Chapter 29
King
I was having a midlife crisis. Or some sort of break from reality. That was the only explanation for why I was walking into a flower shop to buy a gift for the omega I was not starting a relationship with.
I’d been in yet another meeting with Blackthorne Ventures—hopefully one of our last before we finalized the sales contract—and their office flower arrangements had taunted me the entire time.
Apparently my alpha was so desperate and starved for Lucy’s scent that a sad approximation of it was enough to give me a hard-on.
So instead of driving back to my empty rental, I’d turned onto Main Street with no concrete plan or strategy. All I knew was that I needed to see Lucy again, and for once in my life, I was following my instincts.
An explosion of colorful flowers greeted me inside, carefully organized into buckets lining the shelves and the floor by the checkout desk. Their scent hung heavily in the air, but it was mixed with something else…something warm and spicy.
A man came through the door behind the counter. “Hey! Sorry, have you been waiting long? I was dealing with a delivery out back.”
My heart skipped a beat. It was the beta I’d seen in the coffee shop—the tall, muscular beta with golden brown skin, curly black hair, and dark eyes that made me lose my train of thought.
“I’m Leo.” He held out his hand.
“King.” I took his hand and a surge of the floral, spicy scent washed over me, making my mouth water.
Leo’s eyes flicked down my body, sending sparks through my stomach. Was he as affected by me as I was by him?
I released his hand and he cleared his throat, running his hand through his curls. “How can I help you?”
“I need flowers.”
Leo chuckled when I didn’t elaborate. “You’re in the right place. Any particular type of flower or arrangement style?”
“Uhh.” I looked around, eyes wide, until he took mercy on me.
“I’ve got premade arrangements, which are good if you’re wanting to leave with something today.”
I followed him to a large table filled with vases. I stared at them, feeling like I was being forced to do a calculus problem. Except I was good at calculus.
“So…you make all of these?”
Leo covered his chuckle with a cough. “I make the arrangements, yeah. Some of these are flowers I’ve grown in my family’s greenhouse, some are supplied by local farms, and I partner with two ceramic artists who make the vases.
” His fingertips trailed gently over the flowers, and I imagined what his touch would feel like on my skin.
“Sounds like you found your calling.”
He cocked his head, meeting my gaze with his deep brown eyes. “I guess I did. I never expected to be doing this, but maybe the universe knew what I needed more than I did.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a laugh. “That probably sounds stupid.”
“It doesn’t.”
His scent intensified and I almost swayed toward him before shaking myself back to reality. What was I doing? I was here to get flowers for Lucy.
I cleared my throat. “So I just select one of these vases?”
“What? Oh, yes. Who are you getting them for? Is it a special occasion?”
I glanced toward the wall that separated us from Spring in Your Stitch. “Do you know Lucy?”
His eyebrows raised. “Of course.”
“Well, umm, the flowers are for her, so if you have any idea of what she likes…”
“These are for Lucy?” He took a step away, and I caught a burnt edge to his scent.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
“I’d go with these,” he said, avoiding my question. He picked up a large, irregular vase that was shaped like a newspaper with Starlight Tribune written on it. I didn’t really get it, but it was filled with flowers in all different shades of pink, which felt like something Lucy would like.
“Here, let me take that.” He gave me an odd look when I took the vase from him. I didn’t know why Leo walked with a cane, but there was no reason for him to carry a large, bulky arrangement when I could do it for him.
We headed back to the checkout counter. Leo did not meet my gaze as he inspected the arrangement, picking out a few flowers he found flaws with.
“So how do you know Lucy?” he asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.
My alpha bristled as I finally caught on to what was going on—he liked her. Possessiveness burned hot in my chest.
“We met not too long ago.” I’ve been inside her. Felt her pussy squeezing my knot. “She came with me to an event in Boston last week.”
“Ahh, I see.” Leo punched in my purchase on the computer, and I tapped my credit card.
“Thanks for stopping in,” he said in a clear dismissal.
“Thanks for the flowers. I’m sure Lucy will love them.” I was laying it on thick, but I couldn’t stop myself. I expected some sort of snarky response, but he just turned away and walked through the back door, slamming it shut behind him and leaving me with a strangely hollow feeling in my chest.
