“You best respond, or I will for you.” She hovers close enough to read the message.
“I’m doing it,” I grumble. My fingers twitch with possibilities.
“Also, that nickname is stupid cute.”
“Right?” I giggle before thinking better of it. “I mean, it fits him well.”
“No need to explain your terms of endearment to me. Quit stalling.”
Me: Hey. Just wanted to say thanks for the bouquet… and everything else you’ve given me. We should talk. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?
His reply isn’t instant, but damn close. The vibration snaps my attention to the screen mere seconds after I glance away.
Farmer: Sounds like the perfect date.
I huff and roll my eyes, but I feel a smile brewing. Maybe I won’t have to miss him for much longer.
The sliding door whizzes shut behind me as I stumble to a stop. As if a beacon flares in my chest, I home in on the supple curves molded inside a tight pair of jeans. Those hips sway to a beat that resides in her bubbly spirit. If I strain hard enough, I can note the sultry tune. It’s similar to her giggle that morphs into a moan as I roll us across the sheets.
I’m just swinging by Valley Market for a refill on frozen meals, but my plans seem to take a detour to far more delicious options. I feel little shock in that regard where this girl is concerned. Since ramming me with that shopping cart, Audria Griffin has derailed my predictable route.
She’s mere feet away, unaware of my presence. Is this fate tempting me? It’s impossible not to take the hook. I’m intimately aware of how soft her skin feels against mine, the way her hair tickles my cheek when I lean in for a kiss. Faint laugh lines appear whenever she smiles on the right side of wide. I can trace that happiness from memory. Her voice speaks directly to my soul. The all-consuming need to hear her soothing tone propels me forward without further hesitation.
I inch closer at a pace that puts snails to shame. Numerous strategies balance with potential outcomes, the combinations looping through my mind. She finally answered me, so approaching her prior to our scheduled reunion might be a really stupid move. Patching this destruction I caused takes precedence. I can’t walk away or chance my luck. I don’t need to learn the lesson of not looking a gift horse in the mouth a second time.
Distracted by a display of dill pickle chips, Audria’s face is averted, showcasing her stunning profile. She doesn’t pay attention to who’s in her path. I’m already smiling when the front of her cart bumps into me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she starts, slamming to a halt. Her eyes bug wide at the sight of who exactly she hit. Those pouty lips seem to form a slew of words before settling on just one. “Reeve.”
I sidestep her cart, gripping onto the top edge. “This is unexpected.”
The shock melts off Audria’s features, replaced with a serene sort of relief. She quirks a brow. “Is it?”
“Maybe not. I’ve come to realize not all plans go accordingly.”
“Especially for us,” she murmurs. “Does your new Friday-afternoon routine involve blocking people’s paths in the supermarket?”
“Just the one I want to be mine.” The urge to wrap her in my arms strains every fiber of my being. “You’re so beautiful.”
Her gaze skitters to the ground. “Thanks.”
That quiet, almost meek, pitch is my fault. I cracked her trust in me. Fixing this gap separating us is my sole purpose at the moment. “I’m so damn sorry, Audria.”
She nods, slow and easy. “I got that message. Everything you did and sent spelled it out pretty clear.”
I gulp at the wedge in my throat. “Can we start over?”
A crease forms between her brows. “What do you mean?”
I exhale, heavy and thick, as I rock back on my heels. Mincing words isn’t one of my specialties. “This was never going to end well with how we set it up. I broke the rules almost immediately.”
Audria shrugs. “That’s on both of us. I’m the one who suggested pulling the plug if feelings got involved. We… uh, I didn’t follow that.”
That confession spreads a velvet balm over my neglected wounds. This is going smoother than the organized chaos I’d mapped out in my mind. “Maybe so, but you don’t get any of the blame. Looking back, I shouldn’t have agreed to those terms to begin with. I had no feasible way to resist falling for you, not that I wanted to avoid that graceful tumble. I didn’t expect you, and that’s been the greatest surprise of all. What was supposed to be simple fun just for a short while quickly changed course. We were more from the start. Not getting attached is impossible with our explosive chemistry, right? Ever since you crashed into me.”
Audria’s eyes turn into glassy pools. She blinks at the collecting moisture. “It was a pretty silly idea.”
I shuffle toward her. “Only the parts about us being strictly temporary and friends with benefits.”
“Oh?”
“Will you go somewhere with me?” I expect her to refuse. In preparation, I already have a rebuttal on my lips.
“That depends,” she murmurs. That she’s even considering it lifts a chunk of concrete off my chest.
Taking the bait requires zero thought. “On?”
“The terms.”
“Just to talk. No strings.” Those will be added on later, if all goes well.
Audria curls a lock of golden strands around her finger. “I happen to be a fan of strings and certain farmers.”
“Thank Christ for that. I can’t stand the idea of you being pissed at me for a minute, let alone
