Page 6 of Petals and Fangs

“Yes?”

“Anything but garlic.”

“What? Who even does that?” I shrug and roll my eyes.

“I am allergic to garlic,” he firmly says as the elevator door closes.

Chapter 2

Ethan

Any scent preferences, she asked. Yours, Lily. Your goddamn smell. I want it all over the place—or perhaps not. I want it to hypnotize me and make me drool over you, but the rest shouldn’t smell you. They shouldn’t come close to you.

If there is anything I despise, it is being in elevators. I grab my laptop and check the newly received email from Alfred. Alfred is my advisor, so whatever he is emailing me for is important.

“Screw this,” I say as I slam the laptop close when my eyes spot the word ‘FDA’. I do not have the patience for this.

I am still trying to grasp that I have just seen Lily for the first time in ten years. I wonder if it is fate or a set-up.

I feel strange, and not entirely in a good way. It is like being in heat. How is this even possible? Seeing Lily after all these years did something to me. The only thing that can stop this feeling is grabbing her by the face and fighting the urge not to bite those luscious lips of hers.

“Mr. Rothschild. How was the meeting with the florist?” Alfred asks as I step inside his office.

“I assume you're talking about Lily Snow? It went well,” I clear my throat as I stand tall in front of his desk and fix my posture.

“I knew it would go smoothly.”

“Her portfolio proves that she will do wonders here.”

“How was the reunion? Nick told me about your unresolved history with Ms. Snow.”

“Nick has no business talking about me or my past relationships,” I say as I place my hands in my pockets. Nick Rothschild is my second advisor, as well as my brother.

“You look tense, Ethan.”

“I do. The last thing I ever expected was to have Lily walking into my office.”

“Her name is written on the file. You must have expected her arrival.”

“I haven’t looked at her file. You know I don’t do any reading in the morning. I have been feeling thirsty all morning. I simply couldn’t care who was going to oversee the project.”

“You didn’t even read the first page?” Alfred asks, slowly sipping from his flask and grinning afterward.

“Like I said, Alfred, I couldn’t care less. When someone wins any sort of bidding inside this company, they are granted the job. Whatever it is.”

I look at him and shake my head. He is analyzing my every move. I can’t think straight.

“Lily Snow. A florist.” I mutter to myself and walk to the large windows. It is a gloomy day.

Alfred doesn’t say a thing. Before he can, we are interrupted by Nick, my brother. I watch him confidently make his way inside the office as I attentively run my hands on the glass windows.

“Are you all right, Ethan? You look odd?” Nick asks as he places his belongings on the sofa.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what is going on, Nick.”

“What is wrong with him?” Nick grins as he asks Alfred.

“Apparently, seeing Lily after all these years was not something that I was prepared for,” I say, taking a deep breath.

---