Page 27 of Cursed Luck
“Hi,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Let me guess, you need something for a pretty girl you’re trying to impress?”
The teen nodded, his throat bobbing up and down. “There’s so much—”
“No worries, I think I know—” Mia paused when Edward’s fingers curled around her arm, electricity running along her skin at the touch.
“Do you mind?” he whispered.
She shook her head and watched him step toward the teen as the woman from before approached her. In one hand she held a succulent plant, and in the other, a snake plant. “Great choices!”
“I like the look and feel of plants, but I tend to kill them. Will these survive my over-loving ways?”
Mia laughed. “Yes, I think these two will do very well with you.”
She made small talk as she rang her out, but her gaze moved to Edward and the young man. He seemed at ease speaking with the boy and noted it helped the teen’s nerves. Seeing Edward in this new light made another piece of her heart shift into Camp Edward.
True mate or not, she refused to be with an asshole. Watching him now, she understood his kindness extended past his family after all.
“Where did you get one of these? My husband drove over an hour to buy me one,” the woman said, drawing Mia’s attention back.
Mia smiled at the fruit arrangement and nodded toward Edward. “He says he put it together for me.”
“He made it?” The woman gasped and placed a hand over Mia’s. “Oh, honey, you better keep him. Any man who cooks for you or builds one of these needs to be part of your life.”
She laughed and patted the woman’s hand. “He was apologizing for putting his foot in his mouth.”
The woman scoffed. “Well, then he needs to buy out the farmer’s market because he’ll be making more. Men tend to put their feet in their mouths often,” she said in a lowered voice before winking.
Mia watched her walk out with her two new plants cradled tightly. She closed her eyes and added a protection spell to the plants in case the woman did as she had mentioned and loved them a little too much.
Edward’s broad chest stepped into view. “Barry will be taking these home with him.”
Mia smiled at the spray of daisies in the boy’s hands. “Great choice!”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he replied, a grin filling his face.
“These are on me. Next ones are on you, and now you know Miss Mia here will help you,” Edward announced.
Her heart filled with a foreign feeling of admiration for Edward as he made the boy’s day. They watched him hurry out after thanking them both. “That was really nice of you,” she said.
Edward shrugged and placed a twenty on the counter. “I remember being him. Until you came along, I thought I’d outgrown my awkward stage.”
She giggled, and her eyes widened at the sound. “So I’m to blame for your reclaimed awkwardness?” Mia asked as she got his change.
One of his shoulders raised, then he chuckled and took hold of her hands, the money trapped between them. “I really don’t understand what it is about you, but I can’t seem to stay away.”
His thumb ran along the top of her hand. The simple touch sent shivers along her skin, and an ache formed between her legs. Her breath slowed as she watched him closely. His brown eyes darkened with each passing second as he studied her.
She wondered if he could hear her thundering heartbeat.
He released her hands and rounded the counter before she could process the sudden disconnect. One hand cupped her hip, and the other, her jaw. Sparks sizzled along her skin, and her lips parted as he lowered his to them.
Wanting more than the chaste kiss they’d shared, she opened to him the moment his tongue ran along the seam of her mouth. A whimper sounded. Whether it was his or hers, she was not sure, nor did she care. Their tongues met tentatively as she ran her hands up his chest.
He was firm and toned. Her fingers itched to explore the planes of his body. His hand curled around her waist and brought her flush, trapping her arms against him. The hard ridge of his erection pressed into her, sending a flood of desire into her womb.
They explored each other’s mouths, tasting, nipping, and drinking from the other’s sweetness. He tasted cool like mint. Each swipe and brush of his mouth pushed out any thought that did not revolve around him.
