15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Lilly
I dropped Madeline off at Mother’s Day Out. Rose was going to pick the girls up and take them both to her house for a bit this afternoon. I had so much I needed to focus on, and extra time to run some errands, child-free, would be a treat. Well, it would be once I finished the task in front of me—cleaning Jamison’s.
My insides were doing all types of calisthenics the closer I got to his house. It was like they were at gymnastics with the girls. It’s just Jamison, and he won’t even be home. Get ahold of yourself, Lilly.
I pulled into his driveway and let myself into the garage, then froze. His car was there .
He shouldn’t be home.
Tuesdays were his days to work at the office and out of the house. This was one of the reasons we chose Tuesdays, and with how crazy my thoughts had been lately about him—about us—I had been looking forward to his empty house and not seeing him.
Stop this childish swooning and focus on your job, not on irrational possibilities with the one person who has to be off limits.
I entered his kitchen as quietly as possible. It was empty. Good.
I placed my cleaning supply bucket on the counter and heard the pitter-patter of paws on wood—okay, it was more like a clump-clump of paws on wood—and was greeted by Becca dancing and prancing in a circle, her tongue hanging from her mouth. “Hey there, Becca.” I gave her the anticipated rubs and pets, and of course, the desired dog biscuit from the container on the counter, then let her out into the backyard. She gratefully bounded through the door and out to the grass.
I laughed out loud as I walked into the living room. I liked to do a once over to see how much needed to be done before I jumped right in. “Hello, Jamison?” I called. I didn’t want him to think I was an intruder. “It’s me, Lilly.”
Footsteps thumped quickly down the stairs. “Hey, Lilly-Pad.” His smile met his eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes and his hair was perfectly styled.
He wore khakis and a light blue polo shirt with his company’s logo, which made his eyes pop even more. That and the fact that his polo and pants hugged all his muscles perfectly caused my insides to flop around like a pile of fish lying on the bank. I forgot what I came in the living room to do.
I forced a cough. I didn’t want him to know the spell he had on me. “Hey,” I said. “I didn’t expect you home today.”
“I know, but I’ve been swamped with a client and don’t have the time to drive into Nashville. That’s almost two hours round trip wasted, and I just got off a much more constructive virtual meeting.”
“Okay, I’ll work quietly so I don’t bother you. Maybe I’ll skip your office.”
He shrugged and walked to the kitchen. “Fine. Do whatever you want.”
I followed and checked out his ass. Do whatever I want? What I want to do is see if you are still as good in bed as you were in your twenties . I choked on the thought.
Jamison turned. “You okay?”
I couldn’t talk yet, just nodded and grabbed a quick sip of water. Since I was there, I got to work to get my mind off Jamison and throwing him on the couch to have my way with him.
I filled the dishwasher with the few dishes in the sink and counter. My entire body was totally aware of him nearby. I was so glad he couldn’t read my thoughts.
As I sprayed and wiped the counter, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his eyes on me. Following me. I pulled my shoulders back and turned carefully. Stay cool and keep your eyes on his. I leaned my hands on the counter behind me. “What?”
He drank from a bottle of water, and damn—he looked hot as hell. When he lowered the bottle, his blue eyes sparkled. “How long do you think it will take for you to clean my house?”
“Last week I think it was about four hours, but it shouldn’t take as long this week.” I paused and got caught in his gaze.
I’d seen that look before. The glitter of mischief in those eyes. The sly grin frozen on his face. Yeah—I’d seen it before—it was the same look that appeared on his face when we were hiding our relationship. The adrenaline of possibly getting caught caused that gleam. “Why?” I asked with reservation.
He shook his head, and the left side of his lips ticked up a fraction. “No reason.” He put his water bottle on the counter. “I’ve got a call to be on. Don’t leave without saying bye.” He winked and strutted away.
Shit. I Breathed out a long heavy breath. What am I getting myself into? Just get to work. Cleaning will take your mind off him. I put my AirPods in my ears and turned the music on.
Cleaning relaxed me. It was the only thing I could control in my marriage. Having a clean and organized house gave me pride, and Anthony never hesitated to brag about it to his friends. Well, sort of brag. He often said things like, “One thing my wife does well is keep the house. She may not have done well at college, but she sure knows where she belongs.”
Yeah, he was a dick.
I stopped steam mopping the floor. Usually thinking about him gave me a queasy feeling in my gut. I searched and searched, waited and waited, but . . . nothing. “Good.”
