Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Astrid
I’m bundled in Berk’s strong arms, pressed against him as he parts my lips with his tongue.
A low growl of approval flows from him into me.
Our kiss lingers like that with the slowness of an awakening. Our tongues touch and then dance in a primal way that leaves my knees weak from want.
His hand fists on my back. I take it as a plea for more.
I need more.
I’m ready to drop to my knees to rip open his pants and take his cock in my mouth to continue this kiss on a much more intimate level that will leave him aching for more.
The moment is shattered when the ring of a phone cuts through the air.
I ignore it because it’s not mine, and even if it was, the only thing that could tear me away from him is…nothing. Nothing can.
I want to take him to my apartment, to my bed.
“Shit,” he whispers against my lips. “That’s me.”
Before I can suggest that he toss the ringing phone over his shoulder, he’s stepped back, leaving me bereft in a way I’ve never felt with a man before.
I’ve had broken kisses and unfulfilling sexual encounters, but none of those disappointments felt as mournful as this one.
He traces my swollen bottom lip with the pad of his thumb before he plants a soft kiss in the same spot.
His next move is swift. Before I can shake off the lustful fog I’m in, he’s answered his phone. “What is it? Is everything okay?”
I turn around to face the windows of my store, not only to give him privacy but to catch my breath and calm the beating of my heart.
It’s thumping inside my chest as if I’ve run a mile in record time.
“Shit. How bad is it?”
I turn back around because I hear something in his voice. There’s a tremor there, but it’s more than that. He sounds deeply concerned.
I watch as he shoves a hand through his hair. “I’m on my way. Tell her I love her.”
Before he’s ended the call, I know it’s his daughter.
Whoever was on the other end was delivering news about his little girl.
Stevie.
“I need to go,” he says in a rush.
There’s no apology or promise that we’ll continue what we started another time. There is only a silent sense of panic in his eyes.
“Of course,” I whisper. “I hope everything is all right.”
“Me too.” He exhales sharply.
Nothing follows that but him sprinting across my store. He turns the lock on the deadbolt, swings open the door and disappears into the darkness beyond my shop’s windows.
“Look what I have for you!”
Eloise and I turn in unison to see Athena walking into Vinyl Crush carrying a vase filled with gorgeous flowers.
This is the best sunshine bouquet she’s ever dropped off for me.
I make a mental note to pick up a gift card from one of her favorite restaurants so she and her fiancé can enjoy a special dinner on me.
She spoils me, and it’s time I started returning that favor.
“That’s incredible,” Eloise says under her breath. “That might be the most beautiful bouquet I’ve ever seen.”
“I think so too,” I agree with a nod of my chin. “Athena, it’s early. Are you sure you’re not going to need those flowers for an order later?”
It’s not even noon yet.
It feels much later to me because I was in the store just after five this morning sorting through the boxes of new inventory that arrived yesterday.
I couldn’t sleep.
I was worried about Berk’s daughter even though I’ve never met her.
After he raced out of the store last night, the first thing I did was lock the door behind him. Then, I opened my laptop and spent the next hour searching his name.
A few private social media accounts and a website for his business popped up. Morgan Press has an impressive list of published authors on their roster, but I was more interested in the bio page for the owner.
Berk kept that to a minimum.
There was a headshot of him and a few lines about his college degree and love of books.
Layna Morgan’s obituary was in the search results too. I clicked on it, read the details about her death from breast cancer, and then closed my browser because I felt like an intruder peeking in on someone’s most private moment.
Athena places the vase on the checkout counter. “This is an order. I wanted to handle the delivery myself.”
It takes me a second to absorb those words, but Eloise makes an assumption before I can say a thing.
“Are these from Heath?” she questions softly. “I knew he was a good guy.”
Athena’s hand reaches out to brush against Eloise’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Eloise. They’re for Astrid.”
“Me?” I glance at her. “You’re sure?”
She smiles. “I’m positive. There’s a card in the envelope.”
I snatch it before Eloise can get her hand on it.
She lets out a sigh. “Open it, Astrid. I bet Hot Dad sent you these flowers.”
Athena giggles. “Hot Dad?”
I shake my head. “It’s a nickname Eloise came up with for a man I met.”
Athena touches the tip of a pink petal from the bouquet. “I can’t say if Hot Dad is the one who ordered the bouquet, but the man who did has a great voice and even better taste in flowers.”
That’s all I need to know.
Berk sent these to me.
I hold the small white envelope containing the card close to my chest. “I’ll open this in a bit.”
“You’re no fun.” Eloise spears her fingertip into my bicep. “This is the most romantic thing that’s happened to us in forever.”
I laugh. “I’ll tell you what it says after I read it.”
She eyes me before her gaze shifts to the flowers. “Deal.”
Glancing at Athena, I tap the envelope against my palm. “Thank you for bringing them over.”
“It’s my pleasure.” She smiles. “I need to get back to my shop. I’ll come by tomorrow to pick out a new record.”
“On the house,” I say.
“We’ll see about that.” She winks before she sets off toward the door.
The moment she’s on the sidewalk, my cousin turns to me with her hands on her hips. “Please open it, Astrid. You don’t need to tell me what it says, but you deserve this. You deserve a man who treats you like this.”
Nodding, I rip open the envelope with shaking hands.
I recognize Athena’s handwriting immediately, which confirms what she said. Berk placed the order via phone.
I read what’s written on the front of the card.
Dinner tonight at 9.
Axel Tribeca.
I smooth a hand over the words before I flip it over to find a ten-digit number. It’s a phone number. It has to belong to Berk.
Axel Tribeca is an expensive restaurant inside a luxury hotel.
I glance up to find Eloise looking at me.
She doesn’t ask what the card says, but I offer because I know her, and even though she said I didn’t have to share what’s written on the card, she’ll wonder endlessly about it.
“Berk wants to meet tonight for dinner at Axel Tribeca.”
A smile glides over her lips. “You’re going.”
“The restaurant is in a hotel,” I say softly. “I think he might get us a room after dinner.”
Her hand reaches for my forearm. “Are you ready for that?”
I glance down at the card again. “I’m ready.”
She gives my arm a light squeeze. “Is this just a fun thing, or could it be more?”
It can’t be more. I have a career to plan for, and he has a daughter, a business, and a life that doesn’t include me.
I look into her face again. “It’s just a fun thing.”
“Then have a hell of a good time.” She grins. “I’ll open up shop tomorrow just in case you stay up all night.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “I won’t.”
“I saw Hot Dad, Astrid.” She sucks in a deep breath. “He looks like he has stamina. Maybe you should take a nap this afternoon so you can keep up with him.”
I swat her hand. “No naps needed. I can keep up with him.”
I hope I can. Something tells me that Berk Morgan isn’t in the same league as the men I’ve slept with in the past.