10. Langdon
Ten
Langdon
S he’s elbow deep in soil, bent over and drinking— armless from her water bottle, and my god that ass is damn near perfect and directed right at me. At the sound of my voice, she startles and without the use of her arms, face plants on the floor, exposing an even better view of her ass.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” I can’t help but laugh. She’s so damn cute.
Scrambling, she tries to right herself as I approach and pushes back up onto her knees. When she looks up at me, irritation flares in her green eyes.
“Langdon. What are you doing here?” she asks. She is covered in soil.
I rake my gaze from her knees upward, lingering on her breasts before finally settling my eyes on hers. Brown smears her tank top and her arms are dirt-ridden.
“I work here,” I say.
Her eyes go wide. “What?” she squeaks.
I smirk and stretch. Delia wipes her brow with the back of her hand leaving a brown streak on her face.
“I said, I work here,” I repeat. I fold myself in half and wipe the dirt smudge from her brow. A ping of electricity zips through me at the contact. “What’s your excuse?”
She looks at me in confusion before shaking her head and refocusing. “I work here.”
Well this is news. I laugh again. “Are you serious?”
Indignant, she pushes to her feet and plants her hands on her hips. “Why would I lie?”
I can’t help but toy with her. “I don’t know, is this some ploy to run into me?”
“Oh my god, you’re disgusting,” she spits, nostrils flaring.
I’m having a hard time tearing my eyes off her shirt. It’s so humid in here, beads of sweat cling to her hairline and her… shit …that glorious tank top also clings…to her stomach and breasts. “Viv said to take a break. Go grab lunch. I’ll take over here and you get to work inside when you get back.”
She stares at my mouth a beat and I almost lean down and plant my lips on hers. I want to know what she tastes like. What her lips feel like on mine. But I don’t. Because that would be weird and creepy and I’m pretty sure unwanted.
“Yeah. Okay. Bye,” she says, pushing her hair out of her face, leaving more brown-black streaks on her face.
I hoist the tub of soil up and carry it to the empty pots that need to be filled. When I set it down she’s still there. Watching me. Well, well, well. Maybe she doesn’t hate me.
“Um, Delia?” I ask .
“Huh? What?” she says.
“I don’t need supervision out here. I got this.”
Pink creeps up her neck and settles in her cheeks. She surges past me.
The greenhouse is punishment. Torture. No one should be allowed, let alone have, to work in it after Noon. The day is at its hottest and I can’t take the heat any longer so I strip off my shirt and toss it on one of the tables between some phallic-looking plants. I glance at the tag; Titan Arum. Huh. Viv has a list on the wall of things to do daily here and I swear I’ve only knocked three items off the list so far. Only seven more days and I’m free. I’ve managed to fill the empty pots with the newly mixed soil Delia did this morning, watered the plants, and pruned. I’m currently checking the various plant tags and making notes on which ones need which nutrients.
“Viv says you can be done at three.” Delia’s voice floats on the thick humid air of the greenhouse. I pause what I’m doing and turn to her. Her brow arches, pupils dilating as they sweep across my bare torso. The heat of her gaze lingers over my abs, and my cock twitches in my shorts beneath her sultry stare. Thank god the plants are hiding me from the waist down.
“Three?”
“Yeah.” The intensity of her gaze nearly sets my skin on fire.
“What time are you out?” I ask.
“Same time,” she says.
“Heath picking you up?”
She shakes her head and pulls her shirt away from her torso.
“I’ll give you a ride if you need one.” I’m not sure why I offer.
Delia shakes her head and sucks her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Do you have a ride?” I ask.
She releases her bottom lip. “Um, my mom was going to pick me up.”
I arch a brow at her. “Was?”
“I was supposed to be out at four-thirty. So, that’s when she’ll be here.” Her eyes drop to my abs as she pulls her hair into a ponytail.
“Call your mom, tell her I’ll bring you home. I insist.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “You insist? ”
“Is that weird? If you’d rather wait in the heat, be my guest, I was trying to be nice,” I say, eyeing the door behind her as Vivianna’s silver hair passes by.
“Take the ride Ms. Dukes!” Viv’s voice sings out.
Delia pinches the bridge of her nose and squints her eyes. “Fine.”
“Fine,” I echo. “Anything else?”
Confusion wrinkles her face as she asks, “What? No. Why?”
I smirk at her. “You’re staring.”
Her face goes red and she rolls her eyes.
“Am not.” She pivots in place and stomps out of sight. She is so damn adorable when she’s mad.