by Anne Rainey
Quickly grabbing onto the thread of the conversation, lest she lose her mind altogether, Lily replied, “Who did you ask? I pretty much keep to myself. I don’t have a lot of friends.”
“Well, one of your few friends came into my shop about a month ago. Someone keyed her car. Anyway, when I noticed her address—a few houses from yours, if I remember right—I asked if she knew you. She did.” He looked chagrined when he said, “It wasn’t too hard to pry some facts out of her. She wasn’t too careful with your privacy.”
Oh, Lily knew exactly which bigmouth Kyle was talking about. “Renee Warner,” she gritted out.
He nodded. “The one and only.”
Renee was the biggest floozy around. When Lily and Ben were still happily married, way back when, she’d always suspected Renee of coming on to Ben. Lily wondered now if maybe her neighbor had been more successful than she’d originally thought. The bitch. “She never mentioned talking to you. I didn’t even know she’d gone to your shop.”
Kyle rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Yeah, well, she wouldn’t.”
Was that embarrassment? The plot thickens. “Do tell.”
“Uh, she came on to me. She’s not my type though. I tried to turn her down gently.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Not that it mattered. She turned around and came on to one of my employees instead. In the end, she left satisfied with her car, but little else.”
Lily had the insane urge to track Renee down and give her a swift kick in the ass. Then again, Kyle could date whomever he wanted, of course. Not her concern. He gave you a ride on his motorcycle, not his body, for crying out loud! So, in the world of dating, Lily didn’t have territorial rights.
Logical or not, the urge to kick Renee stayed strong and true. With Kyle’s azure gaze boring into hers, she felt compelled to say something, anything. “I bet she was embarrassed, huh?”
“You ask me, she was more pissed than embarrassed.”
The bimbo hadn’t gotten her way. Shocker. “Mhmm, that sounds like Renee.” Then she recalled what Kyle had said about Renee being a friend. “And she’s just an acquaintance, not a friend. She’s been to a few of our barbeques and birthday parties.”
“Good. I had a hard time seeing you confiding deep, dark secrets to a woman like her. She’s not real frugal with other people’s personal information, if you get my drift.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to give him a stern look. Not sure she pulled it off or not, but the effort was worth a B-plus at least. “Which came in handy for you, it seems.”
There was that cute chagrined look again. “Uh, yeah,” he grumbled.
She smiled. Despite how he’d come by the information, Lily found herself unable to be angry with him. “I bet your mom had a tough time staying mad at you when you were little.”
He stepped closer and bent his head. She could smell his breath. Minty. As if he’d anticipated a kiss from her and took the necessary precautions? The notion should not turn her joints to jelly, darn it.
“I’d rather not talk about my mom. Or Renee.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Are you going to let me take you on that ride, Lily?”
The ride. The picnic. Right. Her head was in the clouds. Your head is in the gutter, big fibber, because all you can think about is riding him. To hell with the picnic. “It sounds lovely.” There, not a single tremble. Steady as a rock.
His hand came toward her face and Lily froze. When a strong, calloused finger stroked her cheek, she melted. “Give me your phone number.”
Unable to deny him, Lily rattled it off. “I have some things to do tomorrow, like get a rental now that I have no car, but I’ll be free after four-ish.”
Kyle nodded. “I’ll come by around four thirty.”
“What do you want me to bring?”
“I’ll take care of everything.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing hers in a soft caress. Lily swayed forward, aching for more. Aching for Kyle. Instead, he lifted his head and winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lily.”
“Yes,” she agreed, her voice breathless, “tomorrow.” She watched as he got on his motorcycle and turned the key, the engine rumbling to life. It sounded powerful, dangerous. Like the man sitting atop it. As he backed out of her driveway and drove off, Lily could only stare. She was going on a picnic with Kyle Wolff, a man ten years her junior. Hot damn.
