My cheeks flushed.
I could feel it as soon as it happened, and when his eyes crinkled at the corners, I knew he saw the effect he had on me as well. Damn it. Of course he did. Men like this? Built to charm? They were well aware the response women had to them.
“What up, G?” Owen said, booping Gnorman’s nosewhere the gnome had frozen in resting gnome position. The move made me grin, knowing that Gnorman would be furious.
“Good morning. You’re early.”
“I didn’t want you to do something silly like try to load all the bushels without help. Hey, who is this little guy?” Owen’s attention caught on Eugene, who I’d clean forgot I was carrying, and wandered closer. “Isn’t he a cutie? Does he bite?”
“I don’t think so. Do you bite, Eugene?” I looked down at the grinning hedgie. His spines were laid down, so I had to assume he was comfortable.
“I love him,” Owen decided, scratching Eugene’s tummy, and the hedgie made a happy grunting sound. “He’s a happy boy, isn’t he?”
I angled my head as Owen’s voice took on that tone that dog owners use when assuring their pets are, indeed, the best dog in all the land.
“He’s been promoted to Chief Indoor Pest Officer,” I explained. “Do you want to hold him?”
“I was hoping you’d ask.” I deposited Eugene in Owen’s hands and a delighted grin spread on his charming face. He held the hedgie up until they were almost nose-to-nose, and his face took on a look of childlike wonderment. “Who’s the bestest boy? A big job for a big man, isn’t that right? I bet you get all the little beasties out of the greenhouse don’t you, buddy?”
Eugene puffed up a bit, and did a little dance in Owen’s palms, and Owen’s grin widened.
“You’ve landed yourself a sweet deal here, buddy. Shona’s the best.”
Be still my heart.
Pressing my lips together before I said something stupid likeplease stay here forever and don’t leave me because you’re quite possibly the sexiest man I’ve ever met in real life, I crossed back to the pots and picked one out for the thyme. At the rate it was growing, it could see some serious damage if I kept it in the seedling pot. I hefted a larger pot, bringing it to the table, while Owen made shmoopy talk with Eugene.
“What are you doing?” Owen asked, leaning casually against the table while I added soil to the pot.
“Well, you see, this is a pot. And this is dirt. And this is a greenhouse. So typically, one will put a plant in said pot,” I said, deadpan, as I carefully extracted the thyme bush and added it to the larger pot.
“Color me shocked, I say.” Owen took my sarcasm in stride. “And what particular plant is this and why are you repotting it, my garden queen?”
I rolled my eyes, but barely held back a smile.
“This is thyme. And I’m repotting it because it wants to grow and if I keep it in the starter pot, I can hurt it.”Also, I grew it with magick, and it can be used in rituals.
“Ah, we wouldn’t want that.”
“No, we wouldn’t.”
“Okay, where should I put Eugene so I can get started on my duties?” Owen turned in a circle, studying my greenhouse. “It’s really nice in here, by the way. Quite an elaborate system.”
“Oh, thanks,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to see my place through fresh eyes. Itwasnice. A wide variety of healthy plants thrived here, and I was the one who made ithappen. Along with some help of course. Pride filled me. It wasn’t often that I stepped back and gave myself a pat on my back for all the work that I did. “Here, let me take Eugene, I’ve got a nest for him.”
Dusting the dirt off my hands, I took Eugene and deposited him in a second nest of towels I’d made for him in the greenhouse under a table. He snuggled right in, likely already past his bedtime, and his little body vibrated with snores almost instantly.
“Well, boss? Put me to work.”
Instantly, my mind flashed to a few different ways I would enjoy making him work, and my cheeks heated. Owen caught my look, and a wicked smile spread slowly across his face. Stalking closer, he caged me against a table, bringing his hands on either side of me. I froze, all conscious thought fleeing my mind again, as desire took over.
I was really going to have to have a stern talk with my inhibitions.
Or lack thereof.
“Do you like being the boss then, Shona?” Owen angled his mouth over mine, dropping his voice until it was a husky rasp in the early morning quiet. “I won’t mind if you want to tell me what to do.”
“Um.”Seriously, brain, this would be the time to form coherent words. “Are you good at following orders?”