He watched her bloom as the days warmed, not unlike the flowers he tended. Her light seemed to emerge from the inky darkness and she more often than not was smiling when she came into his shop.
Today was no different when the shop bell rang prompted him to look up. “Hello, Adelaide. How is the bunny?” He rose to his feet, a smile adorning his lips. His heart still leapt in his chest when she held out her arms to him. Dylan swiftly closed the distance between them before he wrapped her up tight.
“Not even going to ask how I am doing, are we?” She smiled up to him.
“Of course I was going to, Love,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead before she pulled away. “So how are you today? We’ve been having a lot of the storms you love.”
She smiled again and set about looking for the flowers she wanted. “I am doing alright. Just trying to figure out why this bunny keeps disappearing. I want you to meet him. He’s quite the character.”
Dylan smiled and shook his head. “Maybe he has wander lust and simply can’t resist the arms of a beautiful woman at night.”
She scoffed and sighed with a smile. “You keep saying that, but I don’t see it.”
“I do, and that’s all that matters of course,” he grinned coming up behind her. She did not have to turn around for him to see her ears turn pink as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“May I ask you something?” Adelaide turned around and leaned back looking up to him.
“Of course. What is it?” He brushed his fingertips down her cheek unable to help himself.
“Why do you keep calling me beautiful?” She turned a deep crimson. “No one else does. Well…other than you know who, but he doesn’t count because he’s a pig.”
Dylan laughed and shook his head. “Because it’s the truth, Love. You ARE beautiful. If anyone says otherwise, you just let me know and I’ll take care of them.” He tipped her face back up with a finger when she looked down. “Why do you ask that? Have I given you reason to doubt my word?” He frowned slightly.
“No,” she glanced up to him uncharacteristically shy. “You’re the only one who says that, so I was wondering why you thought that.”
Cupping her cheek he smiled and shook his head. “Oh Addy, I love your curious mind.” The bell rang behind him and instantly Dylan’s hackles rose at the familiar footsteps. He turned while pulling Adelaide behind him. “What do you want, Perry boy?” He managed to growl as he felt her lean into him.
“I saw her come in here,” Peregrine pointed behind Dylan with his healing hand. “I want to talk to her.”
“She doesn’t want t…”
“Are you her keeper? You aren’t even her boyfriend, back the fuck off Dylan,” Peregrine cut him off.
Dylan stiffened and his spine went ram rod straight as rage consumed him. “You are in my shop, Peregrine. I suggest you remember that.”
“You think I care?” Peregrine stormed over to Dylan looking him eye to eye. “You aren’t the one whose name she was calling last night.”
Dylan saw red. “Get out,” he growled. “Get the fuck out of my shop now and if I see you step foot in here again, I will have your head on a platter.” Adrenaline poured into his veins and all he could feel was pure hatred for the man in front of him. The man had been the bane of his existence for as long as he could remember. She may not be mine, but I sure as fuck am not letting him have her.
Peregrine shoved his finger into Dylan’s chest. “Or what, pretty boy? Everyone knows you are soft. She only tolerates you. She doesn’t want a passive boy like you. Adelaide needs man lik…”
Dylan’s fist met Peregrine’s left temple and the man crumpled at his feet. “Get out of my shop,” he growled again. When the man did not move, he grabbed Peregrine’s shirt and dragged him out into the road. “If you EVER think to come into my shop and treat Adelaide or myself in such a manner again, I will have you jailed. Do you understand me?” He shouted at the stirring man.
He felt all eyes on him as he turned before the man could answer and began to go back into his shop. Dylan looked to his right and Mrs. Mox was staring right at him and when he noticed, all she did was smile and nod in approval. He nodded back and paused. “How are you doing today?”
The elder woman smiled and shook her head. “Far better now. You make this old woman’s heart happy.”
Despite his anger he could not help but smile. “I am glad to have helped, Mrs. Mox.” He smiled once more and walked back into the shop where Adelaide was nowhere to be found. He frowned deep, then continued to the very back of his shop where the stairs lead to his room. The stairs took a toll on his healing leg; however he made it to the top and knocked quietly on the door. “Are you in there, Love?” He called quiet.
“If I said no would you go away?”
“Probably not, Love. You can’t rid yourself of me that easily,” he laughed softly and opened the door. His eyes fell on her as she lay on his bed. She was curled up under her favorite blanket of his in what he could only assume to be an attempt to appear invisible. “I can see you, you know,” he said, sitting down next to her.
