAYS pass in a blur of distraction. Everly is all but useless at the hotel, so she doesn’t even bother staying and trying to work. Luckily, she has a great team who are fully capable of covering for her now that she’s going to take some time away from the office for pretty much the first time ever.

She is constantly daydreaming. Asim’s knuckles gently brushing her hair out of her face, his palm on the side of her neck and fingers teasing through her hair, his stubble scraping across her jaw and his lips landing on hers. Her daydreams start as fleeting memories and quickly turn into steamy fantasy. Everly dreams of her name on his lips, and his muscles under her fingers. She imagines what he looks like with his shirt off, how she would wrap her legs around his waist, and what he might sound like if she touched him the way she wants to.

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