by Beth Michele
I’ve never looked at it that way, but Lily makes me see things in a completely different manner, makes me feel things I never knew were possible.
“I remember my parents bringing me here for work dinners when I was young. I remember feeling like a little ant looking up at all the tall buildings. But there was an excitement inside, too…I don’t know, like everything was so big and magnificent, filled with possibility.”
I bring my lips close to her ear, whispering, “Wait until you see Paris.”
I say it like we’re going together, like it’s plausible. As if she’d even want to go with me. Would I be an enjoyable travel companion? Chaz’s words about me not being fun come back to haunt me, the only saving grace being he’s my brother, which means it’s his job to give me hell—and be a pain in the ass. He’s mastered both to a T.
“I bet the Eiffel Tower is stunning at night…” Her words trail off as I open my mouth against her skin, sliding my tongue along the contour of her neck until she moans, tipping her head back in a silent plea for more. My dick hardens and I push against her ass, unable to handle how out of control she makes me feel.
“You know what else is stunning?” I lick a path to her ear, enjoying her hoarse whimpers. “You, without all these wet clothes.”
She lifts one hand from where it’s sitting on top of mine and places it behind my neck, pulling me down to her. Her voice is all sex and rasp. “Touch me.”
I move lower and slip under her shirt to palm her breast, thumb coasting over her lace-covered nipple. “I love your breasts,” I murmur, bringing my other hand up to squeeze and pinch until she peaks under my fingertips. “I love how turned on you get when I suck on your nipples. You make me crazy, you know that?” I go on, breathing heavier now. “Your smell, your hair, your lips. I can’t think straight when I’m near you.”
“Jace.”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Stop talking and put your hands on me,” she orders, desperation clear in her voice.
She brings out a playful side of me I never knew I had. “My hands are on you.”
“Jace…”
Smiling, I tug on her earlobe with my teeth then soothe the burn with my tongue. “Your wish is my command,” I whisper, fingers tiptoeing down her taut stomach to ease into her jeans. The only problem is, they’re plastered to her skin.
As if she senses my difficulty, she takes matters into her own hands. She breaks away from me and whirls around, disposing of her shirt and bra in a move that would impress Houdini. The pants take more effort, but I don’t mind staring at her tits as she bounces from foot to foot.
A laugh tickles the corners of her mouth before becoming a snort. “Jace, help a girl out. You can see I’m struggling here.”
“Yes.” I do her signature move and raise one eyebrow. “And I’m enjoying myself tremendously.”
She topples to the small square of rug and I finally take pity on her, crouching down to first remove her Chucks then scraping one pant leg off at a time. “They make it look so sexy in the movies,” she says, face red from all the effort.
“Yes, well, I’m sure you wouldn’t find anything like this in the movies.” I chuckle softly and lean over her, eyes dropping to pink lace panties then up to her face. Her mouth opens, but I cover it with mine, inhaling her moan, her breath, her lips. It’s a punishing kiss, a whirlwind of desire and other feelings I don’t know how to put a name to, don’t know how to handle, and certainly have no idea how to control.
My mouth and hands lay claim to her skin. At the same time, my brain has gone rogue, thinking about holding her while we laugh and watch a movie, feed each other dessert. There must be something wrong with me.
Lily puts a stop to the kiss, staring up at me with amusement. I’m panting hard like a wild animal. “Why is it you’re always dressed when I’m naked?”
The smile she constantly manages to put on my face shows up. “I’m drawing a blank,” I say, moving off of her to gently grasp her wrists and pull her to a standing position. “Now let’s get you up from this floor. It doesn’t look all that comfortable.”
As I lead her to the bed, I’m still trying to make sense of my feelings. She’s the first thing in my life I can’t compartmentalize, can’t mold and shape in the palms of my hands. Lily is her own spirit. It would be like trying to box the sun and having the light keep escaping.
A knock on the door saves me from my thoughts. Lily conceals her breasts with her folded arms. “Who’s that?”
I head into the bathroom to grab one of the plush robes and make a quick exit. “Here.” Lily takes it from my outstretched hand and I wait until she’s covered before opening the door. Frank is standing on the other side with a plastic bag.
“Here is what you requested, sir.”
I slide the wallet from my back pocket and retrieve a couple of bills that I place in his hand. “Thank you, Frank.” He nods before retreating down the hall. The door closes and I turn back to Lily, who is eyeing the bag with her ever-present curiosity.
“What’s that?”
“Just a little something.” Insecurity is a lead weight on my chest as I pull the game out and shrug. “I thought it might be fun if we played.”
Shut up, Chaz.
When she sees the Scrabble box, a different kind of excitement brims in her eyes. “But how? Where?” She shakes off her questions. “Never mind. Let’s play.”
“Now?”
“Yes, why not?” She takes the box from my hand as if I wasn’t just getting ready to enjoy her luscious body. “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?” she asks, hopping onto the mattress with an enthusiasm that is foreign to me.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
I keep that thought tucked away and instead remove my shoes, stripping off my damp t-shirt and jeans to get more comfortable before joining her on the bed.
