CHAPTER TWENTY – LILY
Despite the impression I’ve given Ellis, I actually enjoy book club.
We get together once a month, so my turn at hosting only comes around a couple of times a year.
Given we’ve known each other since high school - with the exception of Beau, who moved to Knotty Falls a year ago – they don’t expect a lot from me.
A few bottles of wine, some snacks, and a little ambiance is usually enough to keep everyone happy, and they don’t even seem to care if I only have a hazy recollection of the book, given that sometimes I don’t get further than reading the blurb on the back cover.
But the costumes are a different matter.
Whatever the genre, and no matter how obscure the theme, we’re expected to accessorize accordingly.
When I forget, which admittedly happens a lot, I either scrounge something from Leo’s room or Kaysie and Beau come to the rescue.
Case in point, the hot pink rhinestone-embellished Stetson that’s now perched on my head.
But the last thing I’m thinking about is sparkly accessories now that Leo has publicly claimed Ellis Castle as his dad.
My heart stopped for a moment, until I remembered that we’re in the company of my closest friends.
And it’s not like it was going to be a secret much longer, given that anyone with eyes can see the family resemblance.
“Leo, do you think you can come help me pick something out?”
I tune back into the conversation as they mount the porch stairs, Leo sharing some of my more creative costume efforts with Ellis. My so-called friends find it highly amusing, but as soon as they’re out of sight, they surround me with wide eyes.
“I can’t believe you kept this bombshell under your hat!” Beau gasps as he flicks the brim of my borrowed Stetson. “Ellis Castle? Why the hell aren’t you tucked up in a LA nest with your sugar daddy and his adorable offspring?”
I catch Kaysie’s eye and none of them miss her wince.
“Maybe this isn’t the time…” Sarah Bukanen says carefully, putting an arm around Beau. “Besides, Lily has something else to share with us, doesn’t she?”
She nods encouragingly at my throat, and it takes a moment to realize she means my mating bite. The news has already circulated around our group like wildfire, but this is the first time they’ve seen it in person.
“You mean that Knotty Falls’ hottest Marine has finally pulled his pistol out of his butt and locked you down?” Beau asks, cocking a brow in my direction.
“Jesus, Beau.”
I look at Kaysie for back-up, but she just shrugs. “It’s not like he’s wrong, but you wear it well, babe.”
“I do,” I tell them all, pointing fingers so they get the message. “He’s at the gym right now, but no harassing my mate when he turns up.”
They all share a smirk at the way the word mate rolls off my tongue.
“Just as long as we’re invited to the bonding ceremony,” Beau chirps, then quickly shifts gears. “But back to the other hotties. You want to give us a few more deets on that?”
I sigh, although I can’t blame them for being curious – it’s not every day that Hollywood hotshots turn up in Knotty Falls. “Short answer is it’s complicated. We spent a heat together a long time ago, but he didn’t find out about Leo until recently.”
“But he’s here for you now, right?” Devon, a shy redhead who is Knotty Falls’ one and only librarian, looks at me with hopeful eyes. “Does that mean you’re moving to Hollywood?”
“He’s here to get to know Leo,” I confirm, my cheeks warming. If that mind-scrambling kiss we shared at the side of the road is anything to go by, Ellis is pretty keen to get to know me, too. “Have you met Tristan and Otley?”
“Oh, my God, yes!” Allie gushes, fanning her face.
She runs a bed and breakfast on the other side of town and is the only grandmama in the book club, but she has a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
“We met that lovely Tristan just a moment ago. He said he was going to get us a special bottle of wine from the cellar.”
I don’t blame Allie for her rosy cheeks. Just hearing Tristan’s name has my heart skipping a beat. “I’ll just nip inside and see if he needs a hand.”
Kaysie gives me a wink, herding everyone to the far end of the porch where someone has strung fairy lights and hanging lanterns above the cozy wicker furniture.
Mason jars full of peonies and sweet peas are set out on the coffee table next to a tray of chilled wine glasses and I wonder who I have to thank for the next-level ambiance.
“Lily!” Of course, it’s Tristan, sweeping down the hallway with a bottle of wine in each hand. “You’re back!”
“Yeah, sorry I’m late. Book club has a habit of slipping my mind.”
He snorts at my glum expression. “Well, I hope it’s okay that we set things up outside. Ot wanted to use the formal dining room, but I told him that it was too nice a night to be indoors.”
“The porch looks amazing,” I tell him, and can’t resist adding, “And so do you.”
