I ignored the latter in favor of the former. “You like me.”
Tess laughed, her little chin tipping up. “Well, you’ve been a good friend.”
“And a great kisser.”
A flush smudged her cheeks. “Yes, and that. Among other things.”
A flash of hope smudged my heart. “I’ve been working on changing your mind about me.”
“You don’t say?” she deadpanned.
“I know. I’m slick undercover like that.” That earned me a laugh, and I reached for the Maker’s, holding it up in display. “Care for a drink?”
With a nod, she smiled, lips together and corners curled. “It’s that first night all over again.”
“Except this time, I’m not drunk and I brought better whiskey. I want a do-over, Tess. You deserve one,” I added as I scooped ice and poured us drinks. “I told you I’d make it up to you. What better way than the closest thing to a time machine I could come up with?”
I handed her a drink, which she took with that small, sweet smile on her face. “To time machines.”
She held her glass out, and I tapped it with a clink.
“And second chances.”
Something flashed behind her eyes—a touch of worry, a hint of indecision. Appreciation, understanding.
We drank without clarifying what it meant.
I knew what I meant.
This—whatever this was—was different. I liked her. And not in that I was interested in a distant way like I normally was, with that detached admiration I typically felt for women.
I liked Tess. I liked her, not the idea of her, not as one admires art or a bouquet. But in how I craved her company. How I wanted to impress her. How I wanted to prove her wrong about me. It wouldn’t be easy. But I had a feeling it’d be the most satisfying thing I’d ever done, if I could pull it off.
The last time I’d felt this way, I’d ended up married. A shot of fear rushed through my chest at the thought. Because that had been a trainwreck.
But it was the closest thing I could compare it to. Tess had gotten my attention. And now, I couldn’t look away.
“You did good today, Tess,” I started, stretching my legs. “How many bouquets did you make?”
“Feels like a trillion,” she said on a laugh. “Pretty sure I’m going to have anxiety dreams about marigolds tonight.”
“Mom cried through half of dinner. I swear, I think she’s going to erect a statue of you in the middle of the shop as tribute.”
Tess blushed prettily. “I can’t believe that many people were lured in by window installations.”
“People shop with their eyes, right? And you gave them a visual feast. That window display is perfect. It helped that it was gorgeous out.”
“And that there was an event in Washington Square.”
“I was thinking we should always do the new displays on Sunday mornings, get the weekend crowd. Maybe we could even join forces with a couple of local places, like Blanche’s. Have a little coffee bar and pastries for the unveiling.”
She brightened. “I love that. Think we can get Blanche’s to partner up?”
“Oh, old Blanche can’t say no to me,” I said with a sidelong smile. “She’d sneak me donuts when I was little, made me swear I wouldn’t tell Mom. Officially, she’s known at my house by the name Meal Ruiner.”
A chuckle, this time coupled with a sardonic look. “Is anyone immune to your charms?”
“Only you.”
Her eyes flicked to the ceiling, but she was smiling. “Please. Me least of all. It’s why you make me so mad.”
“Make? Or made?”
“Both.”
It was my turn to chuckle. “You know, they say there’s a fine line between love and hate.”
“They also say not to shit where you eat.”
“Sure, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
“And curiosity killed the cat.” She took a sip of her drink, her eyes smiling at me over the rim.
“Well, drastic times call for drastic measures.” I set my drink on the cooler, taking hers once it was free of her lips. Because I had other plans for those lips, plans I didn’t care to wait to implement.
“I’ll take that with a grain of salt,” she said breathlessly, watching me as I moved closer.
And I slipped my arm around her waist and shifted, laying her down. Her hands gripped my arms from the motion, fingers tightening when I slipped my thigh between hers, opening them up.
“Then I’ll let my actions speak louder than words,” I whispered against her lips before I took them for my own.
This. This was what I’d missed last night. Her body beneath me, soft and sighing, mine for the taking. I’d wanted to lay her down so I could love her down, unobstructed by distractions like physics and furniture.
But she broke the kiss with a pop, her breath noisy and lids heavy as she looked up at me. “Wait,” she whispered. “Are you sure we should—”
“Yes,” I said and kissed her again. I kissed her until she was wound around me, until there was no space, no air.
But she stopped the kiss again, staying me with her hand. “When you do that, I can’t think.”
“Then don’t.”
When I kissed her once more, I felt her give herself over completely, felt her yield, felt the fight in her heart abandon her. And I took the chance to fill that space in her with me. I’d convince her I could be what she wanted, what she didn’t think I was. I could be that man.
I would be that man.
As the kiss deepened, I noted the depth of my desire. It reached beyond the surface, into the hidden spaces in me, places undiscovered, untapped. I didn’t care what it meant, didn’t question the difference. All I knew was this: I wanted to give Tess what she wanted. My body was hers, but that was the easy part.
Because if I knew Tess at all, I knew she didn’t do casual. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to.
And the strangest part of all was that it wasn’t strange. Not even a little.
13
Ace
TESS
“I’ve got it,” I lied over my shoulder at Luke, who watched me wrangle the armful of flowers with dubious concern.
“If you’ll just let me—”
“I’ve got it,” I repeated with a laugh as I headed for the door to the shop, not entirely sure how I was going to open it. “I just need to—oof.”
I hit the worktable with a thump and a burst of pain in my hip.
With a chuckle, he took the load off my hands. In his massive arms, they looked inconsequential. In mine, I could barely see over the top.
“Sure you don’t want anything else?”
My face flushed. “Well, since I’ve got more room, I’ll just grab some of these.” I reached for the bucket of pods. “And maybe some of these. Oh! You know what would look great …”
And seconds later, my arms were almost full again.
He shook his head at me, his smile sidelong and sweet.
“Okay, that’s it.”
“You sure?”