“I am tired, go away,” she protested weakly.
He shook his head again. “Not going to happen, Addy,” he reached out and put his hand on her hip. “Come on, let’s go do something. Forget about him.”
“Let’s sleep instead,” her voice was muffled.
“Come on, Addy girl,” he shook her tenderly. “Let’s go to our field. We both need to get out of here. Maybe they will be having that egg hunt they always invade our space with.”
“But you hate that event,” her blue-grey eyes appeared from under the quilt.
“So? I would go because you love it,” he smiled to her. He reached out and cupped her now visible cheek as she slowly emerged from the safety of the quilt. “What do you say, Love? Would you like to go to our field?”
She turned into his hand and smiled. “Of course,” she nodded.
Before Dylan realized what was happening, Adelaide had her arms around his neck and sat on his lap with her legs to one side of his. Breathing her deep he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her hair.
“Thank you for taking care of him, again,” she murmured.
Her lips brushing against his skin nearly killed him. “As I said, my arms are always yours. Even if it’s to get rid of that pest,” he kept his voice carefully level despite the fire searing through his veins. This woman is going to be the end of me. He ran his hands over her hair and she fit herself against him. Christ, she doesn’t even know what she’s doing to me. Or she does and doesn’t care. Taking a shaky breath Dylan pressed a kiss to her hair. “Shall we go, Love?”
She nodded silently and got up not letting go of his hand. Hope sprung into his chest when she tangled her fingers into his and pulled his hand to her face. “You hurt yourself.”
He followed her obediently as she pulled him towards the pitcher of water and basin he kept in his room. “Did I? I didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, you split your knuckle open on his temple.”
He watched her work without responding. Her deft hands cleaned the wound with little to no sting. Each movement sent chills he had to repress up his arm she tended to his hand. Adelaide stopped to admire her handiwork before she nodded and took his hand again.
“I think the hunt is in a few weeks, but let’s go anyway.”
The smile she looked up to him with took his breath away, along with the rest of his logic. He reached up and cradled the back of her head with his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. The shadows of the dark room played over her face as he focused on her eyes that seemed to always change color. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind he registered her hands resting on his forearms while his lips slanted over hers.
“Wh…what are you doing, Dylan?”
He paused—his lips naught but a hair’s width away. “Kissing you, Love. Is that alright?” his whispered. Everything in him screamed for her touch. His stomach was in knots as it conflicted with the fire coursing through him while he awaited her answer. Indecision flashed in her eyes for only a brief second before she nodded.
“I would like that very much,” her voice was barely above a whisper.
His lips met hers and his world stopped. Years and years he had dreamed of this moment, and yet nothing could compare with how impossibly soft her lips were beneath his. He ran his tongue over the seam of her pliant mouth and was rewarded with her tongue gliding along his. She ran her hands up his arms coming to rest on his chest, her fingertips leaving trails of fire in their wake.
His eyes drifted shut and he ran his hands down her back fitting her tight against him. It was so much more than he expected, and yet she tasted even more exquisite than he had imagined. She tasted of the earth and sunshine. She tasted of hope and light. It was a taste he knew he would forever crave as if it had branded his soul.
She leaned into him and her hands slid up his chest before she wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt like his body was specifically made for hers. Dylan held her tighter, never wanting to let her go. He ran his right hand up her back to bury his fingers in the wealth of her hair. It felt like finely spun silk when he gently massaged her scalp, drawing a quiet mew from her chest that he felt to his core.
Her fingers threaded into his hair and the sensation sent chills radiating through him. Gently pushing her back onto the dresser, Dylan could not contain the groan that left his chest. The way she placed her legs to either side of him sent streaks of lightning up his sides. His hands moved down to hold her waist, his body shrieking at him. Her legs hooked on his hips and the way her feet hooked behind his thighs drove him crazy.
Her hands slid down his chest as she returned his kiss, drawing shivers from him with every movement. What Dylan was not prepared for was the fire ignited on his skin when Adelaide slipped her fingers under his shirt and traced the lines of his muscles. A groan exited his chest when he moved his hands back to her hair and buried his fingers back into the infinite amount of silk.
