Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 26Olivia

twenty-six

OLIVIA

O ur drive to the restaurant was peaceful. I sat in the passenger seat humming along to the radio as it played that same country station from all those nights before.

Only this time, it was different; I was different.

I deleted the apps Vera downloaded on my phone. I knew what I wanted. And what I wanted slowly trickled out of me. Heat flushed my skin despite the cold, recalling what we’d just done.

I still mourned the loss of his body from mine, the way he demanded I arch my back over the steering wheel, stretching my body as he finished me off. Making me taste how beautifully he played my body until I cried in ecstasy. The memory alone left me insatiable.

I had heard Rev mentioned a few times, and I recalled the car accident when they nearly hit me. Now seemed like the perfect moment to show I’d been paying attention when I was really thinking about his dick.

“How is Rev?” I asked. “You know, after the accident. He was thrown from the car, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he was. But he ended up being fine. Just some minor scrapes and bruises. Rev’s a tank.” His eyes crinkled at the side as his expression softened. “It’ll take way more than that to take him out,” he said as his hands expertly gripped the steering wheel. “I’m glad he’s okay.”

Luke went on to talk about the retiring dogs and praised himself for discovering that Rev had potential. His breed made people cautious, but his intelligence always impressed those around him.

I could listen to Luke talk all night. He was smart and compassionate. His voice drew me in like a tornado, and I would happily get lost in the winds. He embodied everything I never thought I’d find.

“You have such a nice home outside of the city,” I commented when we reached a lull in the conversation. The rumble of my stomach reminded me that I’d only eaten once that day. I was ready for food.

“Yeah, bought it a few years ago thinking all the space would be used sooner.” He chuckled. “The VA loan was good to me during the process, but sometimes I wish I chose something a little smaller.”

“Why’s that?”

“There’s probably a family somewhere out there that could use the square footage and land.”

I chewed my lower lip. Luke knew most of my dating history, but I wasn’t sure of his. My stomach rumbled again. I craved dinner with the same desperation I felt for him.

“Have you ever had a wife or girlfriend before?”

I probably could’ve asked that a thousand times better, but I wasn’t myself if I wasn’t blurting out inappropriately personal questions out loud, unprovoked. After all, only those who dared truly lived, right?

His smile reached his eyes that remained on the road as he answered. “No. No, wife. You’ve asked me this before, angel.”

“No,” I purred, dragging out the word. “I asked you if you had one presently. Like at that time.” My hands reached out to run down his abs as I spoke. “This time, I asked if you’ve ever had one. In your entire life.”

A new kind of expression replaced the soft one; the glow of the passing cars kissed his beautiful features.

“You implying that I can’t score any women, angel?” he teased, laughing as one hand moved from the steering wheel to grip my leg.

“Maybe.” I blushed under his touch; his skin heated my thighs.

“I’ve never had a wife. Girlfriends are another story.”

“How many?”

“Do you seriously want to talk about that?”

“Maybe.”

Did I?

I wasn’t sure if I was a jealous person. I never worried about Matt and other women, but I had a feeling I’d be quite the green menace with Luke.

“Alright, fine.” He shook his head, a half smile formed on his lips. “I dated a few girls in high school, nothing serious. Then, when I graduated from boot camp, I casually dated, just flings here and there and?—”

I cut him off.

“You’re right. I don’t wanna hear about this. I change my mind.” I looked down at my hands, picking at my nails. “I want to go back to pretending I’m the only one.”

Thinking about him hooking up with random girls made my stomach curl up. Jealousy clawed at my insides at the mere implication.

When it came to him, I was definitely the jealous type.

I stole a glance at the God of a man driving. He was too hot. His eyes too blue. Real people didn’t casually walk around looking like him. Awe struck me as my eyes rolled down his chiseled body.

He smirked. “Someone sounds jealous.”

“I’m not.”

I crossed my arms in the seat and looked out the passenger window.

His hand on my thigh squeezed me slightly, then rubbed tender circles into it. “You’re the only one that’s ever mattered.”

His words rumbled across my skin, leaving heat in its wake.

“You ready to go in?” He’d turned the ignition off, watching me carefully.

I nodded. “After you, Sergeant,” I flirted, never breaking eye contact.

He licked his lips, and my eyes followed the movement as he leaned across me. My hopes shattered when he reached for his center console; my thighs squeezed together with need.

He grabbed a few wet wipes and started dabbing at the crotch of his jeans and caught me staring at him with my mouth open, looking like a fish out of water, drooling over the simple action.

“Probably shouldn’t waltz into a place with these marks all over my jeans.” His teasing mood differed from the serious demeanor I’d fallen for.

I adjusted my dress as he finished cleaning himself up. Music spilled into the street as couples, families, and friends moved in and out of the double doors adorned with cowboy boots carved into the mahogany. The brightly lit patio had tables lining the front, and as we got closer, the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked rolls and grilled meat filled the air.