My odd interaction with Leo left me shaken as I exited the shop and stood in front of Lucy’s door.
Was this a bad idea? Spontaneity was not my forte, and I doubted she’d be thrilled to see me.
I was pretty sure I’d upset her when I dropped her off after our night together.
She deserved better…but maybe I could give her better.
There was nothing saying I couldn’t extend my stay in Starlight Grove.
Nothing waited for me in New York besides my office.
I pushed the door open, and Lucy stuttered to a stop in the middle of the room. Her arms were filled with bolts of fabric. My lungs greedily dragged in her scent, settling my emotions and making my cock twitch.
“Hi.” I took a few slow steps toward her.
Her eyes were wide. “Hi?”
“Do you need help with that?”
“No.” A bolt of fabric fell from her arms and hit the floor with a loud thud. She glared at it like it had personally betrayed her.
I put the vase on a side table before gathering up all the fabric in my arms. “Where do you want this?”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Humor me. It will make me feel useful.”
She huffed and gestured for me to follow her into the back room. “You can just put it there.”
“On the floor?”
She crossed her arms. “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not.” I set everything down, stacking them as neatly as I could.
“What can I help you with? Do you need another tux?”
My chest twinged at her frosty tone and the confirmation that I had hurt her.
I stepped toward her. She stepped back.
I growled. My alpha saw it as a challenge. I kept advancing until her back was pressed against the wall, her chest heaving as I caged her in.
“King,” she whispered.
“I love my name on your lips. It sounds so fucking good, baby.”
Her scent deepened with arousal, but there was still an edge of anxiety in her eyes that I was desperate to erase.
“What are you doing here?”
I had no business touching her, but I couldn’t stop myself from cupping her jaw and running my thumb along her cheek. “I’m here to see you. I brought you flowers.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you and our night together. I couldn’t stay away anymore.”
Hurt flashed across her face, and I furrowed my brow in confusion. Why would that make her upset?
“You’re here for another one-night stand, then? Can it still be called that if it’s not just one night?”
I snarled, tightening my hold on her chin and forcing her to meet my gaze. “I am not here for a fuck. I’m here for you.”
“What—what does that mean?”
I opened my mouth and shut it again. Shit.
What did it mean? This was why I didn’t fly by the seat of my pants.
My life was planned out, orderly and predictable.
Relationships were the opposite of that.
I’d used my work as an excuse to push people away the past decade, and once I’d hit forty, I’d resigned myself to staying single.
But…maybe I could do this. Court Lucy. At least until she realized I wasn’t nearly good enough for her.
She sighed and pushed her hand against my chest. I took a reluctant step back.
“King, if you don’t even know what you want, this isn’t…”
“Just hold on one second.”
She chewed her lip and I freed it with my thumb. Touching her mouth was the ultimate temptation, but I resisted kissing her. She needed to know I was interested in more than just hooking up.
“I don’t know how to do this, baby. My life has been a mess the past few months, and nothing has made sense until that night with you.” My hand shifted to her throat. Her eyes flared. “Can I take you out on a date tonight, princess? Let me spoil you like you deserve, and we’ll figure the rest out.”
She shook her head and my heart dropped.
“I can’t tonight. I’m setting up for a craft night I’m hosting tomorrow. But…I could add an extra chair for you if you wanted to come.”
My heart skipped a beat. I possessed absolutely no artistic talent, but I didn’t give a fuck. Lucy was giving me an opening.
“I’ll be there.”
Her lips quirked as she tried to hide her smile. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“Let me help you set up.”
“What?”
“For craft night.” I looked around. “Do you have more things to carry around?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I lightly squeezed her neck. “I was an ass to you the other day. So yes, I do. Put me to work.”
She perfumed and I knew I had her.
I spent the next hour moving furniture and large boxes of fabric, scolding Lucy whenever she tried to lift something heavy. That’s what I was here for. My alpha preened under her gaze and I had to stop myself from taking my shirt off to better show off my muscles.
By the time we wrapped up, Lucy was smiling as she chatted excitedly about the event. Her sweet “See you tomorrow,” paired with a kiss on my cheek, meant I was practically floating as I headed home.