Page 35 of As You Crave It

Quin could tell that Gemma wasn’t happy. Hell, he was less than pleased himself. He was hoping they would say no and go on with their lives. But Reid was right. Rexford needed it. He didn’t want to blow the shot for the entire company. They had employees who relied on them to keep them in work. He just hoped they didn’t sell their souls for success in the process.

After a stretch of thoughtful silence, Gemma spoke. “Do you guys want to come over to my place for dinner tonight? I feel like making chicken tacos and margaritas,” she told them. “Quin, you can tell us all about your trip.”

Reid nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Lila’s in Vegas for a social-media convention. I hate cooking for one.”

“Excellent. Quin?”

“I can’t,” he said. “I have a date.”

“A date?” Gemma asked, surprised.

“Yes. A date.”

“You never go on dates.”

“With who?” Reid asked.

He didn’t want to explain the deal that he and Celia had made, so instead he shook his head. “You don’t know her,” he lied.

“How’d you meet her?”

“What’s up with the third degree? I have a dinner date with a woman. I know lots of women.”

“Yeah, I just didn’t know that you took them out for dinner,” Gemma teased.

Quin was tired and had had enough of his siblings’ questions. He pushed himself up from the table. “Great chat, guys. It’s nice to be home. I did not miss either of you.”

Quin parked on the street outside of Celia’s house. He took out his phone to text her to let her know he was there, but he thought better of it. He was on a date. He ignored his instincts and got out of the car and jogged up to her door. Damn. Should he have brought flowers? Did people still do that? He really was clueless. He looked at the garden, which he saw had been maintained by the landscaper he’d called for her earlier that day. The bougainvillea by the porch were beautiful. He hastily grabbed a bunch and clutched them in his fist and returned to her front door.

He knocked and caught a glimpse of himself in the glass pane next to the door. Clutching a bunch of flowers he’d picked from her own garden. He felt like such a loser. He should have bought her a bouquet. But seriously, do people still do that? But it was too late to do anything about it now. Celia opened the door and looked at him without saying anything before she burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” she told him. “You’re really cute.”

He shrugged. “These are for you, I guess,” he said, holding out the flowers.

She looked over at the bush where they’d grown. “Freshly picked. Flowers are a good first step to romance. Maybe I’ll turn you into a convincing suitor yet. Thank you.” She took them. “Come on in. I’ll put them in some water.”

He followed her into the kitchen. “You look great. Very sexy.”

“Mission accomplished, I guess.”

“Not like being sexy is hard for you.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, waving him off. “You should really see me when I wake up in the morning.” His blood heated at the thought of waking up with her. “Messy hair, morning breath—I really enter goblin territory then.” She paused. “I guess you missed it that morning you slept here.”

“I guess I did. But if I recall, you woke up before me, and you looked great. Not at all goblinlike.”

He looked around and saw that the boxes that hadn’t been unpacked when he’d been there last weekend were still full.

“You can see I’m still trying to settle in,” she told him.

“I can help you out with it, if you need it.”

“Oh, my God, you hired the landscaper, didn’t you?”

“I plead the Fifth,” he said, shaking his head. But he cracked a smile.

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