He glanced at the paperwork on the desk. Were they checking alternate safe houses? Could he find that out by checking the task sheets online? Maybe. If only he could get closer to Ward, and to the men he had working on the whereabouts. He couldn’t afford to draw attention to himself though. As that thought crossed his mind he noticed the two plain clothes officers staring his way and he jolted himself out of his thoughts. Nodding to show he understood, he took his leave.
“I’m here if you need me,” he said as he went, and headed for his desk.
* * * *
It took the whole day for Lily to finally relax around the two of them, but it finally happened. Adrian watched her walking round the kitchen that evening, trailing her fingers on the surfaces. Seth was watching her too, Adrian knew that. Why wouldn’t he, she was beautiful and sexy and rather embarrassed about the whole situation, which made her blush appealingly every now again, her thick, dark eyelashes lowering whenever she did. Was she thinking sexy thoughts, or did she just look that way?
That morning she’d gone back to her room with a handful of books. After lunch she had lingered, before sitting in the lounge area reading, while they watched TV, occasionally making comments on the shows, edging closer to joining them. When Seth had invited them into the kitchen while he made them some dinner, she’d come with them. A barrier had been breached, and Adrian was glad of it. He could tell Seth was, too.
“Beans on toast, this is your idea of dinner?” Lily asked as she watched Seth pulling provisions out of the box he’d brought from the car.
“You have a problem with that?”
She shrugged at him. “I suppose it makes a change from boring old cheese and pickle sandwiches.”
Adrian smiled inwardly. Seth did seem to have a limited range.
Seth rooted about in the box as if he was hoping a three course dinner would materialise, and Lily began opening cupboards, investigating. A moment later she opened a door in the corner of the room and poked her head inside. From what Adrian could see from his seated position, it looked like some kind of larder.
“Hey, why are we eating butties and beans on toast when there is much more interesting stuff in the storeroom in here?”
“There is?” Seth frowned. “The stores are usually cleared out during the winter.”
“Well, the shelves aren’t full, but there are plenty of dry provisions, pasta and the like, spices. There are some onions and potatoes on the veggie rack, and a whole slew of canned food. I could rustle us up a good meal from what there is.” She glanced back over her shoulder. So long as you like Italian.” She looked from one to the other of them. “Is Italian good?”
They nodded in unison and she started to carry various items out to the work surface.
“This is better for me than sitting around. It feels more like normal day now I’m in the kitchen.”
“You’re a cook?” Seth asked.
“Not quite. I run a sandwich shop with my business partner, Andrea.” She pointed at him with a large spoon. “And you won’t find us boring people to death with cheese and pickle sandwiches.”
He gave her a knowing look. “One of these fancy schmancy sandwiches shops?”
“Yup. We call it The Sandwich Boutique. You can have just about any combination of ingredients imaginable.”
“The Sandwich Boutique,” Seth repeated, and laughed. “Boy, I’ve heard it all now.”
“What’s your problem?” she responded.
“No problem.” He held his hands up, faking surrender even while he sparred on. “As you so rightly pointed out, I’m not at all skilled in the realms of designer sandwiches.”
“Yeah, what would you know?” She smiled as she turned away.
Adrian liked how this felt. The atmosphere was so much more chilled than it had been.
Seth watched her preparing ingredients, then quizzed her some more, tossing a tin of tomato puree in one hand, hanging close by her as she chopped onions. “I thought you said you were a nurse.”
She swiped the tin away from his reach. “You’re a very suspicious man. I said I was a nurse, not any more.”
Seth shrugged. “It’s my job to be suspicious.”
She didn’t add to her comment. Adrian shifted in his seat, turning fully towards them. “Lucky for me you used to be a nurse, and lucky for both of us you know how to cook.”
“Keep that leg elevated, AW.” She issued the instruction then looked at him quickly when she realised she’d called him AW.
Adrian held her gaze, and smiled. She still thought of him by his net handle. That pleased him, because he still thought of her as his Laidbacklady. She returned his smile, tentatively, and then she leaned against the counter top and crossed her legs at the ankle. As she did, he could see her brushing her thighs together, what with that short skirt of hers. Her heels were high, too, and it was a damn sexy look.
This was what she’d worn to meet him, he realised.
This sexy outfit that made her look so curvy and leggy and gorgeous. He stared at the line where the skirt ended, his cock hardening, because all of a sudden all he could think about was her sliding her hand between those soft, pale thighs, and touching herself with her fingers—just like she had done when he’d asked her to all those other times.
When he looked up, she was staring at him intently, and she knew exactly what he was thinking about, he could tell. He could also tell that she was aroused. From the rapid rise and fall of her breasts inside that close fitting top to the bright, focused look in her eyes, all the clues were there. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Seth asked her a question just at that moment, and she had turned away to answer him, Adrian would have had to fight the urge to request that she walk over, nice and slow, and sit in his lap.
