Hitched (Licking Thicket - Horn of Glory 2)

I got Herc out of the truck, then stepped onto the sidewalk and peered inside. The plate glass window was clean and crystal clear, providing an excellent view of this week’s tablescape. Every week, he put together a different theme to draw in clients—always full of color and life, always in perfect taste just like Quinn himself—and more than once, I’d seen Thicketeers stand and stare at the arrangements with a combination of delight and envy. The man was incredibly talented.

Had I ever told him so?

When I opened the door, Quinn looked up from his spot at the small desk where he was typing on a laptop. The look on his face turned from open and welcoming to strangely guarded.

I hated that. I’d been messing up on so many fronts lately because I’d made stupid assumptions, and I was through with that.

“Hey,” I said, looking around. A young man and woman were at the round conference table, flipping through magazines, and an older lady I recognized from the flower shop moved around me toward the back room with fresh floral arrangements to store in the fridge.

“Hey. I thought you were at Carter’s place.” Quinn bent down to pat Hercules, who’d clearly missed Quinn in the few hours they’d spent apart… probably almost as much as I had. He glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper. “He stopped by a little while ago and told me what happened. Can’t say I’m thrilled to know someone overheard me yelling at you last night.”

I dropped into one of the chairs in front of his desk when what I really wanted to do was snatch him up and take him upstairs for a naked coffee break. I looked around again at the people keeping me from being able to do just that.

“If someone overheard you telling me off for being an idiot, that’s the least of my concerns. We’re going to work at Carter and Riggs’s place for a while until we figure out who’s been monitoring Champion Security and why.” I felt as awkward as I sounded. I hadn’t come here to talk to him about work or to rehash what had happened the night before. To be honest, I hadn’t come here purposefully at all.

I’d been running on instinct.

“Um, good?” Quinn said, furrowing his brows as he studied me slumped forward in the chair. “You okay? I’m sure it freaked you out when you discovered—” He darted another look around the room. “—that whole situation. And I don’t want to upset you more, but I need to tell you about—”

“Have dinner with me tonight,” I blurted. My voice came out rough and too loud. The couple at the nearby table glanced over, and the florist stopped in her tracks to stare at me. I cleared my throat and lowered my voice. “At a restaurant. Like… like a…”

Quinn’s eyes went huge, but the edges of his lips turned up. Instead of finishing my sentence, or better yet, ignoring it, he sat in silence. Like a man who knew what he deserved and was willing to wait for it.

He was enjoying this.

I felt my own smile tugging at my mouth, even as my heart thundered and sweat poured out of every square inch of my skin. “Fine. Yes. Like a…” I ran a hand through my hair and looked at the ceiling. “Date,” I pushed out.

Quinn stood up and walked around the desk until he was standing right in front of me. When I leaned back in the chair to look up at him, he shocked the hell out of me by seating himself directly across my lap. His arms snaked around my neck, and his lips brushed my ear.

“Why, Percival Champion, as I live and breathe… of course I’ll go out on a date with you. Thought you’d never ask.” He pulled back enough for me to see his knowing smirk. “And since we’re engaged to be married, can I just say it’s about time?”

I rolled my eyes and pinched his ass. “Brat. Get off me. I need to get back to work, and clearly, you need to do the same.”

His laugh made my chest open up so I could breathe easier. Was there anything that sound wouldn’t cure?

Before climbing off my lap, Quinn leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. It was slow and serious, tender and full of so much meaning, I nearly fell off the chair. I wanted him desperately, in my bed, in my arms, in my life.

And it turned out it wasn’t so hard to make time for both Quinn and my job. In fact, I felt newly energized and clearheaded enough to tackle all of the questions in front of me.

I stood up abruptly and held him away from me. “Gotta go. Pick you up here at six.”