Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 30Olivia

thirty

OLIVIA

V era all but shoved me out the apartment door for the evening.

“You need to get some dating experience under your belt,” she argued . “See what else is out there.”

Her words rang through my mind with irritation that gripped my veins. I argued that I’d rather do anything else than go on a blind date with the finance guy from her brokerage, who sat across from me and was everything but interesting.

Kevin rambled on in the background for the last eighteen minutes. My caramel mocha had gone cold, and I barely touched the slice of banana bread on my plate. Kevin had been throwing back iced macchiatos since we arrived over an hour ago. I looked for lulls in the conversation to politely make my exit and take a nice hot bubble bath.

“You’re just as beautiful as Vera had mentioned. How long have you guys known each other? Did she tell you we made a million-dollar sale the other week? I prayed to the finance Gods to get this deal to go through. It was amazing. And obviously, the commission was huge,” Kevin told me. He loved to talk about himself; that much was clear.

I gazed out the window at the darkening city; I wasn’t even sure I wanted to take a bath when I got back. Maybe instead, I’d crawl into bed and send steamy pictures to Luke.

If Kevin knew I wasn’t listening, he didn’t show it. He continued going on and on…and on about his success and all the money he made. So engrossed in my own thoughts, I completely detached from the conversation, oblivious to the two figures looming over our table.

Kevin’s jaw dropped as a gasp escaped. His face paled ten shades lighter as his eyes bulged, gaping at the two shadows that loomed over us.

He backed up frantically, scraping the chair across the floor and spilling his drink on himself.

“Am I interrupting something here?”

Oh shit.

Part of me wanted to laugh at the scene unfolding in front of me, but a stolen glance at Kevin sent a sliver of pity through me as his gaze locked on the Glock at Luke’s hip. His lower lip quivered, unable to peel his stare away from the weapon.

“I,” he stuttered, his eyes shot up to Luke’s menacing glare. “Don’t know what’s going on. We haven’t done anything.” His gaze shifted back and forth between Luke and Aidan, who stood blocking him from leaving with his arms crossed over his chest—a devious smirk on his face.

“It sure looks wrong to me,” Luke drawled, flicking the safety on the Glock on and off. He placed both hands on the table. “Looks like you’re on a fucking date with my girl.” The last words dripped with southern heat, getting my panties damp.

Aidan laughed loudly, drawing more attention. Luke didn’t even blink.

“I had no idea.” Kevin’s words caught in his throat, stabbing his finger in my direction. “I was set up!”

Seeing Luke leaning over the smaller man in his bulletproof vest was sexy. My blood heated as I watched his muscles flex under his long sleeve button up. His piercing blue gaze burned a hole into Kevin. His knuckles turned white from the pressure on the table, and my eyes caught on the pulsing vein in Luke’s neck.

“Set up, you say?” Luke drawled.

Kevin’s head bobbed violently. “I didn’t even wanna come out. Vera said she had a friend named Oakley that she wanted to set me up with. I woulda never taken her out if I had known she was taken, man.”

Oakley? I didn’t even have time to process the fact that this guy didn’t know my name before Luke cocked his head to the side.

He slowly withdrew his gun from the holster in the most deliciously slow movement. My eyes traced his slender hands as they methodically placed the gun on the table.

“That’s not her fucking name,” Luke growled. Kevin was shaking, eyeing the gun. His eyes glinted with fear. He glanced at me pleadingly. “Don’t fucking look at her.”

His eyes snapped back to Luke’s face like a rubber band. “I, uh, I just wanna go home, man.”

“Come on, Ryder, boy’s about to piss himself,” Aidan chided, a smile playing on his lips. “Let’s get outta here. We’re drawing a crowd, and that ain't my speed tonight.”

Luke reeked rage. And the green hue of jealousy spread across his perfect features. The look on his face said he was considering shooting Kevin for real. And damn, if that didn’t give me butterflies. The flutter moved from my stomach all the way down until it hit my aching core.

“Date’s over, Kevin. Get the fuck up and get out of my girl’s face,” Luke rumbled the words from somewhere low in his chest, and Kevin wasted no time scrambling through the door, slipping in his spilled drink as he ran.

“Have a good night, Kevin, my boy!” Aidan laughed, waving after him in a high pitched voice. “Man, you’re one intimidating motherfucker. Did you see him start crying?” Aidan slapped his knees; his body shook with laughter.

He wasn’t wrong. Luke looked terrifying, but when he turned his gaze on me, my heart nearly halted midbeat.

Shit, now it was my turn.

Luke’s smoldering, unblinking look tore through me.

“Alright, fellas,” I stood from my chair. “I’m gonna head out.” I found myself pinned between the wall of man and the tiny table. Luke’s glare burned down on me as he stood like a stone, unmoving.

“I suggest you take a seat for this one,” Aidan laughed. “It took more convincing than you even know to keep him from coming in guns first, thoughts later.”