Lily prepares the board, all the while admiring it. “I’ve never played with a board like this before. Geez, it’s real wood.” She lifts the cover. “It’s the luxury edition, apparently. They should call it the billionaire’s edition,” she suggests, laughing at her own joke.
“Let’s see if you’re still laughing after we’re finished. If I recall correctly, you were a little averse to playing with me.”
She looks up on a slow blink. “Did I say that?”
I position myself across from her and set up the letter rack. “Yes, while you were devouring your ravioli, in fact.” I tilt my head, eyes drifting upward. “I believe there was a comment about me being a wordsmith.”
“Oh yeah, that.” She shakes the velvet bag and holds it up. “A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Now pick a letter.”
“Okay, bossy. Just one?”
“Just one,” she explains. “To see who goes first. The person closest to the letter A starts, and then we each pick seven letters to begin the game.”
I dig into the pouch to pull out a letter and she follows suit. When I reveal my Y, she shows her A with a little too much glee.
“I guess I go first.”
“What’s the timer for?” I ask as she feels around for letters and guides me to do the same.
“To make sure no one takes too long forming a word.”
“I don’t believe you’ll need that playing with me.” My statement comes out with an air of confidence, and she sends me a glare.
“No need to rub it in.” She blows out a steadying breath. “Okay, here we go.”
Five minutes go by, and I glance at my watch. “Lily…any day now.”
She shoos me away with her hand but doesn’t look up. “Shhh, I’m thinking.”
Finally, she places her tiles on the board, tallying up her score and jotting it down on the pad. “The first word on the star is a double word score, and I also have a double letter, so that’s sixteen points.”
I stare down at her word and try to hold back my amusement. “Stand. That’s what took you all that time?”
A sub
tle raise of her chin. Defiant Lily is adorable. “I don’t have the best letters.”
“Sounds like an excuse to me.” My eyes dart between the letters and the board as I plot out my word. “Let’s see…” Not more than sixty seconds later, my tiles are down.
Lily’s face scrunches as she examines them. “You’re kidding me, right? Oxazine? Is that even a word?”
“As a matter of fact, it means—”
“Never mind,” she snaps. “How many points?”
“Would you look at that?” My grin is wide. “Twenty-three points,” I supply, and she’s about to write the number down when I stop her. “Oh, and look, that’s a double word score, so that’s forty-six points.”
An animal-like sound leaves her sexy mouth. “That’s ridiculous.”
I extract more letters from the bag. “I think you mean genius.”
“You could’ve at least waited a bit before you brought out the big guns.”
“Are you pouting, Miss Conrad?” I lean over the board in hopes she’ll meet me halfway. “How about a kiss?”
“Absolutely not,” she says, but her harsh words don’t match her teasing eyes. “I don’t fraternize with the enemy.” Then she edges closer, pursing her lips. “Just one, and make it fast.” My attempt to drag out our lip-lock is unsuccessful. She pulls back, all business again. “My turn.”
The small hourglass in the box catches my eye. “I think I’d like to use that timer, after all.”
She glowers at me. “I’m gonna be quick.”
A fake yawn complete with sound effects leaves my mouth. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you’re finished.”
“Jace!” She quickly arranges her letters on the board. “See, all done.”
“Radish. Definitely an upgrade from stand, that’s for sure. How many points is that, six?”
Her lips curl at the corners. “Shut up. It’s actually eleven because of the double letter score.”
“Wow, a whole eleven.” I know I should quit while I’m ahead, but it’s so much fun getting a rise out of her. “Hmm, let’s see now,” I ponder, organizing my letters and setting them on the board. “Proxy—that’s seventeen points. And look, another double word score and a double letter makes thirty-seven.” I rub my hands together. “This is so much fun.”
“You’re a jerk,” she says, but her gaze holds admiration.
“Maybe so.” I grin. “But I’m the jerk who’s beating your cute little ass in Scrabble.”
“You were right, that was fun.”
We’re lying down in bed, my arms secured around Lily, her cheek resting against my chest. “It was,” she agrees, mouth curving against my skin. “Even though you beat me three games to one.”
“Eh, who’s counting?”
She nestles in closer, right next to my heart. Seems fitting somehow. “I won spelling bees when I was a kid. A lot of good that did me.”
“A complete waste, if you ask me,” I say, and she gives me a pinch.
Her contented sigh breezes across my skin. “This room, it’s so…comfortable and warm, yet playful. I love this space.”
“Joie de vivre.”
She lifts her head, a question in her eyes. “French, right?”
“Joy of life,” I answer with a nod. “This hotel is part of a grouping of boutique hotels in various neighborhoods that give back to organizations in the community. They’ve donated millions. It’s pretty incredible actually.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that before. That’s wonderful.” She arches up to kiss my lips. “Come to think of it, you’re pretty wonderful.”
“Really?” My response is free and easy, but her sentiment burrows under my skin and makes a home.
“Most definitely,” she says with a sweet tilt of her lips. She yawns then, trying to catch it with her hand.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, a little. I was up pretty early this morning.”
I gently guide her head down. “Close your eyes, get some rest.”
“I had the most amazing time tonight,” she mumbles, voice sleep-drunk. “Thank you for dinner and for bringing me here.”
