Beautifully Cruel

26

He points to the bouquet of tulips he set on the coffee table, a gorgeous deep purple, again so dark they’re almost black. “Those tulips are called Queen of the Night.” He points to an arrangement of black calla lilies. “And those callas are called Black Star.”

I say faintly, “I’m sensing a theme.”

“The irises are my favorite, though.” He gestures to a bouquet on the dining table. The flowers have long, elegant stems, topped by extravagantly ruffled petals the color of midnight.

“What are those called?”

“Before the Storm.”

I try not to take that as a bad omen.

The guy says, “We’ll be back in a minute with the others,” and ambles away, whistling. The other guys follow him out, and Ellie turns from the door.

She says, “I told you the Irish hottie was a keeper.”

“Stop looking so smug. We don’t know for sure they’re from him.”

She arches her brows. “Really? You’ve got another secret boyfriend you’re hiding? Because these damn sure aren’t from Ty. Oh, wait—there’s the card.”

She crosses to the bouquet of Black Magic roses and removes a small gold envelope. Flicking the envelope open with her thumbnail, she withdraws a white card and reads it aloud.

“I need to see you. L.” She wrinkles her nose, flips the card over, then looks up at me. “The only other thing is a phone number.”

“You look disappointed.”

“I am disappointed. I wanted something juicier.”

I take the card from her and look at it. The handwriting is small, slanting, and precise. I wonder if Liam wrote it himself or if one of the salesgirls from the shop did the honors, but then I catch the faintest whiff of scent.

I lift the card to my nose, sniff, and smile.

Ellie demands, “What?”

“Tell me what you smell.” I wave the card back and forth under her nose.

She blinks, frowning and sniffing, then pronounces, “Testosterone.”

I can’t help but laugh. “So it’s not my imagination.”

“Give me that.” She snatches the envelope from my fingertips, shoves it against her nostrils, and inhales deeply. She closes her eyes. After a pause, she says, “I think I just ovulated.”

“If you put that card in your underwear, I’ll smack you.”

She thinks for a moment then gives me back the card. “I’ve got a better idea.”

Without another word, she turns and disappears into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. I hear a husky male laugh, followed shortly thereafter by a low moan.

Apparently, Ty owes Liam a favor.

The flower guys come back in a few minutes and place the rest of the flowers around the living room and on the kitchen counter. I feel bad that I don’t have my purse, so I can’t give them a tip, until the one with the baseball cap informs me the tip was already generously handled by the customer who placed the order.

They leave me alone, wondering exactly how many varieties of black flowers there are. I think I must’ve received all of them.

I look at the card in my hand again. Then I return to my bedroom and pick up Ellie’s phone from where I left it on my bed and dial.

It rings once before it’s answered with a brusque, “Aye.”

“Liam? It’s Tru.”

Instantly, his tone softens. “Tru. I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon.”

“I just got the flowers. They’re amazing, thank—”

“How are you feeling? Did you sleep well? Are you taking your pills? Drinking enough water?

Have you eaten anything yet?”

I laugh, flattered by the worry in his voice. “Good, yes, no, and not yet, I just got up. But I promise I’ll drink more of your pricey French mountain water as soon as possible.”

Feeling shy, I add softly, “And maybe gorge myself on pistachio ice cream. Thank you for that, too. And for all the other stuff. I think there’s more food in this apartment right now than at the grocery store. You’re very generous.”

There’s a pause. When he speaks again, his voice has turned husky. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

My cheeks heat, but I manage to keep my voice steady. “Good. I’d hate to think this insanity was one-sided.”

He starts to say something, but I cut him off. “If you’re going to say something along the lines of,

‘it would be better if it were,’ I’ll hang up on you, so don’t bother.”

Another pause, this one longer. “All right. I won’t say it. Though I have to admit, it’s disturbing that you took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Don’t like being predictable, hmm?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s that it’s never happened before.”

“I hate to tell you, wolfie, but you’re a bit of a broken record when it comes to that particular topic.”

He chuckles. “Not that it’s done any good.”

“Once I make up my mind, I can’t be budged.”

“So I’m learning. I need to see you.”

The sudden gruffness in his voice makes my heart start to thud. “Um…when?”

“Now.” His exhale is aggravated. “Except I can’t get away until later tonight. I’m not sure when.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Come over whenever you can.”

“It might be late. Very late.”

“Okay. I’ll leave the door unlocked.” He groans softly.

“What’s wrong?”

“You should say no to me.”

I wrinkle my forehead and huff out a disbelieving laugh. “I don’t think those words have ever been spoken by a man before in the whole of human history.”