I turned to Aidan. “I think I’m good. I’ll catch you guys later!” Only a slight shake to my voice that time. I could smell Luke’s clean cedarwood and leather scent.

He was intoxicating.

“Sit your sweet ass down, Olivia.”

I sat.

I sat so fast my ass stung as it hit the seat beneath me. Luke sat across from me, holstering his gun back at his hip. My eyes gazed at the spot before darting back up, meeting Luke’s smoldering baby blues.

Aidan loudly dragged a chair across the small section, sitting backward, resting his head on his forearms on the back of it, grinning at us both. His tan skin and dark hair shone under the lights in the pastry shop. I’m sure women were desperate to go out with him or get under him. Vera sure was.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.” I looked down at my tightly clasped hands that slightly trembled in my lap. My instincts reassured me that Luke would never hurt me, yet my body tensed involuntarily, reacting to past conditioning.

“Olivia,” his voice softened. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

Aidan’s brows shot up to his hairline. He blew out a breath and stifled a chuckle. Luke ignored him completely.

My eyes met his. He looked at me like I was the only one in the room.

“I’m sorry, Vera said…” The words ran out of my mouth the way my body wanted to run. The tremors reached my throat, suffocating me. Robbing me of the ability to articulate. Pressure clasped my chest, and my eyes squeezed shut, begging my body to calm down.

“Let me,” Luke said, leaning onto the table resting his elbows on the corner. “Maybe I haven’t made something clear to you.”

Aidan might as well have had popcorn the way he looked at us. His head whipped back and forth at every word we spoke. The sly grin only spread as the conversation thickened.

“So let me make it clear to you. I’m the only man that will know how you taste.”

Aidan’s jaw hit the floor.

“I’m the only one who’s gonna be wrapped in your body every night. No other man, especially not fucking Kevin , will hear the sweet sounds you make. You’re mine , Olivia.”

I reminded myself to breathe; the breath I’d been holding lodged every word I ever knew in my throat. The subtle but sexy pillow talk sent ripples to my already needy core.

“Oh, shit!” Aidan laughed, dragging out the curse word. “Nice! Ryder’s hitting it right!” Aidan clapped Luke on the back, cheering. “So that’s why you haven’t been such an ass recently.”

Aidan winked at us; crimson crept up Luke’s neck, saturating his features.

“Aidan, what the hell are you still doing here?” Luke snapped.

“Hey now, boss, I thought we were talking, ya know. We’re partners, man; we in this together.” He held out his fist, expecting Luke to bump it.

Luke’s eyes narrowed at him, his expression darkened. “Go wait in the fucking car, Damsel.”

Aidan couldn’t take Luke seriously if his life depended on it. He smiled, tossing his hair out of his face as he swung the chair around, standing. “Good luck, Olivia. He’s been sulkin’ since he found out you were out with ol’ Kev.”

Aidan sauntered out of the pastry shop, leaving us two alone.

“I’m sorry, Vera insisted I try dating. I tried to argue, but I guess I need to do better standing up for myself,” I said quietly.

“I’m not upset with you, Olivia.” His calm tone stilled my rapidly beating heart. “I don’t care what label you want to put on it, but we’re exclusive, and I’m not letting you go. I want you. I don’t want to see you with other men. Ones who don’t even know your name.” He took my hands in his.

“I want you too,” I whispered.

“Let me show you how happy I could make you.”

Tears stung my eyes, rendering me speechless. He was everything I dreamed of and more.

He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

“Are we on the same page?”

I nodded, leaning over the table and kissing him. “Will you take me home?”

“Of course I will, angel.”

We left, ignoring the entire restaurant, who stared open mouthed at us. “Wait, how’d you know I was here and Kevin’s name?”

He held the door for me and let out a little laugh. “I picked up an extra shift and was dropping something off for you at Vera’s. She told me where you were and who you were with.”

“Wow,” I said as he led me to the cruiser. “I’m surprised she told you so easily.”

“Aidan made a convincing case.” He opened the back seat driver’s side door for me.

Aidan erupted with laughter, his face flushed and his eyes sparkling with mirth as they darted between Luke and me. His cheeks bulged with each snort, spittle flying from his lips as Luke settled into the driver's seat.

“You got something you wanna share with the class, Damsel?”

Aidan furiously shook his head as hysteria crawled through his expression. Rev panted in the seat beside me, nudging me for pets.

“What did you drop off for me?” I remembered the detail that he nonchalantly skipped over.

“Dropping off that Ryder pipe.” Tears wet Aidan’s face as his laughter tore through the car’s cabin, gasping for breath.

Irritation oozed from Luke, the emotion washing over me as he spoke, “Aidan, shut the fuck up.”

He didn’t.

“You’ll see when you get there, angel.” The smile in his blue eyes was evident in the rearview mirror as he pulled into the busy city streets to take me home.