Cross My Heart

Nine

Ty’s bedroom had been his sanctuary since Lilly had come to stay with him. After tonight, he wouldn’t be able to escape her anywhere in his small apartment. Her scent and her touch would be with him wherever he went.

He strode into the room and placed her onto the mattress which dipped under their joint weight.

She pushed herself back, upwards against his pillows. “Is there a reason I’m the only one undressed?” She tossed the challenge his way, her hot gaze raking over him.

He grinned. “If you ask me, you’re still wearing way too many clothes,” he said, and eyed her, too, enjoying the sight of her in just a skimpy bra and panties. His gaze slid down her flat stomach and long legs, ending at her bare feet.

His erection strained against its confinement and he couldn’t deny she’d made a good point. He sat back and began unbuttoning his shirt, just one piece of clothing blocking him from getting closer to Lilly. He dropped his shirt onto the carpet before working on his pants. Undoing the button, he then hooked his thumbs into both the waistband of both his slacks and briefs, and together he threw both items into the pile along with the shirt.

To complete his mission, he added his socks, as well, then turned to face her.

She slid her tongue over her lips, her wide eyes pinned to his erection. His body was as hard as a brick, his need for her reaching the point of no return, yet he knew they’d never have these firsts again. And they’d waited too long to rush things now.

“Now who has too many clothes?” He cocked his head to one side, tossing the challenge back her way.

Her cheeks were flushed but a slow, seductive smile curved her lips as she reached for the front clasp of her bra. She turned her fingers to unhook the catch, shimmied her shoulders and let the garment slide down her bare arms. She dangled it from her fingertips in a deliberate show before adding it to the pile below.

Lilly held his attention completely, his gaze fastened on her freed breasts, creamy white mounds of tempting, full flesh, ready and peaked for his attention. But when he slid closer and reached out to remove her panties himself, she laughed and smacked his hand.

“I’m a big girl now,” she reminded him.

And how, he thought as she wagged a finger in a chiding motion. But apparently Lilly wasn’t finished and he sat back to enjoy, his cock hard and erect, desperately waiting to slide inside her wet flesh.

“I also figured turnabout is fair play. You tortured me, I’m going to do the same to you,” she said, teasing him.

She slid her fingers into the thin edges of her panties and wiggled them down her legs, slowly revealing the swirl of dark hair hidden beneath the silk. Her hips swiveled from side to side and finally when the last scrap of clothing joined the others on the floor, Ty reached his breaking point.

He exhaled a long groan and pulled Lilly down onto the comforter, aligning his body fully, blessedly on top of hers. Skin against skin, no barriers, nothing between them, he kept his body’s needs at bay and held on to the moment he’d longed for, for what felt like a lifetime.

A sweet sigh echoed from the back of her throat and he’d never heard a more satisfying sound. She was meant to be in his bed and in his arms, arousing him and making him feel whole. He ran his hands through her hair, kissed her mouth, and ground his hips into hers, but his body told him he couldn’t possibly last.

“Hang on,” he said, pushing himself over toward his nightstand where he had protection in the top drawer.

“Convenient,” she said. Her eyes had clouded over.

“Lilly-”

She shook her head. “That came out all wrong. Of course we need protection. I just wish we’d…that we…that you…” The words were obviously lodged in her throat.

“Say it,” he urged. Though he knew what she was thinking, he needed to hear the words anyway.

She tipped her head to one side, her hair brushing her shoulders. He reached out and curled one strand around his fingertips, hoping the contact would give her courage.

“It’s just that I wish you’d been my first,” she said, the words coming out on a pain-filled whisper.

He nodded, understanding completely. He wasn’t a man of many words, but she deserved to know what was in his heart. “I wish you’d been mine, too.”

God, how many times had he had that thought over the years and how gratifying to know she’d felt the same. He hadn’t been the same after she’d gone. He’d been left with the sense that he’d lost something not only precious but important in ways he couldn’t understand.

And now he was about to.

He leaned close and brushed his lips over hers and immediately lost not just control, but his sense of time and place. All he remembered was ultimately coming over her at the same time he hooked one leg around hers, widening her legs, making room for himself in the molten heat awaiting him.

