Page 109 of Hoax and Kisses
His gaze heats up, and a wry smile dances across his lips. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”
I want that too. In all the ways he can’t even picture. The soft ways and the hard ones. I want the vulnerable moments and the unguarded truths. The simple, unfiltered trinkets of our lives woven together.
I want to be his. And that fucking terrifies me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ZOEY
“Will I be treated to your superior defrosting skills again tonight?” I ask, standing in front of his place.
Matt slides the key in the lock. “If reheating food was a sport, I’d be the best and you wouldn’t be so smug.” The door clicks open, and he turns to me. “Wait here.”
Before I have time to ask why, the door shuts in my face. “Okay?”
This is definitely not how I thought the night would start. Though within thirty seconds, Matt is back, one arm behind him.
“Close your eyes,” he says as he guides me into the house.
“Why?”
“Zoé.”
“Okay, okay,” I laugh and obey.
A rustling sound follows as he shifts and places something between us. “Now open them.”
The lavender scent hits me before his words do. When I open my eyes, I’m met with a bouquet in the most gorgeous shades of pink. Butterflies flutter in my stomach.
“I’ve never received this many flowers, except from my mom,” I whisper, dipping my nose and inhaling slowly. I don’t know what I’m savoring more: the beauty of what this man created, the perfect accord of scents, or the way he always manages to make me feel like I matter more than anybody else.
“My fingers have been itching to make bouquets for you since the day you set foot in my store,” he admits. “You get my creative spark going.”
I nod to the flowers. “And what do these mean?”
“Roses are the most obvious.” He takes a step closer, rotating the bouquet. “They’re a sign of affection. Lavender is a promise to always be there to calm you down when you need it. And daisies, my personal favorite…” He removes one stem from the arrangement and sets it gently on the ground. Then he snaps the stalk short and, softly pushing the hair away from my ear, slides the pink flower behind it. “They symbolize new beginnings.”
He lingers there, and on instinct, I lean in.
“Is that what we are?” I grip the sides of his shirt, fingers curling into the fabric.
“New beginnings?” He draws me closer.
“Yes,” I murmur.
Matt’s gaze flickers from my lips to my eyes. He’s so close I can feel the warmth radiating from him, the steady beat of his heart, almost in sync with mine.
“You’ve been my new beginning for longer than you know.” His voice is a breath against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. “I think I was just waiting for the right moment to let myself believe it.”
Hands tightening, I tilt my head slightly, drawing him in a little more.
So it’s not just me. He feels it too.
That ache stirring deep inside me that roars every time he gets close, every time he touches me, every time he smiles. Hell, even when he looks at me with that smoldering gaze of his. That longing in my bones I cannot shake anymore.
That feeling that he’s forever etched into me and me into him.
“You’re mine too.” The confession tumbles out before I can stop it.
