Page 84 of The Arrangement

What melted faster than a chocolate bar left on the dash? Whatever it was, that was me. An instant puddle of lovestruck goo. “You can’t steal something you already have or that was given freely.”

His teasing smile softened into something much sweeter and light. The way he looked at me had my heart fluttering like a butterfly circling the prettiest flower in the garden. “I love you so much, Tulip.”

“I love you too, Honeysuckle,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and tugging him down for a kiss. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop him from snickering against my mouth. “Shut your face.”

“Not my fault you gave me a flower name with ‘suck’ in it.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I caught my sister rolling her eyes in the background. “I can only imagine why.”

Mirroring my twin, I rolled my eyes. “Imagine all you like. That’s not why. You became my Honeysuckle when I realized how sweet you are inside. It just had to be pulled out slowly.” He blinked at me, looking a little stunned, and I did a mental victory dance. “Does this mean I win at flirting?”

His full laugh rolled over me, enveloping me in warmth and happiness. “Considering you made at least two accidental dick jokes? Debatable, but I’ll let you have it. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, you lied to me about being terrible at flirting. You’ve been expert level with me practically since I showed up at your door.”

I snorted, not buying that for a second. But, hey, if he liked my weird penguin-style of flirting, you wouldn’t catch me arguing. “And you sayI’mtoo much.”

“You’re both too much!” Alex hollered from the opposite side of the store where her iron lizards looked like they were having a little too much fun.

James and I looked at each other and shrugged. Then he tugged me flush against him and sealed our mouths together. Yeah, we were extra as fuck and I wouldn’t have it any other way. His tongue slipped past my lips, prompting me to release a small moan as I met his exploration.

“Alright, that’s enough, you two. If you’re going to be doing that, then you need to get a room that’s not one I’m in. Marc and I may share everything, but that doesn’t mean I want to see it firsthand.” Alex huffed, and I didn’t have to see her to know she’d crossed her arms and was giving us the stink eye. Naturally, I continued kissing James a little longer to mess with her.

“God, the things I want to do with you, Sarge.”

James let out a deep groan that I felt more than heard. “Not the place, baby boy,” he whispered, his lips brushing lightly over mine with each word.

“Maybe not now.” I pulled away from him with a wink and loved the unbridled lust simmering in his eyes as he watched me. Not so subtly rearranging myself, I turned to face the front of the store, where shock slapped me in the face with the force of a hurricane gale. “Margaret?”

Her mouth opened and closed, then she swallowed thickly, her gaze jumping between me and James. As much as I’d love to give my sister and my boyfriend shit for not giving me a heads-up, it wasn’t like they could have seen her coming with the windows still being boarded. There was only the door cut out, and that had only been propped open to help with airflow.

“Oh, hey! Good to see you again,” James said cheerfully as he stepped up and threw an arm over my shoulders. “What brings you in?” I shot him a glare. What was it with him and trying to get this woman to stick around?

She opened her mouth, and a squeak came out. She promptly closed it and cleared her throat, not that it made any difference to how strained her voice was when she spoke. “I finished helping Mama at the church and thought I’d swing by to offer my services.”

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Margaret May,” Alex said behind me, her voice getting louder as she moved closer.

Margaret cleared her throat again and dropped her gaze to the floor. “Alex. I didn’t realize you were back in town.”

“Just passing through to lend a helping hand.” Alex stepped in front of me like a living wall of interference. “What do you say you come with me? I’m sure I can make use of your… services.”

James swallowed a laugh, nearly choking on it—and it would serve him right—as Alex looped her arm through a stunned Margaret’s with a beaming grin. Then she proceeded to escort her past us toward the back of the shop. I shot her a look when she was even with me, and she gave me her usual fake-innocent face.

“What?” she asked under her breath. “It’s not like she even knows it was a double entendre.”

“What was that?” Margaret asked, her head swivelling to look at me and James with wide eyes.

Alex patted her arm and gave her a placating smile. “Nothing, Thistle.” Margaret frowned, but I doubt she understood the meaning behind the flower.

James waited until they were well and truly in the back of the shop before turning to me with a chuckle. “So what’s the story with Little Miss May?”

“Raised by a hyper-religious family, an obnoxious, overbearing mother—basically every Southern Baptist stereotype rolled into one.” I let out a heavy sigh.

“And?” he prompted with a teasing glint in his eye.

“And she’s been chasing me since I first set foot in Fairhope.”

He pulled me back to him, wrapping his enormous arms around my waist. “Someone should tell her you’re taken.”

“I’m pretty sure she knows now,” I grumbled. “While I was never interested in her, I don’t hold any real animosity. Honestly, I’m a little more worried about what Alex will do to her. They’ve been at odds for as long as Margaret has been chasing me.” I shook my head, wondering if I needed to go back there and rescue her from mymostlywell-meaning twin.

James gently moved my face with his finger so I was looking at him instead of toward the back where Alex was doing God only knew to torture Margaret. “You know what I think?”