He slid one fingertip inside her, spreading her sexy juices over her thick, dewy folds. Her hips rose without warning, that triangular dark expanse he’d eyed earlier jutting upwards, pulling his finger deeper inside her tight, wet sheath. He no longer wondered if she was ready for him. He knew, just as his shaking body informed him he was ready for her.

He paused only long enough to cover himself with protection before bracing his hands on either side of her head and poising his body over hers.

“Would you rather be on top?” he asked her, taking himself by surprise.

He’d never wondered with any other woman. Never cared to ask, no matter what position they happened to be in, because sex was sex. As he’d always sensed would be the case, anything with Lilly was so much more.

“Anywhere, any way with you works just fine for me.” She forced her heavy eyelids open as she spoke.

The honest feelings he saw there blew him away.

“Besides, I’m assuming this won’t be the one and only time tonight, so I’ll have my chance to experiment later.” Once again she surprised him.

Damn but he enjoyed her. Everything with Lilly was just right.

He nodded and eased himself inside her for the first time. Slowly, bit by excruciating bit, he pushed into her, his body straining as she gradually widened just enough for a perfect fit. His cock pulsed and his body fought against the way he held himself back, giving her time to accept and to feel.

Heaven knew he’d never felt anything so intense in his entire life. “Are you okay?”

She bent her knees higher, pulling him further inside. “How’s that for an answer?” she asked, her voice sounding husky and deep.

He got the point. He pulled out slowly and she moaned, her body shaking and trembling beneath him, squeezing him tighter in order to hold him inside and prevent him from pulling out completely. She had no reason to worry. All he’d wanted was slick passage and he got it, diving back into her with more force. More caring.

She lifted her hips to meet his, her small mound grinding into the base of his shaft. Arousal and desire peaked, his body’s needs driving him out of his mind. He pumped into her, feeling every inch buried inside her. Then he pulled out, depriving them both again, deliberately building momentum and need. In and out, in and-without warning she crossed her ankles behind his back, anchoring herself against him so she could lift her behind off the bed and lock her hips tight against his.

She wanted pressure, so he gave her pressure, twisting and turning his hips, meeting her motions, until together they found the perfect rhythm. The one that brought them higher and higher, closer and closer to climax.

Beneath him, she whimpered with need, her soft sounds begging him to give her release. He slid one hand around and found the place where their bodies met, the moist wet spot that let him tease her just enough.

“Ty, Ty, Ty.”

She came apart where he’d always wanted her to, in his arms, calling out his name, triggering a gut-wrenching climax of his own. His body tensed and then complete pleasure washed over him in waves of desire he never wanted to end.

And as he finally came back down and fuzzy awareness returned, he collapsed on top of her, her name on his lips.

LACEY TOSSED and turned. Beside her, Ty slept soundly and she envied him the ability. After making love with Ty, not once but twice, she had too much on her mind to sleep and she lay back against the pillows, trying unsuccessfully to relax.

She gripped the comforter and pulled the blanket tighter around her, inhaling deep. The musky scent of sex and Ty filled her nostrils. Suddenly he snored, a discovery that nearly made her laugh aloud. She turned to study him as he slept. How many times had she dreamt of watching the man she’d fallen in love with at seventeen, asleep after they’d made love?

She didn’t know where things between them were headed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. For now she just wanted to enjoy but she couldn’t begin to do that until she’d taken care of some personal business back home in New York.

It was late, a little past eleven. Normally Lilly was preoccupied with her career, but not tonight. She’d been checking in daily with the woman in charge of Odd Jobs while she was gone. It helped that Odd Jobs operated on the same schedules, if not weekly then monthly, which enabled someone to oversee things while the daily tasks ran smoothly. Knowing all was well allowed her to keep a clear mind while she stayed here in Hawken’s Cove.

It also allowed her to focus on Ty and what making love with him meant. It meant she had to deal with Alex. She owed him that much.

She climbed out of bed and quietly walked into the guest room, shutting the bedroom door behind her so she could talk in private. Her stomach churned as she dialed his number and it rang. Once, twice; he answered on the third ring.

“Hello?” he answered, preoccupied but not groggy from sleep. Alex normally worked at home until midnight and she knew she wouldn’t be waking him now.

