Blood and Buttercups (A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening #1)

BONUS SCENES

SPOILER WARNING: READ AFTER BLOOD AND BUTTERCUPS

Spoiler Warning: These bonus scenes should be read AFTER you read Blood and Buttercups.

Chapter 6, Scene 1

Background: Noah just drove Piper to her doctor’s appointment.

I step outside the doctor’s office to make a call, glancing at the time on my phone. The nurse only called Piper in about three minutes ago, and she’ll likely be in there for a while.

“Hey, Daniel,” I say when my friend in the local administration department answers his phone. “I have a favor to ask.”

“I think you’ve probably used up all your favors,” Daniel answers. “But I’ll see what I can do. What do you need?”

“In the next day or two, you’re going to get paperwork for a new client. Her name is Piper. I want to be assigned to her.”

“Oh, no can do, Montgomery. I added a new guy to you this morning—forty-three-year-old Colin McGary. He’s a vacuum salesman who knocked on the wrong door.”

“Move him to someone else. This woman is mine.”

Daniel groans. “You’re difficult, you know that?”

“If I’m going to be stuck babysitting again, I’ll choose who I watch.”

“I’ll try, but no promises,” Daniel says. “What’s her name again? Piper what?”

“Piper Edwards.”

“Is she pretty?”

Yes.

“That’s beside the point,” I answer.

Daniel snorts. “Sure it is. Remember Henry? Don’t be Henry.”

“I’ve been with the department for ten years, Daniel. I’m not a newbie.”

I certainly know better than to bite a pre-vamp during a rough-and-tumble make-out session and turn her into a final-stage vampire. Henry’s an idiot.

“It’s easy to forget when you’re back in the nursery.” Daniel’s obviously amused by the situation.

“I’m hanging up now,” I deadpan.

Chuckling, Daniel says, “I’ll do what I can, okay?”

After we end the call, I wander back into the waiting room. Like it or not, I already feel like Piper’s my case. I’ve seen the symptoms enough to know what they’ll find when they run the tests.

Piper’s been infected.

Chapter 18, Scenes 2 & 3

Background: Piper and Noah are home after meeting Reid at the NIHA administration office and are preparing for their movie date.

I’m in the middle of a text to Daniel when Piper knocks and calls in from the hall, “What are you wearing?”

Smiling, I pocket the phone and open my room door, resting my arm against the doorframe as I look down at my pre-vamp. “What I’m wearing? That game is usually played over the phone.”

Looking slightly flustered, she says, “I meant tonight.”

“Are you agonizing over your outfit on my behalf?”

“No.” Her bright blue eyes slide to my chest, and then she rips her attention back to my face. “I just, you know, don’t want to make you look bad.”

She’s not just pretty—she’s funny in a weird way that works for me. I like her more than I should, especially considering how she feels about final-stage vampires.

“That’s considerate of you,” I joke.

“I try.”

“What do you want me to wear?” I lower my voice, making it a touch suggestive.

A smile tugs at Piper’s lips, and she shakes her head. “This conversation is getting weirder than I anticipated.”

Laughing, I step out of the doorway and motion for her to come into my room. “As you can see, my options are limited. If you want to go somewhere nice, we’ll have to stop at my parents’ place first so I can change.”

“And even weirder.” She walks in, pausing for a minute like it’s strange to see me and my things in this familiar space, and then she continues to my closet. “Remind me not to friend-date a grown man who lives with his parents again.”

I watch her go through the hangers, and my stomach tightens as she touches my shirts. I step close, silently vowing I’ll keep my hands to myself.

She smells like forbidden sunshine, and I swallow as I wrestle with indecision.

Maybe I can control myself. Maybe I can touch her. I’ve been taking the medicine—I’ve never missed a day.

“All you brought is T-shirts,” she says, oblivious to the chaotic thoughts churning in my virus-addled brain.

“I like T-shirts.” My fingers twitch as they itch to touch her. “They’re comfortable.”

She continues to browse. “What else do you like?”

“Narrow the question down a bit.”

“Favorite zoo animal?”

I smile. “Starting with the really important questions, I see.”

“Instead, you could tell me about your deepest, darkest fear and how you plan to overcome it.”

“I like monkeys,” I say, earning a knowing grin.

