Chapter 6 Heath
HEATH
Iclose the bathroom door and lean against it, catching my breath. What a fuckin’ whirlwind. My heart is still racing, though I don’t know if the adrenaline is because of the flood downstairs or being in Lily’s presence.
Who am I kidding? Of course, it’s Lily.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her for a single minute since I left her earlier today.
Guilt tugs at my heart, tearing a little piece away as I picture Lily discovering the busted pipe and then falling hard enough to draw blood.
I should have been here. I might not have been able to prevent what was clearly sabotage, but at least she would have known she’s not alone.
Well, she knows that now. At the very least, she knows I’m here for her tonight.
I have more work to do to get her to trust me completely, but I don’t mind a challenge.
Something tells me my sweet Lily wants me, but she’s afraid of needing me.
I can work with that. It’s only a matter of time before she realizes I’m not going anywhere.
Pushing away from the bathroom door, I focus on getting myself dried off so I’m not just dripping water all over Lily’s carpet.
I toe off my shoes and slip out of my socks before wringing them out in the sink.
I do the same for my shirt, then drape all three clothing items over the back of a dining room chair.
My jeans are also damp, but I can’t exactly take those off. Instead, I find a towel in her linen closet and do my best to soak up the worst of it. I see a few cleaning supplies in the closet as well, and I get to work cleaning up the soggy footprints and drips of water on the carpet.
By the time I finish, Lily is stepping out into the living room.
She has on a pair of black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt that she somehow manages to make look sexy.
Her hair is swept to the side in a long braid that falls over one shoulder, and I suppress the need to wrap it around my fist and guide her lips to mine.
Not the time, I scold myself.
“Hey,” I greet her in a warm tone. Her eyebrows lift in surprise, and I wonder if she thought I wouldn’t be here when she got out of the shower.
“Hi.” Lily nibbles on her bottom lip and twists her hands in front of her. I motion for her to follow me to the couch, though all I want to do is carry her over there myself. I don’t want to overwhelm her, however.
I sit down and pat the spot next to me, then realize I still have on my damp jeans. “Damn, I’m sorry,” I rush to say as I hop up. “I didn’t mean to get your couch wet.”
“Please don’t apologize. You’ve done so much for me already. A little water won’t ruin my couch… but I can’t say the same for my store.”
Lily deflates onto the couch, and I join her. “Look at me, Lily,” I encourage. Her blue eyes find mine, searching for an anchor in the storm of emotions she’s fighting through. “We’ll get through this. You and me. It must feel impossible right now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“How can you be so sure? I don’t even know what happened, just that some awful noises rang out downstairs, and when I rushed to find the source, the place was already flooded.”
“There’s more to the story, though, right?”
“Why do you say that?”
“That pipe didn’t burst on its own. It was smashed with a crowbar.
I found it lying about three feet away.” Fuck, it could have been so much worse.
They could have come at Lily with the crowbar instead of the pipe.
I swallow back a possessive growl, knowing that I’m here now and my girl will never be put in this situation again.
Lily presses her lips together, but eventually lets out a defeated sigh. “I hoped I was wrong,” she starts. “But this can’t be a coincidence. The letters, the handwritten note, the shadowed figure…”
I gather her trembling hands in mine, hoping to infuse some of my strength into her being. She’s strong all on her own, but it’s not a weakness to need a little extra from someone else.
“Start with the letters. You mentioned a real estate company was harassing you?”
“Yeah. Top Spot Reality. They’ve been on a mission to buy up everything in Hope Mountain so they can turn it into a mountain resort town. No one has bowed under pressure, so I guess they’ve taken the threats up a notch.”
My blood boils at the thought of someone threatening Lily, let alone acting on it. “There were threats?” I ask in as calm a tone as I can muster.
“Kind of. I mean, nothing that would have indicated all of this. But yeah, some of their letters were rather… aggressive. I didn’t really pay them any mind until that note showed up in my store late one night after closing.”
“When was that?”
She shrugs, and I know I’m not going to like the answer. “A couple of nights ago. Remember I told you I couldn’t sleep?”
I nod as Lily proceeds to tell me about the note she found. True, the police probably couldn’t do anything with such a vague message, but I could have done something. Namely, scoop Lily up and cart her back to my place, where I can properly protect her.
“I wish I had known,” I tell her.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. Lily takes a few short breaths and then hiccups out a soft sob.
My heart can’t take any more. I pull her into my chest, needing to touch her in some way. Lily lays her head on my shoulder, and I tuck her further into my side, not wanting any space between us. When her hand comes up to rest on my heart, she gasps and sits up.
“Oh! Um, your shirt…”
Shit, I forgot I took it off. I was so concerned with getting my woman bundled up against me, I didn’t even think about it.
“I took it off to dry, but I can put it on if you’re uncomfortable.”
She looks me up and down, her eyes trailing over my chest and torso. “I… I don’t mind.” It’s barely a whisper, but there’s no missing the spark in her clear blue eyes.
I’ve never cared how I look, and I certainly don’t give a shit what women think about me. But Lily? Fuck yeah, I’m thrilled she likes my body. God knows I’ve been obsessing over every single one of her curves since I moved back to town.
“Like what you see?” I ask in a husky voice. It’s a dangerous game, but I can’t resist.