She licked her bone-dry lips. “Alex, it’s me. Lacey.”

“Hi!”

She imagined him pushing himself up against his ivory-colored pillows, folders and work spread out over his bed.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to hear your voice. I was beginning to think I’d have to send a posse after you,” he said, the words meant to be funny but his tone was anything but.

Once again she heard the anxious edge in his voice. She supposed she couldn’t blame him since she’d been deliberately vague on her sudden trip and she’d only checked in with him once.

“Nothing that drastic is necessary, I promise.” She gripped the small phone against her ear.

“When are you coming home?” he asked.

“Soon. I have an appointment Monday morning that I have to keep and I should know more after that.” She’d managed to get the secretary of Paul Dunne at Dunne and Dunne, the trustee of her parents’ will, to fit her in for an appointment.

At first the secretary had insisted there were no open appointments for a few weeks, but Lilly had explained she was in town for a short time and she couldn’t possibly wait that long. The woman had squeezed her in, though Lacey could tell she hadn’t been exactly happy to do it.

“Well then hopefully I’ll be seeing you by the end of the week,” Alex said, his mood obviously cheering at his interpretation of her news.

“Umm.” Her heart lodged in her throat as she formed the words she had to say next. “About seeing me again. We need to talk about that.”

Lacey hated to break things off with him over the phone. She owed him better and she’d explain more when she returned home, but after tonight with Ty, everything had become clear in her mind. She couldn’t continue to leave Alex dangling without an answer when she knew where her heart belonged.

Even if she and Ty never made love again, Lacey had to end things with Alex. There wasn’t room for another man in her life. There never had been.

“What is it?” Alex asked, his voice curt, as he obviously sensed bad news to come.

“I’ll explain more when I see you, but since being here, things have changed for me.” She curled her legs beneath her. “Actually they haven’t changed as much as they’ve become clearer.”

“Stop pussyfooting around and say what you’re trying to say.”

She stiffened at his words, but she continued. “I know now why I haven’t been able to commit to you. It has to do with unresolved feelings for people here.”

“We all have unresolved things in our past,” he said in what she could only call a patronizing voice. “So wrap those things up and come home. You’ll feel better once we’re together again.”

She ran a hand through her hair. He wasn’t hearing her and her frustration grew, mainly because she hadn’t wanted to hurt him by having to spell things out too plainly.

He’d left her with no choice. “Alex, I’m sorry to do this over the phone, but we’re over.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, no, we are not.”

She reared back. “Excuse me?”

“What I meant was, you need to think about what you’re saying.”

“That’s all I have been doing since you asked me to marry you. Thinking. And the truth is, I shouldn’t have to think about my answer. If I loved you the way you deserve to be loved, the answer would have been automatic.” Sadness filled her, for all the fun they’d had and the caring they’d shared, but she knew in her heart that she was finally doing the right thing for them both.

“Lacey, please stop talking nonsense. Whatever’s going on in your hick hometown-”

“Hawken’s Cove is not a hick town.” Surprise and a small pang of hurt rose inside her.

Well, what did she expect? She’d broken things off with him by phone. Had she thought he’d understand and wish her a long happy life?

She’d just never heard him be so nasty before. But she’d never disagreed with him until now, either. At least not on something so monumental.

“Well, obviously the people there are messing with your head. You’ll come to your senses as soon as you return.”

“Don’t count on it,” she said, clenching her jaw tight.

He made a tsking noise. “Nobody will ever love you as much as I do.” His words sounded more like a threat than the lie she knew them to be.

“Alex, I’m sorry. I care about you and you deserve so much more than I can give. You’ll see that one day and you’ll thank me for coming to my senses before we made a mistake,” Lacey said, trying to maintain her dignity in the face of his hurt and anger.

“I doubt it. And I don’t believe for a minute that we’re finished.”

She shivered at his words. “You’re wrong. We are over,” she said, needing him to hear it one more time. “Goodbye, Alex.” Lacey disconnected the line and placed the phone on the bed.

Her head throbbed badly. She made her way quietly back to the bedroom, tiptoeing as she let herself back inside. She climbed back under the covers and snuggled deep into the pillows, inhaling Ty’s comforting scent.

