“Well, that’s just cruel,” Fey whispers. “You have to save him from that.”
“Look at him. He doesn’t need to be saved.”
“Hey, muscular guys need protection too. I thought you were more open-minded than that.”
“Newton.” I enunciate his name, and he chuckles.
“You want to re-open the shop before winter? Then we’re going to be spending plenty of time together.”
“I didn’t realize offering you this job meant I’d be taken, hostage.” I scowl.
“I’m going to snap some photos of the boys,” Fey says, making herself scarce.
“If I was going to tie you up and have my way with you, you’d enjoy every moment of it.” He whispers in my ear. I shiver as filthy imagery plays in my head.
“Do you like the thought of that, Daffodil?” His husky voice is a sensual caress that raises goosebumps over my flesh and jump-starts my libido. I need an emotional connection to fully enjoy sex, and what I feel for New is a tangled mess that runs deep.
I press my lips together, unsure how to answer. “It’s okay. We can ease into that.” He cups the back of my neck and massages the muscles in circles.
“New. What are you doing?” I whisper as heat creeps up my body.
“Making my position with you obvious.”
“This isn’t slow.”
“We’ve known each other our entire lives, Little Blume. How slow do you plan to take it? I won’t push you past your boundaries, but I will push you right up to them and challenge you.” The old nickname hits me like a double barrel blow to the ovaries and brain. I tilt my head up to meet his cerulean gaze and block a whimper at the heat and possession brewing. What would it be like to finally belong to Newton Raglin after all this time?
“Things have changed, Cowboy,” I whisper.
“We can make them better than they ever were. This is our chance.”
“I want to believe that. But we both know things don’t always work out the way we want.”
“This is about things that were always meant to be. The way our lives have aligned to place us both here, healing, and ready for forever.”
“I need more than words.”
He smiles. “Notice you never said no.”
I blink, unable to find an answer.
“Dad! Can we go on a hay ride?” I’m saved by a ten-year-old boy here with his friends. Sobering quickly, I step to the side, removing myself from his warmth and the pull he has over me. How long can I keep him at bay when our lives continue to merge at an alarming rate?
* * *
New
Opening the door, I drink Daph in. Her black jeans are faded to gray and fit like a second skin, and the mustard yellow off-the-shoulder sweater shows off her peaches and cream skin. I want to cover her long neck with passion marks and taste her skin again.
“Come on in. Thanks for coming over. Laurel had some kind of emergency, and we needed to switch dates.”
“That’s okay.” She steps into the apartment, brushing past me, bringing a vanilla and strawberry scent. “Is he here?” She peers around.
“No, he’ll be over after dinner.”
“You’ve raised one hell of a kid, New. I’m already in love with him.”
“Thank you. We’ve tried. Brax is a fantastic kid, to begin with. We lucked up.”