Rust Creek Falls Cinderella

by Melissa Senate

  Now there was merriment in those flashing green eyes. “That didn’t work out too well for you before.”

  She was right. It didn’t. And he was done with all that.

  Lily. His Lily.

  He tipped up her chin and kissed her. Hard and soft. Passionately. One hand stayed at her waist as the other went into those lush red strands.

  And dammit, there was that parade clanging in his head again. Cymbals. Marching band. Someone singing hallelujah.

  They were a lot more than just friends.

  “Well, I guess he wasn’t mistaken,” Lily whispered.

  Chapter Ten

  Ooh la la, Lily thought, wrapped in Xander’s arms, his soft, warm lips on hers. Make this kiss last forever.

  “Can a guy cut in?”

  She peeled open one eye to see Xander glaring at a cowboy in a white cowboy boots. “Sorry, but we’re kissing here,” Xander said.

  “Yeah, I know,” the guy said, wriggling his eyebrows.

  “Ew?” Lily said, grimacing at the creep.

  Xander made a fist. “Want to know this?”

  “Possessive dudes are out,” the guy said, shaking his head as he walked away.

  A beautiful breeze swept through Lily’s hair just then, and the creep was forgotten. All she saw was Xander’s handsome face and his dark eyes. All she felt were stirrings she’d never experienced before. All she wanted was to be alone with him.

  “Maybe we should go kiss somewhere more private,” she whispered.

  “In total agreement,” he whispered back.

  He took her hand and led her along the edges of the crowd, craning his neck for a good spot where they could be alone. But everywhere they looked, people or couples had taken over, even on the far side of the barn, where a pair of teenagers was making out, both of them giggling as she and Xander popped their heads around and said, “Sorry.”

  “There’s always the Ambling A,” Lily said. Boldly. Very boldly.

  Those dark eyes of his locked on hers. He knew exactly what she meant.

  And she did mean that. She wanted to be alone with Xander Crawford. In his bedroom. In his bed.

  “It’s closer than my house,” she rushed to add. “And who knows when my dad might head home. Your father looks like he’s having too good a time to leave anytime soon.” She nodded her head over to the buffet table, where Max Crawford held court with four women.

  “Nice to see him getting out and enjoying himself,” Xander said. He seemed almost grateful for the reprieve in their conversation. The change of subject.

  Because they both knew if they made love tonight, there would be no turning back.

  “My dad, too,” she said. Peter Hunt was pouring a cup of punch for a woman Lily recognized from the circulation desk at the library. Good for you, Dad, she thought with a smile.

  Oh, wait, she thought. She’d given her dad a ride here so she needed to tell him she was leaving for a bit. He had a key to her car so could just drive himself home if need be.

  For a bit? Hopefully they’d be gone for hours.

  She pulled out her phone and sent her dad at text: Going for a ride with Xander. He’ll drop me home so feel free to take my car home.

  He sent back a kiss and heart emoji, then a smiley face. Have fun. And yes—too much fun.

  Oh, Dad, she thought with a smile as she put her phone away. Always so supportive.

  “So,” Xander said. “The Ambling A.”

  She nodded. Twice.

  He took her hand and led her to where a zillion cars and pickups were parked. “I wisely parked in a place where I could get out easily,” he said as he opened the door of his silver truck for her. “I thought I’d be leaving in a half hour. Alone.”

  “Surprises are great, aren’t they?”

  “This one sure is,” he whispered so low that she wasn’t entirely sure he’d said that, but thought he had.

  They headed out toward the ranch, the radio playing low, the windows halfway open to let in the warm and breezy summer night air. In ten minutes they were at the Ambling A, not a car in sight.

  “It’s our lucky night, for sure,” he said. “No prying eyes.” He helped her out of the truck and took her hand, leading her into the house.

  She’d been here recently, cooked in the kitchen, eaten at the dining room table, talked and laughed with all the Crawfords, and now the house felt comfortable and familiar and dear. He gestured toward the stairs, and up they went.