I shrugged and got back to my work. I’d only been home a couple weeks, but Anthony no longer had a hold on me. It’s about time. Out of sight, out of mind was so true.
I cleaned with a new pride. My own cleaning business was what I chose to do. I was my own boss and didn’t have to worry about a company letting me go. I was in charge of my future for the first time in a decade.
My favorite song came on, and I sang and finished the kitchen and moved on to the dining room and living room. I got lost in cleaning and didn’t realize how quickly I was going. Up in Darcie’s room, I sang along to a Taylor Swift song at the top of my lungs. I shook my hips and waved my hands in the air. It was a dance Maddy and I always did together—yes, my daughter was a Swifty—I spun in a circle and froze.
Jamison was there in the doorway, smiling wide.
“Shit.” My hands flew to my chest to try to calm my frantic heart. I turned off the music and took the AirPods from my ears. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Well, you were entertaining the hell out of me,” he said with a chuckle. “What kind of dance were you doing, and what song were you dancing to?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just a dance Maddy made up to our favorite song.” I gathered the cleaning supplies from the bathroom and walked to the door. Since I wasn’t going to clean his office, all I had to do was dry mop the hallway and the steps on my way down and I’d be finished for the day.
But he didn’t move.
He remained against the door jamb, blocking my way.
I glared at his neck as it was directly at eye level, and I refused to glance up any further. His neck was tanned and muscular. I swallowed hard.
My eyes drifted up to his chin, covered in a day or two’s growth of whiskers. I passed over his lips quickly. I couldn’t allow myself to spend time staring at those soft bits of deliciousness.
My eyes found his, and a smile ticked up the corners of those luscious lips I definitely was not thinking about.
“You still know how to move those hips, Lilly-Pad.” His voice was deep and husky.
I was frozen and lost in his gaze. My stomach warmed and the space between my thighs started to tingle. Damn, I’m swooning again.
Without any warning, he hooked a hand behind my neck and smashed his lips to mine.
I whimpered in surprise as his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tightly against him. I dropped the bucket and Swiffer, letting them clatter to the floor, but the noise didn’t matter.
His tongue pushed its way to mine, and my insides melted. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I needed to hold on to something because I could feel myself drowning once again in all things Jamison.
His kiss was as sweet and tender as before, but there was something else. Desire? Maybe…experience?
Experience which came with age and maturity. Knowing what he wanted.
The scent of him—a mixture of the outdoors and spice—filled my senses. Heat grew inside me, and I whimpered again as the hand cupping my neck tangled itself in my hair and held me tight.
I was hungry for him—starving for him—and it seemed like he felt the same way. I took a breath when his lips finally left mine, but he wasn’t finished. He brushed his lips against my chin and, dragged his tongue along the line of my jaw, nipping at my earlobe before trailing kisses down my neck.
Good Lord. He remembered that sensitive area behind my ear, returning his lips to kiss and nibble there again. I wriggled against him, but he wasn’t letting go. His hand left my hair and came around to fondle my breast. My shirt was thin, and it wasn’t hard for him to find my nipple, pushed tight against my shirt. He brushed against it and circled his finger around it.
It was so sensitive, and my body was on fire. “Jamison,” I breathed.
Somehow, I got out into the hallway. He pushed me against the wall and held my arms above my head. His kisses trailed down my neck and to my cleavage. Fire erupted across my skin from his touch. Finally, he broke away and brushed my hair from my face. We were both breathing hard. “God, Lilly, I want you so much.” His blue eyes softened.
It was the look I remembered from long ago.
My heart slowed, and skipped a few beats. “Jamison.” I didn’t know what to say. I wanted him. I’d always wanted him. I never stopped. But I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Where these feelings came from.
I released my hands from his grasp and brushed them across his shoulders and to his chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?” was all I could think to say. If he had to get back to work, it would be a good reason to stop whatever this was.
But he shook his head and stepped back and put a small bit of space between us. His hands brushed down my arms, and his fingers linked with mine. “No, it’s my lunch break. I have at least an hour, maybe more.”
He didn’t take his eyes off mine but tugged on my hands.
“Please, Lilly?” He gestured with a nod of his head toward his room. “I’ve thought of you so much since the day you walked back into my life. Feelings woke up inside me when I touched you, and they haven’t gone away. I want to feel you, touch you. It’s been too long.”
I think my heart stopped. His soft gaze was filled with desire. He tugged again, and I did the only thing I could.
I followed.