* * * * *
As Kyle lay in bed, darkness surrounding him, the only thing he could think about was Lily. How she’d looked standing in her driveway earlier in the day, eyes bright with passion, lips swollen from his kiss. Jesus the woman was hazardous to his self-control. Would she have invited him in if he’d stuck around? He hadn’t wanted to pressure her. Lily was all class. Giving her the impression that he was only after her for sex didn’t fit in with his plans. There was more to it than that. In Lily, he saw a woman of substance. A woman who would challenge him. She made him think crazy thoughts. Thoughts like making her his—so no other man had a right to look at her with lust in their eyes.
Reaching over, Kyle picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and pressed speed dial two.
“Hello?”
Her husky voice filtered over the line. Sexy. Kyle looked at the neon numbers on his alarm clock and winced. It was eleven o’clock at night. Shit. “Did I wake you?”
“Kyle?”
The note of surprise in her voice was of the good variety. Smiling, Kyle stuck his arm behind his head and answered, “Yep.”
“Oh, hi. And no, you didn’t wake me. I was just laying here going over some photos.”
“Laying?” His cock flexed. “Are you in bed?”
She laughed. “Is this one of those what are you wearing phone calls?”
Playful. He liked that in a woman. “Do you want it to be?”
A pause, then, “I’ve never had one of those, so I don’t really know.”
“Never?”
He heard a rustling sound before she said, “Nope.”
Kyle closed his eyes and tried to imagine her surroundings. Tried to imagine her. The latter was easy. “You’re a phone-sex virgin, huh?”
She laughed again. The sound vibrated through his entire body, sending his nerve endings on a holiday. “I’ve never really thought of it, but I suppose I am.”
“Then allow me to guide you through your very first,” he growled.
“Okay.”
Surprised by her quick agreement, he asked, “Really?”
“Yes, really. I want to know what I’ve been missing out on.”
Her husband must have been a real ass. “Are you in your bedroom? In bed?” Damn, how he wished he could drive to her house and see for himself. Patience. She needs time, dickhead.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, this is the part where you tell me what you’re wearing.” He kept his voice soft, undemanding. “And if it’s an old pair of ripped-up sweats with spaghetti sauce stains, that’s okay. Be honest.”
Several seconds drifted by before she replied, “This is so weird.”
“It’s just the two of us, Lily. It’s okay to let yourself go a little.”
“Then here goes. I just had a shower and my hair is still damp. I’m wearing one of my favorite nightgowns. It’s red and greed plaid. Short, sleeveless and about twenty years old.”
“Comfy, I like that.” He waited a heartbeat before asking, “Bra? Panties?”
“White cotton panties,” she answered. “No bra.”
“Mmm, that’s sexy, Lily. Very sexy.”
She snorted and for some reason Kyle found the sound as cute as hell. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw me right now. No makeup and an old, ugly nightgown. Icky.”
“On you it’s sexy, trust me.” He softened his voice, making the moment even more intimate for her. “Does the nightgown have buttons down the front, Lily?”
“Y-Yes.”
Her voice hitched. Kyle’s dick swelled. “Undo them for me.”
“Can you put me on speaker?”
He didn’t hear anything at first. For a frustrating moment Kyle thought the call had been dropped. Finally, she said, “You’re on speaker now.”
“Good,” Kyle murmured, then stayed quiet, waiting for her to do as he bid. Wondering how far she’d go.
“I-I’m done.”
When her voice came over the line this time, Kyle heard the shyness in her tone. He wanted her beyond that. He wanted her to feel, not think. “Spread it open for me, little Lily. Nice and wide so your breasts are exposed.”
“This feels…”
Her voice trailed off, forcing Kyle to gently prod. “What do you feel?”
“I feel like you can see me. Even though you can’t.”
“Ah, but I can see you. You’re filling my mind with your beauty right now.”
“You don’t even know what I look like beneath the clothes. I could be covered in warts.”
He chuckled. “You’re stalling, Lily. Did you spread the nightgown like I asked?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what you feel now that your breasts are uncovered.”
“There’s a breeze, coming from the window across from the bed.”