Lily’s gaze drags up my abs and pecs, leaving a blazing fire in its wake. When her eyes land on mine, she swallows thickly and nods her head. “Very much.” That pink blush creeps into her cheeks, turning red and then crimson when she realizes what she said.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Lily,” I admit.
“I don’t care about the complications; I just want you.
I can’t explain it, and I know I’m crazy for having these thoughts, but when I first held you in my arms…
that was it for me. And then you opened your eyes and hit me with your beauty, and I knew I was a goner. ”
“A goner… for me?” She blinks up at me, her long lashes fluttering against her porcelain cheeks. My girl licks her lips and leans into me.
God help me, but I can’t hold back any longer.
I glide my hand across her cheek and cup the back of her neck, guiding her toward me. She tilts her head up, her eyes locking on mine. We share the same air as my nose brushes against hers. This is it. This is the moment that everything changes.
Lily presses her lips to mine, and I savor her taste, loving that she wants this as much as I do. I tease her top lip and bottom lip before kissing her with more intention. Lily’s hands find my chest, her fingers crawling up my bare skin and making me groan into her mouth.
I slip my tongue between her welcoming lips and wrap my free arm around her waist, tugging her on top of me. She steadies herself on my shoulders as she straddles me, and my hands sink into her hips, anchoring her to my lap.
“Heath,” she breathes out, resting her forehead on mine. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“It feels like forever, doesn’t it?” Even though I haven’t been back for more than two weeks, it feels like an eternity to have even waited that long to kiss her.
“Yeah, but… I meant that I… never mind.” Lily turns her head to the side and then tries sliding off my lap.
I keep her in place with one hand on her hip and the other cupping the side of her face. I turn Lily toward me, waiting until her eyes meet mine. “You can tell me anything.”
A battle wages behind her ethereal eyes, but eventually, she decides to open up to me. I know she’s telling me the truth by the way her cheeks heat and her eyes can’t seem to move away from mine.
“I’ve had a crush on you for almost as long as I can remember.” My eyebrows fly up to my hairline. I wasn’t expecting that, but goddamn. I’m one lucky son of a bitch. “It gets worse,” she says with a self-deprecating smile.
“I’m loving everything you’re saying so far,” I encourage.
“I could never picture kissing anyone else,” she admits softly. “And now…”
Her confession wraps itself around my heart, squeezing it back to life after a heartbreaking evening. The rest of her words sink in, and I come to a life-altering realization. “Was that your first kiss, sweetheart?”
She nods, and I want to roar with pride. Instead, I comb my fingers through her hair and gently draw her closer, closer, closer, until my lips are barely touching hers.
“You have no idea what that does to me,” I rasp. “I want to be all of your firsts, but we’ll go at your pace, okay?”
I feel Lily’s lips pull into a smile beneath mine, and I can’t help myself. I have to taste it.
My mouth covers hers, and she lets me in, lets me stroke my tongue against hers and pull out soft, wanton moans of pleasure. The kiss is slow and indulgent, and I take my time exploring what makes her thighs tighten and breath hitch. I can’t wait to find out everything my sweet Lily enjoys.
A loud pop outside startles Lily, and she jumps off my lap. I follow her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I think it was just a shitty car muffler,” I tell her. We walk to the window, and sure enough, an ancient Ford Mercury is sputtering its way down the road.
“Sorry, I guess I’m a bit jumpy,” Lily whispers.
“It’s totally understandable, and nothing to apologize for. But I think it’s a good reason for you to stay with me, at least for tonight.”
“What? Oh, no, I couldn’t. You just moved in, plus I still have everything downstairs to deal with.”
“Nothing is going to get done tonight,” I tell her.
“The worst of the flood is in the back, which has concrete flooring. The bathrooms have tile walls and floors, so there’s minimal risk of lasting damage, even if we let it sit overnight.
Besides, it’s nearly midnight. You know as well as I do that all the stores have been closed for hours, so even if we wanted to get supplies to clean and repair stuff, we don’t have access. ”
Her shoulders slump in defeat, and I realize my pep talk might not have been the most encouraging.
“What I mean to say is that I would sleep better knowing you’re safe under my roof. There’s nothing we can do tonight except try to get some rest so we can tackle this thing head-on tomorrow.”
Lily pulls her lips to one side and then the other, lost deep in thought. It’s fuckin’ adorable, like everything else about her. Finally, she nods in approval of my plan.
“Yeah, you’re right. I… Thank you, Heath. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
I kiss her left temple and then nuzzle into the top of her head. Her shampoo smells like strawberries, and I’m instantly addicted. “You would have risen to the challenge. I have no doubt. But I’m glad I could be here to make things a little easier.”
“How do you always know what to say? It should probably worry me that you’re a smooth talker.”
I think she’s teasing me, but I don’t want there to be any doubts between us. “I swear, I’m not usually this articulate. I guess you bring it out in me.”
Lily turns her head, her blue eyes sparkling. “Another smooth answer,” she says with a wink.
I press a kiss to her forehead and then twine our fingers together. “Let’s get a few things packed up for you, then I’ll take you home.”
“Your home, you mean,” she corrects.
“For now.”
Lily’s eyes go wide, but I just grin at her. I can’t believe she’s had a crush on me for years. I’m making up for lost time by obsessing over every detail, down to the way her feet point slightly inward when she’s shy or unsure of herself.
My sweet little Lily is about to get everything she’s been dreaming of, and I’m the lucky motherfucker who’s going to give it to her.