Page 33

Chapter 32

Tyler

S ometime during the night, I wake due to the presence of someone in my bed. Subconsciously, I know it’s Lily, but the foreignness of it still stirs me. I’m on my back, she’s on her side, and she’s snuggled right up next to me. The heat of her skin runs down my whole body, and my brain sticks on her bare skin.

Lily is naked and in my bed.

Naked.

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful women in my lifetime, but none of them compares to her. She takes my breath away just by being herself, and she doesn’t even have to try.

And as for yesterday afternoon and last night . . . I have no words.

Lily gave herself to me, and she did it without one second of reservation or shyness. Her confidence in her sexuality is a whole other side to her that I didn’t know and wish I hadn’t waited so long to get acquainted with.

Damn.

For hours, we explored, learned, and pleasured each other. It’s a good thing today is to just work with the physical therapist because not only am I going to be tired but it’s quite possible I’m going to be sore. Sore from stamina I haven’t had to use in a long time, and sore from positions like holding her up against the shower wall and squatting in the kitchen as I ate her off the counter before she cooked dinner.

But I’m certain I’m not the only one. She let me work her over in a way that was essential, and I didn’t hold back. I couldn’t. This has been building for months, and I needed her in a way that bordered on frenzied.

“You know I’ve never been in your room,” she whispers against my chest. I didn’t realize she was awake too, but now that she is, I know it’s okay to twist a little and run my hand up and down her back.

“What do you mean?” I ask her, tracing bump after bump of her spine.

“Just that. I’ve never been up here.” Her hand slides from my chest to my stomach and then reaches across the far side of me to cover my ribs. It tickles a little, but it feels sensual even more. It also feels like she’s hugging me, and I like that even more.

“Ever?”

“Why would I come up here? This is your room and your space. I have no business being in here unless you invite me.”

It’s never even occurred to me that she wouldn’t have come up here at some point, even if it was to check out the rest of the place.

“But you live in this house.”

“Yes, your house,” she says, dragging her fingertips back across my chest. I should tell her it’s our house, that after last night I’m done for, but something holds me back, and I don’t know why. As open as I am with her and as much as I want her in every way, I can’t get the words to pass my lips. There’s a barrier, and I find it so frustrating. Is it because I subconsciously still have boundary issues? Is it that I fear what will happen when things do blow up if she does her reveal? Since Jonah’s, those colored flags have still been waving, yet my instincts aren’t to push her out of the house, but to lock her in to keep her safe. Why can’t I just tell her?

“You can come up here whenever you want,” I tell her instead.

While I already trusted her before, hearing this just confirms it. I expressed my importance for privacy in my life when she moved in, and she respected that so much, she purposely stayed out of my room. I have nothing to fear, so why do I feel like the closer we get, the constant weight sitting on my chest gets heavier?

Lily turns her head to look at me. The room is dark, but there is light coming in the window. I don’t know from where, but it’s enough to see her.

“Glad to know I’ve been given the green light to snoop through all of your things,” she teases.

“It’s only fair. I went through all of yours,” I tease back, while taking a deep breath to ease the pressure.

She gasps and sits up. “Did you really?”

I chuckle. “No, but does it matter if I do?”

“Not at all. Although I don’t think my underwear or my shoes will fit you.”

“New rule, then, underwear-free house.” My hand runs over her thigh to her ass. I give it a squeeze because finally, I can.

“So I’ve been wanting to tell you, and I wanted to tell you in person. I think I’ve decided to do the book signing.”

“Really?” I shift so I can give her my undivided attention and prop my head up on my hand. That pressure strengthens. It has to be because I’m nervous for her. I’m not nervous for me.

“Yes. It’s time. I’ve thought about it nonstop, and every time I do, I feel excitement and not dread. While keeping my face hidden has made things in the past easier, it’s also hard too. People like connecting, and I want to connect with them. The thought of being out in the world excites me more now than it scares me. I’m in a much better place than I was. A lot of that is because of you, and I just want to say thank you.”

“Lil, you don’t have to thank me. And I didn’t do anything. This is all you, and I’m proud of you. Like I said before, if you want to do this, then I support you completely. If you don’t, then it’s not the time. More opportunities will come along.”

“You’ve done more than you know.” She pushes the hair off my forehead as she looks at me. Her expression is tender and vulnerable, and it makes my heart squeeze.

“It’s all the donuts I’ve been feeding you, isn’t it?” One corner of my mouth twists up.

“I do love donuts.”

“I know you do. You always eat the whole box and don’t offer to share even one. So rude.”

She laughs. “That’s such a falsy.”

“Falsy. Is that even a word?” I tuck her hair behind her shoulder as she gazes down at me.

“It is now. You’re spreading lies and making false statements. A falsy.”

“How about this statement? I like being there for you. I like you,” I tell her. It’s something, and while I’m not spilling my guts to her about my fears or desires, it makes me feel a little bit like I’m not keeping my emotions all to myself.

Her eyes shift back and forth between mine, and then she tilts her chin.

“So you like me, Mr. Quinn?” she asks, all seductive.

I don’t say anything. Instead, I reach up and run my thumb over her nipple. Her breath catches, and it’s a sound I’ll still hear when I’m dead. It’s so sexy and innocent, but it tells me everything I need to know about how her body feels with me touching her.

Not wanting to be any farther apart, she pushes me to my back, throws her leg over mine, climbs on top, and lies down. Her head rests on my shoulder, and as she breathes, warm air floats against my neck, and her hair drapes over my shoulder. I don’t mind, though. We’ve already established that I love it, plus it smells citrusy and is so soft.

Time passes as we lie together. I drag the blankets over us and then flat-hand her back. I’m so much larger than she is, but having her on my chest, with her heart beating next to mine,might be my favorite place for her.

Instead of falling asleep, she shifts, and her lips run across my collarbone to the underside of my jaw. I can feel my stubble as it scrapes against her skin, but she doesn’t seem to mind as she kisses her way to my waiting mouth.

“For the record, I like you, too.”

I cup the back of her head and kiss her so thoroughly, there’s no confusion about what this girl does to me. I’m hard as a rock. Again.

Needing more, I palm her heavy breasts and then slide my hands to her slender waist. She rises up, positions me, and then sinks down with a moan until she’s fully seated on me. She’s so warm, soft, and still so tight. My eyes roll back in my head and shut at the sensation.

“Lily,” I whisper, every muscle in my stomach contracting, and then she moves. Slowly and lazily, she rocks her hips back and forth.

“I can’t get enough of you,” she says, her fingertips drifting across my chest to my arms, where she holds on and lets me guide her a little more.

There’s something about this moment. With the darkness outside and inside my room and the quiet surrounding us, I feel like we are the only two people who’ve ever existed. Just me and her, and my heart trips over itself at how much this moment and Lily mean to me. I knew I was falling for her, but as she bends over to look me in the eyes, her chest brushes mine, and her hair curtains around us, I forget about the flags, their colors, the pressure, and fall all over again.

Gliding my hands over her warm skin, they tangle in her hair as I bring her mouth to mine. The taste of her, as our tongues and mouth mimic the swaying of her body, as she rides me so well, nearly has me wanting to pour out every thought and every dream I’ve ever had about her. If I had my way, we’d never leave this bed and just do this until we both die. Does that sound crazy? Absolutely, but she drives me crazy in the best way.