Tentatively taking it from me, she spent the next minute or so looking at pictures and whatnot until she gave it back. “I believe you. Peter and Jenny are the couple we’re planning a wedding for, not you. I’m sorry for sounding like a lunatic.”
“Well, to be fair, the word does have your name in it, so maybe I should have expected it.” My lips curved into a grin as I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened my door. “Are you coming, Luna the lunatic?”
A low groan fell from her lips, but she nodded and let herself out. “That nickname isn’t going to stick, is it?”
“I don’t know. Are you going to keep coming up with the crazy thought that I’m the one getting married? Because that’s the second time I’ve told you it’s not me.”
“I know. I guess I just wanted to be sure.” She offered me a small smile as we started walking out of the parking lot. “I didn’t really believe it was you getting married, but after what happened before…”
“I get it. Better safe than sorry.” Emerging onto the street, we joined the people on the sidewalk and settled into a slow pace as we headed toward the entrance of the park.
The very faint and sheer lilac and rose scent of blossoming cherry trees wafted in the air, accented with vanilla and an almost nutty aroma. Beside us in the park we walked along, all sorts of flowers were in bloom, and trees were budding with bright green leaves. Luna pointed it all out to me, marveling in naming certain flowers and getting excited about spring.
She tipped her head back and inhaled deeply, letting out a contented sound. “I love this time of year. All this new life is like a gift from nature, don’t you think?”
“Can’t say I’ve ever thought about it that way, but it sure beats everything being gray and dreary.” I opened the latch on the low gate leading into the park and held it open for her, then followed her through and shut it again.
There were people all over, sitting on the grass or under the canopy formed by the light pink cherry blossoms. Luna led me away from the main area just inside the gate, walking back in the direction we’d come from.
Our arms brushed together as we strolled through the park, but neither of us made a move to touch the other more than that. It was comforting that she wasn’t trying to cling to me or lay some claim to me despite what we’d agreed to.
In the past, I’d been burned once or twice by people claiming to be okay with casual sex when what they really wanted was everything but. “Are we done talking about this thing with your ex then? Because I promise you, Luna, I’m not him. I might be an asshole, but I’m not an insecure or attention-seeking one. When I have been in a relationship, I’ve always been faithful.”
Crossing her arms under her breasts as we walked, she angled her head to look up at me. “You were faithful to the gold-digger?”
My lips pressed into a tight line, but I nodded. “Until the very end. After the very end even.” I hooked my thumbs into my pockets. “I know you and I haven’t made any promises to each other and that we’re not planning to, but you can trust me.”
A soft sigh escaped her. “Yeah, I’m beginning to see that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward. I just can’t get caught up in another situation like that.”
“I really do get it.” I nudged her shoulder with my arm. “We’ve both been in shitty situations before, but this isn’t anything like that. Let’s just agree to be honest with each other if something’s up and with whatever we say to each other. Sound good?”
“Sounds good.” She pointed at a concrete bench situated underneath the gently swaying vines of an old willow. The clear blue sky reflected in the still waters of a pond beside it. “Wanna have a seat so you can tell me what information you got for us?”
“Sure. I even bought a notebook to document this process in.” She laughed when she saw the inscription on the front but didn’t comment on it. “Okay, Grinch. Show me what we’re working with.”
“Okay, so apparently one of the big items on the list is finding a venue. They’ve found a few they liked on the internet, but I have to go check them out in person.”
“If they haven’t booked one yet, I think we need to prioritize that. A lot of other things will be dependent on the venue. For example, some will only allow natural and biodegradable confetti and others will provide the DJ with their fee.”
I used the pen that came with the notebook and fitted into a small elastic sleeve on the side of it to make a note. “Okay. What else?”
For the next hour or so, Luna and I went over every detail I’d gotten from Peter in meticulous detail. She also asked me more about them as a couple, but this time, it felt like she was asking me to get a clearer idea of what they might like instead of asking to make sure they really were the couple getting married.
In between wedding talk, we got to know each other a little bit better. I told her I hated teal as a color but loved black and gray, and I learned that she loved just about every color as long it was bright. Except for orange. She hated orange, which I found strange considering how many flowers came in that color.
We talked about music we liked and disliked, briefly about our families and friends and what we’d like to spend our days doing once we retired. Luna grinned when I asked that question. “I want to visit every floral show in the state and I want to walk through parks just like this one every day. You?”
“I don’t know. Travel probably. I’d like to buy a one-way ticket to the country of my choice and just stay there until I was over it before moving on to the next one.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t mind doing that, but I’m trying to be more realistic.”
“I am being realistic.” I wagged my eyebrows at her and sat back against the bench, spreading my arms along the top of it. “But I like your plan too. It’s nice here.”
“It sure is.” A serene smile curled on her lips as she leaned back as well, ending up being basically under my arm.
If this had been some rom-com or teen movie, I’d have been slowly inching my arm forward until it was draped over her shoulders. I didn’t, of course, but the thought made me appreciate what we had even more.
