Loving Lilly

by J. M. Madden

There were several empty offices and plenty of space to spread out, so they hung here a good bit. It wasn’t as decked out and fun as the office in Denver, but Diego liked coming in. When he’d first been assigned here, he didn’t think he would be staying, but the ski town had grown on him. Grif and Kendall were phenomenal. They had their little man Jameson, their brand new precious little Zoe. They were thriving as a family.

  Diego envied them. They could share a look across a crowded room and know what the other was thinking. He’d seen it happen many times. It was creepy the way they finished each other’s sentences. Though Grif and Kendall had married to secure a future for their child, it was obvious now that they were very much in love.

  Brian was dating a woman now too. She was a secretary from upstairs. They met for coffee and lunch sometimes and had been on a couple of dates. Diego didn’t think Brian had been completely honest with her though. He asked him about it one day last week when they met for lunch.

  “Have you told her about your legs?”

  Brian cringed. “No. There just hasn’t seemed to be a good time.”

  As a double below the knee amputee, telling the woman he was with that he didn’t have legs was a pretty big deal. Brian was actually pretty lucky in that his prosthetics were practically invisible. If you didn’t know to look for the slight sway in his walk you wouldn’t even know he had such a devastating injury.

  “Dude,” Diego shook his head. “You better tell her.”

  Brian scowled but sighed in agreement.

  As Diego looked up when the office door swung open, he knew Brian had talked to her. And that it hadn’t gone well.

  The look on the younger man’s face was bleak. Normally easygoing, Brian looked as if somebody had shot his dog. He dropped down into the chair beside Diego. “I don’t think she wants to see me again.”

  Diego scowled, feeling bad for talking his buddy into laying it on the line for the girl. “What did she say?”

  “That she would have appreciated a heads up before she had invested so much time in me. And that she wasn’t breaking up with me because of my legs,” he shot Diego a eye roll, “but because I didn’t tell her for weeks.”

  Diego sighed. He had heard the same type of story many times over from the vets he worked with. Only in the past three years, since he’d worked at LNF, had he started to see things turning around for his buddies. Zeke and Ember, John and Shannon, Chad and Lora, Grif and Kendall. They had all had their own relationship trials but now seemed supremely happy.

  “I’m sorry, buddy.” He slapped a hand on Brian’s stocky shoulder. “But at least you found out now, before you jumped in the sack with her.”

  Brian groaned. “If she had dumped me when I dropped trou, my ego would have never recovered.”

  They laughed together, but Diego could tell the younger guy was aching with disappointment. At least with the eye patch there was no hiding what was wrong with him. It was right there for the world to see. And ridicule.

  Or desire. Strangely there had been a few women drawn to the damnable thing. They were few and far between, but it had happened.

  He wondered what Lilly thought about it. Well, he knew what she thought about it. She’d told him just the other night that it made him seem like a roughed up hero.

  Whatever.

  The need to drive by this morning and check on her had been almost more than he could fight. When he’d left her she’d been soft and warm, her lips pouty from his kisses. Those lips had haunted his dreams for two nights, keeping him hard and ready. He’d sought relief this morning and the memory of her mouth, her kisses, the way she’d run her hands through his hair had brought him to release quickly.

  He shifted in the chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. Obviously it hadn’t been enough because he was getting hard just thinking about her.

  Grif walked in then with a disgustingly smug look on his face. Grinning, he pounded Diego on the back as he circled his desk to sit down. “Diego, buddy. Just the man I needed to see.”

  Diego scowled, not liking the look on his boss’s face. “What?”

  Grif rocked back in his chair, folding his hands over his lean belly. “You made quite an impression on the women Saturday night. You just can’t help being a hero, can you?” He reached over and drew out a small spiral bound notebook. “I have one lady that needs you to drive her to Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a fear of flying and her husband was just called away unexpectedly. She is a friend of Lilly’s and appreciates that you saved her from such a dangerous situation.”

