I hugged him to my chest. “I can’t ever think of you as anything but perfect.”
He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not perfect,” he said flatly.
“Then wonderful, brilliant, gorgeous,” I said, then pressed a kiss on his chin, feeling the short spikes of stubbled hair growth.
“You keep that up and you’ll forfeit your sleep. Then we’ll see how perfect I am,” he said in a low tone, kissing the space between my breasts.
I let go of him and rolled my eyes. As I turned to collect my robe, I felt a light swat across my buttocks. “See?” he said as I gave him a dirty look, one that blossomed into a mischievous grin on his face, so similar to the one I had seen on Paul’s earlier in the day. Watching him, it took me almost a minute to stop laughing as I put on my robe and tied it in place. “Paul has that look down pat,” I explained. “Did you teach him that?”
“Yes. He has picked up every bad habit I ever had. I guess it’s genetic,” he said, his eyes light. It caused a tingle in my chest. He was a gorgeous man, but beautiful when he smiled.
He started collecting the glasses on the table, breaking the spell, and I went about collecting the dishes and carrying them over to the sink.
“Were you a handful when you were younger?” I asked, rinsing the plates.
“I had my moments, but I didn’t have the freedom Paul has. Or even what Vincent had. My father barely spoke to him,” he said, adding the glasses to the water.
“Did your father suspect earlier…” I said gingerly. I knew the answer, as his mother in her fragile state had said as much. But Jonas didn’t respond right away, instead loading the dishwasher.
I walked away and started cleaning the table area.
“Yes,” he finally said. “Besides the fact that Vincent looks like a doppelganger of my father’s best friend, Vincent was doted on by my mother.” I walked over to him and placed my hand on his back. He continued, “My father cheated too, you know. But he prided himself on being careful when it came to having children. I was part of their pre-nup. A Crane son.” He lowered his head.
I hugged him as tight as I could. “I love who you are and what you became. If I could, I would thank them.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’m alright, Lily. That’s all in the past. So let’s leave it there. It’s late.” And without another word, he lifted me off my feet and carried me off to bed, leaving me to continue to reflect alone on what he had willingly shared about his life.
THE SOUND OF MY new phone buzzing like a banshee had my pulse sprinting as I desperately felt over the nightstand to answer it. Note to self: Change the ringtone or destroy it.
“Hello?” I drew out the words, letting my annoyance bleed in at the disruption from an otherwise perfect night of sleep.
“A grumpy morning, Lily. Or should I say, afternoon?” Jonas said.
My pulse sprinted in my chest at the rich sound of his voice. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was that late. I never sleep this long. Did you say afternoon?” I babbled as I forced myself to look around the room for the time and found a small clock on the ledge of the fireplace. 1:23!
“Yes. Afternoon,” he confirmed. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I couldn’t make it back to have lunch with you today. And now I know you didn’t have breakfast.”
I could hear the concern in his voice and sought immediately to lessen it. “I’ll get up and eat right now,” I promised. The sound of his breathing let me know he was still on the phone.
“I’ll conference call the last of my meetings at the apartment office. Expect me in a couple of hours,” he said.
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. “You don’t need to alter your day to watch over me. I’m on my feet. I’m alright.”
“I pushed you too hard yesterday,” he said guiltily.
“You didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do. I could have said no,” I offered.
“I’m awfully persuasive. Or what was that you said? ‘Wonderful, brilliant, and gorgeous’?” he mused.
I giggled. “Perhaps I only said that as my own play at persuasion.”
“You didn’t. You’re in love with me,” he said brusquely.
My heart jumped into my throat, blocking the “Yes I am” from coming out of my mouth as I reeled from his casual acknowledgement of the depth of my feelings for him.
“I meant, you said you loved me,” he recovered, as he sought to end the silence now on the line.
“Yes. I understood what you meant,” I said and cleared my throat. “I should probably let you go so you can get on with work and come back soon.”
