Page 63 of Almost Always

A low purr started in her chest and her eyes slipped shut as he slid a hand under her hair and cupped the base of her skull. His fingers pressed against the sides, right where her migraines usually attempted to kill her, all while still playing with her hair. Her body went limp as lust sparked in her veins.

Cool air grazed her neck as he pressed his mouth against her skin, his voice vibrating through her body. “Your shop, Hero. Tell me about it.”

Her head fell back and she moaned. He chuckled, pressing delicate kisses against her throat. She thoughtthiswas a good idea? When she could barely keep her eyes open and sit upstraight, she thought lettinghimcomb her hair or touch her was a smart thing to do.

“Daisy.”

“You must be joking if you think my brain is working right now.”

He snorted and kissed her neck again before all contact ceased. She groaned and turned to glare at him, but he smiled, golden eyes dancing with mischief.

“Fine, but don’t stop.”

“Answer my question and I won’t.”

Huffing, she straightened her spine and rolled her shoulders back. “After seeing Nonna’s old shop and working with my grandaunt, opening my own space made the most sense. At first—” she sighed and chewed on her bottom lip “—it kept me connected to you in a way. But I fell in love with flowers in Greenville. When Magnolia died, she left me the shop, but I’d just met Clarke and I didn’t think I was ready for that. So I sold it and moved away.”

“I still can’t remember that I did that,” he said, dragging the brush through her hair.

“I have journals filled with all the flowers you gave me.” She grinned and leaned forward, pulling her knees up. “Anyway, I worked these weird jobs while I was married, but dreamed about the flower shop all the time. Dad helped me draw up a business plan and I realized that it was definitely something I wanted. But we didn’t have the money and Clarke wasn’t convinced, so I put it aside. When the divorce went through, I took whatever savings I had and moved to Wildes.”

“You should be so fucking proud of what you’ve created.”

Leaning into his hand as he returned to massaging her head, she smiled. “I am. It was a one room shop and people could buy flowers through a square that was cut into the wall, sort of like a take-out window.”

“Seriously?”

“I couldn’t afford a bigger space at the time and it was a good way to break into the Wildes market. There had been a flower shop years ago, but after the owner died, nobody had opened another one. I knew I was providing something people needed, but I was also new to town and they didn’t know me, so I had to work harder.”

She felt his knuckles brush against the back of her neck as he tugged on her hair, and while not as erotic, she was definitely still feeling tingly all over.

“How long before you got the shop where it is now?”

“Two years. I stopped expanding about three years ago. I always knew that it didn’t have to be too big or elaborate, enough space and room for what I needed to do.”

“It definitely has a homey and comfortable vibe.”

She smiled. “Then I’ve achieved everything I wanted.”

“I always knew you would.”

His grip on her hair loosened and his mouth returned to her neck. As his arms wrapped around her waist she leaned her head against his.

“Thank you for coming home, Raff.”

“Always.”

Turning her head, she kissed his scruffy cheek and nipped at his face. He growled and she felt it against her back before his hand gripped her jaw and aligned them so he could kiss her. She moaned and twisted slightly, deepening the kiss as she cupped the side of his face. She knew this would happen, the inability to stop kissing him once she started. She broke away from the kiss as another yawn surfaced making him chuckle.

“We should get some sleep.”

She sighed softly, shifting off his lap and noticed the time. “Oh god, it’s already two.”

“Good thing it’s a weekend?”

Grunting, she sat at the edge of the bed and quickly braided her hair, tossing it over one shoulder. “Weekends are when people need flowers the most,” she countered, but reached for her phone and texted Eden that she’d be a little late. With that done, she put the device off and turned to find the covers pulled back for her. She grinned and scooted into the middle so she was mere inches away from him.

“Hi.”

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