Page 52 of The Best Man Problem
“Three,” Mo continued. “His car is still out front, so I know he hasn’t left yet.”
“Maybe he’s still packing up,” she countered.
Mo shook her head. “And four, I saw him say ‘my room one hour’ fifty minutes ago.”
Damn Mo and her twenty-twenty vision.
“Look.” Mo tucked an arm around Lilly’s waist, gently pulling the clipboard from her hands. “The place is rented out until tomorrow. The cleaning company isn’t coming until noon. I’m heading out soon, and I assume you have a ride home with Lincoln after you ride his—”
Lilly smashed her hand over her friend’s mouth, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “Mo!”
Mo waggled her eyebrows, and Lilly couldn’t stop the small chuckle from escaping her lips.
“Yes, Lincoln can drive me home. I’ll stay to make sure everything is set for the cleaning crew. You can head home tonight.”
Mo nodded. “Then by my count, you have ten minutes to freshen up or do whatever you need to do before heading to his room and letting that man worship you like the goddess you are.”
She grinned. “Maybe I should take fifteen minutes. Make him sweat a little.”
Mo shrugged. “Goddesses are rarely on time.”
“Thanks, Mo.” She gave her friend a quick squeeze.
“Anytime, hun. Now go get some!”
The command was amplified by a sharp smack to her backside. She cursed, rubbing her smarting bottom and glaring at Mo over her shoulder. Her friend’s laughter followed her as she made her way down the stairs. She didn’t need to change clothes or make the man wait any longer. She couldn’t wait any longer. The anticipation over the past twenty-four hours was likely to kill her.
Death by lust. Terrible way to go.
As she reached Lincoln’s door, she hesitated. If she knocked, there would be no going back. She had no idea why she was so nervous. It wasn’t like they hadn’t done this before.
Yeah, but we were strangers.
Two people simply seeking solace in the physical connection. It wouldn’t be like that tonight. It’d be hot and amazing, she was certain, but they knew each other now. More than she’d like to admit. It wasn’t just physical tonight. Emotions would be involved. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Now or never.
She raised her hand to knock, but the door swung open. Lincoln stood there with a devilish grin, hands braced on the doorframe above his head. He wore nothing but his tux pants, unbuttoned and hanging low on his hips. His lean frame caught her eye, captivating her with all the sharp planes and dips she wanted to explore. With her tongue.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi.” She adjusted her glasses even though they sat perfectly on her nose. “Can I come in?”
He stepped back, motioning for her to enter. She stepped inside his room, noticing how different it was from hers. She and Mo had stayed on the third floor in a small but nice bedroom with two twin beds. This room, however, was quite large and would feel larger if not for the massive king-size bed taking up most of the floor space. She was eternally grateful he’d suggested his room tonight. With their combined tall statures, she doubted their, um, activities would be comfortable in a twin.
“So.” She wandered about the room, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. “The ceremony was nice.”
“It was fantastic. You did an amazing job, Lilly.”
A flush rose on her face. “Mo and Pru helped.” They were a team, and she could always count on her friends and business partners to have her back.
“True.” Lincoln nodded. “Still, you are amazing, and I know Marie and Kenneth loved their day. Everything went off without a hitch, from the emergency snow transportation to the bouquet toss to the farewell birdseed. You’re like a wedding planning superhero. With two left feet.”
She laughed softly. “I warned you I couldn’t dance.”
He lifted a finger, crooking it at her in a “come here” motion. Since that’s exactly where she wanted to be, she obliged. The moment she got close enough, he snagged her around the waist, pulling her into him. He buried his face in her neck as his other hand came up to pull the functional but classy jeweled clip from her hair.
The strands came tumbling down from the updo she had them in, kinking around her shoulders because of all the product she’d used to keep her hair in place. Why couldn’t it fall gracefully around her shoulders like it did in the movies? Lincoln didn’t seem to care. He gently tossed the clip onto one of the large chairs facing the curtain-drawn window. His large hand came up to cradle the back of her head.