She assured herself she’d done the right thing. She’d told Alex the truth as soon as she knew it herself. There was nothing more she could do. Time would heal his pain over her rejection.

She glanced at Ty, then rolled closer and wrapped her arm around his waist for comfort. Because time would also tell her what her future held.

TY PULLED the frying pan out of the cabinet and greased it with oil, preparing for his pathetic version of an omelet, then placed the pan on the stove. He opened the refrigerator to retrieve the eggs and came up empty. Muttering a curse, he searched the kitchen for something to make for breakfast but the cabinets were empty, too. There was no cold cereal because he’d finished a box of Cheerios yesterday, no milk because Lilly lived on milk and cookies, and he remembered now there were no eggs because she had finished those, too. He had promised to pick up some things after work but he’d forgotten all about making the stop.

He was too used to living alone and not answering to anyone. Most mornings he grabbed coffee and a bagel at the place next door to his office. Most mornings he didn’t awaken wrapped around Lilly, too content to move.

The longer he’d lain beside her, his groin pressing into her back, the more aroused he became. Aroused and content at the same time. Two scary enough prospects to jolt him into reality and force him out of bed.

He couldn’t allow himself to get too used to feeling good. To having Lilly around. He knew all too well how quickly things changed and not for the better. She’d be gone before he knew it. So he decided he was better off padding around his cold kitchen cooking instead of wishing for things that couldn’t be.

One last glance into the refrigerator and he knew he had to hit the grocery store if they wanted to eat. Besides, the pooch would be back soon and she needed more food, he thought, looking at Digger’s empty bowls. He glanced around at his kitchen, the frying pan on the stove, the dog dishes on the floor, and then turned toward the bedroom where a beautiful woman lay sleeping in his bed.

Ty grabbed his jacket and headed out in search of food, fresh air and hopefully some sanity along with it.

HUNTER PULLED Digger along the sidewalk in front of Night Owl’s bar. The dog stopped for every odd smell and Hunter wondered how Lilly walked her dog every morning and still made it to work on time. He’d been at it for a solid forty minutes and she still hadn’t done her thing.

Considering he’d woken up face-to-face with Her Smelliness as he’d come to call Digger, he couldn’t wait to return the dog to her owner.

“Hunter?”

He heard his name being called and turned to see Molly stepping out of the new Starbucks that had opened next to the bar.

“Hey there,” he said, his heart picking up speed at the sight of her in tight blue jeans and a gold long-sleeved shirt with matching gold scarf that picked up the highlights in her hair.

She glanced down at Digger who’d begun to sniff at Molly’s feet. “Did you adopt a pet?” she asked.

“Hell no. The mutt is Lilly’s. I’m on my way to return her and be free.”

A grin tipped Molly’s lips. “Aaah, so females confine you?”

“Did I say that?” he asked, laughing.

“Just call it a woman’s inference.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“How was the party last night?” Hunter asked.

While she’d been at the party with Ty and Lilly, Hunter had been surrounded by takeout Chinese food cartons and legal files. He’d been working late, pulling together a defense for a man accused of stealing a car, which had led to someone’s death. In the end, Hunter’s strategy came down to relying on his client’s willingness to take risks in the hopes that the jury bought his story.

Molly shrugged. “It was okay. Parties aren’t really my favorite thing to do but everyone seemed to have a good time.” Her gaze shifted away from his.

He wondered if things at the mansion had been as happy as she’d like him to believe. Ty and Lilly would tell him for sure. “I’ve got to get Digger the Dog here back home, but I was wondering-”

“Yes?” Her eyes grew wide.

“I don’t have much free time right now because my case has been moved up but a man has to eat and it’s pretty lonely having to do it alone.” Leveling with Molly wasn’t easy but last night he’d decided he had no choice.

“Is that your lame way of asking me on a date?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, it is. And not one of those joking questions where you can blow me off to paint your toenails,” he said, his tone as serious as he felt at the moment. “And not a meal I’m going to bring by your place so Anna Marie can listen in and take notes. A real date with real conversation.”

