By the end of the day Laken was nearly skipping in anticipation. God, the sex last night had been incredible. They hadn’t gotten to sleep until the early hours of the morning, but she felt great. She’d slept better than she had for years.
She closed up the shop and made her way to her apartment. The flowers resting on her doorstop brought her to a sudden stop.
Damn Ricky. When would he leave her alone? The last bunch of flowers had been a week ago and she’d managed to get rid of them before Duncan had seen them.
Duncan would not react well to her ex-boyfriend sending her flowers.
Picking them up, she unlocked the door and stomped inside. She placed them on the table and glared at them. She was really coming to hate gerberas. What to do with them? Duncan would be here soon and she still had to pack. They were going to spend the night at his place, which was on the outskirts of town. It was the first time he’d invited her over.
A knock at her door had her straightening. Although he had a key, Duncan still liked to knock, not wanting to give her a fright by just walking in.
She strode to the door and opened it with a smile. Her grin slipped off her face as she saw who it was.
“Hello, Doll. Miss me?”
“What are you doing here?” she hissed at Ricky, looking around frantically to make sure that Duncan wasn’t close by.
“Why, I came to see my favorite girl.”
“I am not your anything, Ricky. We are over. You cheated on me, remember? With my slutty assistant.”
He stared at her imploringly. “Come on, my lovely, don’t say you’re still holding a grudge.”
“Holding a grudge? Holding a grudge!” she yelled. Turning, she stormed over and grabbed the bunch of flowers. She then stormed back and swung it at him.
“Get lost, you fucking asshole! Stop sending me flowers, stop calling me. I never want to see you again.”
Ricky held his arms over his head, cowering pathetically.
“But Laken, she meant nothing. It was a mistake.”
Laken dropped her arms, breathing heavily. Damn, she was really out of shape.
“No. We were a mistake. You and I. I was stupid to ever get involved with someone as self-centered as you. Leave me alone, Ricky, before I call the cops. Oh, and take these stupid flowers with you. No flowers are ever going to get me to come back to you.”
He gaped at her, and then at the flowers. God, what had she seen in him? He was pathetic.
“But I didn’t send these,” he whined.
“Stop lying and go away.” She chucked what was left of the flowers at him. “I see you again, I’m calling the police.” She slammed the door, her breath heaving in and out. She had just sat down when there was another knock on the door. Racing over, she opened it.
“Now what, you ass—” Her tirade ended as Eli and Kellan Jones frowned down at her.
“Wonder what that’s about?” Eli Jones remarked to his scary brother. Kellan Jones would make the devil pause. It wasn’t just his dark eyes and cold demeanor; he had a way of looking at you, like he could see all of your secrets.
“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “But I think I should.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting the two of you,” she managed politely. “Can I help you?”
“Just who were you expecting?” Eli asked.
“It’s nothing. It doesn’t matter. What do you want?” She just wanted some time to herself, was that too much to ask?
Kellan’s gaze narrowed as he watched her, testing her. He glanced down at the crushed flowers lying at his feet. “May we come in, Laken? This isn’t a conversation to have on your doorstep.
Laken nodded and stepped back, letting them in. She had a feeling things were going to go from bad to worse.
***