The Bad Guy
The back door opened, and Gerry strode in. “I got all your plants in.” He swiped his ball cap off and scratched his forehead. “But I see you’ve noticed.”
I’d taken the new arrivals out and arranged them in their respective spots the previous night. “Yep, they all look good.”
He bent over and scrutinized some of the grafted hybrids that were already beginning to thicken along the stem. “You think these are going to make some sort of Frankencucumber?”
I laughed. “I don’t think so. Probably a medium-sized cucumber with superior pest resistance.” I clapped the dirt off my hands and moved along the row toward him. “But I’ll eventually have to field test. Probably with aphids.”
He stood straight and peered around. “You want to set aphids loose in here?”
“Of course not.” I pointed at the yard. “Maybe sometime in the summer we can put a few test gardens out there.”
“I reckon Mr. Lindstrom would be fine with that. Yeah.” He stared out at the dormant grass, the sunlight fading behind the trees.
“I’m surprised you’re working today. You don’t get Christmas Eve off?”
“I do.” He slapped his worn cap back onto his gray hair. “I just wanted to come by and make sure you were happy with the deliveries.”
“I am.” I have everything I need.
“Good. If you want anything else, I’ll be by again soon.”
“Great. See you then.” I smiled. “And thanks for everything.”
“Yes ma’am. Very welcome.” He strode away. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
He left me alone with my greenery and my thoughts. The morning with Sebastian had been mind-blowing and unexpected. There was some piece of me inexplicably tangled up in him. I’d been foolish to think I’d ever get these stolen days back, that I’d ever be able to move on as I had before. He’d changed me, and as I returned to the sink and finished rinsing my tools, I couldn’t tell if it was for the better.
The door to the house swung open. “How did Gerry do on the plant delivery?” Sebastian walked to me and wrapped his arms around my waist as I dried my hands.
“Perfect.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
“Anything of particular interest?” He glanced down the rows of plants.
The coil of tension in my shoulders relaxed under his steady touch. “Not really, unless you’re into orchids.”
“I’m afraid I’m not much of a gardener. Nothing like you. If you asked me to point out which plant in here was an orchid, we’d be here all day.”
“Noted.” I turned and looked into his eyes. “But I’m not much for business, so I suppose we’re even.”
He leaned in. “You have any mistletoe?”
“No. Mistletoe is actually a parasite that affixes to trees and feeds from their nutrient systems.”
He smirked. “A vampire plant?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Is there anything you don’t know about plants?”
“I’m sure there is.” His nearness sent my compass spinning. “Someone would have to ask me the right question.”
“Speaking of questions, what do you want for Christmas?”
“I think you know.” It was worth a try.
He sighed. “Other than that.”
“Hmm, let me think about it?”
“All right.” He took my hand, and we walked into the house. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I want?”
I crinkled my nose. “I’m certain it would be an exceptionally explicit sexual favor.”
He kissed the back of my hand. “See? You already know me so well.”
He led me to the foyer.
“Where are we going?”
“I want to show you something.”
“What?” I cocked my head at him as he handed me a coat.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Is it bodies? It’s bodies, isn’t it?”
He laughed, a full-throated sound that tried to melt every pocket of resistance inside me. “No. Maybe I’ll take you on that tour a little later.”
He helped me into my coat, then snugged a knit hat down over my ears. “Warm enough?”
“Toasty.”
“Excellent.” He grabbed his own coat and led me out the front door. His phone buzzed incessantly, but he silenced it.
“Glad the anklet still works,” I said dryly. “Would hate for it to go out.”
“I’m glad we agree there.” He pressed his hand to my lower back and led me to a black ATV sitting just outside the front door. A cold sweat broke out along my skin. Did he know what I was up to?
“Let’s go.” He slung a leg over the seat and patted the leather behind him. I followed and climbed on.
Before I could ask where we were headed, he took off down the smooth driveway. Darkness had fallen quickly, the gloom growing deeper with each passing moment.
I clung to him as he gunned it, the cold air cutting past us as we hurtled away from my prison. A fleeting thought of him releasing me scurried through my mind. I swept it away before my heart put any stock in it. Sebastian wasn’t going to change his mind. That much I knew. And that’s why my course was set. Even so, I pressed my cheek against his strong back and breathed him in.