Piper looks at me over her shoulder, her cornflower eyes bright. Faint freckles dust her nose and the tops of her cheeks, giving her a sunkissed look.

If she took one step backward, we’d be touching.

Her smile changes to a highly amused cringe. “Monkeys, though? Ew.”

“You’re a judgy flower farmer.”

“Favorite food?” She returns her attention to the same seven T-shirts she’s looked at four times.

“Steak.”

“That’s why you cook it so well.”

I brush my knuckle over her side. She’s pleasantly warm through her fitted cotton shirt, not hot like people who have never been infected with the virus.

Touching her is a risk. At any moment, she could realize we’re the same temperature. But, like me, she’s distracted by other thoughts.

Piper goes still, her breath quickening. Lightly, like she’s trying to keep the words even, she says, “Not cucumbers?”

“I’m sure they’re a close second.”

“Liar.” She tilts her head back slightly, moving toward me like she wants more.

But do I dare? Already, I can feel the ache of my fangs. Can I control myself? If I kiss her, will I be able to resist biting her?

Lowering my head, I smell her sweet skin, testing myself. “Ask me something else.”

I ache to trace the line of her neck with my lips, but I breathe in the floral scent of her shampoo instead. Her pulse thrums, begging me to take her one step closer to the final stage.

“Why didn’t you like me when we first met?” she asks.

The question surprises me, and I laugh incredulously, remembering the first day we met. “Because Britta was being pushy, and it annoyed me you were as pretty as she said you were.”

She turns, and I pull back, running my tongue over the two bumps in my upper gums where my fangs threaten to break free.

“You think I’m pretty?” she asks.

The sharp teeth retract, proving I’m in control.

Relieved, I smirk, shrugging. “You’re all right. But you were downright hot the day I showed up with your steak and sparkling water?—”

She playfully elbows me in the stomach, and I double over, laughing.

“I’m not dressing up for you,” she says as she heads for the hall. “Wear whatever you want.”

I watch her go, smiling to myself.

“It’ll be all right,” I say after she closes her door, and then I grab my jacket and head downstairs.

While I’m waiting for her, I read Daniel’s latest text.

Daniel: Reid told me if I give you info again, he’ll fire me.

Noah: He can’t fire you. You work in a different department.

Daniel: Well, he seemed pretty confident, so I’m afraid you’re on your own. Sorry, man.

Before I can type a response, movement on the stairs catches my attention. I look up, expecting Piper to be in jeans and a T-shirt.

She’s not.

Looking nervous, she stands at the bottom of the stairs. She’s wearing a black, sleeveless summer dress. Her high heels are strappy, complicated, and freaking hot.

I clear my throat. “I thought you weren’t dressing up for me.”

Looking pleased, she brushes her hand down her skirt. “Who said this is for you? I’m hoping we have a handsome waiter at the restaurant.”

I laugh, fully aware that’s a bluff. “If that doesn’t pan out, you could set your sights on one of the college-age popcorn boys at the concession stand.”

Amused, she grabs her purse from the hook and heads for the door.

***

I’ve been on a few casual dates since I entered the final stage, but they always ended with dinner. This is new. I didn’t think it would be a problem sitting next to Piper in the dark theater, didn’t realize how badly I’d want to touch her.

I sit with my hand on my knee, too much of a coward to reach for her. I’ve become pathetic in these last few years. Holding hands feels like a big step, and the idea of our first kiss consumes my thoughts. I’m as nervous as a fifteen-year-old boy trying to figure out how to make his first move. I had more game when I was in high school than I do now.

But I’ve never liked anyone as much as Piper.

She fidgets in her seat, sighing for at least the tenth time. Working up my nerve, I lean close and whisper, “Do you not like the movie?”

“It’s fine,” she answers.

“You want to get out of here?”

Her eyes are on the screen, but she’s not watching the show. “You spent a small fortune on the tickets.”

Deciding it’s time to man up, I say, “I just wanted to sit next to you in the dark. We can do that anywhere.”

Slowly, she turns her head, and our eyes lock. I wait for her answer, eager to leave but trying to mask it.

“Let’s go,” she says, nearly making me groan with relief.

We need to get out of this public theater, where there are too many people and not enough privacy.

Glad to be outside, I follow Piper to her side of my SUV, saying her name when she reaches for the handle. My voice sounds loud in the still night, with only the rumble of an occasional car passing on the road to break the silence of the still parking lot.