  Trying not to snap, Diego shook his head, completely aggravated. “We aren’t drivers. We run an investigative service. That’s seven fucking hours away!”

  Grif shrugged. “I talked to Duncan and he said if the schedule permits to let you do it. It’s an easy job. Great way to create goodwill if she needs us again.”

  Diego folded his arms over his chest, stewing.

  “I also have a signed contract for you to do security work for a local woman here in town. She said you remind her of her former husband and she would like you to be with her when she has a couple of meetings in town. She also has a birthday party she wants you to work in two weeks.”

  “This isn’t a damn dating service!” he snapped. “We are private investigators.”

  Grif nodded his head. “Agreed. But until this unit is as busy as the Denver branch, we take what we can get. We haven’t been open long enough to be choosy about what we take. If you like your paychecks you need be a good Marine and grin and bear it. This stupid stuff pays really good money.”

  Diego fumed, more pissed than he could remember being in a long time. Brian snorted beside him. At least he’d knocked him out of his funk for a few minutes.

  “And Brian,” Grif continued, “we had a request from a gentleman for an investigator. Since you’re the only one free this week, you get the case.”

  Brian fist-pumped the air. “Oorah!” He turned to Diego with a smug look on his face. “Yeah, they know who to come for for actual detective work.”

  “I wouldn’t get too excited buddy. Their dog is missing.”

  Diego wished he could have gotten his cell phone out to take a picture of the crestfallen look on the kid’s face.

  “What?”

  “Their dog is missing and they think somebody is trying to ransom him back to them. Here’s the address and the contact.” Grif handed over a blue post-it note. “You are to treat this case with the utmost respect. You both are. We’re not doing exactly what we’ve been trained for but we will eventually. Diego, here’s the name of the lady for the Salt Lake trip.” He handed over another blue post-it note.

  Diego took the slip of paper reluctantly. This was not what he wanted to be doing.

  “Any word on Chambers?”

  Grif rocked back in his chair again. Diego wondered if he’d learned that from Duncan.

  “Chambers bonded out yesterday. No court date till next week. I think he’s already left town. He has another residence in LA. Hopefully he’ll go out there and rot and leave Lilly alone. She doesn’t deserve that kind of attention. Especially not right now.”

  “Why not right now?” he asked, concerned.

  “Because she’s trying to open a business here in town. She doesn’t need the bad publicity.”

  Diego felt like he’d been hit by a two by four. “She’s opening a business? A modeling agency?”

  “No, a clothing store. Carrying her own designs. She’s going to split her time between here and New York.”

  Huh. That was interesting. She hadn’t said anything to him about starting a business in town and he hadn’t heard any scuttlebutt about it till now.

  A store with her name on it would do fabulously here. Lilly was a hometown girl and she knew everybody. Great business move on her part.

  Grif handed Diego a set of car keys. “We’re not really set up to haul people around and I don’t think Mrs. Adams would appreciate your Jeep, so take one of the Herring
ton pool cars. I’ve already cleared it with Kendall.”

  If Diego could have growled he would have. He did not want to do this today.

  “You need to pick her up at the Four Seasons Resort at nine. You should probably get a move on.”

  Glancing at his watch, Diego pushed up from the chair. “Do I have anything scheduled in the morning?”

  Grif shook his head. “Nope. Take your time. Spend the night if you need to. Mrs. Markham doesn’t need you till Wednesday.”

  With a grimace, Diego waved at the guys as he left.

  The pool car turned out to be a nice black Audi, leather seats and every amenity he could imagine. He grabbed his just-in-case bag from the Jeep and threw his iPad inside.

  The car drove like a dream and any other time he would have enjoyed it. But the thought of spending seven hours, possibly more with a married woman he didn’t know chafed like crazy. What the hell were they supposed to talk about? If she was one of Lilly’s friends she was affluent, used to being catered on. Diego hoped she had an understanding personality because he was not used to catering on anybody.

  The Four Seasons was up the mountain, close to the ski slopes Vail was known for. As he accelerated into the parking area and into the drop off and pickup loop, he wondered how long he would have to wait on the woman.