He could have watched her all night. So many times he’d thought about her, wondered what she’d be like, and now—because of the situation—he was getting time to sit back and learn about her, for real. She wasn’t what he’d expected, but then he hadn’t known, hadn’t dared to think about it too much. It had been a bit of fun, and he’d been half expecting her to stand him up. Perhaps that’s why he’d overlooked it. Even though he regretted her being pulled into this, there was a part of him that was glad she was here. It took a huge percentage of unpleasantness out off the situation. He’d expected her to be sexy, and she was. For minutes at a time he was able to forget that he was going to stand up and point his finger at a criminal—and that he had a crazy man with gun after him as a result—because of Lily’s presence.
Even the way she leaned across the work surfaces to reach for a chopping board was a seduction in motion, as if she would make a natural dancer. That’s what she’d wanted, to be a private dancer. The thought lingered in his mind as he watched her lean into a cupboard and lift out serving bowls.
“You okay with plenty of garlic?” she asked, a moment later.
“As long as you are.” He winked. He couldn’t help flirting with her.
“Cheeky,” she whispered, glancing at the door where Seth had disappeared off to moments before. Her expression was filled with warmth though, and when she turned back to the work surface, she glanced back over her shoulder, smiling his way. She was enjoying their connection, even if she was a bit self conscious about it around Seth. He couldn’t blame her for that.
“Am I like you imagined I would be?” She delivered the question nonchalantly, lowering her eyelids, but she wanted to know, he could tell.
He smiled. “Not at all.”
Her face fell.
“Don’t take that badly. You are everything and more than I imagined, and believe me, I had some pretty top-notch imaginings.”
Her smile had retuned, and that pleased him. “Your chat was more confident. You’re a little more cautious. A little…” He couldn’t quite find the right words.
She nodded, a thoughtful look taking up residence on her pretty face. “I know what you mean. It’s easy to be more confident online than it is in real life.
”
“It’s still a real person, at the end of the line, a real person’s emotions.” He was testing the water with her.
“Yes, and that’s the scary part.” She continued with her chopping.
Didn’t she want to talk about it any more? He couldn’t tell, but the kitchen activities seemed to settle her, and a moment later she began to hum while she cooked. That sound undid a knot between his shoulders blades, relieving a huge amount of tension. He’d been worrying about her, but she was doing okay.
“Is merlot good for you guys?” Seth was back, and he’d brought wine, several bottles.
“It’s good for me,” Adrian said, wondering if it would take the edge off the pain in his leg. The regular painkillers Seth had found had barely touched it. He needed anti-inflammatories, but he hated to ask. It seemed like these two were doing so much for him already; and he didn’t want to be a nuisance.
“Ooh, yes, that’ll be perfect,” Lily responded, nodding at his choice of wine.
It was good to see her more relaxed with both of them.
Later, when she’d served the food and the wine had been opened, they gathered the tall stools around one end of the breakfast bar and sat down together, properly, for the first tine.
Seth lifted his glass, raising a toast. “To good food and grand company, whatever the circumstances of our arrival here.”
Adrian chinked his glass and then Lily’s, repeating the toast.
“Yes, to all of that.” Her cheeks warmed. She was at home now; it was as if the cooking had grounded her. When she met Adrian’s gaze, her smile made something deep inside him feel rich and pleasured. He liked her, a lot. And he was getting hard. That smile held such erotic promise. He wondered if she was aware of it.
“How long have you been doing this job?” she asked Seth during the meal.
“I’ve been in the force all my adult life. In witness protection…” he paused, as if counting back, “six years.”
“That’s got to be tough, I mean, being away from home as much as you are.” She frowned.
“Home is where my job is.”
“It has to be, I guess,” Adrian added, thinking aloud. “But this place is great, much more comfortable than I expected.”
Seth’s smile was tense, and he didn’t respond. Adrian recalled it was a last minute change of location.
“Yes,” Lily agreed, “I was thinking that, it’s like a retreat, beautiful countryside, too.”
Seth nodded. “This is great pasta.”
Had he changed the topic of conversation on purpose? It seemed so, because he changed it again.
“So, you two…you met online. In a chat room, yes?” He forked another mouthful of pasta into his mouth.
Adrian had a bad feeling. This felt like bloke-talk. How would Lily react?
She stared at Seth, her fork frozen in her hand. “You’re trying to embarrass me.”
“No, not at all.” Seth looked much more relaxed than Lily did. He pointed his fork at her, briefly. “You’ve got to lighten up, Miss Hotpants.”
“Bloody hell,” she muttered, her face colouring.
Tension arced through the atmosphere between them, Adrian couldn’t help noticing it. He also noticed what Seth had called her. Hotpants. Did Seth fancy her? He’d be a fool not to, Adrian surmised, wryly. And now Lily was looking at the cop from under he lashes, her lower lip caught between her teeth in a really sexy way. Did she want Seth? He considered the question and quickly swallowed down his rising annoyance. He couldn’t blame her for gravitating towards the bloke who was taking care of them both. All he’d done was get her mixed up in his problems. If that meant she changed her mind about their set up, he’d have to take it as righteous payoff, like it or not.
Seth scooped more pasta to one side of the bowl before he continued speaking. “Like I said before, I’m just trying to make you relax. It’s really not a problem.”
