“Bye.” He hung up without waiting for my response.
I set the phone down and got back to work.
“Hey, beautiful.” His masculine voice nearly made me jump ten feet in the air. I didn’t even realize he was in the store with me because I’d been too absorbed in the conversation with Griffin to notice. I’d let my guard down when it mattered most.
I looked up to see him standing on the other side of the counter, dressed in a gray V-neck with a black blazer. He wore denim jeans that fit snugly around his hips. Stubble was thicker on his face than it’d been the other night when we were together, but his eyes were just as vibrant as before. Colorful and hypnotizing, they could charm a snake with that look. He could certainly charm me. “Stop sneaking up on me.”
“Start paying attention to who comes into your store.” Like before, he gripped the edge of the counter and stared me down, perfectly comfortable with intense direct eye contact. If I refused to speak, he would keep staring at me for hours on end. My hostility had no effect on him.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
He nodded to the arrangement I was working on. “Who’s that for?”
“The display window.” I placed the flowers inside, the purple roses mixing with the large white flowers. It was a springtime arrangement, even though we were in the heart of winter.
“It’s for sale, then?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take it.” He opened his wallet and threw the cash on the counter.
“That was a quick sale.” I pushed the vase toward him and took the money. “Who’s it for this time?”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Jealous?”
“I don’t get jealous. Just making conversation.”
“I think if you saw me with another woman, you would be jealous.”
“Really?” His arrogance never stopped surprising me. “Prove it, then.”
He continued to smile, like this was some weird joke. “Trust me, you don’t want me to do that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Have a good day.” I tried to dismiss him even though I knew it wouldn’t work.
“You lied to him.” He moved his hands into his pockets as he watched me. “Good choice.”
“I didn’t want to worry him.”
“And he definitely would have worried. He would have marched down to my building and got himself shot. Or better yet, thrown in the ring.”
I refused to asked what the ring meant. “My personal life is none of his business. He asked if you were bothering me—and I told him the truth.”
That charming smile wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon. “I knew you liked me.”
I just liked what we could do between the sheets. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“All business, huh?”
“Well, it’s rude to bother me at my place of business.”
“Oh, so I am bothering you?” He stepped closer to the counter and invaded my space, made his presence feel so large that the solid table between us wasn’t thick enough to keep us apart. He tilted his head slightly to the side, watching all the minor reactions on my face.
I hated myself for loving his confidence, the way he could enter any room and own it. I hated the way I despised everything about him but my legs still wanted to fall apart. I hated those beautiful blue eyes and the way they stared into mine when they watched me come. I hated that I wanted someone who was so wrong for me. “I don’t come into your office, so you shouldn’t come into mine.”
“You’re welcome to stop by anytime you want. I’d love to fuck you on my desk.”
And just like that, the air left my lungs as the excitement took over. I’d been out with handsome men who were charming, but I’d never felt this kind of passion with anyone. Men never made me tremble the way this guy did. “I’ll pass.”
He made his way around the table until he was on my side of the counter. Then he stepped into me, invading my space by pressing his chest against my shoulder. He stared down at me, the breaths from his nose hitting the top of my head. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Because he wasn’t stupid. “I need to get back to work.” I moved away from his chest, keeping my guard up around this dangerous man. “There’s only one thing I want from you, so I don’t want to see you at my shop again.” A part of me felt cold for blowing him off so harshly, but if I knew if I were a man, no one would think twice about it.
“Right to the point, huh?” he asked with a chuckle, unaffected by my rejection.
I grabbed a business card and flipped it over. I scribbled my phone number with a black marker and then pushed it back toward him. “Text me.”