“Yes. My next meeting started already. I’ll see you soon,” Jonas said.
Neither of us hung up.
He sighed. “I called because I miss you.”
I ran my tongue over my lips. “I miss you too, Jonas,” I responded warmly, before taking the phone from my ear and hitting ‘end’.
I stared down at the screen for a few seconds before placing it on the bedside table. My shoulders hung as I walked over to the bathroom and into the glass walk-in shower, turning the nozzle and bracing myself for the shock of cold water on my skin before it settled to a warm temperature. Anything to block the lump in the center of my chest as I tried and failed not to reflect on my conversation with Jonas and our relationship.
He had my words of love and devotion to call on to quash any moment of doubt. Would I ever have the same from him?
Dampening the new sponge on the long shelf along the wall, I pumped what turned out to be a lavender body wash from the row of built-in dispensers, quickly washing over my body and draining the worries I had in the fragrant scent and the beauty of my new surroundings.
We were new, and Jonas needed time. A small smile lifted the corner of my mouth as I adjusted the warm spray to massage. I have time.
I turned off the water and took one of the sheet towels from the built-in glass cabinets and dried off, then cinched it in place as I went over to wash my face and teeth. Returning to the bedroom, I froze and felt my cheeks warm as I met Lin changing the bed linen.
“I could have helped change the sheets,” I stuttered.
She paused and turned her head toward me and grinned. “Don’t be embarrassed. I love what I do. I’ve been with the Cranes a long time,” she winked.
I blinked as the hint of what she must have encountered occurred to me and, with it, a wave of jealousy over the women who had shared his bed.
“You have some clothes in the closet,” Lin said with a nod toward the walk-in closet. “I’ll be leaving soon, but your lunch is in the warmer. Okay?”
“You didn’t have to…thank you,” I said with a lift to my voice. I padded over to the closet to find my clothes and quickly took out underwear, a tank top, socks, and sweatpants. I looked down at myself and laughed, imagining what Jonas would think if he saw me now. I touched my face. He was constantly on my mind now.
I collected my new phone and work bag from the room and, with another wave to Lin, I left.
I set up my laptop in the kitchen, planning to work while I ate, though my stomach wasn’t giving any triggers to let me know it was empty. It was something I had ignored for a long time and now would have to retrain as I tried to get better.
Opening the fancy warmer, I found a shepherd’s pie that had my mouth watering once I smelled the gravy. Good.
Internally, I patted myself on the back and carried the plate over to my laptop at the breakfast table. From the first bite, I was in love.
I skimmed over my personal email, then tried to log on to the company website and dropped my fork. My email is blocked?
I quickly took out my phone and called Gregor. On the third ring, I got him.
“Sorry, Lily. Can’t talk now. I can call you later, unless this is an emergency?” he asked.
“Sort of. I can’t get into my work email,” I said.
“You’re on leave. Your messages have been rerouted to Mark,”
he said.
“I have some things Mark won’t know what to do with in my inbox. I’d like to at least clear them,” I replied.
Gregor paused a beat, then replied. “Fine. You’ll have access sometime today. Thanks, talk to you later.”
“Thanks, Gregor,” I said and smiled as I hung up the phone, then returned to eating the food on my plate. It was delicious and filling.
Standing, I searched through the cabinets and found wrap for what I couldn’t finish, with a promise to myself that I would return to it later. When I opened the refrigerator door to store it, I found a note on a drink in front of me labeled, ‘Lily’, and a tingle went through my stomach at the thoughtfulness of everyone surrounding me, all so committed to my recovery.
Removing it from the shelf, I took a sip. Mango orange, with the additional aftertaste of something probably good for me. I carried it and my laptop into the living room and waved at Lin as she walked out of the apartment, leaving me to myself.