Last night, as Hunter had worked out the defense plan for his client, Hunter’s thoughts had strayed to Molly and the parallels of his case to his life. Could he ask another human being to take chances when Hunter was unable to do the same? He’d decided then and there to go after what he wanted, risking the rejection he’d been avoiding for years.

He just hadn’t thought he’d have the opportunity so soon. But as Lilly’s return reminded him, life was about taking chances.

Despite the dog pulling on the leash and his own desire to run before she could answer, Hunter took one more risk and reached for Molly’s hand. “So what do you say? Dinner?”

She surprised him by nodding. “I’d like that.”

He glanced down at their intertwined hands. “Me, too.”

The dog began tugging harder, obviously not happy about being ignored. He didn’t know how to break it to Digger but Molly was a lot better looking-and better smelling-than she was.

He gestured to the dog. “I need to bring her back home. Pick you up at seven tonight?” he asked Molly.

“I’ll be ready. Just tell me this is a casual kind of date because I’d really rather not dress up if you don’t mind.” She swept a hand across her jeans. “What you’re seeing is the real me.”

The always confident Molly spoke hesitantly, as if her dressing down might change his mind. Instead it turned him on more.

“So…would pizza and a beer be your idea of a good time?” he asked. “Because that’s more the real me than the guy in the suit you see every day.” He glanced her way and winked, enjoying the flush he brought to her cheeks.

She laughed. “Thank God.” With a wave, she took off down the street, leaving him staring after her, watching the sway in her step as she walked.

He yanked the leash, pulling Digger away from a wrapper someone had left on the sidewalk and turned the corner toward Ty’s. But he couldn’t take his mind off Molly and the fact that they were finally making progress in the getting-to-know-one-another department, no matter how small the steps.

He walked up the stairs and Digger immediately bolted ahead of him, pulling the leash out of his hands. “And here I thought I treated you pretty good,” Hunter muttered as the dog bolted to get away from him. “At least some women are beginning to appreciate my charm.”

Digger rose onto her hind legs and scratched at the door, her urgency to get inside ridiculous if it weren’t so pathetic.

He knocked on the door and when nobody answered, he pulled his spare key out of his pocket. “Ready or not, here I come,” he called, hoping like hell he wasn’t about to walk in on his two best friends in an embarrassing situation.

He glanced down, planning to slide the key into the lock when he realized the door was closed but not shut tight. “What the hell?”

Someone had jimmied the lock and once he turned the knob, the door opened wide. Smoke immediately hit him in the face, nearly knocking him over. Digger, who Hunter had already lost control over, bounded into the smoky apartment before Hunter could stop her.

“Lilly! Ty!” Hunter bolted into the apartment but smoke burned his eyes and forced him back out. His heart pounded in his raw throat and panic swept over him.

“Is anyone there?” he yelled before drawing a deep breath.

Nobody replied. He hit the door with his elbow. The smoke was too thick and dense for him to make it inside but he was determined to try. Before he could make his next move, he heard barking and a loud noise, as if someone had bumped into something.

“Lilly?” he yelled, loudly.

Next thing he knew, Digger bolted toward him, with Lilly stumbling behind her dog.

Hunter grabbed Lilly’s arm and pulled her out of the apartment. With Digger by their side, they ran for fresh air outside, banging on other tenants’ doors as they went.

Lilly fell onto the grass, coughing, while Hunter called 911 from his cell phone.

“You okay?” he asked, while Digger licked her owner’s face.

Lilly struggled to rise but he gently pressed her back onto the ground. “Rest,” he ordered. He glanced toward the building, grateful to see other tenants already on the sidewalk.

“What happened?” Lilly asked.

He shrugged. “Beats me. I was bringing your pooch back home. I knocked on the door, no one answered, so I let myself in and was bowled over by smoke. Much as it galls me to admit anything good about Her Smelliness, she just might have saved your life.”

“You saved my life, too. You showed up just in time.” Lilly exhaled hard and followed it up with a hacking cough. She grabbed her dog and hugged her hard, pulling the furry body against her chest.

Hunter’s adrenaline was still pumping through him like crazy. Before he could reply, fire engines sounded loudly and the red truck pulled around back.

What the hell had happened, he wondered and hoped they’d have an answer soon. Because if he’d spent another minute talking to Molly, he might not have reached Lilly at all.