limbs tangled up, just talking. And I had gotten my wish after all.
Lila Parker, unraveled. Giving and forgiving. Sighing and soft and supple.
I knew she was in there, I thought as I thumbed her chin, raising it so I could kiss her. And I counted myself fortunate for having been able to see it.
I only hoped I’d have the opportunity to see that side of her again.
She sighed when I broke away, her eyes opening lazily. “When can I see you again?”
“Whenever you want.”
A slow smile brushed her lips. “Tomorrow?”
I pulled her a little closer. “Whenever you want,” I whispered again and kissed that smile off her lips.
Another sigh when I ended the kiss to gather her shirt off the ground and help her into it. I stepped in front of her again to button her up, mourning every sliver of skin as it disappeared. She let me fasten those buttons in a satisfying act of submission, her arms threading around my waist as I reached the top.
“I…I’ve never really done this before,” she said with endearing timidity.
“Well, lucky for you, I’m a pro.”
“Are there rules?”
“Not really. It’s whatever you need it to be, and people don’t really…talk to each other. They just fumble around it until something happens. Or doesn’t happen for long enough to bail.”
A pause. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It is,” I said on a laugh.
“There are really no rules? Not even like…unspoken things everyone is supposed to know?”
“Would you feel better if there were?”
“Maybe,” she answered with a smile.
“All right. Let’s start with frequency.”
“How about…never more than two days in a row.”
“And on the third day, we rest.”
She chuckled.
“Spending the night, on or off limits?”
“Hmm. Off. I think? Keeps things more…casual?”
“Okay,” I agreed without wanting to. “Dates?”
“Probably not. Flings don’t go on dates, do they?”
I shrugged. “Not usually.”
“All right, then. No dates.”
“Done. Feel better?”
“Much. And I’m suddenly glad you’re delivering the flowers for the wedding tomorrow,” she said with a wicked smile.
“Why? Already planning your smoke breaks?”
“Maybe one or two. I’ll get us a room at the venue.”
“With those fancy sheets?”
She nodded, lips together in a smile. “And fancy pillows and an actual mattress.”
“Sorry I got you all dirty,” I said, fingering the collar of her white shirt where it was smudged with grime from its pile on the greenhouse floor.
“Please, get me dirty anytime you want.” She stretched up on her tiptoes to press a swift kiss to my lips, then turned, tucking in her shirt.
I watched, greedy for every detail, every movement as she flipped one heel with her foot and slipped into it, then the other, her legs elongating, calves engaged to keep her upright in those shoes. She twisted her hair self-consciously, looking away.
“God, I must look a mess. Do I have makeup all over my face?”
She swiped under her eyes nervously, endearingly. It was true, she had a little makeup flecked under her eyes, but I’d already thumbed away what she’d have been worried about but for the bit of smoke under her lashes. The rain had washed the rest away, leaving her fresh-faced and gorgeous, maybe more so than I’d ever seen her.
Maybe it was because I’d witnessed her vulnerable, her hair unkempt and natural, the gentle smudge of black under her eyes throwing the pale of her irises into high relief. Those eyes, so big and gray, were all-encompassing, unavoidable. Undeniable.
“You’re beautiful,” I said without hesitation.
Her laugh was small and self-deprecating, her hands twisting her hair again, this time into a knot that almost immediately slipped loose. She sighed, stuffing the last of her shirt into her skirt.
“Leave it down.” In two steps, I was in front of her, smoothing the remnants of the knot, slipping my hands into her hair to shake it loose. “I like it like this.”
Her palm rested on my chest, her chin rising to meet my gaze. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Hey, don’t get me wrong—I’m a big fan of you all trussed up, your hair all shiny and your suit all white. I’ve just been wanting to undo you, to see you like this.”
A pause, her eyes bright and searching. “And did I disappoint?”
“Never,” I whispered against her lips before taking them. I kissed her too long, long enough that I contemplated unwrapping her, undoing her again.
When I ended the kiss, she sighed longingly enough to set a smile on my face.
“Tomorrow night seems a long way away,” she said, her fingers twiddling the collar of my shirt.
“I’ll see you in the afternoon. And if you