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Natalie buried her face in her son’s hair and her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back her laughter.
"That's very true, Ryan. I'll definitely consider it," I said as seriously as I could manage. Ryan yawned and I caught it, yawning myself as tiredness hit me in a wave.
"I'm going to take a bath," I said, forcing myself to leave the warm comfort of my sister’s bed. I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Good night."
"Night. Hey, Lo?" she whispered and I turned to face her. "Whatever it is that's going on with you, just…I don't know, just keep your head, okay?"
I tried to shake the thought ofhimout of my mind. I could still feel him on my mouth, his hands on my body, the urgency in his eyes as he told me not to run. I hated myself for running but I was glad I'd gotten away.
"Roger Dodger." I gave her a small salute and Ryan saluted back, his eyes half-closed.
Keep my head?That was exactly the problem. I think I'd already lost it.
I set the bath as hot as I could stand and added mango and papaya bath foam. Within seconds the bathroom was filled with the heavenly scent.
I quickly shed my clothes, Alfie’s faint but unmistakable scent still lingering on them. My phone vibrated in my bag and I pulled it out. Of course it washim. It was the second missed call. I switched off the device with disgust.
No. No more tonight.
I'd filled my quota for alpha male drama for one day.
Eleven
Iawoke the next morning with a renewed sense of energy, as if my unconscious brain had turned over my worries for me whilst I slept and sorted through them, deciding that they weren't such a big deal after all. I'd kissed Alfie Tell—so the hell what?
In a pale blue tea dress and yellow sunglasses, I blasted the radio on my way to work. I was determined to drown Mr Tell out of my thoughts and it worked. By the time I got to work, I was completely cleansed of him. Mostly.
I skipped into the cabin but once again, came to an abrupt stop at the sight of another gift on my desk. This time, there wasn't a doubt in my mind who the flowers were from. My good mood balloon slowly deflated.
I so don’t want to deal with this yet.
I stepped right back out of the door and slammed it shut, earning me a raised brow from Rosie who was passing by. I waved an apology and headed to the cafe. I needed a latte and a blueberry muffin before I was ready to deal with Alfie Tell again.
Ten minutes later, I sat at my desk, swallowing down a mouthful of muffin while I admired the vase of bleeding hearts.They were pink, interspersed with pale pink roses and baby's breath.
I reached for them and touched them tentatively. These little flowers held so much power for me. I'd told Alfie about them on the rooftop at Harrington House. My heart fluttered.He'd remembered.
I leaned down, breathed them in, and was instantly transported to my mum's arms. That was the power that flowers held for me. For some it was books, others music or art. For me, it was plants.
There was a small card attached and I opened it with a twinge of excitement.
Lola,
How long do you think it will take for you to come once I'm inside you?
Alfie.
My core clenched, a heat sweeping over me so powerful I sank into my chair. The visceral images in my mind played on a 3D screen, complete with surround sound. Mr Tell fucking me. Not loving me tenderly,fuckingme.
I stared at the elegant scrawl that no doubt belonged to him. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again. The heat in my core cooled as I stared at the pink flowers.
Apparently, he didn't understand the significance of the bleeding hearts as well as I’d thought.
My desk phone rang and I reached for it, reluctantly admiring the beauty of the flowers and wishing like hell that they'd come with less sordid intentions.
"Good morning, Rosie's Botanical Boutique."
"Good morning, Lola." His husky voice poured through the phone like silken honey.