Feral Obsession

Chapter Ten

Ruby stared at the flowers in front of her. She tilted her head, taking in the arrangements, trying to gauge which combination of colors would look the best for the Miller wedding. She was given the color scheme, but Ruby had still been floored at the free reign the bride was giving her. "Flowers don't matter to me. You pick the arrangement. I know whatever you pick will be gorgeous."

She didn't like disappointing others, especially her clients.

"See any that you like?" The florist was smiling at her around the bouquets. Ruby knew that the bride wanted a blue and cream theme for the water-side ceremony. After a few moments of debating, Ruby selected a blue and white hydrangea arrangement. She talked with the florist about the sizes of the bouquets, which vases would look best, and finally she confirmed the date and time.

Right as Ruby was expressing her gratitude, the door to the storefront swung open, a bell chiming above head. Ruby turned to see the new customer, and she felt the blood rush from her head, leaving her dizzy.

Atlas stood there in jeans and a t-shirt, and Ruby found him perhaps even more attractive in that outfit instead of what he wore around the apartment building. The florist, standing in front of her, visibly swooned. "Shit," she said softly under her breath. Ruby shot her an alarmed look out of the corner of her eye, but the florist was moving towards Atlas. "Welcome! What can I do for you?"

Atlas was staring at Ruby in a way that made her heart skip a beat. Or maybe several beats. It was as if Atlas could see right through her, or perhaps read her every thought.

It terrified her.

Atlas moved his gaze from Ruby to the florist. "Hello." Ruby was shocked at how pleasant his voice sounded when he spoke to the florist. He almost sounded kind. It made her throat tighten uncomfortably, and she wondered how she would escape when Atlas stood in front of the exit. "I'm Atlas Langdon. My usual delivery man is feeling under the weather, so I'm here in his place. I have the shipment ready for you.

"Oh! You're the owner! It's nice to finally meet you, Atlas. Well, you can start unloading by my back counter. I'll handle the rest."

Ruby felt like she was interrupting something with the way the florist was mooning over Atlas. Something akin to jealousy flared in Ruby's belly, which made absolutely no sense, considering Ruby didn't like Atlas.

Right?

Atlas moved back outside, and the florist propped open the door with a wedge. When she turned back, it was like she had forgotten Ruby had been standing there. She jumped and put a hand to her chest. "Oh my God!" Then, she offered Ruby a sly smile. "He's so hot, isn't he? What are the chances he's single?"

Ruby had no idea. She didn't want to know, either.

"Yeah, super hot. Anyway, I'm going to get out of your hair, especially with this delivery. I'll check in with you again closer to the wedding date." Ruby forced herself to move to the front door, head down, refusing to look at Atlas. When she opened the door, the sunlight of midday seemed to blind her, and she shielded her eyes so she could see.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't have the chance to avoid Atlas, not when he was barking the question at her as soon as the door closed behind her. "I'm convinced you're stalking me, sweetheart. It's not going to make me feel bad about kicking you out."

Ruby turned, squinting up at him. A drop of sweat was sliding down his temple, and she found herself focusing too hard on the slow path it made towards his cheekbone. She had to blink hard to stop watching him with horny eyes.