Page 61 of Accidentally in Bloom

“Suit yourself.” Rose walked back inside, leaned on the worktable, and waited for him to bring them inside.

She flipped open her permanent to-do list, starting a new draft for tomorrow. Restock flowers, create grab n’ go arrangements, ask Vi to bring in more plants from her greenhouse, and as Gray walked through the back door, all the thoughts in Rose’s head fell away.

He was wearing a worn flannel shirt with a tight black t-shirt underneath. He’d rolled the flannel sleeves up to his elbows, showing the multitude of delicate tattoos she had an insane urge to trace with her tongue. His hair was a mess, as usual, falling into his face, but the thing that caught Rose’s breath was the black-rimmed glasses on his face.

She didn’t even know she had this fantasy until it appeared in front of her. A bad boy on a motorcycle was her catnip, but a bad boy wearing glasses?

A shudder ran through her. Yes fucking please.

He picked up buckets of flowers from his truck, biceps flexing from their weight. “I hope hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils are okay. That’s all I had ready.” His face was carved into a scowl, and he looked distracted.

Rose stepped back so he could haul the buckets to the storage coolers. “Of course. I appreciate whatever you can spare. I’ll get a full order again on Monday.” She tried not to stare like a horndog as he efficiently carried the huge buckets, his chest and arms flexing from the work.

“Long day?” Rose put away her phone, ready to see what would make Mr. Popular so gruff.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Gray shoved buckets full of tulips into the cooler. He jogged back out to the truck and came back with another armload. She silently watched him walk away and enjoy the view as he brought in another armful of flowers.

Gray unloaded the last few buckets into the coolers and looked at Rose with concern as he brushed off his hands. “That’s all I had ready. Sorry.”

“Sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Rose leaned back on the prep table. “Don’t friends talk about bad days?”

Gray huffed out a laugh. He rubbed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. “Things just piled up one after the other, plus my eyes are so tired I had to take my contacts out. My meeting this morning ran late, and planting the dahlias took a lot longer than I had planned. The new full-time guy was late today, which put us behind schedule. I’m already fucking behind schedule.”

“You hired someone full-time?”

He sent her a half smile and nod. “Marco Polizzi. Today was a one-off. He’s been great otherwise. Just the worst timing with everything today.”

He’d taken her advice. She’d practically drooled when he walked in, but taking her advice was the sexiest fucking thing he’d ever done.

“And you had to rescue your business partners, er, friends after all that. Thank you again.”

“It’s just…these days—” Gray stopped and shook his head, holding something back.

“What?” Rose leaned against the table and faced him.

“I just feel pushed to my brink, you know?” He wiped his hand across his mouth. “With the store opening, the farm expansion, pushing my trip to see Alex, plus my business partner being a pain in my ass all the time and about to leave any fucking minute….” He sent her a hollow, sad smile. “Drugs were the easy way out to take the edge off, that’s all. I’ll just have to punish myself at the gym tonight.”

“There’s a gym in Fairwick Falls?”

“Well, my homemade gym.” He shoved at his hair.

“Bags of soil you duct-taped together, farmer?” Her mouth quirked as she teased him. It had been too long.

“You offering to help take the edge off instead, princess?” He walked closer to her, his expression had turned playful, but Rose saw the heat behind it.

She loved it when he crowded her. When he took charge in the dance they did around their attraction. “So I’m a princess again.” She bit her lip, and his eyes darted to it.

“When you’re a pain in the ass, you are. Also,” he trailed a finger lightly down her arm that sent goose bumps trembling down her body, “I didn’t hear a no.”

Rose felt the breath leave her body and could only whisper a response. “I would never.”

He leaned toward her, his eyes on her lips, whispering. “You’re too good for a quick bang?”

His hair casually fell over his forehead, needing both a haircut and her hands run through it. Her gaze lingered on his square jaw, and her fingers needed to graze the dark stubble on it. Feel it against her cheeks, against her breasts and thighs.

Goddamnit, she wanted him so badly.

“I guess if it’ll help you out,” she whispered, grabbing his shirt to bring his mouth down to hers.

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