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Chapter Eighteen

L ily was staring up at him with such big, worried blue eyes that he wished he could snap his fingers and make everything well again.

But, instead, they were trapped here, her reputation and his ability to provide for himself and his family irrevocably threatened.

“I never should have brought you here,” he said, hearing the growl in his voice but unable to prevent it.

“You did not bring me here,” she said indignantly. “I was the one who directed us here. You followed me.”

“I do not believe followed is the right term. I accompanied you here.”

“Same thing. You could not have prevented me from being here.”

“And now here we are, locked in the administration offices of a warehouse together.”

“There are worse places to be,” she said, pausing before adding, “and with worse company.”

Her trust in him warmed him through.

“I’m glad that we are together,” he murmured.

“What is our plan to remain undiscovered?” she asked. “Do you think it is even possible?”

“We will search for somewhere to hide,” he said. “We’ll have to try to slip out when someone unlocks the door.”

“That’s putting a lot at risk.”

“It is, but do we have any other choice? None of the windows provide any access to the ground floor, and from what I can see, this is the only door out unless we want to end up in the middle of the factory floor.”

“Well,” she said with a shrug, looking at him with more trust than he deserved, “Let us go explore then, shall we?”

A couple of the doors were locked, and they decided to look in the unlocked rooms before considering any attempts to pick any of the others. Two offices held only a desk and a chair, while a third room held a long table with more comfortable seating, including a sofa on the side of the room.

Colin held the door open as he led Lily inside.

“Why do you not lie down and get some sleep?” he said, setting the lantern down on the table. “I’ll sit over here and keep watch.”

“You are the one who has to spend tomorrow working while I am not tired and have no responsibilities tomorrow,” she said. “It would be better if you lay down for a while. I will sit at the table and review the ledger. I promise that if I hear anything, I will wake you.”

“I cannot allow you to be unprotected,” he protested, but she stepped toward him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him backward toward the sofa.

“I insist,” she said. “And you are still here to protect me. I will wake you if I need to.”

The back of his knees hit the sofa, which temptingly enveloped him in its embrace, but he couldn’t help one more attempt.

“What if you do not hear someone come in and don’t have time to wake me? You will be alone. And I?—”

“Colin,” she said with an eye roll, “that door is so loud and heavy that it is a wonder the workers wouldn’t hear us enter.

Even with the distant noise, I would still hear someone coming.

If you will not rest for yourself, do it for those who work for you.

They need you at your best tomorrow, not exhausted after a night with no sleep whatsoever.

I asked you to come tonight, and I do not want to cause jeopardy for anyone else. ”

“Very well,” he finally agreed, for she did have a point. “I will lie down, but I will not fall asleep. I’ll just rest my eyes.”

She nodded in satisfaction before picking up the ledger and sitting beside the doorway. His eyes were on her until they finally closed.

And he fell fast asleep.

Lily smiled as she watched the rise and fall of Colin’s chest while he breathed slowly and steadily.

The man had been exhausted.

She had seen it in his eyes and had immediately regretted calling him out at this hour of night when he had to work the following day.

At least now he could get a bit of sleep.

She, on the other hand, was used to late nights, as oftentimes, social events her family attended could go well into the evening. Of course, she had the luxury of sleeping until she pleased.

She sat in one of the hard wooden chairs and spread the ledger open beside the flickering lantern before her.

She could only hope the light would hold for a couple more hours.

Lily opened it back to the page listing the players and then began flipping through the next few sheets of paper to see if there was more information.

Was there ever.

After the initial list of players, each player had an individual page, with their name underlined and a list of items below.

They appeared to be expenses – dinners, kits, travel.

She guessed Lord Montgomery would use those expenses to frame the players, or at least the ones he couldn’t bribe.

Lily knew Colin wouldn’t want to believe it, but she had often heard of players being paid to sway a game one way or the other.

Even those with the best intentions would have difficulty turning down a significant sum when it could make such a difference to their families.

Colin was being paid to play, and while he wasn’t being asked to go against his own team, he was still breaking the rules.

What difference would it make to some of the men who was paying them and for what but to make the ball go a different way now and then?

Lily flipped back to the first page, noting that two columns were added to the end of the page next to the player names, some with check marks and some without. But what did they mean?

She saw a mark by the names of about half the players and some of them – Joey, the injured player, being one – had an X in the second column.

She had her suspicions but couldn’t be sure.

She looked over at Colin, who was snoring just slightly enough to be endearing. She needed to speak to him about this but didn’t want to wake him. Instead, she would continue studying the book, so they may not have to steal it.

But just as she lifted the page to turn it, the light fizzled out.

Leaving her in complete darkness.

Colin woke with a start, completely confused about where he was and what he was doing.

The cushions beneath him were uncomfortable, and the room was dark around him.

The only thing orienting him was the lavender floral scent hanging in the air, one he would recognize anywhere.

“Lily?” he called out.

“I’m here,” she said, her voice growing steadily closer along with muffled footsteps. “I was across the room when the light went out.”

“Needs more gas,” he muttered as he swung his feet to the floor off the sofa, recollections of the night’s events returning to him.