I sat down on the couch and turned on the television, numbly drifting between talk shows and news channels and nodding off in between. The sound of the door swinging open and voices told me that Jonas had returned and wasn’t alone. My pulse sped up as our eyes found each other. He was gorgeous all the time, but especially stunning in his dark navy suit. He gave me a knowing smile as he crossed the room to me. My face flushed at my tank top and sweats. “Sorry I meant to change before you came back.”
“Don’t worry. You look beautiful.” He kissed my lips
“Lily Salomé.”
I broke eye contact and looked over at the man by the door. Ian Unger. He was also in a dark designer suit like Jonas, but that was where the similarities ended. Ian was blonde and pale, with deep blue eyes and an angular face. The high cut of his cheekbones and perfectly shaped lips made him more pretty than handsome. His blue-eyed gaze was hard as he stared at me.
“Hello, Ian,” I said hoarsely and tilted my head down. I had been shamefully rude the last time I spoke to him, amongst other sins I had committed when he took me to the gala fundraiser a month or so ago.
The seat dipped down beside me, and I felt Jonas’s hand slide across the side of my face, lifting it up and capturing my lips. His tongue was hot and demanding as he explored every inch of my mouth. Branding his claim on me.
I knew my skin was bright red at his possessive performance for Ian. The corners of my mouth turned down as I met his brazen expression when we broke apart.
“Ian and I have a conference call. I’ve invited him to dinner,” Jonas said as he tucked my hair behind my ears. It was a mess of tangles, as I hadn’t bothered to do much with it today. I tried to finger comb it now, but Jonas took my hands and kissed the back of them. “You’re fine,” he said. I melted right on the spot and leaned in, pressing my lips to his mouth.
“I said I would join you for dinner later once you’ve settled in. Our call starts in five minutes,” Ian said, bringing our attention back to him. I glanced over and watched his gaze shift between us.
“The office is down the hall. I’ll be right there,” Jonas said to him, motioning in the direction to aid his search.
“Good to see you again, Lily,” Ian said and started walking away.
“You too,” I called out.
Once Ian was out of sight, I shook my head at Jonas. “Why did you do that?”
“Ian needs to know you’re mine,” Jonas said bluntly.
“You could have just told him you’re my…boyfriend,” I said, playing over the title.
He scoffed. “Boyfriend? I’m not a boy. I’m a man. Your man,” he teased, now playful. Nipping along my jaw and up to my ear, his fingers tracing the tips of my breasts that were poking out of my top.
I laughed and scooted back on the couch, out of his grasp, not ready to give in to Jonas’s need to flaunt our togetherness in front of his friend, though I was pleased with his self-appointed title. “And I’m your woman.”
He gazed intently at me. “You’re mine,” he said confidently.
“And that’s how you’ll introduce me?” I teased.
“Yes, I will,” he said, all playfulness gone as his gaze remained steady on me. I wondered and decided to ask. “Did you introduce Dani that way?”
He smiled. “At one time. Our relationship was different. You and Dani are different.”
I averted my eyes. “Yeah, she’s strong, together, sweet, and confident.”
He captured my chin and tilted my face upward. “I’m happy you admire her. She’s very fond of you, too. But you are all those things as well, and will come into more once you heal.” He kissed me lightly on the lips. “Ian recommended a new gourmet pizza place for dinner?”
I groaned. “Sounds good, but that’s all I did today. Eat, sleep, and watch television.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “You’re on ‘stress-free vacation,’ as you put it. Your job is to eat and sleep. But we’ll find you something to do. And when I’m here, I’ll keep you busy.” His face bore a wicked grin that sent a thrill through my body.
He took out his phone and ordered a pizza with cheese, olives, and sundried tomatoes. Then, at the last minute, he added an order for a chocolate truffle cheesecake.
“I’ll eat it,” he promised, hanging up the phone before adding, “I must go.” He was rubbing the space between his eyebrows as he stood and walked back to his office.
It was then that I sighed. I was absolutely gone on him.
