Sultry Summer (Seasons in Colorado-Summer #2)

1. Aspen

Aspen

Finally done. I can’t believe it but I’ve finally finished my business degree and I’m back home. Where I belong according to my cousins. In the waiting arms of family in our family business.

I should be happy but my body feels like it’s made of lead. Crushing fear creeps up my spine. I feel trapped. Smothered.

My cousins are great. I love them. But they act like they’re so much older and they know more than I do. Like I’m just a baby.

I’m not a baby. I’m a fully-grown woman of twenty-two and I know what I want out of my life.

I just don’t know how to tell them what I want. I don’t want to hurt them.

The flower shop is quiet this time of the morning. We’re not open and I’m waiting for a delivery from the new farm that we’re ordering from.

If Fiona hadn’t wanted to take a mini-vacation with her new man, I would never have been able to talk her into letting me open the store by myself this morning. Although she actually thought Harper would be here with me this morning.

But Harper isn’t feeling well and Darius insisted that she stay home this morning and rest.

So here I am…finally alone for once. I’ve had both of my cousins up my ass since I got home from college with my brand new degree and conflicted feelings about my new job.

The bell over the door tinkles merrily and my head pops up from under the shelf where the cash register is.

“Hello?”

The man’s a dark shadow with just enough shape to see a bare sketch of his sharp cheekbones, broad shoulders and slim hips. He steps inside and I brace myself against the desk, holding my finger over the alarm button.

“I’m sorry but we’re not open yet. You’ll need to come back later.”

He turns back to the door and then his head turns back to me. “I’m sorry. The door was open, so I thought you were as well.”

“I’m waiting for a delivery and there’s a bunch of cars parked in the back. I think they’re having an adoption event. So he has to use the front to unload.”

His dark head nods and there’s a flash of bright eyes. “I’m sorry I bothered you.” He turns away and a surge of loneliness runs through me like a cold chill.

I step forward, holding up my hand. “Wait. What did you need? Maybe I can help you?”

He turns back and steps closer until he’s standing in front of me and a shiver runs down my spine, my belly hollowing out. He’s huge. Tall, tanned, dark chestnut hair gently pushed back from high cheekbones and bright blue eyes like a summer sky.

I take a deep breath and the smell of leather and spice drifts into my nose, coiling in my body and latching on.

He smells yummy enough to eat.

A smirk touches his lips. “What might your name be?”

I roll my eyes. “My name is Aspen. Now can I help you or do you want to hit that door and keep on walking?”

He throws his head back and laughs and my belly flips. Damn the man looks good.

He leans over the counter and I’m immersed in the sexy scent of him. Wallowing in it and I’m about seconds away from rubbing up against him or rolling around in how good he smells.

My weary little heart kicks into overdrive. He smiles at me and my whole body freezes. Like a deer scenting a wolf. Prey to predator. His summer blue eyes dance with laughter and something headier that I don’t want to even think about.

“Little Aspen. Do you think you can find me a gorgeous little bouquet with some yellow roses and maybe some lilies? And baby’s breath or some other kind of filler.”

“Do you want a card?” I ask, grabbing a little pad of paper that sits beside the register for just such an occasion.

“Nope. Just a little bouquet. I’ll tell her the words I don’t want to write down.”

I nod my head and step around the register, jerking to a stop when he doesn’t move back. I gasp, my whole body tensing.

He steps back and smirks. “I’m sorry, Aspen. I didn’t mean to get in your way.”

Then he steps back and holds his hand out, sweeping it out like some knight of old. I nod my head at him and scurry past him as fast as possible.

He chuckles under his breath.

I duck in the new fridge room and pick out some flowers, barely looking at them.

I just want to get this guy out of here as quickly as I can. He’s….disturbing. I don’t like it.

He’s also a stranger. That’s the one thing that I do like about him. He has this look about him that says he’s not afraid to travel, to live.

I wish I could say the same. I’ve never been anywhere but the local college and my home town.

My fingers shake and I pause, closing my eyes. There’s nothing to be scared of.

But when I tie the pale green ribbon about the little bouquet, that little shudder runs through my hands again.

I take a deep breath and stiffen my spine. Then I cradle the flowers in my hand and step out of the cold room and back into the main room. My belly flips and I bite my bottom lip.

But I step out confidently like there’s not a damn thing in the world bothering me.

I hold out the flowers to him and he grins, a devilish little smirk with a dimple on his left cheek that fascinates me for some reason.

“These are lovely. Almost as pretty as you. I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me later.” He doesn’t ask it like a question. More like there’s no way I could possibly even think about saying no.

“I don’t make a habit of going out with guys that don’t tell me their name!”

He sets the flowers down and holds his hand out. “Hi. My name’s Hunter…umm, Devon. Now perhaps we know each other well enough for you to go out with me.”

My spine stiffens because once again…it doesn’t sound like a question.

Cocking my head, I glare at him. “You know…this whole schtick that you have going might really attract some women but I’m not really interested in getting to know someone who’s gonna hit the road sooner rather than later.”

Huffing, he nods at me. “I might be here for just a short time but I guarantee you’d have fun with me.” His blue eyes dart down my body and it’s like a damn physical caress. Heat fills my face and I shove the chills racing down my spine down, down, down.

I pick up the flowers and slap them lightly at his broad, muscular chest. “It’s been nice meeting you Hunter Devon but I need to get back to work. I’m sure the delivery’s gonna be here soon.”

He smiles wickedly. “If you change your mind, get ahold of me out at the resort. I’ll happily come out here for a little one on one time.”

I shake my head and close my eyes. “You really can’t stop yourself, can you?”

He smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

“Yeah, I thought so. It’s been lovely meeting you.” I turn around and walk away from him.

His answering chuckle is warm and tempting as hell. But I don’t turn around until I hear the bell tinkling again.

My head whips around and I flush when I see his shadow outside the glass door. He tips his cowboy hat and my body liquifies.

Then he walks away and I’m left standing there, my hands twisting in front of me.

My heart pounds in my chest, my mouth dry as the Sahara desert. I don’t know what the hell is the matter with me but I know one thing.

I need to avoid that guy like the damn plague because he’s as tempting as my favorite Neapolitan ice cream.

And probably just as bad for me.