Fuuuuuuck.

I scan Savannah from head to toe. Twice. Three times. She looks incredibly sexy and utterly edible. Her long dark hair is curled, hanging past her breasts. Whatever makeup she has on makes her green eyes stand out, reminding me of lush landscape shining under the summer sun. Her purple dress is cut low, perfectly framing her breasts. They’re perky and golden, making me want to lick my tongue along the edge of the material. The dress ends just above her knees, and her mile-long legs end with her feet in heeled shoes with ribbons tied around her ankles. I could have a lot of fun with those ribbons.

“You look stunning, Savannah.”

I hear a girlish squeal from behind Savannah and look back to her. I catch her rolling her eyes. “Stop eavesdropping, Harper!”

“Fine,” I hear shouted from farther into the house. “Have fun. Do what I would do!” Savannah rolls her eyes again and smiles. She finally looks at me.

“Thank you,” she says shyly. “You look great, too.”

I hand her the large, pink tulip bouquet. Her smile widens. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. Pink tulips are my favorite. Come in, I’ll put these in a vase before we leave.”

She waves me inside, and I follow her to the kitchen. Her house opens to the living area, to the left is a long hallway I assume leads to the bedrooms. Savannah walks through a large archway leading into the kitchen and dining area. The cabinets are a dark-stained wood, and the countertop is a gray granite. It’s a nice space. “This house is great. When I was moving, this is the type of place I was looking for, but there wasn’t a lot on the market for sale, or at least it disappeared as soon as it appeared.”

“I lucked out finding our house. We’re renting, but you’re right, everything seems to be snatched up quickly.”

Savannah grabs a tall, clear vase from an upper cabinet. She walks back toward me to the sink. That’s when I notice her dress has a slit-like thing up the side. If she’s standing, you can’t tell it’s there, but when she walks, her toned thigh pops out of the space. I hold back a groan each time I catch a glimpse of it as she’s walking toward me. She smiles, I think she can read every dirty thought in my mind as if it were tattooed on my forehead. I don’t try to hide them as I scan her from head to toe again. My eyes fall to her lips. I’m not the only one affected by this chemistry.

She stands right next to where I’m leaning against the counter as she fills the vase with water. “Can I ask you a question?” She peeks up at me and swiftly moves her eyes back to the vase.

I stand straighter, wondering if my silent dirty thoughts made her uncomfortable. I clear my throat. “Of course.”

“Why did you choose tulips?”

“I had a little help, to be honest.” I lightly laugh, thinking back to the shopkeeper who took pity on me. I must have been wandering around the florist shop looking confused. “I was looking at bouquets at the florist shop in town. The first vase of flowers I picked up was nice, I was about to walk to the front when I noticed the sign on the display I picked it up from.”

Savannah was now cutting the ends of the flowers with a smile on her face, looking up at me every few seconds. I grin and continue, “‘The sign read For Funerals. I put back that arrangement and moved to the next one. This one had a card in it that read, For My Special Mother!!"

Savannah laughed, using her whole body. The joy radiated from her when she laughed, filling my heart. She looks so carefree and joyful when she laughs. I want her to feel that way with me. I’ve never felt drawn to a woman the way I do with her. A spec of doubt forms in my gut as I stare at her. What if I hurt her? I clear my throat and thoughts. No, I won’t fuck this up. I’m a better man than what I became in Chicago.

“I didn’t know buying flowers could be so complicated or flowers said so much. There are meanings! Did you know that?”

She nods her head, still smiling.

“Finally, the poor owner took pity on me. She told me I could go with the classic red roses, but to honest, I’m not a fan of something that doesn’t take any thought. I settled on tulips pretty quickly after I saw that bouquet. I can’t explain it, but they somehow made me think of you.”

She finishes putting the tulips in the vase and looks at me. “I’m glad you went with the tulips. I agree about roses. In fact, I kind of hate them.” A disgusted and bitter look passes over her face that she quickly wipes away. “It would have been awkward to deny you at the door if you had roses in your hands.” She looks completely serious, like she really would have turned me away if I brought roses. I almost ask her about it, but then she smiles. “Ready?”

I nod and hold out my hand, hopeful that she takes it. She does. I walk her out to my car. She looks surprised when I open the car door and help her in. “Such a gentleman,” she jokes.

“My mom would kill me if I let chivalry die.”

She laughs, and I lean into her. She abruptly stops, surprised by how close I am. I watch her face, searching for any discomfort. I find none. I press a kiss to the side of her mouth, our lips making the barest of contact. “I’m excited for tonight, gorgeous.”