Every protective instinct Kyle possessed went on red alert. “Your window is open?”
“Just a crack. The curtains are closed.”
He relaxed, but not much. “You shouldn’t sleep with your windows unlocked. It’s not safe.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I wasn’t asleep. I was working. Remember?” He heard a squeak, then more rustling. “There, closed and locked. Happy, boss?”
“Yes.” Boss; there it was again. “And you called me that earlier today. You know, it’s sort of a turn-on coming from you.”
Her delicate laughter tore at his control. “I was being a smartass, not trying to turn you on.”
“And maybe, since I’m your boss and all, I should discipline you for being so disrespectful.” The image of having her over his knees as he delivered a stinging spanking sprang to his mind. Kyle reached beneath the cool sheets and wrapped a fist around his aching cock. The need to come drove out all rational thought.
“Ooh, I’m so scared,” she taunted.
“Careful, Lily. I do know where you live, after all.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Kyle pumped his cock once, twice, before releasing the hard, swollen flesh and sitting up. “Is that a challenge?”
The line went quiet a few seconds. Kyle waited. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she answered quietly.
“No, Lily, no maybes.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want me there, all you have to do is say the word.”
Kyle heard her curse. “What’s wrong?” Had he pushed too hard? Gone too far?
“My other line is ringing.” She cursed again. “It’s Ben.”
Her ex-husband? What the hell did he want at this time of night? “Are you going to answer it?”
“Nope.”
She didn’t sound too concerned, which pleased the shit out of him. “I’m glad, but why not?”
“Because I haven’t answered you yet.”
He could swear he heard the smile in her voice. Christ she was something else. “And the answer is…?”
“Yes, I want you here.”
Hallelujah! “Be there in ten.” Then he thought of something else and added, “Don’t move, Lily. Stay just the way you are. I’ll let myself in. Understood?”
“How? The doors are all locked.”
He stood and flipped on the table lamp, then grabbed a pair of jeans off the chair next to the bed. “I’ll pick the lock.”
“You can do that?”
“Yep. My brother taught me when I was a teenager.”
“Some brother you have there, Kyle.”
He thought of Richard and his chest swelled with pride. “He’s in the FBI now.”
“Uh, Kyle?”
He froze. “Yeah?”
“Stop talking and get over here.”
The woman sure did have a way with words. “As you wish, sweetheart.”
Chapter Three
You’ve stepped in it this time. There’ll be no going back either.
After shutting down her laptop computer and setting it on the table beside the bed, Lily waited. What meager bravado she possessed fled for safer ground as the minutes passed. If she had the sense God gave a gnat, she’d get up, get dressed and tell Kyle she’d changed her mind. He was a good guy. He’d understand. Oh, the ride home might be a bit painful for him, but she didn’t think he’d hate her.
So, why wasn’t Lily doing what the logical side of her brain told her to do? “Because I’m an idiot. A complete dip.” She looked down at her nightgown again and slumped into the pillows. “And I look like total crap. Great.”
“That’s not the way I see it.”
Lily nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the deep male voice coming from the doorway to her bedroom. Yanking the bright yellow floral sheet over her naked breasts was an automatic reaction to a man’s sudden appearance in her private domain—even if the man had been invited.
Kyle stood as if he hadn’t a care in the world, leaning against the doorjamb, a clean pair of jeans, crisp white pocket t-shirt and the same scarred boots from earlier. Her heart started to pound like a bass drum. It reminded her of the cartoons she used to watch as a kid. Bah-boom, bah-boom, bah-boom, and the beat went on.
The urge to send him packing was nearly overwhelming. The last man to see her nude was Ben, and he hadn’t been overly complimentary. Especially at the end of their marriage.
“Hi,” Lily said, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.
Kyle moved into the room. With each step closer, Lily’s breasts seemed to tingle and the drumbeat grew louder. She might’ve been covered by the sheet, but that didn’t mean her breasts couldn’t sense when a man as potent as Kyle Wolff was around. The darned things were like radar beacons. As if reading her thoughts, Kyle whipped his gaze straight to the needy little tips. She heard him curse.