He’s wearing a plaid snap front shirt, worn denim jeans, and a pair of kidskin cowboy boots that probably cost more than my entire shoe collection. But it’s the light dancing in his hazel eyes that has a warm glow blooming in my belly. “Thanks for doing all this.”
“Anything for you, Lily,” he murmurs, placing the bottles on the hall table and pulling me in for a kiss.
He tastes like summer wine and his own enticing mint flavor, and I melt against him, only pulling back when the brim of my ridiculous hat bumps his nose.
He laughs, and I’m mesmerized by the devilish curve to his mouth.
“Wow. Can I assume Ellis smells this good, too?”
I pause, confused, and then bite my lip. “We might have pulled over for a moment to talk.”
“Oh, yeah?” There’s no missing the flash of heat in his eyes. “And did you like the conversation?”
I falter for a moment, searching his face. “You’re really okay with this? Ellis is your mate…”
“And you’re my obsession,” he finishes quickly, hugging me tighter.
Tilting back the brim of my hat, he presses a soft kiss to my mouth, and there’s no denying the magnetic pull I feel.
I don’t know what it is about Tristan, but something inside me seems to settle every time I’m in his arms. “The thought of you with the guys makes me so happy.” He wags his brows at me, his scent growing more potent. “And turns me on something crazy.”
“That goes both ways,” I murmur, staring up into his eyes. “I might have only spent one weekend with them, but I have a pretty good imagination.”
“God, you’re killing me,” he groans, his hands squeezing my waist. When he pulls me against him, I can feel the hard thrust of his erection in his jeans. “Do you think your friends would settle for the Cliff Notes version of book club?”
“I think that if you keep spoiling them like this,” I smirk, nodding towards the expensive bottles of wine, “they’ll never leave.”
He groans again, but then bends and whispers in my ear, “Why don’t you tell Ot to get a move on with the food? The sooner they eat, the faster we’ll have you all to ourselves.”
He punctuates the suggestion with a deep, lingering kiss that has my toes curling and my face heating all over again.
His husky chuckle follows me into the kitchen where Otley is standing at the marble counter, trays of appetizers in front of him.
He looks surprisingly country in his faded chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled back, although his gaze is rueful as I arch a brow at him.
“I thought you might be allergic to denim.”
“I own a pair of jeans,” he says mildly, then adds, “But this shirt is Tristan’s, which is why it’s a little tight.”
Tight in a good way, I can’t help but notice as I round the counter. It’s hard to stop myself from breathing in his cherry scent, but then I’m distracted by the platter of food he’s arranging. “Are these…?”
“Book-themed appetizers.” He places the last pinwheel on the platter and pushes his glasses up his nose.
“I didn’t know the genre until half an hour ago, so I had to adapt a few things.
That’s cowboy caviar,” he says, pointing to a pot of silky dip, “and the charcuterie board we can pass off as saddlebags. I call those cowpokes, queso cups, and cowboy spurs,” he goes on, pointing to mini corn dogs, tortilla cups, and the pinwheels in turn.
“The s’mores pots are over there, and I have a cowboy cobbler in the oven. ”
I gape at him, unable to hide my shock. “You did all this?”
“Well, Simon gave me a few pointers, but you can blame me if anything is unrecognizable.”
“Otley, this is…” I huff out a breath, lost for words. “I thought you ate exclusively from the Lexington’s menu. Ellis told me you have a picky palate.”
“I do, but…” A touch of color stains his cheekbones and for a moment he doesn’t seem to know what to do with his hands.
He finally settles on plucking the pinwheel back off the platter and passing it to me.
I bite into it, my eyes widening as the creamy filling dances over my tongue.
“I’m learning to cook.” He says it fast, like it’s a secret, and I have to swallow carefully so I don’t choke.
Is that a hint of shyness in Otley James’ steel-gray gaze?
“One of Lexington’s chefs is giving me lessons remotely.
I haven’t told anyone yet, just in case I turn out to be rotten at it. ”
The touch of vulnerability is almost as surprising as his delicious pinwheel spurs. “Well, these taste great, so you must be doing something right.”
His shoulders relax, and he smiles as he passes me one of the tortilla cups to try.
“It’s easy to try new things here.” His lips curve up an inch as he watches me munch on his queso cup.
The tortilla is golden and crispy, and the pico de gallo is the perfect blend of zesty lime and jalapeno spice.
“It’s good to use a calmer part of my brain for a change. ”