Page 62 of Must Love Lavender and Little Lies
Rapping gently on the door, I waited just a moment before Juniper opened the door. She was a flour-covered mess.
“Granik,” she said with a smile. “I was?—”
“Baking? You’re covered in flour.”
She laughed. “I don’t know why, but I was craving one of my mother’s feta and parsley dishes. So, I started baking,” she said, then gestured to her apron. “Come in. I want to show you something.”
I followed her inside.
Juniper gestured to one corner of her living room, which was piled high with crates, bags, and boxes.
“What’s all that?”
“I was given a surprise bridal shower,” she said with a laugh. “Your ma didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been having pints with Narrow, so I missed her this afternoon.”
“Pints with Narrow? Oh, dear.”
I laughed. “Not that many pints.”
“I remember the night I found you asleep on the bench in my garden.”
“Yeah, that was a good night,” I said with a laugh.
“And you whined the whole next day for me to make you a tonic for your headache. Remember?”
“I blame the autumn ale.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“But now I’ll always have you with me, Junie. So the next time Narrow brews a particularly nice ale…”
She laughed. “You always had me with you,” she said, giving me a warm smile. “Now, you’re just going to be fixed with me for good.”
“I can think of nothing better,” I replied, then wiped a spot of flour from her cheek. Meeting her gaze, I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. I hadn’t gotten used to the experience yet. Her lips were soft, warm, and slightly salty, a tang of parsley lingering on her lips. Part of my mind still saw her as just Juniper, my bestie. But the other part, the part that had yearned for her, felt more. That part was alive and well, and the prospect that she would be my bride, my wife, well…
The kiss grew more passionate, deeper. Once more, my yearning for her grew, and I pulled her closer than ever, drizzlingkisses down her neck and knowing if I didn’t stop, where this might go.
“I’ve been thinking,” Juniper whispered. “In about five minutes, I’m going to invite you to my bed. But what if we…waited?”
“Wait until…after?”
“Mm-hmm,” she whispered. “In which case, I’m really going to need you to stop doing that because it’s all I can do not to take all of my clothes off right now.”
“Juniper,” I said with a surprised laugh, but I pulled her close. “I agree. Let’s wait until tomorrow, make it special.”
“Special,” she whispered. “I like that.”
“So, we stop,” I said as I layered kisses onto her neck.
“Mm-hmm,” she replied with a strained groan.
“Like, now?”
“Yes.”
“Or…now?”