“So pretty and so damn perfect. I see no reason to cover them.”
The words and the heat behind them were a far cry better than Ben’s, “If you’d have gotten implants like I suggested, then maybe I wouldn’t have had to go looking for a woman who could satisfy my needs.” With Kyle standing in her bedroom, Lily tried to remember what she’d even seen in Ben. Sure enough Kyle was all man, while Ben had turned out to be all weasel.
“I don’t know the etiquette here,” she said, even while she attempted to forget the fact that Kyle was her first lover in over a year. “Should I thank you?”
He shook his head. “No, I should thank you.”
She thought of the nightgown she wore beneath the sheet. Sex goddess…not. “Did I mention my nightgown is butt ugly?”
Stalking ever closer, he said, “Nightgowns belong in the drawer anyway.”
Lily clutched the sheet tighter. “And sleep naked? I’d freeze to death.”
A few more steps. “Don’t think I could keep you warm, huh?”
She rolled her eyes at that ridiculous notion. “You could keep an Eskimo warm and I think you know it.”
He crossed the few remaining feet and sat on the side of the bed, staring at her with such heat, such passion, her skin felt singed. “I only want to keep you warm.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “You going to let me warm you, Lily?”
Caught off guard, she blurted out the first thing that sprang to her mind. “It’s been a long time for me.”
“Since Ben?” he asked, his voice so tender it seemed to wrap around her like a warm embrace. She nodded. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”
Lily didn’t think she was sending the right signals, so she clarified. “I came to your shop because I’m attracted to you.” There, she’d said it. “Having my car fixed, that was not the sole
reason I was there.”
His head cocked to the side. “You came to ask me out?”
“Yes.”
“And then I asked you instead.” He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. “And here we are.”
“Yes, here we are.” She bit her lip and looked down at the covers. “I guess what I’m saying is, this isn’t a whim, Kyle. I knew what I was doing. Thought about it, thought about you, for a while. And yes, it’s been quite some time since I’ve been intimate with a man, but I’m not sorry you’re here.”
“I’m not sorry either. Still, knowing I’m not Ben, are you going to regret this come morning?”
As an answer, Lily let the sheet drop to her lap, revealing her breasts to his hungry gaze. “The only thing I’d regret is if you left me right now.”
“No chance in hell of that happening,” Kyle murmured as he pressed his lips to hers and gave her another of those teasing kisses that stirred her blood. His head lifted and he looked her over, sending her an ornery grin. “Seems we’re uneven.”
She frowned, not understanding his meaning until he stood and started to strip out of his tee. Little by little, he revealed sun-drenched, six-pack abs and thick pecs sprinkled with curls the same shade as the hair that graced his head.
“More,” she demanded, needing to see all of him. Now.
“Take off the nightgown and I’ll take off my jeans. It’s a fair deal.”
Lily licked her lips, scared—and unbelievably turned on. Moving to her knees, she grabbed the hem of her nightgown and tugged it upward, revealing her thighs first then the white cotton panties she’d told him about earlier.
“Pretty as a picture, Lily.”
Kyle popped the button on his jeans then slid the zipper down. His heated gaze never wavered from the slow progress her nightgown made up her body. Once she pulled it over her head and tossed it onto the end of the bed, his expression changed. Intense, edgy and ready to pounce, if Lily didn’t miss her guess. Boxers or briefs, she wondered with fascination. When his erection sprang free, Lily had her answer.
Neither.
As she took in the sight of his thick cock and mouthwateringly hard body, Lily’s pussy throbbed. So touchable, every incredible inch of him. The purplish head was engorged, veins traveled the length. Powerful, masculine and hers for the taking. Lily’s pussy swelled, moisture trickled down her thighs. Oh God, she ached. How many times had she finger-fucked herself with his image in her head? And here he stood, gloriously naked and ready for action.
