It wasn’t that he wanted to hurt her, in fact he hated himself anytime anything happened between them. Nothing had happened yet, but he would get so angry and from time to time she would get a little scared of him. He never touched her, but he had thrown a thing or two to get his point across. He was obviously under a lot of stress with his career. All she could do was be supportive and do her best to try to help him. She made her way out of the rooms and down the long hall to the garden to walk, she loved it there more than any other place on the ranch.
The weather was beautiful this time of year and she loved being able to enjoy it. She settled into a lounge chair, face upturned as she let her eyes close to enjoy the cool breeze that flowed over her skin. Taking deep breaths, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. It could have been an hour, or even two before she realized she had fallen asleep. She heard the crunch of gravel and knew now that someone had woken her. She sat up with a start and found herself face to face with him.
“You have a habit of napping in the garden?” He let his gaze linger, looking her over.
“No.” She said with an edge, jumping to her feet as she did. “I suppose I was just relaxed that’s all.” She crossed her arms waiting. She couldn’t leave the area until he moved out of her way, which by looking at his face he was well aware of.
He smiled at her as he leaned on the twisted oak. “You missed lunch.” He said it simply and she met his gaze.
“I wasn’t hungry.” She lifted her chin another notch. He chuckled.
“Well, perhaps I will see you at dinner then?” He waited for her to answer.
“Perhaps.” She knew it was weak at best, but it was almost like saying no.
He smiled at her once more, then sat down on the bench near the entrance. “So, how is mom doing, really?”
She felt his tone turn serious, and she relaxed. She couldn’t handle the charming side of him it unnerved her. But this… this she could do. She sat beside him.
“She’s actually doing much better than before. Her white count is lower and her blood pressure under control. She goes in to see Dr. Baker every few weeks, and he helps me keep her on track. She can be…. Well...”
“Combative?” He finished for her. “Yes, I know.”
“I think she just gets tired of life keeping her from doing what she wants.” She said it simply enough.
She felt his gaze on her face once more. “What about you Lila?”
She swallowed hard. “What do you mean? What about me?”
He leaned back on the bench, breaking his gaze on her. “Well, tell me about you. I let the agency find a few people, but my mother ultimately made the decision on who she wanted to have here. I never get to have an opinion, so this is my chance to get to know everyone.”
She sighed. “Well, I am a nurse; I grew up in Covington. I love your mother, and I love this ranch.” She shrugged. “Not much else to tell.”
“What about family?” He leaned up once more, this time closer to her. “Parents, siblings… boyfriend?”
She felt the heat creep in unexpectedly. He wasn’t touching her, but she felt the heat off of him like he was branding her skin. “No, no family. I do have a boyfriend.”
He focused his gaze on her mouth and she parted her lips subconsciously. He moved his eyes up then, until his eyes locked with hers. “You are a beautiful woman, Lila, so that doesn’t surprise me.” He almost whispered it to her.
She blushed, something she rarely did. He had an intoxicating effect on her. She averted her eyes, looking down at the ground.
“Thank You.” She gritted the words out.
The spell broken, he looked around them once more. “This garden has always been a part of this house. Did you know the gardens were designed first, and the house built around it?”
She shook her head.
“It’s true, my great great grandmother loved flowers more than anything in the world and my great great grandfather had them all planted so that when he brought her out here, to show her the land she would see her living bouquet. They planned the house around this.” He gestured to the massive expanse of foliage. “Of course it’s grown since then, but still, it’s the heart of the ranch.”
She smiled. “That’s beautiful.” She looked at him smiling, she watched his face shift once more.
“I want to kiss you Lila, boyfriend or not. I have a habit of just saying what I want, and I usually get it. With you there is a challenge in you, but I’m going to kiss you nonetheless.”
Before she could say anything she felt his hand on her back, pulling her into him, his mouth crushing hers in a kiss. She had no time to react, or to tell him no. Instead he just took what he wanted which seemed to be his way about most things. He raked his lips over hers, he slipped his tongue in, to taste of her honeyed sweetness and she felt the heat rolling up her body like a flash wave. She had no control as she kissed him back, giving him as much as he gave her. She felt him let her go and he stood then, moving back from her.