His hands reluctantly left her hair to cradle her cheeks once more. He broke the kiss knowing if it went too much longer he would end up regretting moving too fast. The dazed look on her face tested his resolve as he pressed one gentler kiss to her lips. “I have wanted to do that for as long as I can remember,” he whispered breathlessly. His forehead coming to rest against hers, he pressed several other kisses to her lips.
“Really?” her voice was quiet and her fingers continued to play in his hair.
He chuckled and kissed her again. “Yes, with everything I am.”
She bit her swollen lip and he felt the heat beneath his fingertips. “I had no idea, but I am glad.”
A laugh rang in his ears and he could not resist kissing her one last time before reluctantly pulling away. He breathed deep and did his best to calm himself down not wanting to push her to where his body wanted to go. It is simply too soon. Dylan breathed deep once more before he stood and moved back a single step. “So, about that field?”
She nodded and hopped down from the dresser, her body moving against his. Before she moved away Adelaide buried her fingers in his hair and pulled his face to hers. She kissed him deeply, her whole body seemingly immersed when his arms went around her. His world tilted while her tongue slid along his. He could not imagine never feeling this way again. He would never forget her fingers against his skin. Too soon the kiss ending and Adelaide’s laugh wrapped around him. Reaching behind her, she threaded her fingers into his and pulled his arm over her shoulder.
While he knew she was trying to help get some of the weight off of his leg, Dylan also suspected something else. Instead of confirming what he was thinking he merely pressed a kiss to her temple as they made their way out into the daylight. He locked the shop and flipped the sign then turned to her, gladiolus bloom in hand.
She gasped with delight. “How did you do that?”
Dylan winked and tucked it behind her ear before running his finger down her cheek. “A magician never reveals his secrets,” he quipped with a laugh. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her against him before they made their way out of town.
He felt her thread her fingers through his and move tighter against him. “He’s over there,” she whispered quietly.
Dylan chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to her hair. “Don’t you worry about that buffoon, Love.” His chocolate eyes shifted to the glowering man. He could not hide the smirk that came to his lips when he saluted the man facetiously. Dyland knew Peregrine would be furious seeing Adelaide tucked against him, so he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers reverently.
She nodded and left her fingers tangled in his like it were the most natural thing in the world.
Truth be told, it was for him. Touching her, protecting her, seeing to her well-being—all of it was something that came naturally to him. On some level Dylan knew he had always loved her—even as children. She was the first thing he thought of when he woke up and the last thing he thought of before he went to sleep. Even now—with her safely tucked under his arm—it felt like nothing was out of place.
“You got quiet,” her voice broke through his thoughts.
“Hmm?” he looked down to her with a smile on his face.
“Where did you go?” she poked him in the ribs drawing a playful yelp from his chest. “You were off rescuing damsels in distress that weren’t me in your mind.” She cocked her eyebrow and that mischievous gleam he loved came to her eyes. “Should I be jealous?”
Dylan brought his hand to her chin and dipped his head to hers, his eyes locked on hers. “I would never dream of doing such a thing, Love,” he murmured before allowing his eyes to drift shut and pressed a kiss to her lips in front of the whole town.
She broke the kiss for a moment, her voice husky, “careful, Hero, you may wind up with more than you bargained for if you keep kissing me like that.”
He laughed and nipped her lip. “I count on it. Besides, how else can we keep numb nuts away? He thinks he’s laid claim when he couldn’t be farther from the truth.” He kissed her once more before standing back upright. “I have to mark my property somehow,” he ran his finger down her cheek before she lodged her finger into his side again. “Hey now! That’s beginning to hurt.”
She did it again and laughed “Good. You’re lucky I know you so well or I would have missed that teasing tone in your voice jackass.”
Peregrine stormed over to them killing the light-hearted moment. “What do you think you’re doing Dylan?”
Dylan instinctively moved Adelaide behind him and felt her tuck her fingers into the band of his pants. A smirk came to his lips keeping one hand on her and motioned towards their field with the other. “Enjoying the day with my other half it would appear.” The fury that flashed across Peregrine’s face left Dylan oddly satisfied.
“Other half my ass,” Peregrine started and tried to shove Dylan out of the way.
Dylan squared his shoulders and stood nose to nose with the man unafraid. “Get your hands off of me. You aren’t getting to her again, Perry boy.”
“The hell I am,” the man growled.
Dylan’s chocolate eyes flashed with rage just as his father shoved himself between them. “What in the hell is going on between you two boys?”
