The Rivals - Vi Keeland Page 0,70
the desk. It was still wrapped in paper, but it had the logo of Park Florist stamped all over it.
“Flowers?” I said, arching an eyebrow. “Do you have a secret admirer?”
He walked over to the minibar and grabbed a water. “I…uh…tried to deliver them to a guest for the bellman the other day right before I left for my trip. But the guest had checked out early. I was running late, so I just left them in here. I need to toss them.”
“Oh really? That would be such a shame. What kind of flowers are they?”
Well, I’d learned one thing about Weston today. He was a really shitty liar. He couldn’t seem to meet my eyes every time he spewed another one.
He shrugged. “Not sure. I didn’t look.”
I stared at him until he returned my gaze.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just seems like a shame to throw out perfectly good flowers. Maybe I’ll take them. I love flowers.” I was really enjoying screwing with him, so I added, “Unless they’re dahlias. I’m not a fan, and they make me sneeze.”
Weston had looked away again, but now his eyes came back to mine. I watched as the wheels in his head turned, trying to decide how to proceed.
In the end, he went with cautiously. “Dahlias only?”
I flashed a smile somewhere between smug and friendly, which only added to his confusion. “Yup. Just dahlias. In fact, the blackberry ripple variety are the absolute worst. I just sneeze and sneeze and sneeze…”
His already-squinting eyes narrowed even more. So I widened my smile and upped the ante.
Walking over to the flowers on the other side of the room, I fingered the card still stapled to the paper wrapping. “You weren’t even curious what the card said?”
Weston stayed rooted to his spot. He looked about seventy-five percent sure I was fucking with him, yet the remaining twenty-five percent wanted to hold out before folding.
He shook his head slowly. This time when he spoke, his eyes remained locked with mine. “Nope. No interest whatsoever.”
I fiddled with the card but left it attached to the paper. “Hmmm... Well, I am. Hope you don’t mind if I read it.”
Weston’s jaw ticked as I called his bluff.
“It’s an invasion of the sender’s privacy,” he grumbled. “Don’t you think?”
I plucked the card from the paper wrapping and smiled. “Then you don’t have to read it.” Taking my sweet-ass time, I ran my nail across the back of the envelope and sliced it open. For full dramatic effect, I flashed my pearly whites at Weston as I slowly pulled the card out.
Before I could scan the first word, Weston was in my personal space. He snatched the card from my hand and gripped both sides of the desk around me, boxing me in.
His eyes gleamed. “Don’t screw with me.”
I lifted my hand to my chest and feigned innocence. “Why, whatever do you mean?”
“Ask what you want to ask, Sophia.”
I tapped my fingernail to my lips, looking up at the ceiling. “Hmm… I have so many questions. I’m not sure where to start.”
“Start wherever you want. Because you playing games just pisses me off. And you know what happens when we get pissed at each other.” He leaned in closer. Our noses were only two inches apart. “Don’t you, Soph?”
My mind immediately conjured images of me pressed against the wall with my skirt around my waist, and Weston with a fistful of my hair standing behind me.
When I didn’t answer right away, he smirked. “Yes, that. Exactly what you’re thinking.”
I squinted. “Oh, you know what I’m thinking now, do you?”
“You were thinking of the first time we were together.” He nodded toward the door. “I fucked you right up against that wall.”
My mouth dropped open.
Weston ran his thumb along my bottom lip. “Well, we were both thinking the same thing a minute ago. But now with this beautiful mouth looking so inviting, I’m remembering a different evening.”
Luckily, at that moment the smell of the flowers behind me permeated my nose, reminding me of the purpose of my visit. I cleared my throat. “Why did you buy me flowers and then not give them to me?”
Weston’s jaw flexed. “It seemed you had another delivery, and I didn’t think you needed two arrangements.”
I tilted my head. “Why not let me decide which arrangement I wanted to keep?”
Weston relinquished his position and stood with his arms folded across his chest. “It pissed me off that another man felt he had reason to send you flowers.”
“How do you