5. Lilian
CHAPTER 5
Lilian
Dinner at Big Chowder had felt intimate during our first date but tonight was different. The same weathered exterior still gave way to that cozy interior but somehow everything felt more charged, more significant. As we were led to our table—the same table we had shared on our first date—I found myself hyper aware of Reid’s presence beside me and the light brush of his hand at the small of my back sending shivers up my spine.
“Thank you,” Reid told the server, the same woman who had waited on us on our first visit. I settled into my chair taking in the quiet jazz music that was floating through the restaurant tonight and the gentle clink of silverware against plates from nearby tables. It was lovely to see something different and new here for the normal and it seemed everyone else around the town had felt the same way enjoying a new sense of ambiance.
“What?” Reid asked me, catching me staring at him across the table.
“Nothing. Just thinking.” I admitted, my cheeks instantly felt hotter and I knew if I could see my reflection in a mirror at this moment it would be bright red.
“About the baby costume?” he teased, referencing the forfeit that once seemed so important to me but now felt trivial.
“Actually, no,” I admitted, surprising myself with my honesty. “I was thinking about how different this feels from the last time we were here. I mean it’s only been a few days too.”
I watched the way Reid’s expression shifted from something unreadable passing across his features until he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He was closer now, close enough that I could smell his cologne—something woodsy and warm that made my stomach flutter and my breath hitch a notch.
“Different how?” he asked as his voice dropped an octave and made my pussy clench. “Lilian…”
Before I could answer, our server arrived at the table with water. I used the momentary distraction to collect my thoughts though thinking about how much I wanted to reveal. Do I be truthful and risk being told that he was playing with me? I mean ever since that kiss on the beach—the one with no audience, no pretence—things between us had shifted. We’d agreed to talk about it over coffee but somehow the conversation had never quite materialized. We had diverted and managed to escape the dinner at the mayor’s house unable to coincide schedules and instead danced around the subject, continuing our charade while something real and unnamed grew between us.
“Wine?” Reid suggested after the server left, already reaching for the menu he knew by heart.
“Please,” I said softly, grateful for another moment to compose myself as I allowed him to continue taking charge ordering the same rich red he’d selected last time—the one Paisley had told him was my favorite. The small gesture of remembrance shouldn’t have affected me as much as it did but I couldn’t help but find myself touched by the thoughtfulness.
“You never did answer my question,” Reid said once we were alone again, leaning in as if he knew the closer he was to me the more affected I became by him. “How is tonight different?”
“Last time, it felt like we were putting on a show for the town and for—” I took a deep breath as I forced myself to meet his gaze directly knowing he knew what I meant without having to finish that sentence. “But this time…”
“This time, Lilian?” He pushed me.
“It feels like we’re just us,” I finished the sentence softly. “There’s no audience or performance anymore. Just two people enjoying each other’s company together.” I couldn’t help but gulp harshly as I noticed the way Reid’s gray eyes darkened slightly with my words. His hand stretched out and reached across the table into my space as his fingers brushed against mine as we both reached for our water glasses. Unlike the first time we shared dinner together neither one of us pulled away from the contact this time. Instead, his fingers lingered against mine, questioning and asking me all at once if these jolts of electricity he was sending up my arm were okay with me.
“Maybe, it’s because we’re not acting anymore,” he suggested, echoing the words I’d first said to him after our beach picnic.
The server appeared suddenly, breaking the tension that had been building between us with our wine. As she poured us both a glass each, I noticed how the other diners barely took notice of the two of us anymore being together. If I was honest, I didn’t care what they thought or what they saw. The only person whose opinion actually mattered was the guy sitting across from me, watching me with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.
“I saw Mrs. Henderson today,” I told him, smiling at the memory after we’d both placed our orders. “She asked me very pointedly when you’re going to make an honest woman of me.”
“She didn’t.” Reid uttered as he choked slightly on his wine, his eyes widening as he attempted to clear his throat.
“She absolutely did,” I laughed out loud. “Apparently, the town’s already planning our wedding. She’s been having conversations at length with Morgan at Blooms at Bay already and saying that she’s been saving her best roses for the occasion.”
“And how does that make you feel? The town planning our future?” Reid uttered thoughtfully. My jaw slackening at his deep response rather than laughter I thought I’d pull from him.
The question immediately caught me off guard as I pondered on it for a moment wondering how to answer it. “I... I don't know,” I admitted. “A week ago, I would have been horrified. Now…”
“Now?” he prompted when I trailed off.
“Now I’m not sure what I feel,” I said honestly as he nodded back as if my confusion made perfect sense to him.
“That makes two of us.” Reid replied.
Our server arrived with our meals allowing us both time to reflect on the moment. The risotto was creamy and perfect but I couldn’t help but find myself struggling to focus on the meal when Reid’s knee brushed against mine under the table. Unlike our first dinner I knew this touch wasn’t accidental but with pure purpose and intent. When I didn’t move away, his knee stayed pressed gently against mine allowing me to not forget for a moment the changing dynamic that was happening between us.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said suddenly, his voice low and sincere catching me off guard. My breath caught in the back of my throat at the admittance of his words. Reid had called me beautiful before as part of our act, but this felt different—more real, more intimate. When I looked up from my plate the intensity in his eyes made my heart race.