  A valet met him as soon as he stepped out of the car. “You must be Mr. Ortiz. Ms. Carmichael said you would be arriving promptly at nine. She requests that you wait with the car. They will be out momentarily.”

  Diego was a little confused. Why was Lilly here?

  A couple of minutes later two women walked out of the lobby. Lilly was dressed in fashionable jeans with holes in the knees, a tan overcoat and little leather boots. Her dark mop of hair was sleek and curled and a soft looking cream-colored hat covered her head. The other woman was older but just as put together. Now that he had seen Mrs. Adams he recognized her from the party.

  Diego held out his hand to the older woman and introduced himself. Mrs. Adams—Winnie she asked him to call her—seemed incredibly down to earth. She shook his hand strongly and didn’t flinch at the eye patch like some women did.

  He was a little taken aback when Lilly stepped forward enough to press a kiss to his cheek. “Good morning, Diego. I hope you don’t mind another passenger. I told Winnie I would help escort her home.”

  As he stared into her pale eyes, more gray than blue today and so startlingly clear in the morning sunshine, he was pretty aware that he could deny her nothing. Shaking his head he gave her a small smile, actually happy to see that the demons from two nights ago were gone from her expression. “No problem at all. I’ll appreciate the company on the return trip.”

  Which was the truth, but didn’t come near to expressing how excited he was to have her in the car with him for that long. Schooling his expression he turned to open the door for the women. “Ladies.”

  They slid into the back and he stowed Winnie’s luggage in the trunk. Lilly kept her purse with her but let him stow the overnight bag she carried.

  When he circled the car to get in, the two women were giggling, hands over their mouths. Diego knew by the way they glanced away that they had been talking about him, but he refused to allow himself to get defensive. He knew Lilly wouldn’t laugh at him in a malicious way.

  “What did I do already?”

  Winnie waved a hand. “Nothing dear. We were just remarking on the fit of your blue jeans.”

  He barked out a laugh. “You were looking at my ass.”

  Both women giggled again, but neither denied it. Diego grinned in spite of himself, honestly flattered.

  That moment set the tone for the entire drive. Winnie Adams was a fun lady. She and Lilly giggled and laughed most of the drive. When they stopped for gas she raided the station for junk food she passed around. When they stopped for a late lunch, she insisted he join them. Not once did she treat him like a servant. The woman turned out to be the exact opposite of what he had expected.

  But as they headed through the interminable Utah miles, everybody quieted. Diego could appreciate the desolate beauty of the country they were driving through. Strangely, it kind of reminded him of Iraq. But after a couple of hours he began to get drowsy. He jerked to attention when something tickled his ear.

  Glancing up in the rearview mirror his gaze met Lilly’s. She had scooted forward in the seat and her hands draped over the back of his seat. She grinned at him and wiggled her fingers for him to see.

  “What exactly are you doing?”

  She shrugged and wrinkled her nose just a little. “Winnie has fallen asleep and I wanted to make sure you didn’t. This is such a barren landscape. Beautiful in its desolation, but dangerous.”

  Diego nodded once. “I was just thinking how similar it looks to Iraq and Afghanistan. Long monotonous straight stretches, everything one color. But then every once in a while you see something that truly takes your breath away.”

  He motioned off to the left and Lilly turned to look at the sandstone formations. They weren’t very far from Arches National Park, which had truly epic natural rock monuments shaped over millions of years. It was a stunning place to visit.

  Diego found himself watching Lilly as much as the passing landscape. Several times on the drive he’d looked up into the rearview mirror to find her watching him. It made him wonder what she was thinking behind those pewter eyes. The humor so often present was easy to read. When her eyes shuttered and she glanced away, those were the times he wanted to know what was going on in her beautiful brain.

  A delicate finger stroked down his ear again and flicked the diamond stud. He glanced back at her, wondering if she was trying to knock him off balance.

  “How long have you had an earring?”

