Page 70 of Make Me Yours

And seeing her barefoot, smiling, her arms wrapped around the tiny ball of fur I brought home for her, just about knocks the wind from me.

She glances up with a gentle expression. “Thank you again for her,” she says, cuddling Waffles closer and pressing a kiss to the kitten’s head.

I struggle against a swell of emotion. “I’d do just about anything to put that look on your face.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

Lilah rises to her feet, with Waffles in her arms, before closing the distance between us. When her gaze dips from my eyes to my mouth, the air around us turns thick and heavy, pressing in on all sides. For just a moment or two, I swear she’s about to kiss me.

My heart stutters. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my life.

At the last second, she leans in and presses her lips against my cheek.

It’s innocent.

Sweet.

And my complete undoing.

It takes every shred of self-control I have not to haul her against me and kiss her the way I’ve been dying to for years.

Waffles meows, and the moment dissolves. Lilah gives a light chuckle as she steps back with the kitten still cradled in her arms.

I’m nowhere near ready for this night to be over.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

She smiles. “Sure.”

I shrug off my jacket and loosen my tie before popping open the top buttons of my dress shirt as I move toward the kitchen. Her attention stays on me as the silence stretches between us. I pour her a glass of wine and then grab a bourbon for myself before heading back to the living room. I find her tucked into the corner of the couch with Waffles pressed against her side.

After settling beside her, I pass her the wine.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink.

She nods, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “Yeah, it was nice.” Then she rolls her eyes and her expression turns wry. “Zane, however, is a total jerk. I can’t believe he brought his new girlfriend over and introduced her to Callie like that.”

“Zane’s an asshole who never deserved her in the first place,” I say with a grunt.

Lilah’s head tilts, a grateful look crossing her face. “Thank you for saying that.”

I frown. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s the truth.”

With a shrug, she runs her fingers along the stem of her glass. “I don’t know. He’s your teammate. Bro code, I guess?”

I level her with a look, one that leaves her fidgeting beneath my steady gaze. “Come on, Lilah,” I say. “You know me better than that.”

“You’re right, I do. That’s not the way you operate.”

She sips her wine before rising and padding across the room toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Something shifts inside me as I watch her.

“This view has to be one of the best in the city,” she says, gazing out at the glittering skyline. “I never get tired of it.”

Unable to resist the lure of her, I set my glass down and cross the room to stand behind her. I’m close enough to feel the warmth of her body as the scent of her perfume dances in the air.

“You’re wrong,” I murmur. “The view’s got nothing on you standing there in that dress.”

“Thank you. You’re always so good to me.”