3. CHAPTER THREE - CLOSE QUARTERS
I stared at the petite woman before me as she tried to come to terms with the fact that she had just lost her house and would have to move in with me. I’d never noticed it, but Lily was quite pretty. Her bangs covered most of her face, giving her a cute image.
For as long as I could remember, I had always enjoyed teasing Lily. Cole may be a great best friend, but I always thought that Lily was the one who inherited the brains in the family. She was smart and funny, and most importantly, she had a good heart.
I smiled softly at her, and then she shifted in the hospital gown, and my eyes inadvertently traced the contours of her exposed skin. A sudden primal urge stirred within me. It was a sensation I was all too familiar with but one that felt dangerously out of place in this context.
Clearing my throat, I forced myself to avert my gaze as I wrestled with the internal battle raging beneath the surface. This wasn”t right. Lily was my best friend”s sister. Someone I”d known practically my whole life. She was off-limits, strictly forbidden territory.
But as I stole another glance, the forbidden allure of her beauty was undeniable. It was a magnetic pull that defied logic and reason, leaving me feeling unsteady and off balance. It didn’t make any sense. I had seen Lily quite a number of times, and I had never felt this way. What was going on?
With a deep breath, I summoned every ounce of self-control I possessed, determined to push aside the unwelcome desires threatening to consume me. I couldn”t afford to lose sight of my priorities. Not when Lily”s well-being depended on me being there for her in her time of need.
Swallowing hard, I plastered on a forced smile, masking the turmoil raging within. “I’ll go get the doctor and see if you can be discharged today.”
I walked away from her bed and started for the door. I would do whatever it took to support Lily through this ordeal. Even if it meant grappling with my own inner demons in the process.
I found a nurse who helped me contact Lily’s doctor. After a few checks, he cleared her for discharge, and I helped her to my car amidst her protests that she could move on her own. The drive back to my place was silent, and I was thankful for that, afraid I would say something uncouth.
All through the drive, I kept stealing glances at Lily. I wasn’t sure why there was this sudden attraction to her, but the fact that it was there was undeniable. I pulled into my driveway and turned off my ignition. “Here we are.”
We both got out of the car and slowly approached the front door when she stopped in her tracks and looked up at me. “Wait. My clothes and other stuff. Did anything survive the fire?”
“We couldn’t save everything so I wouldn’t exactly know what you lost, but everything we could salvage, I’ve already stored them in the guest room for you, and everything else is in a storage locker on 5th and Westin,” I told her.
Her eyes dampened as she recollected the horrific event, and she mouthed an inaudible, “thank you.” I nodded at her and pushed open the door of my house for her to enter. I lived in a cozy two-bedroom apartment pretty close to the fire station in case of emergencies.
As I led Lily through the front door of my house, I couldn”t help but feel a pang of nervousness. It was one thing to offer her a place to stay, but having her here, in my space, felt oddly intimate.
I showed her to the guest room. It was a modest yet comfortable space with a queen-sized bed and soft, inviting sheets. “Make yourself at home,” I said, gesturing towards the room. “I”ll give you some privacy to settle in.”
Heading downstairs, I found myself in the kitchen, the familiar scent of home cooking wafting through the air. It had been a while since I”d whipped up a meal from scratch, but I figured that Lily hadn’t eaten anything and would soon be hungry.
As I busied myself with the spaghetti, my thoughts drifted back to Lily upstairs. I couldn”t shake the image of her in that hospital gown. “Jesus Christ Jake, calm yourself down. Her apartment just burnt down, and here you are, thinking of utter bullshit.”
Halfway through cooking, I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned quickly to see Lily standing nervously by the kitchen door. She wore a flower-patterned sundress, and my gaze involuntarily roamed her entire body. The sight of her exposed skin ignited a fire within me.
I clenched my fists, fighting back the urge to abandon the food and pull her into my arms right then and there. But I knew better. Lily wasn”t just another conquest, and I couldn”t risk jeopardizing both ours and Cole’s friendship, not to mention her trust in me.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” I managed to say, my voice slightly strained. Lily nodded, her eyes downcast as she slowly approached me, her fingers fidgeting nervously.
“Jake, I just wanted to thank you,” she began, her voice soft and hesitant. “For everything you”ve done for me.”
Her words sent a jolt of electricity coursing through me, my mind racing with wild fantasies of what could be.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, you pig.” I quickly pushed the thoughts aside, forcing a smile as I replied, “It”s no problem, Lily. I”m just glad I could help.”
“Can I at least help with dinner?” she asked, taking another step closer. “It’s the least I could do.”
I didn’t want her in the kitchen, afraid of what I would do if I wasn’t able to control myself, but I wasn’t able to think of an excuse fast enough and ended up nodding my head in acceptance. “Sure, Lily. Why not?”
Soon enough, dinner was served, and we shared a meal in the dining room together. The atmosphere between Lily and me was oddly subdued. The clinking of utensils against plates echoed through the room, filling the silence that hung between us.
When we had finally finished eating, Lily got up and made a move to clear the dishes, but I quickly stopped her. “No, no, let me take care of that,” I insisted, flashing her a reassuring smile. “You”ve been through enough today. You should just rest.”
Without saying a word, she gave me a reluctant nod and retreated to her room, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my thoughts. As I loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, my mind wandered, reflecting on how rare it was to share a meal with a woman, without those thoughts inevitably leading to something more.
Usually, by now, my tongue would have been deep in her throat, and her legs would be locked around my waist as I carried her to my room.
But with Lily, it felt different. It felt...nice.
Finishing up with the dishes, I made my way to my own room, a sense of unease tugging at the corners of my mind. As I passed Lily”s closed door, an inexplicable urge washed over me, and I stopped right by her door.
My hand began inching towards the doorknob almost of its own accord, and my mind had already started racing. Thoughts of Lily just coming out of the bathroom with only her robe on flooded my mind, making my heart beat even faster.
But before I could act on the impulse, reason kicked in, reminding me of the boundaries that existed. Boundaries I had placed because of Cole. Lily was off-limits, and I couldn”t afford to forget that.
With a heavy sigh, I pulled back, retreating from the door before I forgot my morals. But just as I turned to leave, the door suddenly swung open, revealing Lily standing before me, her eyes locking onto mine with a mesmerizing intensity.
I found myself momentarily speechless. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of emerald I had ever seen. The small flecks of gold dancing within made her seem even more irresistible. And in that moment, I realized that no matter how hard I tried to resist, there was no denying the pull she held over me.
“Jake?” she asked, with a bewildered look on her face. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” I said, and found myself suddenly leaning into her, capturing her lips in a savage kiss of raw desire.