  His mouth twitched. “Well, I had one when I was a kid. The hole never sealed over. Once I got out of the Marines I started wearing it again.” He shrugged a little. “Kind of balances out the patch.”

  Lilly grinned at him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “It does,” she agreed. “It’s very sexy.”

  That hadn’t been what he’d meant.

  She squeezed his shoulder, then slid her fingers up to the collar of his jacket. She stroked his hair, her sharp fingernails dragging lightly over his skin. Diego narrowed his eye at her, wondering what she was playing at. Chills chased across his shoulders. “You’re playing with fire, little girl.”

  One sleek brow lifted and she gave him a mischievous look. “Little girl? Is that how you see me? I assure you I’m not.”

  Those damnable fingers reached forward and dragged a line of fire along his jawline. Diego could hear the rasp of her nails along the short growth of his beard. “Lilly, I’m not sure what you think you’re doing, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “I’m trying to get to know you. Getting to know the feel of you. I thought now was a perfect time. You can’t take your hands off the wheel and you can’t walk away like you normally do.”

  “Lilly…”

  “Sh…” she whispered.

  If they weren’t on a schedule, he would whip the car to the side of the road and kiss her like he’d been dreaming about. Instead, he kept the car steady and let her touch him. Honestly, it felt better than anything he’d ever felt before. All she did was run her fingers through his hair, down his neck and across his shoulders, but it was something he wasn’t used to feeling. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and an even longer time since he’d been in an actual relationship. Then she leaned forward a little more and suddenly her fingers were inside the collar of his shirt, moving around toward his chest. Diego felt his heart skip a beat and his hands twitched on the wheel. When he glanced into the mirror to see if Lilly had noticed, she was staring back at him, grinning. There was a light in her eyes that told him she was taking great delight in rattling him.

  Diego tightened his fists on the steering wheel, arousal contracting every muscle in his body. Lilly Carmichael needed to be pu
t in her place, but he was not in a position to do it just then.

  That damnable hand dipped lower. “You don’t have any chest hair?” she whispered. “Do you shave?”

  Diego barked out a laugh, then glanced at Winnie guiltily. “Are you serious?” he hissed. “No, I don’t fucking shave my chest.”

  Lilly grinned, swirling her nails over his pecs. “Just checking. So, no greased up pirate pics hanging in your attic or anything?”

  Diego stared at her as long as he dared, outraged and charmed at the same time. “No. Definitely not.”

  “Damn,” she sighed, and moved back into her seat.

  His skin missed her touch immediately. Just what had she been doing, cranking him up like that?

  * * *

  Lilly sank back in her seat, staring sightlessly out at the desolate landscape. Just what the hell had she been thinking, pawing him like that? It had started out as worry, because he’d seemed a little drowsy. Then it had turned to interest, then outright fascination. Diego’s skin was smooth and supple, a thin protection over heavy muscles. The urge to explore him had grown the more she’d done it, until she’d literally had to drag her hand away and play it off like something else. Right now, in spite of where they were, she would gladly take whatever punishment he had to give out.

  Diego Ortiz seemed to be her decadent chocolate. The kind that’s sharp, bitter, melt on your tongue yummy. But so frustratingly addictive. One bite would never be enough.

  She glanced up at the rearview mirror, only to find him staring back, that green eye blazing with heat.

  The crazy part was, she had known in her heart that if he ever loosened up, opened up to her, they would be a combustible mix.

  Chapter Four

  Winnie’s home was a lovely mix of lumber and glass in the Olympus Cove area on the east side of Salt Lake City. Diego knew the estate had to be upwards of ten million because there was a large chunk of land surrounding it. Winnie pressed a key fob to get them through the wrought iron gate and he drove up the concrete drive.

  The Audi fit right in with the other luxury cars parked in front of the multi-car garage. When she walked them along the sealed-pebble path to the side door, Diego expected to be assaulted with affluence and rigidity. But instead Winnie’s home was surprisingly warm and inviting.