Chapter 11 #3
“Oh.” Her cheeks glowed and he saw her throat move as she swallowed. “Well, it might have been weird if you’d left me a pile of tips on my nightstand.”
He had to laugh. He didn’t mean to, but…damn it, he couldn’t help it.
Lilly returned his smile, her eyes seeming to sparkle as she turned the dolphin over in her hand. It was as if it were a memory of their night, which she was examining from every angle in her mind.
And he wondered if she had thought about it as often as he had.
He wondered if she had woken up that night, disappointed to find the bed beside her empty.
He wondered if everything would have been different if he had given in to his impulse and left his number.
He wondered who they would be now if he hadn't answered Christine’s call that morning.
If he had been wiser. If he hadn’t done the right thing, but what he truly wanted…
And as he met Lilly’s gaze, taking in her slightly parted lips and noticing the rapid rise and fall of her chest, he wondered if she remembered his hands on her body as vividly as he remembered hers on his.
Heat filled his stomach as the smile slowly faded from his face. He studied her fingers, which were still nervously twirling the dolphin. He forgot his anger and something entirely different caused every muscle in his body to tense up.
Suddenly, it felt more than wrong that they were alone in his bedroom.
He cleared his throat loudly. “We should…”
“Oh, yeah.” Hastily, Lilly placed the figurine back on the shelf and smoothed her hair several times before hurrying past him and out of the room.
Fox rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. He needed neutral ground. Anything…
“She can have an allowance, by the way,” he blurted out, following her. “And we should talk about child support…”
“I don’t want any money.”
This was new to him. “Tough luck for you, you’re going to get some. And I’d like to set up a college fund for her.”
“She already has one.”
“Then she has two now.”
Lilly sighed but didn’t argue. They had almost reached the landing when the bathroom door opened and Devreaux stepped out.
“Oh, hello, beautiful!” he said with a broad smile — and the guy was wearing nothing but a towel again.
Lilly’s mouth opened in surprise…and she blushed.
Fox’s shoulder muscles, which had just relaxed, instantly tensed again. “There’s food, Devreaux,” he said gruffly.
“Will you be there?” he whispered conspiratorially to Lilly. “Then I’ll hurry.”
Lilly laughed, and Austin didn’t like it one bit.
“Devreaux, you were supposed to be helping downstairs in the kitchen,” he reminded him.
“Yes, Dad. I know,” he said sarcastically. “But I wanted to break the spaghetti and Melody took the task away from me. So I left in protest.”
Lilly gasped. “You break the spaghetti?” she asked, shocked.
Fox stifled a laugh. She stared at him as if he’d admitted to selling children. “Don't you?”
“Never. It's like breaking your own arms! Oh, you’re going to hear about this from Delfina. If Nonna Rossi taught her anything, it was how to eat spaghetti properly. You’ve been warned.”
She raised a finger and hurried downstairs while Fox watched her, wondering who Nonna Rossi was: She sounded like a cartoon character printed on a tomato sauce package.
“Tell me, who exactly is she now, besides an obvious one-night stand?” Devreaux asked, intrigued, as he studied Lilly’s backside before she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Stop looking at her like that, Devreaux,” he said, annoyed.
“What?” He gazed at Fox innocently. “You said I should do everything I could to feel comfortable here…”
“If you want to piss someone off, go talk to Leon,” he suggested calmly.
Devreaux raised an eyebrow. “Why would it piss you off if I flirted with her?” He seemed genuinely confused. “Wasn’t your night ten years ago? Do you still want something from her? I was under the impression that you hated her.”
Fox's stomach clenched. Well, hatred manifested itself…in different ways. “No, of course I don’t want anything from her,” he replied stiffly, thinking about Devreaux’s words: Well, I think she’s pretty.
“But if you don’t want me to kick you out, for God’s sake, stop flirting with her,” he added rudely.
The player looked at him. “Why? Honestly, I could use the distraction. And you’re obviously angry with her, not interested.”
That wasn’t the point!
“Come to think of it, you’ve been a real jerk to her, even though I’ve been told you’re the levelheaded, diplomatic one in the group!”
Yes, at the moment, he felt he was neither.
“It’s complicated.”
Devreaux smiled broadly. “I can tell. You’re staring at her like you want to kill her or do something else entirely, which makes me question if you’re truly not interested.
But let me tell you one thing: Both are stupid ideas.
So just act normal. Your daughter is here and children are incredibly sensitive to adults’ emotions.
If it bothers you because it makes you jealous… I’ll stop flirting with her.”
“I don’t get jealous!”
“My old teammates were all better liars,” Devreaux muttered, walking past him and slipping into his room.
Shit.