Before I could ask about her plans for later, her gaze dropped to her watch and she straightened up. “Come on. It’s time for us to go.”
“Go?” My dick took notice as I wondered if it was reward time yet. “Go where?”
Luna laughed and rolled her eyes at me, though I didn’t know what had given me away. “Go to look at some flowers, silly. We’ll talk about what else you can look at later.”
Chapter 15
Luna
“Where are we?” Cyrus frowned and he slowed his car when I told him to, his eyes flicking to the side to take in the greenery-filled sidewalks, the leaves and stray petals lining the streets, and sellers dragging potted plants along as they dodged the pedestrians.
My smile was wide and genuine as I opened my arms. “Welcome to the New York Flower District. We got here a little late so it’ll be busy, but boy, is it worth it.”
“New York has a Flower District?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the hustle and bustle happening right there on the street.
I hummed my confirmation under my breath, bursting at the seams to get out and get started. “We do. Isn’t it great? It’s like a little paradise, a lush garden so close to the crowded Manhattan streets. I love it here.”
“Okay, but why are we coming here?” Cyrus pointed his frown in my direction now, flicking a hand toward the market.
“We’ve come here because the market is nothing short of legend. It’s the busiest flower market in the country and it also happens to be where I first realized I wanted to be a florist.” Some of my fondest memories of my childhood had been made right here on this tiny stretch of city block. “It’s like a sweet-smelling heaven. This is where I was going to get my wedding flowers from.”
Cyrus had slowed the car but hadn’t stopped. He pulled over onto a narrow shoulder where nursery trucks usually filled up all the sp
aces, and ignored the annoyed honking coming from all around us.
“Okay, that’s great. I’d love to hear about it sometime, and you and I could even come back to walk around if you want, but why did you bring me here to look at flowers?”
“Because we’re looking for flowers for your brother’s wedding, aren’t we? This is the best place around to get them from. In the mornings, they only sell wholesale, which is why it’s such a circus right now. We can use my shop to order what we need, though. A lot of people around here know me and all you need is your card, which I’ve got.”
For some reason, his jaw clenched and those green eyes flashed with irritation. “Only one problem with that. Peter and Jenny are getting their flowers for the wedding from your shop, Luna-tic.”
“There’s so much more choice here,” I said and saw a spot opening up down the street. “There. Quickly. Go. It’s like a sign. No one ever gets parking right at the market.”
“We don’t need parking because we don’t need to visit the market. If you want to walk through to see what you need to order for the wedding, fine. But the flowers are still coming from your shop.” His lips curved into a smirk. “Unless this is your way of trying to get out of doing the work?”
“Never. I love my work.” I was being serious, but I could see Cyrus was too. He didn’t want to get the flowers from here if it meant my shop would lose the business. “Fine. Let’s just go do a walk-through and take some pictures for your brother and Jenny.”
“I can do that,” he agreed, then gunned it off the shoulder and cut off another car aiming for the parking spot. Again, he totally ignored the other driver and shut off his engine, giving me a shrug. “What? We saw it first.”
“You know, I was just thinking that you had such a good side to you for not wanting to order flowers from here instead of from the Watering Can, but then you go and do something like that.”
“Racing into a parking spot we really did see first negates an entire wedding I want your business to attend to?”
“It’s a matter of principle.” Amusement tugged at the corners of my lips, but I didn’t give into it.
“You want me to give the spot up and you and I can just go?” His broad shoulders lifted on a shrug, but I knew that he knew he had my number. “Because I’m okay with that, too. Like I said, we’re getting the flowers from you. If you get them from here, that’s your prerogative, but I don’t need to be here for that.”
“Let’s just go.” I opened my door and jumped out of the car, giggling when I felt his strong arms grabbing me around the waist.
“There are better things we could be doing with this time, you know?” he murmured against my ear.
My heart skipped a beat and then started racing, my nipples beading against the lace of my bra. I shook my head and turned to face him, his hands sliding down to my hips. “Wedding planning before fun, remember?”
Cyrus released a long groan and brought his head down to rest on my shoulder, his fingers flexing. “But we’ve done hours of wedding planning already.”
“We still have a few more hours to go,” I said but looped my arms around his neck and lightly scratched his scalp with my fingernails as I turned my head toward him, keeping my voice low. “If we can get through it, we can always claim our reward later.”
“Fine.” He groaned again and gave me a mock pout, his head still on my shoulder and his lips only inches away from mine. “But then we get as many hours for fun as we got for this, deal?”
I smiled and closed the distance between our mouths to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “Deal. Now come on. I’m dying for you to see this. I love this place.”
Exhaling a heavy sigh, he nodded against my skin and withdrew from me before motioning for me to lead the way. Although my nerves were lit with his closeness after our brief discussion of later, I refocused my attention on the market.