“Tell him Perry boy. Tell him how you were going to attempt to abduct my soul mate from me,” Dylan motioned with his hand again when Adelaide appeared at his side and tucked herself against him.
Dylan’s father turned to Peregrine after his eyes widened some seeing the way Adelaide held to his son. “Is this true, Peregrine?”
“She isn’t his soul mate, she never has been,” Peregrine loathed moving back several steps however the elder man forced him away from the pair.
“That’s not what I asked. Were you going to harm Adelaide?” The elder man moved Peregrine farther back.
“No, I was going to show her the error of her ways,” Peregrine tried to move past the elder man.
“Peregrine,” Dylan ground out, “I suggest you stop now before I humiliate you in front of everyone. We both know who would always win in schoolyard fights, and it wasn’t you.” His arm tightened around Adelaide, his heart racing. He always wanted to get ahold of the egotistical fuck after they were adults; however the opportunity had never presented itself.
Peregrine’s eyes flashed while he glared at Dylan. The elder man shoved Peregrine back just before he lunged at Dylan and Adelaide. “Get out of here, Perry. Adelaide has time and time expressed that she wants nothing to do with you,” Dylan’s father glanced back at him and back to the larger man in front of him. “It’s obvious to me that she’s chosen who she wants. Forget about her, child.”
“This isn’t over,” Peregrine growled before storming off.
The elder man rubbed his face and sighed heavily. He turned to the couple and smiled. “It seems I owe you an apology, Son. You were right and I see that now.” Patting Adelaide on the shoulder, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “If Dylan gives you any trouble, you let me know.”
Dylan rolled his eyes hard. “I can hear you.”
“Kind of the point,” the elder man’s eyes sparkled with the same mischief his son’s did before walking away.
Dylan looked down to Adelaide and sighed. “It looks like it won’t ever end doesn’t it?” A chuckle left his chest and he leaned down to brush another kiss over her lips after she shook her head. “C’mon, let’s go.”
They made their way to the field and headed back towards the back where there was a small tunnel. Dylan tangled his fingers in hers as he pushed back the brush to let her through. The tunnel was dark and overgrown, so he lead the way through the vines, feeling her stay close behind him.
“We’ve been coming to this field since we could walk. How did you find this Dylan?” Her voice was awestruck when they exited the darkened tunnel into a large cavern.
“Oh, just while I was out gallivanting around saving damsels in distress and all that,” sarcasm laced his voice. He laughed when she scoffed.
Light spilled down over a deep lake as it filtered down from an enormous hole in the ceiling. Flowers of all kinds bloomed and filled the warm air with the sweet scent of spring. The slow drip of water from the ceiling only eclipsed by the faint sound of the waterfall across the large space. Butterflies flitted from flower to flower and it was like they were hiding in their own personal paradise.
Dylan looked down to Adelaide a smile coming to his face when he saw her wonderstruck features. “Remember those Gladiolus flowers?” He waited for her nod before continuing. “They came from right over there,” he pointed to the sunniest spot in the cavern next to the lake. “They reminded me of you, so I couldn’t leave without some after I found this place.”
She turned to look up at him and her blue grey misted over. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Dylan.”
His smile broadened. “Anything for you, Love.” Dylan’s fingers grazed her sides while she leaned up to kiss him. A soft sigh left his chest as she pulled away but stayed wrapped in his arms. “What was that for?” he asked with a chuckle.
She smiled and nuzzled his nose. “Everything.”
“Okay then,” he laughed and nipped her nose.
“Hey, that bunny does that to me all the time. Now you? What is it with you males?” Adelaide smacked his chest playfully.
Dylan cringed inwardly, anxiety filling his gut. “Well, there’s something I have to tell you, Addy. And I hope you won’t think differently of me.”
“What do you mean? What could possibly make me think differently of you Dylan? You are my oldest friend. What is there that you haven’t told me?” Worry colored her features while she asked.
Her nose wrinkled in confusion in the way he loved and Dylan knew he had kept his secret long enough. Letting her go he stepped back several paces and stripped his clothes off much to what he assumed was her disbelief based on the gasp he heard.
“What are you doing, Dylan?!”
He turned around and her blush stained every inch of exposed skin. His chocolate eyes focused on hers and his skin ignited as her eyes drifted down his body. This was the first time she had seen him naked in their adult lives and he knew he was about to drop a bombshell on her. “This is what may change your perception of me,” he whispered and shifted.