  Oh God, oh God, oh God. Suddenly a dream she’d had for three weeks was about to come true and she could hardly believe it.

  The overhead light was off in Xander’s bedroom, just the table lamp casting a soft glow over the bed with its blue-and-white quilt and four pillows.

  Xander closed the door behind him—and locked it. “Finally. A little privacy. A lot of privacy, I amend.”

  She smiled. “I’m not used to all that attention. I’m not sure if I liked it or not, to be honest.” Debuting her new look at the dance was half fun, half the opposite of fun. At first, the reaction had been welcome. But when guys started buzzing around her just because she suddenly looked “hot,” to use the word one cowboy had whispered in her ear as he’d walked past, Lily had had enough.

  “I didn’t have this ‘Cinderella’ night so that I could dance with fifty guys or have more dates than all you Crawfords combined,” Lily said. “I just wanted my outside to reflect my inside.”

  “I think I know what you mean. I’ve always seen you, Lily Hunt. No matter what clothes you’re wearing or if you smell like flowers or garlic, I see you. And I’ve always admired that person.”

  She stepped toward him until she had him backed against the door, her arms snaking around his neck. “I know. Even when things got awkward on that first date, I knew. I caught you by surprise, Xander Crawford.”

  He grinned. “You sure as hell did. Kapow!” he added, faux-punching himself in the jaw with his right hand, which he then slid around her waist.

  She leaned up on her tiptoes to lift her face toward his and he met her in a kiss that almost had her knees wobbling. Good thing he picked her up in his arms, never breaking that kiss, and carried her to the bed.

  She was on Xander’s bed. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Yesssss!

  A thousand butterflies let loose in her stomach just then.

  Lily wasn’t a virgin—but her two short-term relationships, where both guys had been as fumbling as she was, hadn’t exactly taught her the art of sex. When she was nineteen and had decided to finally lose her virginity to her first real boyfriend, she’d summoned the courage to ask a close girlfriend how you knew what to do. Her friend had told her she wouldn’t have to think about it at all, that desire would lead the way, and she could respond in any way that felt right and natural. Lily had thought that was good advice and it had actually made her feel more equipped. Her first time, she’d felt more anticipation than desire and the experience hadn’t exactly been all that comfortable. With the second relationship, the guy was so shy that she had to lead the way. So nothing remotely like TV or movie sex had ever happened in her life.

  She had a good feeling that Xander knew what he was doing.

  He lay beside her on the bed, on his side, his hands caressing her hair, her face, her back. And then he was kissing her again, and she closed her eyes, almost unable to process all the emotions swirling inside her. She moved closer against him, kissing him with equal passion. There was too much clothing between them, she thought, her hands in his thick, wavy dark hair.

  “A little help with the zipper?” she asked as she sat up, glancing at him.

  The grin he gave her made her laugh. “My pleasure,” he said, kneeling behind her.

  He unzipped. Then he slowly moved the spaghetti straps off her shoulders. He kissed the sides of her neck, her collarbone, and she shimmied o
ut of the dress, never so grateful for having bought new undergarments.

  “Ooh, that’s sexy,” he said, taking in the blush-colored lace demi bra and matching bikini panties. “You’re sexy.”

  Lily Hunt, sexy. No one had ever said that before.

  She went for his belt buckle, and again, the happy surprise on his gorgeous face emboldened her even more.

  “I’ve always said, you’re a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it,” he said as he kicked off his jeans and she unbuttoned his shirt.

  And kissed her way down his chest.

  Who was this woman?

  One of the best parts of tonight was that she knew it wasn’t the makeover giving her confidence. It was the way Xander Crawford made her feel. The real Lily had truly come out of her shell, every last bit of her.

  In less than a minute, they were both naked. Lily felt his gaze on her, and she didn’t feel exposed or shy or awkward. She only felt desire. And desirable.

