Page 96 of Lust & Lies
“Still want to go outside and play in the dirt, or do you want to get dirty in here and...”
“Outside,” I quickly answered.
“You could’ve at least taken a second to think about it,” he complained, frowning.
“Outside,” I said again, not letting him distract me one bit.
His gaze dropped to my mouth, and I could tell he was tempted to test how strong my resolve was. I met his gaze, refusing to give in.
“I guess outside wins,” he sighed, grabbing my hand and leading me from the kitchen. “It’s probably hot outside,” he added.
“I hope so. I want to feel the sun on my skin.”
“There’s going to be bugs out there,” he told me.
“I know. That’s where they live.”
“Smart ass,” he murmured.
I chuckled as we strode through the house, hand in hand, both of us dressed in shorts and t-shirts with flip-flops. We looked ready to play in the garden. His thumb traced slow circles over the back of my hand as we walked.
It seemed I was married to a man who just couldn’t keep his hands to himself. It was giving clingy. And I was loving it. I guess I was a bit clingy myself. Together, we stepped out onto the back patio.
It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun warmed my skin, and the breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and flowers. That alone would’ve been enough to make me smile, but then I spotted the little pink bucket sitting near the patio chairs.
Curious, I walked over and peeked inside. In the little bucket there were two pairs of gloves, two small shovels, and packets of seeds. There was a sticky note taped to one of the gloves. Aiden picked it up and read it.
“I’ve left sticks in the garden so you can know where to plant these. Have fun,”Aiden read. “It’s from Samuel.”
“Aww. How sweet,” I murmured.
There was also a folded note at the bottom of the bucket. I plucked it out and unfolded it, my grin stretching wide as I read.
“Make Aiden get his hands dirty and help you in the garden. Don’t let him stand around watching you do all the work. You’re still healing. Put that husband of yours to work. Love, Gertrude.”
I laughed, already hearing her voice in my head. Aiden leaned over my shoulder, reading with me. His groan rumbled low in his chest.
“That woman needs to mind her own business,” he muttered.
I turned to face him, holding up the note. “Thisisher minding her business. She’s making sure you don’t weasel out of helping me.”
His eyes narrowed playfully as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him.
“You’remybusiness. Not hers.”
“Did no one teach you to share, Mr. Park?” I joked.
“When it comes to you, that concept doesn’t apply.” He pressed a quick kiss to my jaw.
“Mhmm. Well, Gertrude has spoken,” I told him, tossing the note back into the bucket. “Looks like you’ve got work to do, husband,” I teased, slipping out of his hold before he distracted me all over again.
We carried the bucket to the patch Samuel had prepped for us, marked neatly with labeled sticks in the soil. He was making sure we didn’t mess up the garden. I crouched down, tugging on my gloves.
I glanced over my shoulder at Aiden, who was standing there, arms folded over his chest, staring at me like I was dessert. I swear that man had a stare that could melt cotton panties.
His eyes swept down my body, lingering far too long on my ass before meeting my gaze again. That look alone had heat crawling up my neck.
“You gonna help, or you just gonna watch?” I asked, refusing to fall victim to his smolder.
