Page 11 of Cursed Luck
Chapter 6
The pull to the maddening man only seemed to get stronger with each passing second. Mia hated the attraction she felt toward him. He was unlike his family. Where they were kind and open, he was not. His arrogance kept her head on straight, making her want to shake him something fierce.
“Why do you do that?” The words slipped from her mouth without a thought.
“Do what?” he asked, cocking his head once more. It seemed to be one of his favorite ways to watch her.
“Nothing, never mind.” She turned on her heels, needing to busy herself.
His hand wrapped around her upper arm, stopping her mid-turn. His dark eyes bore into hers, and her damn heart took off in a sprint. She may not want to feel whatever it was between them, but her body could not be stopped.
“Tell me… please?” he asked, his voice thick and deep. Another damned shiver ran through her, and her sex squeezed at the sound.
Mia exhaled, her gaze lowering to his mouth. “You have this incredible family, and you keep making yourself the odd man out. Like you don’t care, when it’s obvious you do.”
Her heart hammered in her chest and blood rushed through her ears. Edward stepped into her space at some point, and his spicy cologne wafted into her nose. Her lids lowered as she stored the scent in her memory banks.
“They are incredible, but I’m not sure your assessment is correct—or that it’s any of your business for that matter.”
The feel of his breath on her face made her eyes fly open. He was close enough to kiss, but his words penetrated the fog of her brain. Any attraction she had felt was shoved aside by a burst of anger.
Mia opened her mouth to tell him something—anything—to fight back, but the chime announcing a customer filled the room. She didn’t bother speaking to him, anger coursing through her veins. Her shoulders rose with the deepest breath she could muster after breaking his hold on her arm.
She did her best to collect herself and met the woman about her same age near the refrigerators along one wall. “Hello! Do you need help finding anything?” she asked, plastering a friendly smile on her face.
The woman tore her eyes from the large rose bouquets and let them travel down Mia. “Hello. I’m not sure you have what I want,” she announced, her chin tipped up.
She was not the first customer to come in with an air of superiority. “What exactly is it you’re looking for?”
The woman peered over Mia’s shoulder, and her eyes widened at the sight of Edward. She licked her lips, reminding Mia of a lioness about to bite into an antelope it found. “Mmm…”
Mia rolled her eyes and shifted to the side so the woman was on her left and Edward on her right. His attention barely took in the woman whose breasts were held high and on display under a nearly see-through top.
He grinned. “Sorry?”
The woman shook her head and giggled as she stepped forward. “Where are my manners? I’m Penny, but all my friends call me available.”
Mia was sure she just vomited in her mouth.
Edward stepped forward as he removed one hand from his pocket, but instead of taking the one Penny offered, he set it on Mia’s back and turned her. “Hello, Penny, this is Mia, the brilliant florist. I’m sure whatever you’re looking for she either has or can create foryou.”
After his smooth words, Mia was tempted to peer back at him, but her brain scattered at his touch. His hand felt large against her. Heat penetrated through her shirt and into her skin. A sense of calm and belonging washed over her, setting the erratic electric charge he brought on to a delicious hum.
The woman fluffed her hair and grinned at Edward. “Oh, well… My sister’s getting married, and I need to find some arrangements for her bridal shower.”
“That’s incredibly kind of you to do,” Edward said, his tone sickly sweet.
Mia wished she wore heels so she could stab one into his foot. Instead, she dug deep inside and smiled. “So sweet! Do you know what sort of flowers will give your sister the best bridal shower?”
Penny glanced up in thought. “I’m not sure of their name. They’re pink and kind of fat and fluffy?”
Mia managed to not roll her eyes at the woman’s description. “Perhaps a hydrangea or a peony?”
“That!” Penny looked around and sighed. “But I don’t see any,” she said and pouted at Edward.
His fingers slipped and curled around Mia’s waist, drawing her in closer. She swallowed her gasp as he said, “Oh, surely she does.”
Each of his words sent a puff of air along her exposed neck, threatening to draw out an embarrassing moan. Mia could barely think with his nearness but remembered the small vase she had planned on using for a summer arrangement.