  Xander reached into his bedside table drawer and out came a little square foil packet.

  And then he was kissing her again, his hands everywhere, his lips everywhere. The moment they became one, Lily gasped and lost all ability to think beyond how incredibly good she felt, how happy she was.

  How in love.

  * * *

  Lily’s eyes fluttered open, and she almost pulled the quilt over her head to go back to sleep when she remembered: this wasn’t her bed. And she wasn’t alone.

  A smile spread across her face as she turned her head slightly to the right to see if she’d dreamed the whole thing.

  Because it had been a dream. Wow.

  But nope, Xander Crawford was right there, fast asleep. He didn’t snore, either.

  She watched his chest rise and fall, rise and fall, mesmerized by his pecs and the dark swirls of hair. She wished she could stay in this bed all day—all the days of her life—but she had to sneak out before a whole bunch of Crawfords woke up and caught her creeping down the stairs.

  She gave Xander one last look, drank in every gorgeous bit of him, then picked up her pink dress and slipped it on, put on her shoes, found her little beaded purse and slung that over her torso. She wanted to kiss Xander goodbye but didn’t want to wake him, so she tiptoed to the door and pulled it open as gently as she could.

  Lily peered out left and right. The coast was clear. She dashed down the stairs and was almost at the bottom when she realized she’d ridden here with Xander.

  Which meant she was going back upstairs. Very quietly. She’d have to wake Xander, after all.

  Which she was now looking forward to.

  Unless things would be weird? Awkward? The morning after with its bright light? She turned around and took the first step back up, suddenly not wanting to move too quickly.

  What if Xander regretted their night together?

  She was barely on the fourth step up when the front door to the Ambling A opened and Lily froze, her back to it. She had no idea who it was who’d come in.

  Someone who’d also had a good time at the dance, clearly.

  “That red hair can mean only one woman,” the male voice said. “Hey, Lily. How are ya?”

  She tried to force the embarrassed grimace off her face and turned around. It was Wilder, Xander’s youngest brother. He looked a bit rumpled but otherwise as handsome as all the Crawfords were with his slightly long brown hair and the piercing dark eyes.

  “I’m well,” she said, then rolled her eyes at herself. Could she sound more stiff? “I’m doing just great. How are you? Have a good time at the dance?” The questions rushed out of her mouth to put the focus back on him.

  “Oh, yeah,” he drawled. “Almost too good a time.” He took off his cowboy boots and left them by the door. “So you’re in the same clothes you were in last night, but you’re just getting here?” he asked.

  Thank you, Lord! Because she was on her way up the stairs, Wilder must have thought she’d just gotten here.

  “Long story,” she said, figuring Wilder Crawford was not really interested in her love life.

  “Let me guess. You had too much of the spiked version of the punch, fell asleep under a tree, woke up with leaves in your hair, then remembered you promised your buddy Xander you’d give him a cooking lesson and so here you are.”

  Um, no. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t the kind of person who passed out under trees at parties, but she wanted to run with the idea that she hadn’t just tried to sneak out of the house after spending the most amazing night of her life here.

  “Well, I see I made you blush, and honestly, Lily? Don’t worry about it. If you knew half the crazy times my brothers and I have had, then you’d really have something to blush about. And I’m not even talking about the women coming and going. Ask Xander to tell you the story of the time he had three dates in one night. People say I’m the wild Crawford who lives up to my name? Xander has us all beat for notches on the bedpost. Including here in Rust Creek Falls. He’s not even the tallest of us. Personally, I don’t get it...”

  Her stomach dropped.

  What?

  As Wilder went on about how much each Crawford could bench-press, Lily tuned him out, suddenly wishing she hadn’t given him the impression that she and Xander were “just friends.”

  Now instead of being embarrassed at getting caught, she wanted to run away. Maybe bawl.

  “Well, I’ll go wake Xander. Bye!” she croaked out and dashed up the stairs.

  “If you’re making pancakes, make at least ten for me!” he called up.