It didn’t take long before my arousal was tamped down enough that I could revel in our surroundings, pushing all thoughts about later to the back of my mind. “This is a historic market. It started over a century ago and has been in this very spot since the eighteen nineties.”
“How very interesting,” he mused, falling into step beside me.
I pursed my lips and punched him gently in the shoulder. He didn’t even bother to pretend it needed rubbing. “What?”
“You promised not to be down on wedding stuff all the time.”
“I haven’t been,” he protested, then sighed again and turned to survey the vendors all around us. “Talk to me about the business side of this. How does it work? It’s busy as fuck.”
Potted plants, flowers in every color of the rainbow, and trees lined the street. Vendors and customers danced around each other in a choreography of weekly negotiations and transactions. “Most people here at the moment are either vendors or people buying wholesale, so they’ve built up close relationships over the years, but obviously, it’s still important to plan ahead.”
“Do they only sell wholesale then?” he asked, and the tone of his voice had changed completely. It was like he’d gone from a horny friend to professional businessman in the space of one minute.
I’d seen this side of him before, but it still intrigued me. “No. A few hours in the morning they only do wholesale, but then they open up to the general public later. We only have about another hour or so before that happens. Then it really becomes chaos.”
“Are all these vendors from different shops?” He stopped in front of one of the more iconic stores, thumbing a hard, olive-green leaf with one hand.
I nodded. “Some are family-run shops that have been here since the beginning. Others are specialty niches, like tropical or faux flowers. This shop, for instance, has been here since the eighteen hundreds.”
Cyrus whistled under his breath and cocked his head, surveying the storefront with renewed interest. “That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “I think so, too.”
He looked up and down the street, his gaze suddenly snapping to mine. There was something unfamiliar in the green depths of his eyes, almost calculating. “So this is the place where you decided you wanted to become a florist?”
“Yeah, it was. It’s just, like, this perfect representation of actual nature right in the middle of the world’s most well-known concrete jungle. I loved coming here as a child, just walking along and learning about all the different flowers.”
“Why don’t you have a shop here then?” His brow furrowed, and suddenly, the calculation made sense.
“If you’re thinking of turning this into a business visit for me, think again. It’s not that easy to get a spot here, and honestly, I love my shop. We’re here to do wedding stuff, mister.”
Hands planting on his hips, his button-down shirt pulled just tight enough across his chest to reveal thin slivers of smooth skin beneath. My fingers itched to touch each little part of him I could see, my core dampening when my eyes traveled to where his sleeves gave way to muscled forearms, big hands, and long, thick fingers.
Cyrus chuckled suddenly, bringing one of those fingers to my chin and making me look up at him. Humor mixed with heat in the bright green of his eyes, his businesslike expression gone.
“I’m ready to go whenever you are, Ms. We-have-a-couple-more-hours-ahead-of-us.”
“We do.” I cleared my throat when my voice came out breathy. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
He smirked. “Feel free to check me out anytime you like. Just know I’ll be doing the same to you.”
He tapped my behind once, jerking his head at the street behind me. “Get going so I can return the favor. I’m ready to get out of here.”
Laughter bubbled out of me, but I felt his eyes on me like lava-hot pinpricks when I preceded him into one of the stores. My core clenched again, and I bit my lip. Get it together, Luna. You’re working here, remember?
Shaking off the lingering desire, I made a few inquiries about flowers and greenery I thought we
re good options for the wedding. Cyrus and I snapped some pictures so he could show the bride, but before I could do anything else, he grabbed my hand and led me back to his car.
“What are you doing?” I asked, trying and failing to get my heels dug in to stop him. “That last place had the most perfect arrangement. It was almost exactly the picture you showed me. All I was going to do was place a provisional order. We would have been able to cancel it, but the vendors need to know well in advance so they have enough stock if it’s something that contains blooms as rare as that.”
“I told you the flowers and the arrangements are coming from your shop. If you want to come order them here, fine. But I don’t want to know about it and you’d better add your own mark-up on top of that.”
“But—”
“No buts. It’s all taken care of Luna. Don’t worry.” He only stopped when we reached his car, the lights flashing as he unlocked it. After opening the door for me and waiting like a darn bodyguard for me to get in, he shut it and hurried around to his side. “Good. Thanks for not making a dash for it.”
“You really thought I was going to try to outrun you?” My chin came down. “That’d be crazy.”
“Yeah, it would be, but we already know you’re a lunatic.” He winked as he turned over the engine and shifted the car into gear, but he twisted at the waist to face me before easing out of the spot. “Do you want to go get something to eat?”
“Yeah, sure. I’m starving.” My stomach grumbled its agreement, and while my cheeks went beet red, Cyrus chuckled and pulled out into the traffic.
“Don’t worry. You’re not the only one. Let’s get some food in. Then we can decide what we want to do after.”
Chapter 16
Cyrus
“Okay, so now it’s my turn to ask, but where exactly are we?” Luna asked when I parked in a darkened alley. It was lined with dumpsters and a trickle of water ran down either side of the road.
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