Page 44 of Enemies in Paradise

“Excellent idea,” she says with a smirk, then pulls out her phone and pretends to tap on it. “Let me just cancel the circus monkeys I ordered.”

I break into a smile and take out my phone. “Looks like I can still get a refund on the plague of frogs I put a deposit on.”

She tips back her head and laughs again, her neck long. A lock of black hair brushes her cheekbone. Her gaze drops to her phone, then comes back to mine. “Unfortunately, the locusts are already on their way. Sorry about that.”

Her green eyes dance under her long lashes, and my breath hitches. Those eyes are what first drew me to Cassie. No matterhow hard I try to resist thinking about her, I can’t forget all the shades of green her irises skim through.

“I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.” My voice comes out in a low rasp I blame on the grip her eyes have on me.

“Maybe.” Cassie shrugs, but her words mirror the wanting in mine. I’ve only seen her hair pulled back, but tonight it’s loose and falls over her shoulder.

She steps closer and tucks a lock behind her ear. “I just wanted to come over and…” Her lips part. “Apologize,” she finishes, then adds, “for the cats.”

I drag my eyes away from her mouth and the lip caught between her teeth.

“I was coming to apologize, too.” I thrust the flowers at her. “I mean, I meant to the other day. I brought these then to say sorry for the mice. With all the…” I swallow hard as she takes the flowers from me. “Cats… or, you know… whatever… I guess I forgot.”

“These were for me?” she says.

Cassie smells the flowers, her eyelids fluttering closed. When she opens them again, she smiles in a way I’ve never seen her do. There’s no reservation or hesitation in the curve of her lips. Instead of keeping me at arm’s length, this smile invites me closer.

“Apology accepted,” she says.

“Does this mean we can be friends?” Friends is a good starting point. That’s reasonable. Even if—for whatever reason—the only thought in my mind right now is how much I’d enjoy kissing her.

Cassie lifts her shoulder in another shrug.

Which could meanwhy not?Or it could meanwhy bother?Orwhatever.

Then Cassie tips her head. “Can I confess something?” She smiles softly. “I saw them after you left the other night.” Her eyesdrop, then shoot back to mine. “And I hoped they were for me but didn’t let myself believe it after all that’s happened.”

“Really?”

A noise that sounds like it could be a cat—or a hyena—pierces through the magnetic field, drawing me closer to Cassie.

“Was that a cat?” I look around her into the studio, but I can’t see anything through the few inches the door is open.

“I have one more to take back to Harvey. Don’t worry. I’ll keep him in the studio.” Cassie closes the shop door with both of us on the shop side, then leans against it.

“So, the cats came from Harvey? That’s what I figured.” I glare over her head in the direction of the cat on the other side of the door.

“Anyway,” Cassie tugs my beard, drawing my attention back to her. “I love flowers and stuffed bears. So, thank you for this bear,Bjorn.” She points to the pink bear wrapped around the vase.

“But I’ve been wondering what you meant the other day when you accused me of ‘torturing’ you when you tried to ask me out.” With the slightest curve of her mouth, Cassie’s friendly smile changes into something else.

Something more.

“I didn’t mean it,” I hurry to say before gaining my composure. “I said it in the heat of the moment.”

“The part about me torturing you or the part about you asking me out?” Her

eyebrows go up a fraction of an inch in both a challenge and a hopeful question.

Unless I’m misreading all the signs she’s sending, Cassie is flirting with me.

My lady skills are a little rusty, but Cassie radiates so much confidence that I soak it in, ready to make up for the first time I tried to talk to her.

Okay,hiton her. I had wanted to hit on her.

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