Page 3 of Rooting for Kiran (The Mate-Cute #1)
KIRAN
A second after chewing out this woman, another with long blonde hair rushes up behind the plant slayer and crashes into her, sending her flying directly into me.
Thankfully, my quick alien reflexes send my arms out and around her, pulling her into my chest so she doesn’t fall to the floor—or worse, into more of our precious plants.
Upon impact, the most delicious scent wafts into my nose, and I can’t stop my eyes from closing as I breathe it in.
Her arousal. It’s intoxicating.
She must feel my cock harden against her, because she plants both of her palms against my chest and pushes herself out of my hold, spinning toward her friend. Her long, chocolate-brown hair fans out with the action.
“Wren, what the hell is wrong with you?” Her gaze dances between her friend and me. “I’m sorry. She has so many issues. Are you okay?” The second question is directed at me.
I clear my throat. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Are you?”
“Yes.”
The beauty’s friend grins up at me sheepishly. “I’m so sorry, sir. My name is Wren. I love your greenhouse.”
I reach out and take her delicate hand in mine, noting how small it is. “That’s quite alright. The name is Kiran. And thank you. I’ve worked very hard to make this what it is today.”
“This is your greenhouse?” my brunette goddess questions.
I nod. “Yes, it issss…” I draw out the S as I wait for her to give me her name, slightly nodding my head in small circles to accentuate the prompt.
Her eyebrows scrunch. “Is your head okay?”
Great. I’m making myself look like a moron…
“Yes. I was hoping to get your name, though.”
A small smile stretches across her face. “It’s Thea. I’m Thea, and you’re Kiran.”
I fight back an even bigger smile. “That’s correct,” I confirm. “Are you ladies ready to check out?”
The blonde one—Wren—holds up her array of bouquets. “I am!”
I can’t help the chuckle that falls from my lips at her excitement.
Thea spins back toward the plant she broke mere minutes ago, hugs it to her chest, and shrugs. “I said I’d buy it.”
Little does she know, that is the only plant of its kind in my store. And there will never be another. I placed that plant here when I opened this shop five years ago, laced with an unnoticeable scent that could only draw in one special person…
The one destined for me…
My mate.
Leading them up to the register, I shoo off the usual cashier, Grayson—a twenty-one-year-old local college student—with a slight tilt of my head. He gets the gist and wanders off to check in with other customers throughout the greenhouse.
“Will this be together? Or separate?”
Wren pipes up first. “Separate.”
But Thea speaks quickly after her. “No! Together, please.”
“What? Why?” Wren questions.
Thea rips the bouquets from her friend’s arms. “Because I only chose one thing, and if we’re really doing this Galentine’s thing, I need to contribute more than just this phallic-shaped plant that’s going in my bedroom. Alright?”
I nearly choke on my spit. She’s going to put my mate-trap plant in her bedroom? The one that’s an exact replica of my penis? “Galentine’s, huh?”
“Yeah.” Thea sighs, staring up at me with crystal-blue eyes, like she’s silently begging me to rescue her from this heart-holiday hell. “Wren here wants us to make the day special, since we don’t have any partners of our own—”
“Yet!” Wren leans over her friend’s shoulder. “We don’t have partners yet , but someday, we might! No reason we can’t still celebrate. Wouldn’t you agree, Kiran?”
I nod along. “I’d have to agree.”
Thea shrugs at our words as she digs through her bag.
Once I have the bouquets bagged up and returned to Wren, I stare down at the Talahecksiya and decide to do something daring. If I want to see Thea again—maybe even have the chance to ask her out—I need to give her a reason to return.
Simultaneously, I rattle off the order total while placing two fingers to the base of the plant, where they then glow a deep red.
“What are you doing to it?” Thea asks with a little concern in her tone.
The credit card machine beeps, and I manage to finish infecting the plant at the same time she pulls her card out. “Just giving it a little extra love to make up for the…injury.”
She pauses as she pushes the card back into a slot inside her bag. “Oh. Right. Well, thank you…Kiran.”
I smile at both of them, and they start to make their exit. “Thanks for visiting Cēd!”
But they don’t look back.
And even though they don’t, I know one thing’s for sure. I have to convince her to return. Yes. Because the little illness I gave that plant will set in within a week.
I jog after them. “Excuse me!” I call, prompting them to both turn. “Since you purchased a plant from the alien section, I hope you know that I always offer free assistance if anything happens. You’re more than welcome to return at any point if something happens to your Talahecksiya.”
Thea nods. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Please do, my mate. Please keep me in mind.