“I had a great time, too,” I say, lips pressing against her hair. “Best date I’ve ever had, hands down.”
She sighs. “Mmm, I like that…”
“I like you, Lily.” My tone lowers to a whisper. “Actually, I…adore you.”
I brush a tendril of hair behind her ear. She’s already drifting away peacefully, her breath evening out.
That’s okay—my heart is pounding loud enough for the both of us.
Everything about me is peaceful and warm. My body is tucked under the luxury of threaded cotton, head cradled by a fluffy pillow. I allow myself to slowly wake, my eyes fluttering to a streak of sunlight from the wide expanse of windows.
Then I remember my dream.
Every detail returns, this one too vivid to forget.
I reach my arm out for Jace, but he’s not there. And when my eyes finally catch up with the rest of me, he’s nowhere to be found. I expected to wake up in his arms this morning, but there’s no trace of him. Disappointment and something more, an unusual longing, swirl together inside my chest, a potent mixture of feelings. One I’m very accustomed to; the other is a stranger to me. Maybe last night was all a dream.
Oh God, the dream.
I slide off the bed and make a bee line for the bathroom. After splashing cold water on my face, I contemplate filling the sink and dunking my entire head, anything to rid myself of the images looping through my brain. When the water doesn’t help, I know exactly what I need—or who, to be more accurate.
Georgia.
My purse is near the rug where I did my awkward striptease. A smile pulls at my lips thinking about the look on Jace’s face. And then it hits me that I’m still in my robe. We didn’t even have sex, and it was the best night of my life.
It takes a second to find Georgia’s name, but only because I check for any signs from Jace. I thought he might leave a note or, at the very least, send me a text. Oh well. I brush off my insecurity and dial my rock. She answers on the first ring.
“What’s up, Lil?” Music booms in the background and I can hardly hear her.
“Where are you? It’s really loud.”
“I’m at the gym. Hang on.” Lots of muffled noise before she comes back on the line. “Okay, is that better? I’m in the hallway.”
“Yes, much.”
“Soooo…how was your date?”
I can’t help it—I sigh. “It was perfect.”
“Did you, Lily Rose Conrad, the non-sigher, just sigh?”
I laugh into the phone. “I know. Don’t start.”
“The sex must’ve been outstanding,” she prompts, drawing out the last word.
“We didn’t have sex. He took me to this romantic Italian restaurant in Little Italy and then to a hotel. We played Scrabble,” I explain, giddiness rising in my tone.
“And you’re this happy?” She exhales a sound of disbelief. “Wait a minute, are you telling me you were in a hotel room with Jace Harlow all night, and you played Scrabble? Where’s the punchline?”
The smile I’m sporting is way too big for my face. “Yup.”
“Are you insane?” she shouts into the phone.
“Maybe. But I need to tell you about my dream.”
“Please tell me you weren’t playing Scrabble in the dream.” Her high-pitched laugh sails through the speaker.
I stab my teeth into my lip then let go. “Nooo, there was definitely no Scrabble playing.”
“That’s a relief. So…details?”
“Well, Jace was in the dream, and so was Michael.”
“Who’s Michael?” she asks.
“I have no idea.”
“Wait, wasn’t there a Michael in our dorm?” She makes a hmmm sound. “That sexy nerdy guy with the glasses? Did he have glasses?”
“Georgia,” I say with a groan. “Michael doesn’t matter. He was the
extra in my dream.”
“Okay, okay. Go on.”
“In the dream we were having…” I pause to clear my throat. “A threesome.”
“Thank the gods.”
I can’t even laugh. I need to sort this out. “But then at the last minute Jace said he couldn’t go through with the actual sex part and he left.”
“So you had sex with Michael then?”
“No. I was too upset that Jace left,” I say, still agitated by the memory.
“So you didn’t have any sex at all then? This is not a good dream. This is a nightmare.” She hesitates, and I can practically hear her thinking. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
I grunt in frustration. “I have no idea.”
“It’s your fear that Jace won’t commit to you, that he won’t be there for you.” She says it with the utmost confidence.
“What are you, the dream whisperer?”
She snort-laughs. “Come on, Lil. Our dreams are subtle messages of whatever’s in our subconscious, and hey, it added a little of your threesome fantasy in there to rev you up.”
“Okay, Freud. Thanks for that.”
“All right. Out with it,” she says in that Georgia-knows-all voice.
“Out with what?”
“Something else is bothering you. I can hear it in your tone. Tell me.”
I plop down on the bed. “It’s going to sound silly.”
“Probably, but tell me anyway,” she teases.
“We had a really good night and…I don’t know, he wasn’t here this morning and he didn’t text or anything. I know, I know, I’m being ridiculous. I sound like I’m in high school. I’m just…not used to this.”
“This meaning…?”
My back hits the mattress with a groan. “This fluttery thing going on in my chest.”
“Maybe it’s heartburn. I’ll buy you some Tums.”
“Ha! That would be a walk in the park compared to this.”
“Listen, Lil,” she says, empathy evident in her voice. “Jace is an important guy. He’s got like a billion things to do. See what I did there?”
Somehow Georgia always manages to make me feel better. “Yeah, I see.”
