He gathered her closer to him, burying his face in her hair every few steps.
The walk back to Braden was silent between them. Lily listened to Reese’s heartbeat as she berated herself. She hated hurting him. But her father was very clear on his feelings about Reese. She had never disobeyed the Reverend before. How could she now?
As they reached the edge of the woods, Reese set her on her feet. The steeple of the Baptist church was in clear view over the roofs of the other structures. He huffed as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his tight blue jeans. He nodded towards the street. “Three blocks that way. Take a shower right away. Wash those sandals off. I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right.” Lily kissed him. It wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t kissing her back. She turned away quickly to hide the sob caught in her throat choking her. It almost didn’t surprise her when she felt her hand taken captive and her body pulled back into another kiss. She felt a drop trickle from the corner of her eye down her cheek.
Reese’s thumb rubbed across her cheek, wiping the tear from its mission. “Damn, Lily. I never want to make you cry.”
She bit her trembling lower lip. Saying anything would set off the waterworks. How did such a magical morning go so horribly wrong? Oh. That’s right. I’m terrified of my dad. She swallowed back her whimpers as she pulled from his arms and hurried out of the trees towards the church.
The stream of water from the showerhead mingled with Lily’s tears and the sound of the bathroom vent fan drowned out her sobs. She had the most perfect relationship with the most perfect man in the world. And she refused to tell the world. Did Reese even want her now? Probably not. She scrubbed at her feet, feeling them already turning raw. With a sad sigh, she turned off the shower, rubbed herself dry then found another clean t-shirt and pair of shorts.
Gingerly, Lily made her way through downtown Braden to the library, stopping briefly to stare at Buddy’s Bar. Reese was probably inside chatting with the local townsfolk. Part of her wanted to storm inside, to wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him senseless in front of everyone. She huffed with frustration as she continued her painful trek to work.
With a wave of her hand, she silenced Elijah as she hobbled to her office. The last thing she needed was for her assistant to hassle her about things that were clearly not an emergency. It took long enough for her to get her emotions under control. She didn’t need tiny problems to set them off again.
Shutting the door to her office, Lily sat on the cold tile floor in the midst of the dozens of baskets. Frankly, they were everywhere. There wasn’t a flat surface anywhere in the office that didn’t have a basket on it and there were still five or six in the cabinet. She sighed as she grabbed her notepad and pen from the couch and got to work.
Concentrating was impossible, as her feet grew slowly worse, each one turning flaming red as the allergic reaction took hold. Small white spots started to form. Blisters. Great.
The office door opened and Molly’s head popped around the corner. “Hey!”
“Hey,” Lily greeted. “How’d you know I’d be here?”
“With the Pecan Pie festival next week, this would be the only place you would be. Here or Reese Cooper’s bed. And you know that was my next stop.” Molly’s eyes grew wide. “Your feet! What in blue blazes happened?”
“Poison ivy. Reese and I were taking a walk in the woods.”
“Really? You and Reese should look where you’re standing before getting it on.”
“We weren’t getting it on. Actually, I’m not sure if we’re going to be together much longer.”
“Why not?”
“I hid in the woods because there was a car coming. He was upset because I won’t be seen with him. If I do and my father finds out…” Her voice trailed off.
“That explains the poison ivy.” Molly settled on the floor with Lily. Her face grew serious. “I don’t blame him actually. Lily, are you going to live in your little apartment provided by your dad all your life? Work here? Be a spinster like Miss Jones?
“No.”
“Don’t you want a husband? Kids?”
“Of course.”
“Well, if you keep living under your daddy’s thumb you’ll never have them. And Reese is the only man willing to stand up to the good ole’ Reverend.”
“He hasn’t stood up to my dad.”
“Out of respect for you. And your wishes. If you weren’t holding so tight to this notion to make your dad happy, Reese would tell him exactly how he felt.”
“And you know this how?”
Molly grinned. “Buddy and I talk. We compare notes. He’s Reese’s bestie. I’m yours.”
Both women turned at the knock on the door.
Lily sighed. “Not now, Elijah. Not today. Miss Jones can help you figure it out.”
The door opened. Instead of the lanky teen, Reese leaned against the doorframe. He held a paper bag in his hand.
Molly braced her hands on the floor. “I should go.”
Reese stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. The look in his eyes told Molly to sit back down.
Without a word, she obeyed.
He picked up several baskets and moved them to make space on the floor. Sitting at Lily’s outstretched feet, he opened the bag and pulled out a bottle of calamine lotion. He pulled off Lily’s flip flops then squirted a blob of the pink lotion into his hand. Gently he massaged it onto one of her feet.
The only sound in the room was Molly’s lovesick sigh.
As Reese started on Lily’s other foot, he spoke, “I don’t like hiding our relationship. I think it’s going to bite us in the ass in the end. And I’m proud of you. I want to tell the world that I’m hopelessly in love with Lily Dixon. But I was homeless when I showed up in Braden a few weeks ago. I took a gamble that Buddy would let me stay with him. So, I get the fear of not knowing where you’re going to go if your dad kicks you out. And I get that you don’t want to disappoint him either. I just wish you wouldn’t put him on a pedestal. I wish…” Reese huffed a sigh, then rubbed a little more lotion into her foot.