“I was reviewing the ledgers before I lost the light, and I think I discovered something, although I can’t be certain,” she said before the sofa dipped next to him as she sat, likely closer than she even realized. However, her eyes had probably adjusted slightly to the light by now.

“What is it?”

“My theory is that Lord Montgomery has been determining whether he can bribe players,” she said. “If he can’t, then he is sabotaging them. For example, Joey had a tick and an X beside his name. Perhaps Lord Montgomery realized Joey would be above bribery, so he took him out of the game instead.”

“But if he were approaching players, surely some of them would have said something by now.”

“Perhaps he was doing so without raising suspicion,” she said. “Your name had a tick next to it in the one column.”

“And I was never asked.”

“No. But somehow, maybe he knew that you would not accept the bribe,” she said, and he hated the question he heard in her voice.

“You are wondering whether I would take it.”

“No. I know you wouldn’t,” she said, but he heard the skepticism there.

“I wouldn’t,” he said, needing her to know.

“Yes, I need money to support my family, and I am not above accepting the money that your father pays me to play football for the club and taking the higher position he offered in the mill. But I am a loyal man. I would never betray my teammates or the club I work for.”

“I understand,” she said softly, shifting toward him. “And I am sorry if you thought I was doubting you.”

“You have no reason to understand the lengths to which I would go to provide for my family,” he said quietly. “But I wonder if I will be next to be removed from the field.”

“You are the club’s most valuable goal scorer,” she said. “Losing you would be a blow to the team. You need to be careful.”

“Always am,” he said before he heard her yawn. “You’re tired,” he noted.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I can sleep the day away tomorrow.”

“Still, you might not make it through the night without some rest. Why don’t you lie down? It’s dark, anyway.”

“You still need to sleep.”

“I can rest,” he said, leaning back against the sofa, realizing that the only way to make her rest might be by pretending to do so himself.

He lifted an arm, slowly wrapping it around her shoulder, giving her time to pull away if she chose before drawing her in toward him. She came willingly, placing her head on his chest.

“We’ll rest together,” he promised, and she relaxed into him.

Colin was lying – he wanted her to sleep, but he knew he never would, not when he was holding her so closely, his entire body on edge at her proximity.

He rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her against him, both loving and hating how right it felt to have her in his arms.

“Colin?” Lily whispered, tilting her head up toward him. “Would you kiss me again?”

He groaned inwardly.

He should say no, just as he should have before, even as he couldn’t deny that he wanted her, all of her, with his mind, body, and soul.

But he just couldn’t seem to refuse her.

And so, pushing away all of the thoughts that told him this was a very, very bad idea, he leaned down and took her lips with his.

They initially met tentatively, but quickly grew in intensity as his desire for her nearly overwhelmed him.

He pulled her tighter against his chest, one hand tangling in her silky hair, a couple of pins dislodged and falling from her strands, while the other pressed against the small of her back.

Lily responded eagerly, her soft lips parting beneath his as she melted into his embrace.

A low groan escaped Colin's throat as Lily's tongue brushed his.

She was intoxicating, making his head spin.

Every fiber of his being yearned to be closer to her.

His hands roamed her curves through the thin fabric of her dress, caressing her narrow waist and the swell of her hips.

Lily shivered and sighed into his mouth, spurring him on.

He could have kissed her all night, but finally, with great restraint, he broke the kiss, though he stayed close as they both panted heavily. Colin rested his forehead against hers, trying to regain some semblance of control.

"Lily, we shouldn't—" he rasped, even as his body screamed in protest.

"Please, Colin," she breathed, her voice full of longing, likely matching her expression if he had been able to see it. "I want you. I need you."

Her impassioned plea shattered the last of his willpower.

Capturing her mouth again in a searing kiss, Colin lowered Lily down onto the sofa, covering her body with his own.

She arched up to meet him, all soft curves and warm, willing flesh.

A jolt of electricity raced through him as she pressed up against him, bending one leg beside him, eliminating any remaining distance between them.

Lost in sensation, Colin trailed fervent kisses along the graceful column of Lily's neck, inhaling her sweet floral scent.

She gasped and clutched at his shoulders when he found a particularly sensitive spot just below her ear.

Encouraged, he lingered there, lavishing attention with his tongue and lips until she was writhing beneath him.

"Colin, please," Lily whimpered, her fingers sliding into his hair. "More…”

Groaning, he slid a hand along her calf, then her thigh, pushing up the hem of her dress.

Her skin was like satin, impossibly smooth.

He ventured higher and higher, savoring every new inch revealed to his touch.

Lily's breath hitched when his seeking fingers brushed the lace edge of her undergarments, fabric from her dress spilling around them.

Colin paused, silently asking permission.

"Yes," she whispered ardently. "I trust you, Colin."

She couldn’t have said anything more perfect.

He found the slit in her drawers, delving within to find her most intimate place.

Lily cried out sharply as he stroked her slick folds, her hips lifting and following his touch.

She was already so wet, evidence of her desire coating his fingers.

Pride and possessiveness surged through Colin, knowing he affected her this strongly.

He knew he shouldn’t have done this, but he would protect her innocence at the very least.

To do anything more would make him the worst type of man. He would stay a step above.

But only just.