Jaclyn gave him a sad smile. “The flowers you brought were beautiful. Thank you.”
“Well, I can’t take the credit. I sort of have this florist, Luis. He hooks me up whenever I head over.” Richard’s staring off seemed more deliberate. “I had my own visits to make here. The time just keeps getting away from me.”
“Your family’s from Dallas?”
He nodded without a word. She subtly glanced around, stopping abruptly in her tracks as she caught sight of the bright yellow dots peppering the distance. An entire corner of the cemetery was speckled with a sea of roses.
“You had a lot of visits to make,” she said, but it came out much more like a question, surprise ringing through her tone a little stronger than intended.
He looked back, losing himself in the view as well. “If I have extra flowers, I spread them about. Luis gave me more flowers than usual. I couldn’t say no.”
Gave him more flowers than usual?
She digested the comment, then asked, “Why would your florist give you more flowers than usual?” Squinting and suspicious, she stared him down. “Was it because of me?”
Richard’s shifting gaze wasn’t an answer, so she pressed harder.
“Did you mention me? How come he’s giving you so many flowers for a cemetery? Is this some bizarre attempt to make an impression?” Even though she softened her tone, it seemed to hit him harder than her glare.
He lowered his voice. “Not exactly. Yes, I told him about you, but it’s not what you think. Not by name.”
“Then what did you tell your florist? If you didn’t tell him about me by name, what the hell did you say?” Determined to get to the truth, she clenched her free hand. It took all her composure not to pound the secrecy from Richard’s rock-solid chest.
Meeting her angry gaze, he said calmly, “I told him I might run into a woman. Someone I was just starting to get to know.”
She waited quietly, telegraphing with her eyes for him to continue. Cemented firmly in place, she wasn’t budging without the rest of the answer.
After an unforgiving stare-down, he blew out a breath, surrendering with a roll of his eyes. “Luis got a little carried away. He’s known me a long time. Mentioning a woman was a mistake.”
“Mentioning a woman? Or mentioning me, quote-unquote, not by name?” Annoyance wasn’t the best look while in a cemetery, but poise wasn’t exactly her strong suit. She had to know. Now.
His words spilled out in frustration. “Because I said I might run into you. A beautiful woman with balls bigger than her brain, but so beat down and heartbroken, I wasn’t sure what I’d say if I saw you. So—”
Her anger thawed as she realized why he had so many flowers. “So he gave you extra flowers. Not for my family. Or to make an impression. But for me.”
He nodded. “Yes, but I couldn’t. Not here.”
About to step away, he paused as her fingers again circled his arm. He warmed her hands with his and led her away. His feet shuffled along, kicking the occasional pebble along the path as he spoke.
“We’re walking through the great equalizer. Here, nothing matters, and everything matters all at once. We have one chance.” His kind eyes met hers. “One insane roller coaster ride of a life that keeps us hanging on with everything we’ve got. If we’re lucky, we’ll enjoy a few wild twists and turns along the way.”
His sincerity washed over her in a tidal wave of emotion, sweeping her up in the moment. Without a thought, she ran her hands up his chest and across his broad shoulders, then raised to her toes to take in the warmth of his mouth, intent on leaving not much more than a hint of a kiss.
But this wasn’t like her swift good-bye at the elevator. This time, he surprised her by switching the game to a full-contact sport.
Richard’s arms trapped her against him as he kissed her back, tucking her into his tight embrace until his breaths were her own. Their lips separated, then pressed together again, savoring a sweeter taste of each other.
To Jaclyn, their connection was inescapable. The rough edges of two puzzle pieces that fell into a perfect fit.
Though she pulled her mouth away, she stayed melted in his arms. “You keep saying I’m beautiful,” she said softly.
He let out a light huff. “I also said your balls were bigger than your brains. I can’t believe you didn’t latch onto that nugget and take out one of mine in return.”
She slipped from his hold. “Well, after last night, I had that one coming. I’ll work on evening them out, try to keep my brains and balls the same size. Big and bold. Texas style.” Recapturing control of her sentimental outbursts, she asked, “So, picking up strange women in cemeteries with a handful of roses isn’t your thing?”
His lips quirked into a small smile. “Certainly not with this strange woman. Besides, I need to treat you to the sorts of flowers a lady of your status is accustomed to.” When she urged him to continue with a raise of her brows, he said, “I’ll steal them from the lobby of a swanky hotel and show you how a real con artist rolls.”
Her little laugh of approval earned her a hug. Leaning into his chest, she scanned the parking lot. “Which one is yours?”
“None. I took a Lyft.”
“Well, I didn’t. Come on. I’ll take you home.”
She released her light squeeze and led him to her Aston Martin One-77. The stunner was immaculate inside and out, with a glossy shine catching every ray of sunlight.
“That’s quite a car.” He admired the vehicle openly, but didn’t exactly fawn over it.
“Since I’m dropping you off, why don’t you drive?” she asked.
His adoring gaze of the masterpiece of machinery disappeared as he caught the collectible glass key fob hurtling through the air at him. Palming the fob, he released a breath, obviously relieved that he’d captured the fragile work of art.
Richard opened the driver’s door for her and held it wide. His “allow me” of a wave invited her to take her seat, and when she’d settled into the seat, he slid the fob back into her hand and leaned in.
“How about I take a rain check and see how you handle this beast? But I’d like to recommend a detour. And I’m not telling you where we’re going, I’ll just navigate you there. Unless a detour would mess up your plans for today.”
She gave him a curious look. “Today? I’m spending my day regrouping. Welcome to my group. And fine, you’re not telling me where we’re going. How about a hint?”
He snapped her door shut and rounded the hood to his side, easing into the passenger’s seat. “Sure. Here’s your hint. A-T-M.”
With the fob secure in the console, the engine ignited with a thunderous roar. They clicked their seat belts securely and coasted away. But something kept nagging at her about last night.
“What did you say to Dylan before we left?”
“Hmm?” Richard hummed noncommittally, the picture of innocence.
“I saw you. You said something to him just before we left. What was it?”
“You know. The usual. I said he had a nice ass.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said, smirking through her scolding gaze that assured him she’d get to the bottom of it sooner or later.