Page 40 of Touch Me Not (Manwhore #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lily blinked at the bright sunshine as she walked out of the Miami-Dade airport.

To her left, Luther looked ready to fall down and kiss the ground.

He didn’t fly so well. Even liquor didn’t help.

Nikoli had laughed and told him he should have slept.

Lily didn’t think that was an option for the poor guy.

Flying truly terrified him. She’d plugged in her headphones and watched a movie on her tablet and then opened a book she’d bought to bring with her.

Nikoli had taken his own advice and slept the entire flight.

She had a feeling he didn’t like flying either, only he handled it better than Luther.

They waited for the bus that would take them to the car rental facility on the property, and once there, Nikoli rented a new Lexus.

Lily would have taken the less expensive Ford Focus, but as Nikoli kept reminding her, he could afford it.

Since she’d told him she knew who he was, he seemed almost irritated with her for not asking him for things, but she didn’t want anything from him.

Except for his love, and that was something she wasn’t going to get.

The hotel was expensive too. Lily cringed thinking about the room service bill Luther was sure to run up.

He loved room service. He’d spent all day yesterday telling her about the wonderful room service the hotel offered.

It was their favorite place to stay when in Miami.

Nikoli reserved two rooms, one for them and one for Luther.

The front desk clerk was overly helpful when he saw them, which made Lily realize they must have stayed here quite a bit over the years for the staff to know them and be so attentive.

She shouldn’t be surprised, though. They were into racing, and Miami was a racing city.

Luther declined going out for lunch. He wanted to pass out.

Poor fella looked like he needed it. Nikoli shook his head and carried their luggage down the hall, motioning for Lily to unlock the door.

The room was gorgeous. There was a sitting room with a very comfortable-looking couch and a wall-mounted TV.

A small fridge and sink were tucked into the corner next to the bathroom.

Nikoli opened a set of double doors that led to the bedroom and dumped their luggage in front of the dresser that sported a TV sitting on it as well.

The massive king-sized bed was covered in a lovely gray comforter.

“Do you like it, Lily Bells?” Nikoli asked, coming up behind her. He gave her a moment then wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, turning her head to meet his wandering lips, and she sighed when his mouth finally landed on hers. His kiss was soft, gentle. It left her breathless.

“Want to try out the bed?” he whispered against her lips before pulling back and staring down at her.

“Nice try.” She leaned her head back against his chest. “Ellie is mine.”

“Not after this weekend,” he promised. The determination in his voice sent a full body shiver through her. “What do you want to do first? Rest, grab a bite to eat, or go see your mom?”

He hadn’t forgotten that she wanted to see her family. They’d flown out early so he could take her, since they’d be busy tomorrow. She wasn’t quite sure what time the race began. Nikoli said they’d text the time and location to him.

“Can we go see my mom?” she asked. “I called her last night to tell her we were coming. I’m sure she’ll cook a massive meal that no one can finish.”

Nikoli laughed. Lily had grown up in the mountains, and she’d warned him they tended to try to feed people into complacency.

“Sure, baby. Go freshen up, and I’ll go down and program the GPS with the address. Meet me down there when you’re ready.”

He was being so sweet. This was the Nikoli she’d grown to love, not the person he was around everyone else, even Luther.

She was going to miss him. Even though he hadn’t said anything, she had a feeling this was their last weekend together.

Call it intuition or instinct, but she knew she wasn’t wrong.

She went to the bathroom and took care of her business before she grabbed her purse and the kids’ presents and headed downstairs. She refused to be sad. If she only had him for this weekend, then she was going to enjoy it.

The drive to her mother’s took about an hour.

She lived right outside the city, but with traffic, it took longer than either of them had expected.

Lily saw two orange groves on the way. Her mother always raved about the fresh orange juice she got from one of them.

She and Lily’s stepfather had moved from North Carolina to Florida right after Lily graduated high school.

They loved it, and the kids loved living close to the beach. What kid wouldn’t, though?