She turns, her eyes on my face.

I reach for her, letting my fingers trail over the sides of her waist. “How do you feel about kissing a man on the first date?”

A smile flickers across her soft lips. “That depends on how many friend-dates precede it.”

I laugh, bringing my other hand to her neck. “Far too many.”

Encouraged by her soft intake of breath, I tighten my grip on her waist and drag her against me. She feels good, too good, maybe. I rub her neck, my fingers gliding over the silky softness of her skin. Will she now realize we’re the same temperature?

But she doesn’t, not yet.

Piper doesn’t resist or hesitate. She presses against me, wanting me as much as I want her.

I lower my mouth, so close, and then…stop. My fangs press at my gums, threatening to descend. I swear in my head, fighting with myself. I haven’t gotten close enough to anyone to practice restraint, and now I’m struggling.

She’ll know what I am if I kiss her.

Unless I keep the kiss sweet—unless I keep it brief. Closed-mouth, chaste.

I can do that.

I will the fangs back, acknowledging I control them even if it feels like they control me at times.

Relieved when the pressure subsides, I say, “Are you letting me out of the friend zone?”

“Let you out? I never actually closed the gate.”

I laugh, leaning in to kiss her, but the bite of my fangs returns. A breath away from her lips, I stop, hating myself.

Piper lifts her gaze to mine, confused.

“Close your eyes,” I whisper.

She smiles, sweetly vulnerable, and does as I ask. She tilts her face up, offering her mouth.

Fighting for control, I brush a kiss over her jaw.

This is like exercise—difficult at first, easier as you get stronger. I’m going to overcome it. The virus won’t rule my life.

I kiss the corner of her mouth. Then, the other corner.

Impatient, Piper slips her hand into my jacket and presses her palm to my chest. My muscles contract under her warm touch. I breathe in the scent of her skin, wanting and resisting.

“You’re a tease,” she says when I pull back, the words laced with frustration and good humor.

“Are you in a hurry?” I ask, hiding the truth. “We only get one first kiss.”

“Yes, but imagine how many we can have after it. Let’s get it out of the way.”

Smiling because I adore this woman as much as I hate what I am, I press a kiss to her forehead.

“You’re not going to kiss me, are you?” She opens her eyes.

I rub her neck, touching her because I can’t help myself. “Tonight, it’s enough to know you want me to.”

“That’s not enough—not nearly enough.” She moves her hand to my neck, mirroring our stance, kneading my muscles like I’m kneading hers. “How about we negotiate?”

Combined with the press of her hand, the words are too much for me. The pressure in my mouth tells me this is as far as I dare go—I’ve reached my breaking point. We must stop here, or I’ll have to tell Piper what I am.

And I don’t want to do that. Not yet, while she’s still adjusting. Not when she was so recently attacked.

For a split second, I contemplate walking away. Maybe I should let Reid assign a hunter to her case and step out of her life before I can complicate it further. Piper is made for the sun, for daylight. She wants me, yes, but she doesn’t want a vampire. If she knew what I was, and the risks I brought into her life...

But I’m selfish, and I don’t want to go. I’ll be careful, as I was tonight. I’ll practice restraint.

I’ll be good.

Sliding my hands into my pockets, I step back. “I like you, Piper.”

“Yeah?” She smiles. “Is that why you’re not touching me?”

I laugh, as frustrated with the situation as she is. “Yeah.”

“You’re okay, too.”

Her subtle smile is enough to gut me.

“Wanna go home?” I ask.

She lifts a brow. “Are you going to kiss me there?”

I imagine all the places I’d like to kiss her in that private house—on the counter, against the fridge, on the couch, on the sunflower comforter in my room.

“Not tonight,” I manage.

She leans back against the SUV, crossing her arms. “Then not really.”

The look on her face is a little petulant. It’s cute enough it makes me laugh, and sexy enough it makes me want to skim my fangs over her neck. “What if I cut up a cucumber for you?”

She contemplates me for a few seconds, and then she nods. “Yeah, okay.”

I open the door for her, and she gets in. Then I walk around the back of the vehicle, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

I did well. It was difficult, but I overcame it. I didn’t kiss her—but I also didn’t bite her.

And at this point, I’m going to call that a win.