Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles)

by Shawn, Melanie

  Times like these were when Lily felt the most alone. When normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill, regular life stuff happened and she really needed advice, guidance, or even just an outsider’s take on a situation, she missed her mom.

  Well, not her mom since she’d never known her mom, but a mom in general. Or a sister, an aunt, a grandma, or a best friend. Any one of them would have been amazing.

  Growing up, Lily hadn’t made that many friends. There was no point. When she knew that any day she could come “home” to find a dark sedan parked out in front of her house, waiting to take her to her next “home,” it really didn’t make much sense to make friends.

  There had been a few girls in the group homes that she’d gotten along with. But that was more in an ‘I’ll watch your back if you watch mine, survivor pack’ kind of a way. Not a ‘be my best friend’ situation. And half of those girls had stabbed her in the back, one of them literally, the first chance they got.

  True, Sylvia, her roommate at Evergreen Group Home, had only stabbed her with a fork and it had barely penetrated the skin, but it still hurt, both emotionally and physically. She just didn’t understand how people could be so cruel to another human being. But they could. Having to face that cruel reality early in life was part of what had led her to love animals so much.

  Especially dogs. She always knew where she stood with a dog. They gave her signs if they liked her, were scared of her, or wanted to hurt her. People didn’t give her any such signs, and they were much more ferocious than any dog she’d ever met. Which was why Lily trusted dogs and not people so much.

  “I told you we’d beat them here.”

  Lily turned as she heard Jake’s voice coming from the front entrance. He and Nikki walked in, high-fiving each other.

  “Hey, guys.” Lily waved from the perch at the bar.

  “Are we the first ones here?” Nikki asked as she came over and threw her arms around Lily in a warm hug.

  Lily shrugged in Nikki’s tight embrace. “I haven’t seen anyone else.”

  “Hello, beautiful,” Jake said, giving Lily a hug as soon as his sister moved to sit down.

  “Hi.” Lily warmly smiled, hugging Jake back.

  These people really like to hug.

  Nikki pointed to the glass sitting in front of Lily. “What are you drinking?”

  “Water.”

  “Lightweight,” Nikki teased.

  “You try to dance for twelve hours straight with a hangover and then we’ll talk,” Lily teasingly challenged.

  “True. I didn’t think about that,” Nikki conceded as she waved Levi over.

  “Hey, blondie,” Levi smiled, nodding his head in acknowledgment. “You want the usual?”

  “Yes please,” Nikki sing-songed sweetly.

  Levi grabbed a martini glass as he yelled down to Jake. “What about you, Maguire?”

  “I’ll just take a Bud. I have to be at the station at five a.m.”

  That reminded her. Lily turned to Jake. “How’s Mr. Rickles doing? I called the hospital today and they said he’d been released.”

  “Yep, the old goat is back at home and already had one in-home care nurse quit because of ‘inappropriate comments.’” Jake laughed as he took a swig of his beer.

  “Move down.”

  Goose bumps instantly popped up all over her skin as she heard Eric’s baritone voice behind her. Turning, she saw that he was talking to Jake.

  Jake winked at his big brother mischievously. “What’s it worth to you, E-love?”

  Shaking her head, she smiled. She just couldn’t help but be amused by Jake’s cockiness. She looked back up at Eric. He was not smiling. He was not amused.

  It wasn’t that he looked mad or upset or even irritated. No, the look in his eyes was much more intense than those emotions. It was a you-better-do-what-I-say-because-you-don’t-want-to-deal-with-consequences-if-you-don’t stare.

  Jake threw up his hands as he moved down to the next stool. “Would it kill you to say please? It is the magic word, you know.”

  Eric sat beside Lily, and she had to admit that seeing his little alpha-male display was really hot.

  “Hi, Lily,” Amy greeted her as she joined the group and sat at the bar on the other side of Nikki.

  “Hey, Amy.” Lily really liked Amy. Of all the girls, she most connected to her. Lily didn’t know if it was because she sensed that there was something more to Amy than what the world saw or if it was just because Amy was so nice, but whatever the reason, Lily just hoped that they stayed in touch after Lily left Hope Falls.

  “We totally beat you guys,” Nikki gloated, leaning across Lily to Eric.

  “We weren’t racing,” Eric said flatly.

  “Whatever, bro. You’re just saying that because you lost.” Jake reached across both Lily and Eric to give Nikki another high-five.

  “Do you want to dance?” Eric asked, turning his full attention on Lily, totally ignoring his brother and sister.

  Lily looked around the bar. She didn’t see any people dancing. Or even a dance floor for that matter.

  “Here?” she asked.

  Eric silently nodded.

  “Okay,” Lily agreed, still not exactly sure how he planned on following through with his offer.

  Eric stood. Reaching down, he wrapped his large, warm hand around Lily’s, leading her through the dining area. When they reached a small clearing in front of the jukebox that Lily hadn’t been able to see from her vantage point at the bar, he stopped and turned. Then, as he pulled her into his arms, they began swaying to soft music floating through the air.

  “How are you feeling?” Eric asked, tugging his arms tighter around her.

  “Fine.” Lily tilted her head up, confused by why he would ask her that.

