Page 71

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The morning sunis shining down on me as I approach Turquoise Crown. I spot a vision coming toward me in the opposite direction. I don’t know how it’s possible, but Opal is more beautiful every time I see her.

I’m not the only one who appreciates how stunning she is.

The guy walking behind her can’t tear his gaze away from Opal’s ass. I can’t fault him for that. I’ve seen her perfect pear-shaped ass in a pair of jeans, and it is always a pleasure, and by that, I mean my cock always reacts. The guy currently staring at her ass isthis closeto rubbing his hand over the front of his baggy slacks. Grazing your dick in public, even if it’s through some cheap material, is never okay.

“Hey, sir!” I yell in his direction. “Watch where you’re going!”

By some miracle, he realizes I’m talking to him because his head snaps up just as he’s about to crash into a kid on a skateboard haphazardly darting around him. The crotch-grabbing guy shoots me a look that is all ‘go to fucking hell’, but all he gets back from me in response is a grin.

Once he veers off to duck into a store, I glance at Opal again.

She’s got her hair pinned up in a messy bun. She’s paired the jeans with a tight red T-shirt and black boots with heels. She exudes effortless sexiness in a way I’ve never witnessed before.

Her lips glide into a soft smile when she spots what I’m holding. I swear her steps quicken as she nears me. I’m all in for that, so I take a few steps in her direction to meet her halfway.

“William.” My name comes out of her in a tone that’s barely more than a whisper. “You didn’t have to do that. You’ve done enough.”

I almost bark out a laugh because she’s as wrong as wrong can be. If I spend every day for the rest of my life doing things that put a smile on her face, it still will never be enough.

“I noticed a few roses were missing from the vase last night,” I say. “I thought the remaining ones needed some company.”

Her gaze shifts from my face to the dozen white roses I picked up on my way here. I did that before I went to the coffee shop to grab her an orange tea, so Chelsie had a host of questions that I expertly diverted.

“I gave Posey and Malvie some,” she confesses, her hand jumping to tap her chin. “They thought they were so beautiful, and…”

“And you’re incredibly generous,” I interrupt to offer an explanation that saves her from telling me she gave away the flowers I bought her.

I love that she did. I love knowing she wanted to put a smile on the faces of two women who are important to her.

“Let’s get these inside,” I suggest. “You can see what a great job Draven and his crew did last night.”

“You helped.” She stops me from moving by gently resting her hand on my forearm. “How late did you end up staying?”

If I tell her I was here until six a.m. before I went home to shower and eat breakfast, that won’t keep the lingering smile on her face, so I avoid the question by shifting the subject from me to her. “Did you eat breakfast yet? I can order something in for you.”

Her smile widens. “I ate, but thank you.”

I feel instantly bereft when her hand drops from my arm. Her gaze wanders to her bar before she darts around me to head straight for the door.

44

Opal

William is not makingit easy for me. I want to avoid him, or at least I think I want to. Regardless of what I want, I need to avoid him. My heart is begging me to, even though other parts of me want nothing more than to be as close to him as possible.

“You’ll need these to get in,” William says from behind me with the unmistakable sound of keys jingling.

I turn and take the offered keys. I didn’t mention to him last night that they’re my spare set. That’s neither here nor there since I’m not comfortable with anyone other than Aunt Hildy and my employees having an extra set of keys to my bar.

“Thanks again for trusting me with them, Opal.”

Studying his face, I nod. I have no idea how late he was here last night, but he looks like he got a full night’s sleep. On the other hand, I tossed and turned until I finally dragged myself out of bed and into a warm shower an hour ago.

“Thanks again for helping with the flood.” I turn as soon as those words leave me to unlock the door.

I don’t want to feel as flustered as I do, but something about him makes me restless, as if there’s a force of intense energy in the air that can’t be contained. I’d blame it on the mind-blowing sex, but I’ve experienced the same sensation ever since I crashed into him and spilled Dicey Dip on his suit jacket.