Page 2 of Ensnaring Him

“What we’re here for,” I tell them, giving her and Melodia a grin before my feet moves me towards the man.

I stop just out of reach, almost afraid he’ll disappear if I get any closer. This pull towards him is more intense than anything I’ve ever felt. Even the bloodlust never touched me this deep.

“Hi there beautiful,” he says, his tone low and a bit gruff sounding, but there’s a tenderness beneath it that fills me with hope so deep I can barely contain myself. “You’re not from around here are you?”

“No,” I admit swaying towards him.

“Can I show you around then?” he asks, inching closer to me and my feet move me the last foot so I’m almost touching his chest.

“I…”

“I promise to take care of you, honey,” he states, his hand sliding around my waist, pulling me up against his chest entirely and I only hesitate for a fraction of a second before I relax against it, letting him support my weight as my knees weaken, tremble a bit. “I always take care of the most delicate and precious things, and you are more special and beautiful than all of them, I know it. Come with me. Let me show you that.”

I glance back at my friends, wanting more than anything to go with this gorgeous, tall man with golden brown eyes—the same color as when the sun shines down on the earth making it sparkle with dimension. His hair is a deep earth brown, like the richest soil that grows the most amazing flowers. My head barely reaches the top of his shoulder, and I want to lay it on them and never let go.

“Go,” Melodia mouths and Celestia nods, giving me a grin in return letting me relax enough to look back at this amazing man I somehow can’t resist.

“Okay,” I tell him, earning a smile that makes my knees weak all over again, but before I have time to question anything, his hand is pressing gently against my back leading me over to his truck. Inside it smells even more like him and I let out a soft little moan as he moves to the back, putting the tree back into it before coming around to the driver’s side and gets in.

“I’m Duncan, by the way,” he says, giving me a grin that makes my breath stall, and then my heart race when he leans towards me, his eyes twinkling as they roam over my face. “Seat belt, honey. Can’t risk you getting hurt—not ever,” he adds, his hand reaching behind me and with a click, the buckle slips into place, bringing memories of my dad buckling me into a car seatto mind and warmth floods through me even more for some unknown reason.

“Thank you,” I get out on a soft whisper as he leans back into his seat.

“Where would you like to go first, beautiful?” Duncan asks as he puts the truck into gear. “You look like you’re dressed for the beach. I can show you around some of the spots that only the locals know about,” he offers, and my heart tightens with absolute fear and dread at the idea of going anywhere near the water right now.

“No, not the beach,” I say quickly, hating the high pitch of my voice as the panic tries to overtake me. “I…we have beaches where I’m from. I’d rather see anything else but them.”

“I won’t argue about that, honey. Truth be told, I never liked the beach much myself. I honestly don’t know how or why I ended up in a seafront town. As soon as I got here it just felt like it was where I was meant to be. That was ten years ago, but the beach has never grown on me to the point that it’s where I want to go on a day off,” he says comforting me because if he doesn’t like the beach it means he won’t argue about staying away from it—even if he doesn’t realize it’s so he stays safe. “So where would you like to go? We have a lot of great little shops we can browse through.”

“Mmm,” I sigh not really interested in that, not compared to places like the park that we just left. “What about your plants?” I ask when his brow lifts at me, a grin on his lips that I want to taste, to feel against mine.

“I’ll drop them off at the greenhouse. We had a little storm come through a few nights ago that damaged one of the sections in the park, so I was going to put in the new tree and shrubs, but I can send one of my guys to do it instead.”

“One of your guys?” I ask, curious as to what that means.

“Yeah, I own the greenhouse and run a landscaping business. I have a contract with the city to maintain all of the parks. It’d be too much for just me, so I have employees that help out wherever I need them,” he says, his eyes even brighter and I swear, I fall completely for him in that moment.

“Could we look around the greenhouse then? I love parks and plants and fields of flowers and the forest and mountains…” I rush out with stopping short when Duncan’s hand reaches over and takes mine, his fingers slipping between mine and I feel a shaky ache all throughout my body.

“Whatever you want, honey,” he states, lifting my hand to his lips and I squirm a bit as it makes me feel hot and heavy in my lower belly. “There’s no need to be nervous with me…”

His eyes turn my way, a little furl between his brows and I realize I never told him my name.“Serenia,” I eek out as waves of heat roll through my body the longer he holds my hand.

“Serenia, beautiful name for an incredibly beautiful girl,” he says with a hungry smile my way, and oh my gods, I want to see that look on his face every day for the rest of my life.

Chapter 2

Duncan

Ihave no idea what I’m doing. I just knew the moment I laid eyes on this sweet girl that I wasn’t letting her go. Deep down, I know I can’t. That if I do, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

I’ve never felt like this with anyone before. Shit, I’m thirty-six years old and still a virgin. I had no intention of that being the case but over the years, women just didn’t speak to me. Neither did men so I figured I just wasn’t interested in sex for some odd reason.

I put all my focus into my business once I finished college, wanting to be even further away from the major cities than I managed by going to school in Raleigh, North Carolina compared to Philadelphia where I grew up. Sure, Raleigh itself is smaller, but add in the surrounding metro area and it felt just as big. That wasn’t what I wanted, so I headed even further south. I landed here, certain I wasn’t going to stay for long, but somehow I could never force myself to leave. Now, ten years later, I know it’s so I was here to meet Serenia.

I’m hoping based on the fact that she’s sitting next to me right now, that it means she’s feeling the same thing I am, because if not…I don’t know how I’ll get through the days without her. I want to wrap her up even tighter than I had her earlier and never let go. For once, business wasn’t what was most important. Getting the new shrubs and trees planted wasn’t my priority. Getting to her, to learn who she was and how to make her mine was the only thing on my mind.

I pull into the parking lot of the greenhouse, parking back behind the building where the rest of the trucks we own are situated. The guys use them for jobs for our landscaping services or to make deliveries for larger orders or items, including the huge planters I let one of the local artists sell from my shop. Nina is the only woman that I’ve ever had regular contact with, but even with her, I’ve felt nothing. Unlike with Serenia.

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