Page 20 of His to Possess

“Well,” Mrs. Higgins murmurs. “It seems someone has caught a case of the sillies.”

Somehow, that makes it even funnier. This sweet, grandmotherly lady sitting here while we lose it over sexual innuendo. I have actual tears coming down my face, and Philip is slumped against the doorjamb to remain upright.

“Did you hear the laundry buzzer?” she asks, sounding amused. “I suppose I’ll get back to my washing up.” She pats me gently on the shoulder as she passes, but I’m still giggling too hard to respond. A moment later, Philip collapses onto the barstool across from mine, wiping at his eyes.

“Christ, I haven’t laughed like that in ages,” he says, trying to catch his breath.

“Me neither.” Our eyes meet across the counter, both of us grinning broadly. And then, suddenly, the energy around us shifts. My gaze feels trapped in his, like I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. And I definitely don’t want to. How had I never noticed how gorgeous his eyes are? When I was younger I would get so caught up in his accent, or the broadness of his shoulders, or that smoldering smile. But now that I’m really letting myself look, I realize that I’ve been missing out on one of his best features for years.

He reaches across the counter and uses his thumb to wipe a tear of laughter from my cheek. “This was nice to come home to,” he murmurs, voice a little gruff.

“What was?”

“You, sitting here in my kitchen. Seeing you chat with Maryanne. The smell of those cookies. It feels…nice.”

“I’ll tell you a secret,” I say, leaning across the counter and lowering my voice. “She let me test the dough. They taste even better than they smell.”

His smile is soft, his face way more gentle than I’m used to. “She never makes me cookies. Says I have to watch my weight in my thirties.”

My eyebrows go up and I let my gaze drift down over his body. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Lilah,” he says gruffly and I snap my eyes back up. “Are you flirting with me?”

I give him a cheeky grin, even though my heart is pounding hard. “Maybe.”

His eyes darken, gaze flicking down to my lips. “You should be careful,” he murmurs, and I can’t help but shiver at the dangerous purr in his voice. “A sweet girl like you could get in some real trouble with a man like me.”

“What if I want to take my chances?” I breathe. He leans a little closer, eyes still on my lips. Oh, my god, is he going to kiss me? Is Philip Matthews actually going to kiss me? The echo of my sixteen-year-old self gives a mighty shriek from the recesses of my brain.

But just as suddenly as the energy changed after our laugh, it changes again as Philip roughly pushes his chair back. “I have a few things to do in my home office. You okay here?”

I feel like I have whiplash from the sudden shift in his demeanor. “No, actually,” I snap, stung by what feels an awful lot like rejection. “I can’t just hang out in your penthouse, Philip. I told you, I need to go home.”

“Why?”

“Because Ilivethere?”

“I want you here this week.”

I gape at him. “You said you wanted me to stay for the night. I can’t stay here for an entire week!”

“Why?” he asks again. This man is completely maddening.

“Did you not hear me the first time?” I snap. “I live there.”

He crosses his arms, expression turning icy. “It’s safer here.”

“Safe from what?”

Suddenly he’s right in front of me, face inches away as he leans into me, icy blue eyes boring into mine. “You tell me, Lilah. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into? What could possibly be so bad you thought your only option was a place like Rendezvous?”

I swallow past my suddenly dry throat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He narrows his eyes. “Well, until you feel like telling me what we’re dealing with, you’re staying here where I can keep an eye on you.”

“I’m not a child, Philip,” I shoot back.

“You’re doing a pretty good impression of one right now, love.”