CHAPTER SIX

MADDY

I stifled a yawn as I watched the clock's hands crawl across its face. 

One more hour, I thought. Just one more hour until I can go home. 

It was a rare, slow night at Dahlia's Blooms flower shop. Even in the offseason, we usually had a steady stream of people coming in to look at some of the more exotic plants and arrangements. Plus all the old-school Cloverville residents who bought bouquets on a weekly basis to freshen up their dining table or foyer. 

But tonight was a strangely slow night. I already swept the floor, water and misted all the plants that needed it, cleaned the windows, restocked any empty shelves, and twiddled my thumbs a good amount. 

Dahlia, the shop owner was usually with me, but she had been vending at a flower show a few towns away and left the shop to me. Talking to the plants wasn't entirely out of the question, but I didn't expect them to carry a conversation well.

I yawned into my hand as I propped my elbows on the counter and took out my phone for the hundredth time, even though I knew there was nothing to read on Facebook. 

A sudden chime from the door made me jerk to an upright position and plaster on my best customer service smile. But it dropped just as soon as it appeared. 

The whole store seemed to shoot up ten degrees as the man from the wine cellar approached me with a small, devilishly smug grin on his face. His impeccable suit was an inky black, making him look even more cunning and sinister. 

Flowers seemed to wilt as he passed by them on his way to me. Despite the crackling energy in the air and the heat surging through my body, I stood frozen to my spot, unable to run, hide, or yell at him to get the hell out. 

"Relax, Maddy," Ignacio said soothingly, seductively. "I won't bother you for long."

"How'd you find out my name?" I demanded. "And what are you doing here?" 

His smile grew wide and sly. 

"I love small towns like these. People are very open and trusting about providing information." My heart skipped a beat when he said that. It was true people liked to gossip here. What else could he have found out? 

"And I only wanted to stop by to apologize," he continued. "For my behavior at the wine cellar last week." 

"You? Apologize?" I repeated, incredulous. "Something tells me you're not sorry at all. And that your behavior is anything but an accident."

"You're a perceptive young woman, Maddy," he said when he reached the counter.

Only two feet of particle board separated us now. He placed his hands on the countertop dangerously close to mine. I withdrew my hands and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You're a good judge of character." His eyes flashed dangerously at me. "Your instincts tell you to stay away from me despite how badly you want me. That's smart."

My throat tightened up as if he was squeezing the life out of me himself. My face felt bathed in fire from my embarrassment.

Was he psychic? Or was I just that easy to read?

"Unfortunately for me," he said, his dark gaze dropping to my lips. "You've also picked a good man for a boyfriend. Luke is worthy of you. He'll take care of you, albeit not in the same way that I can."

He bit his lip just slightly and a dull heat pulsed between my legs. Fuck, he was doing it again. Working some kind of dark magic over me that I was powerless to resist. 

"How do you know about Luke?" I demanded, trying to keep my head above water, desperately trying to stay sane. 

"Like I said, people are very open and trusting in this town," he reminded me. "Luke is very lucky to have claimed you as his own." 

A different kind of hot fire sparked within my body and I unleashed it at him. 

"Luke doesn't own me," I hissed, leaning across the counter for the first time. "He’s never claimed me because I'm not an object. We're together because we want to be. I don't belong to anyone."

Ignacio smiled as if I said exactly what he expected to hear, what he wanted me to say. I couldn't help but feel like I was playing directly into his twisted game, whatever it was. 

"Of course, beauty," he said, breaking his gaze for the first time as he reached into his jacket pocket. "In any case, I apologize for disrespecting him when we last met. I hope you'll accept this as a token of my apology.”

He presented a small, flat envelope and placed it on the counter. Before I could refuse or say anything, he leaned in and touched his lips to my cheek. 

It was over so fast and yet like time stood still. His expensive, musky scent filled my nose and the heat of his body overtook me like a hot blanket. He left a kiss under my ear, right on the edge of my jaw and above my neck. As small a kiss as it was, it was still hot, sensual, and left me breathless. 

The next thing I knew, I watched his back stride confidently away from me and exit the shop.