“Not a problem?” Her eyes rounded. Adrian had stopped eating, observing the exchange with deepening curiosity and concern. She was focused on Seth; she definitely liked him, that electric heat she was giving off told him that—it wasn’t just annoyance.
Seth shook his head, real slow. “Lily, listen to me, please. The reason you two met is like an elephant in the room. We are all aware of the elephant, but no one wants to mention it.” He paused, his lips pressed together as if deep in thought, before he continued. “Trust me; we need to get the conversation over with.”
Did they? Adrian wasn’t so sure. Maybe Lily had changed her mind and this was forcing her to think about it again. Seth adopted a relaxed position, bowl in one hand. Did he learn how to deal with this kind of stuff for his job, Adrian wondered. Whether he did or not, it was a good approach, because although he was in charge and he was addressing a potentially uncomfortable subject with Lily, his body language was all about being chilled and non-confrontational.
Even so, Lily looked agitated. Putting down her fork, she pushed back her hair then folded her arms across her chest, elbows on the table. “Whatever. I can’t eat now.”
Adrian felt bad for her. He reached out one hand and touched her briefly on the arm. She gave him a grateful smile.
“Seth, is this really necessary?” Adrian quizzed. “Lily and I are old online friends, that’s all that matters here.”
Seth nodded his way. “Lily has to understand that I’m forthright, but it’s meant in an entirely genuine way.” He shrugged. “I’m not the bad guy here, and she has to stop thinking that.”
Lily rested her elbows on the table, her forehead in her hands. “I know. You’re not.”
She wriggled her shoulders as if she couldn’t let that one go, but Adrian felt the tension dissipate, marginally. Did she need someone to blame? If so, she should be blaming him, it was all his fault. Adrian sent Seth a pleading glance.
Seth nodded, connecting, before he commented any further. “The reason you two met doesn’t have to be a big deal, really. Did you know that a large percentage of happy long term couples meet online these days?”
Adrian was surprised. “Seriously?” He glanced at Lily. She was still tense, but she was listening. “It’s not that unusual?”
Seth replied. “No.”
“How do you know that?” Lily picked up her fork again as she directed the question at him, lightening up a bit, but still quite obviously mistrustful of Seth’s line of conversation. Whatever the reason for her caution on the matter, Adrian liked the feeling it gave him—that she was protective of what they had. Did he still have a chance with her? What they already had was special, and it hung in the balance right now, in danger of not moving forward.
Seth smiled across the table at them both. “In a job like mine you sometimes have hours on end to read magazines.”
Adrian took his chance to agree. “You’re right. It isn’t a big deal.”
Lily sat still for the longest moment, and then she took a deep breath and stood up. “Maybe not, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She stared Seth’s way. “Because it’s, well…it’s complicated. You know why.”
This was still embarrassing her, Adrian realised. He didn’t want anything to make her feel uncomfortable. He reached out and brushed his fingers down her arm, eager to connect.
“Okay,” Seth responded quickly. “It doesn’t have to be ‘complicated’. Neither of us wants you to feel that way.”
He looked at Adrian, and Adrian nodded. Lily’s gaze covered them both, watchful and intelligent.
“Let it go.” Seth stood up, picking his fork and bowl in one hand as he did so. “Let’s go watch a DVD.”
Lily stared at him.
“This is really good,” he added, gesturing with the bowl of pasta in his hand. “Much better than anything I could conjure up.” He spanked her on the arse with his free hand as he passed.
Her mouth fell open. Adrian couldn’t help chuckling.
When Lily looked at him, questioningly, he shrugged at her and then picked u
p his bowl in one hand and limped after Seth, leaning on his stick with his other hand. Seth was trying to diffuse the tension, and she was coming round. Adrian wasn’t going to argue with that. Hope could be a hellish burden sometimes, he reflected. Follow us, he silently pleaded, as he limped away from her, a hot tick in his chest willing her to be okay with this.
Chapter Eight
Lily stood in the doorway of the residents’ lounge, hesitant. Adrian had settled into an armchair. Seth had put the music channel on and flicked through a stack of DVDs next to the player. Both of them were half-watching her, silently, expectantly. They wanted her to come in to the room, they wanted her to follow. Something was rising to the surface here—something that felt dangerous and wild—but she couldn’t walk away.
Adrian’s expression told her he was thinking about what they’d shared, and her bottom still tingled from where Seth had spanked her. Her imagination was roaming from the memory of Seth’s blatant sexual response the evening before, to Adrian’s online sexual adventuring. All of it fired through her, hot and lusty, alive. Between her thighs, her pulse beat out a frenzied tattoo. All through the meal, the sexual tension between them had ratcheted up, making her keenly aware of both men. If she went in there with them, something would happen. But Seth had a point; she would feel better if it was out in the open. At the moment, it was making her feel awkward, and she could do without that on top of the weirdness of the situation.
Stepping into the room, she tried to act as nonchalantly as she could. She pulled a footstool in front of Adrian, encouraging him to put his leg up.
“You’re right,” she said casually, glancing at Seth.
Seth immediately stopped what he was doing to listen.
“It would be much easier if I got it out into the open.”
Inescapable Page 7