When Nikoli slowed the car and pulled into the Spanish-style home, Lily got nervous.

This was her first big test to see if Nikoli really had helped her deal with her phobia, or if it was only him she could tolerate touching her.

What if she started screaming? What if she terrified the twins? What if…

“You’ll be fine, Lily Bells,” Nikoli told her, his eyes calm and reassuring. “You’re better now. You can do this.”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “If I can’t…”

“You and I have been together for months now, Lily, and nothing bad has happened to me, has it?”

“Well, no.”

“You aren’t cursed, you aren’t responsible for anyone’s death, and you’re not going to cause anyone to be hurt or to die. You can do this. I have faith in you, Milaya , so how about having a little faith in yourself?”

His words wrapped around her, like a cool balm on a hot summer’s day to her rattled nerves, and she returned his smile.

She still felt nervous, but the panic that had tried to overwhelm her disappeared.

Vanished. Nikoli had that effect on her.

He was her woobie. She almost laughed at the thought.

She’d had this ratty yellow blanket she’d clutched whenever she was afraid when she was a small child.

Her mama called it her woobie. Nikoli was her grown-up version of a woobie right now.

Her mother stepped out on the porch, and Lily studied her from where she sat.

Lily didn’t look a thing like her mother.

She and Laney had been the picture of their father.

Joanna Stanton was a short bundle of energy.

Blonde hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun, and she wore a pink tank top and blue jean shorts that showed off her sun-kissed skin beautifully.

Her mama looked good. The Florida climate suited her.

“Daylight’s wasting,” Lily murmured.

“What?” Nikoli asked, never having heard her speak like that.

“It’s something my dad used to say whenever he dreaded doing something. It was his way of reminding himself when something had to be done, there was no point in putting it off.”

“Your father was a wise man,” Nikoli said. “Ready to go?”

Not really, but she got out of the car anyway.

She and her mother regarded each other almost warily.

It had been over a year since she’d visited.

Nikoli came over and gently nudged her forward.

She glared at him. He needed to give her time.

He shook his head and pushed her forward again.

The man was insufferable. He never let her just take a minute and think.

She gave him one more hostile look and started walking. When she reached the porch, her mother took an automatic step back. She knew Lily’s phobia intimately.

“Hi, Mama,” Lily said, her voice hesitant.

“Lily.” Her mother’s voice was just as soft as hers. Lily used to love listening to her read to her when she was little. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her thoughts focused on what she was about to attempt.

She waited for the panic, for the overwhelming fear to consume her, but all she felt was the warmth and the love she associated with her mother.

And Nikoli. She could feel his presence behind her, and she took strength from that.

She walked over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tight. “I love you, Mama.”

Her mother let out a strangled cry and hugged her back just as hard. “Oh, my baby…”

Lily felt her mother’s tears fall down and splash her face.

She heard the wonder in her voice. It made her heart cry and swell with love at the same time.

She’d deprived herself and her mother of this for years, and now instead of panic, she felt only a deep sadness. She’d caused them both so much pain.

“I’m so sorry, Mama,” she whispered, her own tears joining her mother’s. “I didn’t mean to hurt you…I just…I…”

“Hush, now, sweet girl.” Her mama stroked her hair like she had when she was a little girl. “Hush and let me hold you.”

Behind her, Lily heard the trunk pop, and she knew Nikoli was getting the gifts she’d bought for her family, but it was only a distant thought. Right now, all she was concerned with was that she was in her mother’s arms with no fear, no panic, and no need to start screaming.

And that was all because of Nikoli Kincaid.

They spent the afternoon lounging by the pool while her mother cooked them enough food to feed three armies.

The twins were ecstatic to see Lily. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with them in person, but she did video chat with her mom and the twins at least two or three times a week.

They tore into their gifts like little fiends and squealed with delight.

What really broke Lily’s heart how shocked they were when she hugged them.

She spent two hours just sitting on the floor playing with the munchkins, smiling like she hadn’t in a very long time.