“Thank you,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “I…”
“I mean it, Lilian,” he continued, holding my gaze. “This isn’t for show. You are stunning.” He whispered, allowing his gaze to slowly trail and devour me as if I was the meal rather than the dish in front of him. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at me the way Reid was looking at me now—like I was precious and desirable all at once, like I was something he’d been searching for without realizing it.
“The dare officially ends soon,” I reminded him, though I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to bring it up.
“I know,” he replied, something flickering in his eyes. “Does that change things for you?” The question hung between us, heavy with implications. Did it change things? When we started this, I had started counting down the days until I could stop pretending, until I could go back to my normal life without Reid Belgrave complicating it. Now, the thought of no longer having an excuse to see him, to be with him—left an ache in my chest I wasn’t prepared for.
“I think it might,” I admitted softly. “But I’m not sure how.” I uttered a little less confidently as Reid’s hand found mine across the table and his thumb began tracing small circles on my palm.
“We don’t have to figure it all out tonight. We have time, Lil.” He whispered in a low drawl.
The rest of dinner passed by in a blur of meaningful glances and not-so-accidental touches. When his fork strayed to my plate to steal a bite of my risotto, his fingers brushed my wrist in a caress that felt deliberate and intimate. My heart raced whenever he touched me and somehow, I’d become that person seeking out brief moments of connection with him—testing to see our reactions. It was a game of cat and mouse and at this moment I wasn’t sure who was being chased and who was about to be caught but my body wanted more of whatever was happening. As the minutes passed by and we had finally finished dessert, the tension between us had built to an almost unbearable level. Reid’s heated gaze had me locked in a trance that had me melting in a pile by his side. I was desperate and horny and if he didn’t break that eye contact soon, I was worried I’d jump him right here without a care that anyone from the town could potentially have a front view seat. I wasn’t that kind of woman though. I knew Reid had a past and one that had made him retreat into himself. I had to go steady even if it ended up causing a tortuous pull as the end result would certainly be worth the wait.
“Ready to go?” Reid asked after paying the bill, once again refusing my offer to split it. I nodded, unable to formulate any words as my mouth dried up with the uptake of nerves flowing through my body on the potential of what would happen next. Last time, he’d kissed my cheek at my door—a gentlemanly end to the night but also confusing and crushing my thoughts in one moment. This wasn’t an act anymore, was it? This was something else entirely.
Outside on Main Street all was quiet apart from just a few people strolling around the town square. Reid’s hand found mine as we walked toward my apartment, our fingers intertwining naturally as if they’d always belonged together.
“I had a good time tonight,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us as we walked at a slow, gradual pace.
“Me too,” he replied, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and sending butterflies straight to my stomach. “Better than the first time.” He chuckled.
“How so?” I questioned him as he halted and turned to face me under the soft glow of a streetlamp. “Because this time it was real, Lilian. No act. No pretence.”
The sincerity in his voice made my heart race instantly as he reached out to adjust the collar of my jacket, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck in a touch that felt unbearably intimate. I closed my eyes at the sensation, parting my lips as I breathed in the moment and recalled it to my memory as I leaned into his touch without meaning to. When I opened my eyes again, Reid was watching me with an expression that made my knees weak desire mingled with something softer, something that looked dangerously close to affection. Before I could process what was happening, he was leaning in, and then his lips were on mine.
Unlike our other kisses—this kiss was different from the start. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty. It was about the two of us and nothing else mattered. An unleashed moment when two souls finally realized they were meant to be. Reid’s mouth moved against mine with confidence and hunger and I responded with equal fervor, my hands finding their way to his chest, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath his shirt as I gasped for air whenever I could. His arm wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer until there was no space between us. The two of us connected as if nothing else mattered but us—right now in this moment. The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and I heard myself make a soft sound as his hand tangled in my hair. Everything around us—the street, the distant sound of the bay, the occasional passing car—faded away until there was nothing but this moment, nothing but us.
Reid kept me close, resting his forehead against mine as we tried to gather our senses, his eyes, when they met mine, were dark with desire but also tender in a way that made my heart ache.
“We can’t keep pretending this is just a dare,” he said, his voice rough. “Not anymore. Lil.”
“No,” I agreed, my fingers still clutching the fabric of his shirt, unwilling to let go. Scared that if I did that I’d wake up and this would all have been a dream—scrap nightmare. “We can’t.”
“So where does that leave us?” he asked, a vulnerability in his voice I’d never heard before or I think anyone else would have before. A guy like Reid Belgrave didn’t show any exposure in his emotions or feelings—it left them open to be attacked and unguarded by the opposition to be hurt.
“I don’t know exactly. But I want to find out.” I admitted after I took a deep breath and gathered my courage.
A slow smile spreads across his face, transforming his features in that way that still made my heart skip a beat. “Me too,” he murmured, before leaning in to kiss me again, gentler this time but no less intense.
As we stood there on the moonlit street, wrapped in each other’s arms, I knew with certainty that what had started as a simple dare had become something neither of us had anticipated but that now seemed inevitable. Whatever happened next there would be no more pretending, no more hiding behind the convenience of a forfeit or a challenge.
This—us—was real. And it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.