Page 68 of Taming I Do
I wasn’t sure if I should take her observation as a compliment. “How about we focus more on finding butterflies and less on my emotional intelligence?”
Her grin spread wider. “Sounds like a plan.”
Ten minutes later I’d pulled up in front of the milkweed farm. It was a mom-and-pop operation well outside town limits. They focused on cultivating native plants and operated a small organic produce market.
I entered the small building, Delilah right behind me. I explained the situation to the owners, and they directed me to a spot along a narrow stretch of creek bed where the milkweed flourished. Hundreds of butterflies flitted from one plant to the next. I gathered the nets from the back of the truck and handed one to Delilah.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
The look on her face told me she hadn’t. Her good eye sparkled as a butterfly landed on her shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”
Another one came to rest on her nose. Her eyes crossed. I snapped a quick picture with my phone.
“Don’t you dare share that with anyone.” She tried to look stern but with a butterfly on her head, one on her nose, and several more dotting her shirt, I couldn’t take her seriously.
“Pinkie promise.” I held out my hand, and she looped her pinkie finger around mine.
“You’ve got one on your head.” Her gaze rested above my face. “I think we need a selfie of this. No one’s going to believe it.” She pressed against me, turning her bruised cheek to my chest, and snapped a pic as we both smiled into the camera.
“Let’s get to work.” I gently ushered butterfly after butterfly into the net, then transferred them into another one of the hampers my mom had provided.
Delilah helped, the smile on her face not faltering once. “Look, there are a bunch of them over here.”
I glanced over just in time to see her foot slip on a rock near the creek. “Careful!”
She went down, her ass landing in a deep patch of mud. Her mouth opened in surprise, but nothing came out.
“Are you okay?” I rushed over and held out a hand.
Delilah rubbed at her backside. “That hurt. I think I’m going to have a bruise on my backside for life from that.”
“You need some ice?” I should have warned her earlier. It could be slick by the water. Now she was injured—again—and this time there was no doubt it was all my fault. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”
“Warned me about what? That mud can be slippery?” She reached out so I could help her up. “I’m a grown-ass woman. I ought to know better.”
I pulled her to her feet, and she tried to steady herself by grabbing a fistful of my shirt.
“Oh no. I’m sorry. Now I’ve gone and got you all muddy, too.” She stared at the center of my chest where she’d gripped the fabric, leaving a crinkled, muddy spot.
“I’ll survive. You sure you’re okay?” I held her upper arm, trying to make sure she didn’t slip again. “You’ve got some mud on your cheek.”
She swiped a hand across her nose, running it over her cheek. “Better?”
“You actually made it worse.” I let go of her arm to wipe the mud away. As I did, she took a step forward.
She went down again, grabbing my arm as she did. Before I had a chance to gain my footing, we both landed. Me on my back, her splayed over my chest, her breasts pressing against me.
She gasped like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. “You okay?”
Like a crab, I scuttled backward, trying to get to a position where I could make sure she wasn’t hurt. She rolled over onto her back, her face smeared with mud. A deep laugh rumbled through her chest.
“You should see your face.” She pushed herself to a seated position and wiped a palm across my cheek. “Oh no, I made it worse.”
Seeing her there, her hair matted with mud, one eye bright with humor, her cheeks flushed underneath the dirt, did something to my insides. It was like the image of perfection she presented to the world had melted away, leaving the real Delilah exposed, for my eyes only.
My arm looped around her shoulders, and I lowered my face toward hers. The desire to kiss her consumed me. I fought it, knowing it could make things harder. But the heat inside me turned all of my reservations to ash.
Her smile faded as if she realized my intent. A conversation seemed to flow between us even though neither one of us said a word. I lifted a brow. She gave a slight nod. I touched my lips to hers.