I stretched back on the couch and flipped through the channels, finding the selection process difficult once again. I finally paused when I found a show I had heard about but never seen before.
The entire episode was almost over, nearly an hour later, when the doorbell sounded with what had to be dinner.
“Just a second,” I called, then placed my hand over my mouth, worrying I might have disrupted their work call.
I stood and dug through my workbag until I found my purse. But before I could walk to the door, Ian suddenly appeared, taking fast strides and opening it himself. I walked over and stood next to him.
“Eighty-three dollars,” the delivery guy said, pushing his long hair out of his eyes as he smiled down at me. I squinted at the small box housing the pizza pie, my frugal brain calculating how many pies I could have gotten from other restaurants for the same price. As I was reaching in my purse to get the money and tip, I heard Jonas raise his voice from the office and turned toward the hallway in automatic response.
“I’ve got this,” Ian said, handing money to the delivery man, who in turn handed me the pizza and dessert, as well as a smaller bag, before I could even argue. I carried it all over to the coffee table, opening the bag and taking out the fancy plastic plates and utensils.
The sound of the door to the office clicking shut had me turning my head. Ian gave me a small smile and walked over. “You don’t have to be nervous, Lily. Jonas told me what happened. How are you feeling?” he asked. I didn’t see or feel any animosity coming from him.
I shifted on my feet before him. “I’m better. Getting better.”
I watched him lift his hand and drop it back at his sides. “I wish I had known you were in trouble. I would have helped. Seeing you now, I wish I had tried harder,” he said.
I knew he was talking about more than just my avoidance of him, but I chose not to respond. “I doubt that would have changed anything. I was pretty determined to do things on my own,” I said.
“Until Jonas came for you,” Ian replied.
I met his steady gaze. “Yes…I love him.”
“I’m happy for the both of you.” A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.
“Thank you,” I said and glanced toward the office.
“I’m leaving now. But as your friend, if you ever need help and you can’t reach Jonas, call me,” he said.
I nodded. “Thank you. I will.”
“Please make sure you do. This has nothing to do with me and you. It’s about your safety,” he said, then wa
lked over to the front door and closed it behind him. A few seconds later, I walked over and locked it.
“Today was truly exhausting,” Jonas’s voice said behind me. “Maybe I’m getting too old for this.” He walked up and put his arms around me.
I leaned back, savoring the feeling of being held by him. “You’re only thirty-six, but you could retire?”
“I could, but that’s not the Crane way. We die at, on our way, or right after work. Even Paul. He goofs, but when it comes to his piano, he’s driven, passionate about it,” he said.
I sighed heavily. “My father was passionate about his art and his ethics. My mother, her first graders and art program. But, well, unlike you, I ended up disappointing them over and over again. I didn’t succeed at music. I didn’t succeed as an anthropologist. I let Declan manipulate and hurt me many times.”
He cuddled me. “You have plenty of time to get wherever you want to be, and from what you’ve shared about your parents, I think they would have been disappointed they couldn’t protect you, but I believe they would be proud of you.”
When I didn’t respond, he added. “I’m here now and I’ll protect you.” He placed his arm around my shoulder and we walked over and sat down on the couch. He opened the pizza carton and steam rose up with the spicy aroma of the pie. “Ian claims this is the best pizza in New York, and that’s a tall order,” he said as we each placed slices on our plates.
I took a bite and was an instant convert. “This is so delicious.”
Jonas was halfway into his second slice before he gave his verdict. “It’s close.”
Snobby New Yorker. I mused as I reached for my own second slice.
“What are you watching?” Jonas said and made a face. He began flipping through channels without waiting for a response, finally giving up and leaving it on the news. We were both too engrossed in the food to care.
The pizza went quickly, and so did the cheesecake, with two bites from me. Once we were done, we cleared off the table.
“How about a bath and a read before bed?” Jonas asked as we left the kitchen.
Tiger Lily: Part Three Page 5