  “I was just checking because I was hoping we could actually finish our dance this time,” he teased her as his thumbs rubbed up and down at the base of her spine, sending shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body.

  “Really. I thought maybe you were going to tell me that I was ‘pale’ and ‘didn’t look good’ again,” she joked, her voice sounding a little breathless.

  Eric’s face tensed as he looked down at her. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just worried.”

  “I know,” she grinned as she ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. “You started it when you brought up finishing the dance.”

  “You’re a brat,” he said affectionately, smiling as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  It was such a small gesture, one she thought a lot of people might even take for granted. But not Lily. She had never had someone kiss her on the forehead lovingly. She’d seen it in movies. She’d even witnessed it in real life. But never once had she experienced it. It was amazing.

  Tears threatened to form as Lily sniffed. As she snuggled closer against Eric’s broad chest, her mind wandered to a place she hadn’t let it go before. What it would be like if this were real? If she and Eric were a real couple? If they were together?

  Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she decided that, instead of wishing for pipe dreams, she would just focus on what was real. She was dancing in the arms of a man who made her feel everything she’d wanted to feel for so long.

  Eric made her feel protected. Safe. Cherished. Loved.

  ---~---

  Eric knew that he and Lily needed to talk, but right now he didn’t want to do anything that would burst the bubble that had developed around them as they danced. His hands skimmed up and down her back, and he felt her body melt against his. Closing his eyes, Eric breathed in the fresh flowery scent that he would now always associate with Lily.

  He had barely been able to control himself when he had walked into the bar a few minutes ago and seen Lily wearing a red form-fitting V-neck sweater, tight denim jeans, and thigh-high boots. He’d wanted to walk over and take her up against the bar.

  He’d been so distracted by how unbelievably sexy she looked that it had taken him a momen
t to notice Jake, who was flirting his ass off, sitting beside her, and Levi, who was behind the bar, staring at her like he was Pepé Le Pew and she was a black cat with white paint down her back. Eric felt like his sanity was slowly slipping away.

  He needed to get some kind of tenuous control back.

  “Come with me to my parents’ party.” The words came out sounding like a command.

  Lilly tilted her head back, looking up at him with a spark in her eye. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  Eric rephrased his question. “Would you like to go to my parents’ party with me?”

  “Hmm.” She looked up in the air, considering his request, “Well, I was thinking about asking Shadow to be my date, but I guess I could go with you.”

  “Good call. I look better in a suit,” Eric smiled.

  “Aww, how cute would Shadow look in a suit!” Lily exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with joy.

  “Pretty cute,” Eric admitted, leaning and softly brushing his lips against hers. “But I’ll still be a better date.”

  “Who in the hell is she, Eric? I thought you weren’t interested in having a girlfriend,” a shrill, angry female voice sounded behind him. Turning, he saw one very pissed off Maci glaring at him like she wanted to draw blood.

  Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, Lily stepped in front of him, positioning herself between him and Maci. “I guess you thought wrong. Hi, I’m Lily, and you are...?”

  Maci looked up at Eric like she expected him to step in and say something, but he really liked where this was headed. Plus, who in the hell did Maci think she was? They hadn’t even gone on a date. The only time he’d spent with her was when he’d been on wingman duty.

  She widened her eyes at him. “Eric!”

  “Your name is Eric?” Lily asked sarcastically.

  Maci’s eyes darted from Lily to Eric, not seeming to know what to do. Eric hoped that this didn’t escalate into a big scene. The last thing he needed was to spook Lily off when he’d just felt like he’d made some progress. She’d agreed to go with him to his parents’ anniversary party. He wasn’t going to let Maci ruin that. He was just about to excuse himself and Lily from the dance floor when Maci pivoted on her heels in a huff, pouting as she left, stomping loudly.

  Lily turned and immediately stepped back into Eric’s arms, swaying to the music, not missing a beat.

  “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you,” he said, burying his face in her hair and pulling her closer.

  “It’s no big deal. I’ve dealt with a lot scarier girls than her before,” Lily said as she again rested her head on his shoulder.

  Eric wanted to ask her when she had dealt with scary girls. Did she get bullied in school? Were there mean girls at a job she’d had? But he was scared that if he started asking too many questions she would just shut down again.

  Trying to build a relationship with Lily made him feel exactly like he had when he was a kid trying to build a house of cards. He knew he needed to have a strong foundation. One wrong move and the whole thing would fall down flat. He just had to remind himself to take things slow and steady.

  His mind and heart were both totally on board with that game plan. His body, however, was trying to convince him to take a completely different tactic. It was convinced that, if Eric would just establish a physical relationship with her, he could work on the emotional connection later.

  He wanted to say that he wasn’t listening to his body’s take on things, but that would be a lie. He wanted Lily more than he may have ever wanted anything in his life. For the last few nights, he’d had to work patrol shifts due to the department being understaffed because of budget cuts. He’d spent every night rolling around in his cruiser with a massive hard-on from kissing Lily at her door before he went to work. It had not been comfortable.

  If Lily’s body language was any indication, she was feeling just as worked up as he was. Every time they touched, she seemed more and more responsive.