“…You wish I’d put you before him.” Lily finished his sentence as she fought back newborn tears.
Reese looked up at her from his spot at her feet. “Yeah.”
Lily glanced up at Molly, seeing the awe in her eyes.
The redhead mouthed “wow” to her.
Lily smiled then reached out to touch Reese’s cheek.
He turned his face to kiss her fingertips.
“I’ll figure out how to tell my dad. I promise,” Lily breathed the words out.
“Please do.” Reese capped the bottle then wiped the remaining lotion on his jeans. Setting the bottle on her desk, he picked up the nearest basket and examined it. “So, what do you need me to do?”
Lily giggled. “Tell me what’s inside there. I’ll write it down. You and Molly can take turns.”
Reese glanced around the room. “This is going to take forever.”
“Probably. We won’t finish tonight.”
“Reese might finish tonight,” Molly mumbled under her breath to Lily.
Lily felt her cheeks warm quick.
He winked at the two of them. “That’s the plan. But I won’t finish alone.”
Lily bit her lower lip as she squirmed a bit. “Can we get to work?”
“Of course, baby.” Reese leaned over to kiss her then analyzed the basket again.
Lily stared at him as her heart raced. He forgave her. He took care of her blistered feet. He was literally her prince in shining armor. Whatever it took, she was going to have to talk to the Reverend. She would do anything to convince him that she and Reese belonged together.
Also, by the devious grin on Reese’s face, she was going to have to ask him to tell her what was in the basket again. She hadn’t comprehended a word he said.
~* * * *~
The warm white sunshine poured through the large glass windows of the library turning the plank wood fl
oors into honey gold. The fragrance of brandied pecan pies baking for the festival filled every part of Braden. Lily smiled as she smoothed her powder blue sundress before picking up a pile of books to put away.
The festival brought people from miles around to Braden for a chance to sample the secret pie recipe. Every business would boom today. Buddy was sponsoring a street dance. Reese and Molly spent every night that week and the previous evening until midnight helping Lily finish cataloging the baskets for the silent auction. With the amount of donations she received, there was no doubt she would raise far more than she had last year. Which was a good thing. Her wish list for the library shelves was a mile long.
She smiled wistfully to herself. Nearly every night after working on the baskets she fell asleep in Reese’s arms. The night or two she did sleep in her bed…were cold and lonely. She forced thoughts of his return to Vegas from her mind. She would enjoy every day she would have until then.
Lily turned, frowning, as she heard the large oak door open. Speaking of the devil…
There stood Reese dressed in his usual t-shirt and jeans and looking oh-so-sexy.
“How’d you get in here? I locked the door.”
“You left the key in the door, Lilybug. At this rate, anyone could get in here. Why are you working? The festival is about to start.”
She smiled as she readjusted the books in her arms. “Things are behind here since we worked on the baskets last night, instead of cleaning up.”
Without a word, Reese strode to the circulation desk and picked up a stack also.
Lily watched him, a lovesick sigh escaping her lips. He was so sinfully handsome. The lovemaking was unbelievably hot. And he would drop everything to help her. He is really almost too good to be true.
“Lead the way, Miss Dixon.” He grinned.
Together, they wove their way through the shelves. Reese picked up on the shelving system quickly. Lily gave him an encouraging smile as he disappeared down another aisle. She found her category and started slipping the books onto the shelves.
Her breath escaped as she felt a large pair of hands caress her rump. “I thought you had books to put away,” she moaned.
“I’m done,” Reese purred, nuzzling his lips against her ear. “You know, after spending years watching you in this library I’ve come up with some pretty naughty fantasies.”
“You’ve been gone for seven years,” Lily protested breathlessly.
“Baby, I would come here in high school just to watch you study. It was closest I could get to be with you. And I was a horny teenager, so you could guess what I was thinking about.” He slid his hands around her, pulling her tight against his hard body. “You. Me. An empty library. I think we should give one of my fantasies a try.” He turned her to face him, pinning her tight to the bookshelf behind her with his body.
The thin ridge of each shelf dug into her back and ass. She could see the hungry look in his eyes right before he kissed her, his tongue tracing each of her lips before diving between.
His mouth wandered down her neck as his hands found the hem of her dress. He slid them beneath the gauzy material, exploring her flesh as they wandered from her hips to her ribcage to her breasts. Reese tugged at the bottom of her bra, freeing her breasts. Flashing her an evil grin, he ducked beneath her sundress and knelt at her feet.
Lily couldn’t see what he was doing but she could tell his plan quickly. She moaned, grasping onto any part of him that she could as his teeth clamped gently around her nipple. The sucking that followed made her whimper in need. She squirmed in his grasp as he did the same with her other breast, not to get away from him but to reach her panties to get rid of them.
He swatted her hands away then hooked his fingers around the waistband, pulling them to the floor.
Lily scrambled to touch him. His hands and mouth were driving her insane. She needed to grasp something. From beneath her dress, she heard his voice rumble. “The shelf. Hold onto the shelf.”
