Twilight Snowdrop (Poisonous Petals)

1. Olivia

ONE

olivia

N ervous jitters flooded my system as we navigated our way through the airport.

The hustle and bustle of people running past us, holding hot cups, luggage, and paper bags filled with fresh pastries from the many coffee and sandwich shops that lined the spaces between each gate, sent my head into a tailspin. I watched more travelers rush past us, creating stories in my mind of their journey, wondering if it was anything like mine.

“You want anything, angel?” Luke’s southern drawl dragged my attention back to him as we hauled our way to Gate 39.

We were finally heading to Delaware to visit my parents. Years had passed since I felt my mom's warm embrace or savored the delightful burst of cinnamon from her homemade snickerdoodles melting on my tongue. Nerves and unease curled through my stomach at the thought of seeing them again after so long.

My eyes scanned the airport.

I could see our gate off in the distance, just up ahead, but my stomach rumbled after a decadent scent wafted through the air. My eyes followed the smell as if entranced by it, finally locating it.

Nestled in between a purse shop and a blowout salon, a loaded macaroni and cheese pasta bar sat between them. The savory scent of cheddar, chicken, bacon, and all of the fixings made my mouth water.

“Do you wanna try that place?” I looked up at Luke, who stood in a black leather jacket, holding our carry-on bags. “It smells amazing.”

His blue eyes softened as he gazed down at me. His look perused my form with such tenderness that I could have drowned in the depths of his stare, feeling it wrap around me like a warm, gentle current.

“Sure.” He shrugged, placing his hand on my lower back.

He led me to the register, where the cashier greeted us with a toothy grin. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen. She stood in an apron with an animated noodle printed on it, smiling at us proudly.

“What can I get for you folks today?” She beamed, her smile lighting up her face, leaving behind a radiant, youthful glow.

I couldn’t help the tug of a smile that whispered across my lips. “I’ll have the sharp cheddar mac and cheese with grilled chicken and bacon bits.”

Even ordering it had drool pooling in the corners of my mouth. The aroma was irresistible, and I was ravenous.

“I think I'll have”—Luke thought for a minute—“the parmesan alfredo mac with grilled chicken and”—his blue eyes quickly scanned the menu that was loaded with more options and concoctions than we could ever try—“and also bacon.” He grinned down at me, and my heart stopped.

Luke was always a gorgeous man, I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see it. But here, outside of his police uniform, just living a normal life with me? God, my heart was bound to explode.

He pulled out his phone, and I couldn’t peel my eyes away from his deft fingers if I tried, remembering how good they felt trailing across my bare skin. He held it out to the dock and paid, tipped the cashier, and flashed her a killer smile before guiding us over to the corner out of the way.

Our food was prepared quickly, the condensation from the fresh meals made the paper bag soggy in some spots. Handling the food with care, we took them, thanked the chef, grabbed silverware, and continued our way to the gate, where we still had forty or so minutes until we were to board.

I opened mine, eager to start into the food, and the first bite was heaven in my mouth. The holy choir sang notes of tangy cheese with the seasoned taste of the best grilled chicken I’d ever had in my life. Bursts of the greasy bacon whispered across my tongue, mixing perfectly with the al dente cooked pasta. I let out a feral moan, not even caring that I was losing myself in mac and cheese.

“Damn,” Luke said, a sly smile played across his usually stern features. “That good, huh?” He swallowed his first bite, which smelled equally amazing. “You don’t even make that face when I’m deep inside of you.”

I whipped my head around, ensuring no one heard his flirty comment. “Luke!” I hissed, playfully tapping his arm. “Someone could hear you.”

“Hey, now.” He laughed. The deep sound rolled over my skin, leaving tingles in its wake as if he were touching me. “I’m the one that should be embarrassed, angel. That food is doing more for you than I ever have.” He kissed my forehead and started into his bowl again.

I scarfed down the rest of mine in what felt like one bite. My stomach still howled in protest as I eyed his food surreptitiously.

“You do more for me than anyone ever has.” I lowered my voice, hoping to make him as hot as he made me.

His gaze landed on mine, and his pupils dilated. He opened his mouth to speak when my body grumbled in a way that screamed for more food. Hearty laughter pulled from his throat.

“Goddamn,” he drawled, “you really are insatiable.” He teased playfully, handing me the rest of his food. “Here, baby, you finish this for me.”

The shy girl in me wanted to play coy. Act like I couldn’t possibly eat another bite. But hunger persisted, leaving me unable to even feign being a lady. And he’d been with me long enough that we were past any point of being embarrassed.

Eat it, eat it all! You know you want to!

The sing-songy voice in my head won ten to none; greedy fingers snatched his bowl out of his hands. Like a starving dog, the hearty notes danced on my tongue. Each burst of cheese intensified as I swallowed it all in one bite.

I wolfed his down with the same intensity I did my own.

And it tasted even better than the first one I had.

“That place is amazing,” I told him, feeling remarkably giddy about our upcoming trip. “Why isn’t there one on every corner of Seattle?”

“It was good.”

His arm slung around my shoulder as we waited for our turn to board. Luke was prior military, so we could’ve skipped the line, but I was happy to wait in the safety of his warm embrace. Patrons gathered near the podium, eager to board.

“Nothing compares to how you taste, angel.” His whisper traced across the shell of my ear, sending gooseflesh down my skin and pebbling my nipples into hard peaks.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Sergeant .” I leaned in closer at the last words, and nipped his ear lobe.

He looked down at me needily just as they called our class to board. I kissed his nose and shrugged, tugging his hand up. We had just over six hours of flight time, and my mind floated to places it shouldn’t.

Luke towered over me from behind as we approached the seats. He reserved a window seat for me and him in the middle. I slid my way down the aisle, finding our corresponding numbers and letters before plopping down in my spot.

“You know,” Luke's tone dropped an octave—the same octave that always left me a needy mess. “We should join the mile-high club.”

My whole body went from chilly to hot. Heat flooded my bloodstream, warming me from the inside out, settling in my throbbing core.

“Sergeant,” I purred his title, “isn’t that against the law?”

His full lips stretched into a grin that sent shockwaves through me. “Gives me a reason to handcuff you.”

The plane jolted, moving backward as it prepared to go down the runway. My gaze never left his as I reached into my carry-on and pulled out my AirPods to shove in my ears.

“I refuse to be tempted by you, Sergeant. ” I gave him a quick peck on the lips and pulled out my tablet.

He smirked as he settled back in his chair, giving me the side eye. It took everything in me to ignore him, only daring glances at his chiseled body out of my peripherals. My body still felt the pricks of heat as it licked my skin from his words.

It’s gonna be a long plane ride.