  If Eric didn’t have to work tonight, he would definitely suggest that they get out of there. Even if all they did was go somewhere and talk. But since he had to be at the station in an hour, he didn’t see the point in starting something, whether verbal or physical, he couldn’t finish.

  “Oh my God”—Nikki stepped beside them, interrupting their dance—“did you really just tell off Maci?”

  Eric drew back his head at the accusation. Lily, however, did not look at all surprised by Nikki’s question. She just smiled and shook her head. “All I did was introduce myself and ask her name.”

  “Seriously?” His sister started to laugh. “She’s over at the bar saying that you got all up in her face and told her that you were E’s girlfriend and that she better stay away from him if she knew what was good for her.”

  “She’s saying what?” Eric hated when people lied. It was one of his main pet peeves. And Maci wasn’t just lying about herself; she was dragging Lily into her juvenile deception. That was not going to happen. He started to leave the floor. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

  He felt Lily’s slender fingers wrap around his arm. “Don’t, Eric. That’s what she wants—to get your attention.”

  He stopped and turned back to look at her. “She can’t say those things about you.”

  “Of course she can,” Lily shrugged. “It’s a free country. She can say whatever she wants.”

  Eric could not believe how well Lily seemed to be taking this. Even his sister Amy would be upset if someone was lying about her. He looked over at Nikki to try and see what her take was on the whole thing. She looked just as surprised as he was.

  “You really aren’t upset?” He searched her eyes, wanting to make sure she wasn’t just pretending to be fine. Clear-eyed and relaxed, she let out a forced laugh. “No, if I was going to get upset about something, it would not be over her. Believe me.”

  “Wow,” Nikki said, clearly impressed by her response. “You’re one classy chick. I like your style, Lily.”

  “Thanks,” Lily said, looking at them like she still wasn’t understanding why they thought how she’d handled the situation was anything special.

  Nikki’s attention span was about as long as Jake’s, so after a few moments, she patted her hands together. “So, what are you guys doin’ over here?”

  “Dancing.” Eric hoped his sister would get the hint and leave them alone. He didn’t have that much time left before he had to go to work and he didn’t want to spend it hanging out with his sister.

  “Allllrighty then,” Nikki said, obviously picking up on his tone. “You kids have fun.”

  Before Nikki had made the two steps it took to leave the small dance floor, Eric already had Lily back in his arms. She giggled a little as she scrunched her nose, tilting her head so she could look into his eyes. “You didn’t have to run her off.”

  “Yes, I did. I want you all to myself,” he growled softly.

  Taking in a sharp breath, she whispered, “Oh.”

  Lily’s hips moved seductively against him in perfect time to the music. Eric’s chest tightened as he felt his pulse begin to beat erratically. Roaring waves of desire swept through him. His large hands spread across her lower back as his fingers gently massaged her though her sweater. Even through the soft cotton material, Eric could feel Lily’s body temperature heating up.

  “Mmm,” she moaned as she somehow snuggled even closer to him. “That feels so good. My muscles are so sore. I’m not used to dancing this much.”

  Eric fought the urge to strip her out of her clothes and give her a full-body massage right here in the middle of JT’s Roadhouse. Being this close to her, having her in his arms, feeling her body heating up at his touch, was sensual torment. He may not be able to do everything he wanted to do to her but he at least needed to kiss her.

  “Lily,” he rasped as he gripped her tighter.

  Shifting her head on his shoulder so she faced him, she nuzzled into his neck. The second he felt her hot breath on his ski
n, his already pulsing erection began to throb with need. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she pressed her lips to him, peppering kisses softly up and down his neck.

  “Lily,” he repeated as a warning.

  “We’re here! The party can now begin!” Eric heard Karina’s voice announce loudly.

  Lily instantly froze then quickly stepped away from Eric with a look of shock on her face as she lifted her hands to her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I forgot where we were. I’m so sorry.”

  He pulled her hands down from her mouth. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

  Her face turned a slight shade of pink as she looked down at his now massive hard-on that did not look like it had plans to go anywhere anytime soon.

  “You definitely don’t have to apologize for that.”

  A huge smile crossed her face just as Nikki called out from the bar. “All right, dance time is over guys. The party is here!”

  Lily turned, her smile still in place as she made her way back to the bar. As always, his gaze followed the sway of her hips. This time, though, he had firsthand knowledge of what that sway felt like in practice.

  His phone beeped, alerting him that he needed to get going. Well it looked like he was going to be in for another long, very uncomfortable night.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Clapping her hands together to the beat, Lily counted out, “Five, six, seven, eight. Hip roll two-three-four and dip six-seven-eight. Hip roll two-three-four, walk it down six-seven-eight and hold.”

  After holding the final pose for several seconds, Karina moaned as she crumbled to the floor. “I must be getting old. I am so much sorer doing this choreography than when I used to have to jump around the stage.”

  “That was probably great cardio, but this style of dance takes so much more muscle control,” Lily explained.

  “But when you do it, it just looks so sexy and effortless, not like your body’s on fire with pain.”

  “What can I say? I like a little burn,” Lily replied. “All right, let’s start at the break so we can nail down the transition to the chorus.”