Page 98 of Wildflower
“It’s perfect,” I say, still looking around. “Where is the water sound coming from?”
He points to a water feature in the far corner, and I spot the hidden speakers that emit the cricket chirps. It dawns on me…
“Did you set this up for me?”
“I thought you’d enjoy it better than the plain stone that was here before.”
“Oh, what, you don’t normally have the plants either?”
“No, it’s all new,” he says matter-of-factly. “I got Aiden’sinterior designer and his team to create a space for us here that I thought you’d like.”
I blink at him. It’s not entirely clear to me yet, but it sounded to me like he just spent a bloody insane amount of money to make a magical patio garden. Just for me.
“I love it,” I whisper, and hope he’s not scared of how much weight the words carry.
What they could imply.
It’s too early to feel this much, but he’s making it very hard to be rational.
He beams, and is about to say something, but I jump on him, kissing the smile, and down his chin and up the delicious, strong jawline, as far as I can reach.
“My pleasure,” he says, his voice thick.
He cups my face and covers my mouth with his, brushing his tongue over mine. His hands make their way down my back and sides, and I feel the heat from his hands through my dress. I moan against him and can’t form a single coherent thought except that I want his skin on mine. My hands roam his broad back and down, admiring the feeling of his muscles rippling under the thin t-shirt. Neil’s words echo in my head; don’t leave your man waiting.
My man.
How can he be, though? For real.
I pull away, and he leans his forehead on mine, keeping my body close to his.
“What is this?” I ask and surprise myself with my directness. There are so many unanswered questions that I’m not sure I want the answer to, but this man is now dangerously close to taking my heart, and I don’t know how careful he’ll be with it. How much can I handle? This doesn’t feel like something that could last forever, does it? How do I fit into his world?
“It’ssomething worth exploring,” he says. “Worth the risk.”
It bothers me that he’s having to risk anything for me.
“What would happen if someone found out? I have four months left as an intern. I guess I could leave, but I’m really loving it and?—”
He presses a finger to my lips. “No, I wouldn’t ask you to give up something that gives you so much joy. And as for what would happen,” he drops his hand and lets out a long breath, rubbing his chin. “I’m not sure. Not entirely.”
“So no canoodling in the office then?” I tease, trying to ease the tension this topic brought out. The look in his eyes when he said those words; he’s scared.
“Canoodling?”
He laughs.
“A bit of light fondling,” I whisper and slide a hand down between us, and stroke that hard cock through his joggers. Something flashes across his face that’s not the pleasure I’d hoped to see.
“Nofondlingin the office,” he says, his voice flatter, and he takes the hand I had placed on his erection away.
“Did I say something wrong? You changed just there.”
He blinks at me. “I’m sorry. It just triggered something in me.” He sighs and sits down on the outdoor settee, dropping his head into his hands.
I sit down next to him and put a hand on his back, realising I have a lot to learn about this man.
“Do you want to talk to me?”