“But—”
A nip on her hipbone emphasized his demand. She gasped as she gripped the shelf against her rump and held tight to it. She felt his hot breath trail lower until his lips touched her inner thigh. Shuddering and whimpering, she opened her legs wider for him. His tongue weaved a path from one leg to another then back, stopping to feast for a moment on her clit. Lily couldn’t help but shriek. Reese sucking on her nub brought an orgasm so hard and fast she nearly collapsed. She leaned back against the bookshelf panting as she first heard the sound of a zipper then the crinkle of a wrapper being opened and discarded.
Reese stood, grasping her bare hips in his hand. “My turn.” He lifted her up, setting her butt on the edge of a shelf.
Lily wrapped her legs tight around his hips, feeling the edge of his blue jeans beneath her legs. She groaned as he drove deep into her, his thrusts hard and fast. Lily clung to the shelf above her, rocking with him. Another wave ripped through her harder than the last, leaving her a trembling mess hanging on the bookshelf. Her scream was muffled by Reese’s mouth on hers. She could hear his guttural moan through their kiss. His hips pinned her tight against the books behind her then slowly rolled against hers a couple more times as he released deep inside her.
Lily let go of the shelf and wrapped her arms around Reese’s shoulders as he buried his face in the curve of her neck. He hugged her close to him. She didn’t know what was better, having hot, wild sex with Reese or these moments after when they were knotted around each other, the moment when their souls melded together like their bodies.
He lifted his head and pressed his brow against hers, his deep blue eyes gazing into hers. “Better than my fantasy.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Baby, I know I tell you this all the time. But you are so beautiful. In this dress, out off this dress, right here hanging onto me all unmade. You leave me breathless.”
“Reese, you make me beautiful. You’re the one who set me free. Without you, I was just the uptight librarian. How am I going to live without you?”
“You won’t have to.” He tenderly kissed her forehead.
She didn’t know how she could but she held him tighter. He made her feel treasured, protected. Forget the festival. She wanted to stay there wrapped around him, their spirits one.
The creak of the old oak door echoed throughout the library. “Lily!”
Lily’s heart slammed in her chest at the sound of Reverend Dixon’s voice.
Reese pulled free from her and gently set her on her feet.
Her legs wobbled, still trembling from the pleasure still burning through her.
He wrapped an arm around her protectively. “Are you all right?” he mouthed.
Lily nodded frantically. She steadied herself then scooped up her panties and stepped into them. She caught sight of Reese ducking out around the shelf, his jeans still slid halfway down his butt as she tugged her bra and dress back into place.
The Reverend’s heavy footsteps pounded against the wood floor growing closer. “Lily! Where are you?”
Fluffing her hair with her fingers, Lily wove through the stacks until she met her father in the main section of the library.
He stood tall and dominating in his suit and tie, his silver hair slicked back in its proper place. He was terrifying.
She understood why the people of Braden steered clear of him. “Yes, Dad?”
His countenance darkened. “What were you doing?”
“Putting books away. I’ve been working so hard on the baskets I neglected my other tasks.”
His frown grew deeper. “Why are you so flushed?”
“I’ve been in here since early this morning. The air conditioning is off. Shelving books isn’t an easy task.”
“And that dress? Is that appropriate for the festival? You’re not trying to attract a young man, are you?”
“Dad, the skirt and blouse is off putting. It makes it difficult for people to approach me. I want them to bid on the baskets.”
Reverend Dixon pressed his lips in a hard thin line for several seconds. “Hurry. The festival is about to start.”
“I’ll be out in just a bit.”
He nodded at her before spinning on his heels and storming out the door.
Lily sighed as she watched him go. Then she hurried back between the shelves to find Reese.
He met her where they had been completely dressed with a garbage can in his hand. He shot her a crazy grin as he lifted the garbage can. “I need to visit the bathroom to get rid of something.”
“Elijah will flip out if he finds a condom in the wastecan.” Lily giggled. She followed him towards the restroom.
“That was close.” Reese shook his head. “And you handled it amazingly.”
“Thank you.”
He stepped into the restroom while Lily waited outside. After the sound of the toilet flushing, he walked out and set the trashcan on the floor. He pulled Lily to him. “Now what?”
“We sneak out one at a time,” she suggested.
“Will I get to see you at all today?”
She frowned at him. “I thought you were helping me with the silent auction? Or do you have other plans?”
Reese cocked an eyebrow at her. “I don’t. But what about your dad?”
“I’ll handle him.”
“I guess that leaves only one thing left.”
“What could that be?”
He tilted her chin to him, placing one of his deep, wet, panty-melting kisses on her lips. Then he pulled his lips away. “That. It has to get us through the day.”
She grinned. “I think it just might.”
Reese gave her a light kiss before letting her go.
Lily watched, as he looked both ways out the window then snuck out the front door. She scurried across the library to the circulation desk and straightened a few last things. She took a deep breath as she approached to door and stepped outside into the sunshine.
“Hey, Lily! Guess who volunteered to help with the silent auction?”
The Heartbreaker (Fighting the Odds Book 1) Page 9