Luke held the door open for me, placing his hand on my lower back as we headed towards the hostess. She greeted us with a wide smile, her hair braided in pigtails that flipped over her shoulder with every turn of her head.

“Welcome in y’all!” She toted loudly over the music. “Just y’all tonight?”

Luke spoke up before I could, telling her it was just the two of us and we’d like a booth for the evening. As we walked to our table, I took in the restaurant—a spacious dining area, a dance floor with a karaoke machine, and a tiny stage for live music. It was filled with everyday people. A world I was finally a part of.

The hostess led us over to a booth in the corner and set down our menus, silverware, and a basket of freshly browned rolls. Self-consciousness reared its ugly head.

Matt and I never ate together, and when we did, it was always somewhere super fancy, so the food was basically just two bites. I didn’t care what Matt thought about me when I was inhaling an entire plate of pasta or shoveling a 16oz steak in my mouth. Even eating with Vera, we often went to war over who would get the last wing or mozzarella stick. She even bit me once while simultaneously stabbing me with a fork over a wonton. I realized I had no idea how to act on a first date.

Or in public.

“Are you okay?”

Luke’s voice jerked me from my daydream.

“I’m fine, just nervous, I guess.” I rubbed my arms, warming them as my skin pebbled in gooseflesh. The buttery scent of the rolls filled my nostrils as my stomach roared. I salivated, just looking at them, trying to suck the drool back into my mouth inconspicuously.

Apparently I was worried about eating like a pig, but drooling like a dog was on the table.

“Don’t be.” He opened the drink menu, his eyes drifting across it. “You have a glaze of my come in your panties right now. Eat whatever you’d like, get dessert even. And after we leave here, I’ll take you back to your hotel and fuck the shyness right out of you.”

He didn’t even look up from his menu as he spoke. The last word left his mouth when our waiter came over and took our drink orders. If he’d heard what Luke said, he didn’t show it. He smiled at me as he told me about their different sweet tea options, even suggesting I try his favorite one—on the house.

I saw Luke’s eyes narrow in my peripherals with every word that left the waiter's mouth. He shook off the leather jacket, sitting across from me in a black V-neck stretched over his chest. The fabric hugged his arm muscles as he crossed them and leaned back. The dark shirt, pale skin, and the tattoos on his left arm mesmerized me.

He was perfect.

The waiter remained oblivious to the daggers shooting his way. If only he realized Luke wasn't afraid to get his hands bloody. I stifled a giggle as he walked away to get our drinks. Luke’s irritated expression lingered after him. He looked around my age, brown hair and light brown eyes. He reminded me of a golden retriever.

“Someone looks jealous .”

He leaned in, uncrossing his arms and resting his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together. His tattooed muscles flexed.

“I’m not jealous,” he growled. “I just don’t like other men looking at what’s mine.” He clicked his tongue. “I’m protective.” He smirked triumphantly.

He was totally jealous.

“Yeah, right. Protective . ” I didn’t bother hiding the giggle that slipped free.

He smirked, eyes smoldering as his pupils dilated. The azure orbs glowed in the light illuminating our table; flashes of my hands in his hair as he filled me paraded through my mind.

“If he keeps it up…” His gaze seethed with the desire to take me again. His words dripped with malice as he said, “I swear by the gleam of my Glock, he’ll spend the rest of his life regretting flirting with you in front of me.”

Luke’s possessiveness should've made me uncomfortable. But instead, my thighs clenched with desire.

“Jealous,” I croaked, finally giving into temptation and setting one of the rolls onto a plate.

The waiter returned with our drinks, placing Luke’s down with his ID and barely a glance in his direction. Luke ordered some type of lager that fizzed over the large cup, spilling onto the handle.

“Try it!” The waiter beamed, nodding his head towards my drink. “I promise you’ll love it.”

I stuck my straw in the glass, painfully aware of Luke’s death stare from across the table. I smiled politely as the tangy sweetness hit my tongue, bursting across it like fireworks. Luke simmered with every sip I took.

“It’s good.” I offered a quick nod, twirling the straw in the glass.

“See, I told you.” He winked at me. “Well, I’ll let you and your dad get back to your conversation.” He dropped the comment casually and scurried off to the kitchen.

I lost my shit; tea practically came out of my nose, and laughter wracked my entire body until my stomach cramped.

Men never cease to amaze me with their audacity.

I doubled over the table, continuing to cackle like a donkey while Luke’s hardened stare observed me.

“By the end of tonight, he’s going to realize how hard it is to speak with those menus shoved through his windpipe,” Luke drawled while taking a long sip of his drink.

“Whatever you say, daddy.” The words barely escaped before another fit of giggles ravaged my body.