  Oh God. Did everyone hear that? Had Wilder woken up the whole house?

  She raced into Xander’s room, shutting and locking the door behind her, her heart beating so loud she was sure it was what woke Xander.

  “You’ve got too many clothes on,” he said, propping up in bed. “You’ve got clothes on.”

  Calm down, Lily. Don’t go all just-how-many-women-have-been-in-this-bed on him. Everything that happened before last night was the past. Last night was a new beginning for them both.

  Right?

  She could feel the exact spot her heart was bruised. Dead center. Was she another “notch on the bedpost” as Wilder had unwittingly put it?

  Back in high school, the guys had had a brief sickening game they’d dubbed “least likely.” Whoever got the most girls they were least likely to kiss to kiss them, won. Won what, Lily didn’t know. Unearned respect from the idiots, she guessed.

  That week, ten guys, most from the football team, had asked Lily if she wanted to take a walk—with a gleam in their eyes. The first time, she’d been so bewildered that one of the hottest, most popular guys in school had sort of asked her out that she’d said yes, without any idea if she actually liked him or not. Turns out they had nothing much to say on their ten-minute walk, but all he’d been after was a kiss on the lips. Once he got it, he’d said, Booya! And run back toward the school. The next morning, Lily had heard a group of cheerleaders talking about the bet and how skater dudes were suddenly asking them out—as if.

  Lily had said no to the next nine guys who’d “asked her out.”

  And had had a hard time trusting in a man being attracted to her for her ever since.

  But with Xander, she knew he was. She knew it and believed it the way she knew her own name.

  So forget the past. Everything is about now. Now, now, now.

  Never mind that now, she felt very unsure of herself. No. Not of herself. Of them.

  “Wait,” Xander said, frowning. “Were you about to leave?”

  “I actually did leave but got halfway downstairs when I remembered I didn’t drive here. So I’m stranded.”

  He grinned. “Guess that means you’ll have to come back to bed.” He held up the side of the quilt.

  “I ran into Wilder on the stairs,” she said, arms
across her chest. “At first I thought he caught me doing the famous walk of shame, but turns out he thinks we’re just friends, so he gave me an earful about the women who’ve come and gone from this very room since you’ve been in Rust Creek Falls.”

  “Wilder talks too much,” he said, shaking his head.

  “You were supposed to say ‘fake news.’”

  His expression softened as he realized he’d confirmed her worst fears.

  “I won’t lie to you, Lily. I’ve had a couple of very short-term...experiences. Just the first couple weeks after I moved here and felt really overwhelmed by everything.”

  Her arms fell to her sides and felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. Like her heart right now.

  “I was so upset about what happened back in Dallas,” he continued, reaching for his pants. “I wanted to forget and so I went out a lot those first couple weeks. Not even here in town, but in the surrounding towns to be more anonymous.”

  “You’re my third lover,” she blurted out. Then immediately wished she could take it back. She dropped down on the edge of the bed, facing away from him. “The first guy? There was no second time. I think we both just wanted to get our virginities over with and it wasn’t exactly a spiritual experience.” She sighed. “The second guy and I lasted a few weeks but we didn’t have any chemistry except when it came to discussing pastry—we met in a baking class.” She stood up, then dropped back down. “My point is that I don’t have much experience in any of this. And you clearly do.”

  “Well, I’ve got seven years on you,” he said, getting up and pulling on his jeans. “I’m thirty years old. Friends of mine have been long married with two kids by my age.”

  She turned to face him, stunned silent for a moment by the sight of the morning light hitting the muscled planes of his chest. Just hours ago, her hands had explored every millimeter of that chest. His entire body.

  And now...everything was wrong.

  And everything hurt.

  He walked around his bed to his dresser and pulled a blue T-shirt out of a drawer. “One of the reasons why I was so hesitant about us,” he said, putting on the shirt, “was because I know what getting emotionally involved leads to.”