Page 42 of Stirring Attraction (Second Shot 2)
Resting her chin against his chest, she looked up at him. “Is that your way of saying I should give it time?”
“Everything won’t go back to the way it was overnight,” he said.
“Will you stay?” she asked, promising herself this was the last time she’d say those words to him. She wouldn’t beg him to come back. And she wouldn’t wait for him. Not this time. But she might crumble if he left her now. Every little sound would leave her terrified. And how could she comfort herself, allow logic to explain away the supposedly spooky sounds as harmless—leaves rustling in the trees—when she’d been wrong before?
He nodded. “For as long as you need me.”
She rose up on her tiptoes and her heels lifted out of her sensible slip-on shoes. She pressed her lips to his cheek. One soft touch, before she drew back. “That could be a long, long time.”
He brushed her hair back from her face. “You won’t need me to watch over you forever,” he said.
How can you know that?
“You’re going to heal,” he continued. “This is only the beginning. Once you see the file and talk to the police, the truth will sink in. Trust me.”
She nodded. Maybe he was right. “But I need you to stay until then.”
“I will. I promise I will stay on your couch for as long as you need me.”
And then he would slip away again. Without a sense of purpose to keep him here, he’d return to Georgia. Taking the pleasure he’d delivered on her coffee table with him . . .
But not before she returned the favor. Pushing aside her fear and her questions about her own judgment, she let her fingers drift lower, down over his T-shirt.
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” she said as her hands moved between them, searching for his waistline, her fingers eager to release the button on his shorts. She found her target and undid the closure. Hooking her thumbs into his underwear, she dragged his clothes down to the floor
“But,” she began as the rubber mat dug into her knees. Thankfully, she’d selected a pair of capri-length legging in her dash to get dressed. Because she planned to stay here awhile. He’d changed his facial hair, added a few scars, but the hard, long length ready and waiting for her remained the same.
“You’re going to ask me to trust you too?” he said as his hand ran through her hair.
She pressed her lips to the tip. She felt the moisture beaded there.
And the door leading to the back room swung open.
Her nails crawled at his thighs. But Dominic had already jumped into action, pulling up his shorts. He didn’t bother to secure the fly as he hauled her off the floor and held her close against him.
“Hey, guys,” Josh Summers called. “Drop something back there?”
“You could say that,” Dominic said, still holding Lily close, as if concerned her fears had taken flight. But the nervous questions—who was there? Why was he here?—had slipped away. Just Josh and his bad timing.
But maybe he didn’t see it that way. One glance around Dominic, and she saw Josh’s amused smile.
“Glad to see you made it here, man,” Josh said. “Josie called and asked if I’d bring Caroline over just in case you were delayed. Help Lily open the bar and all.”
And babysit her, she thought.
“According to the sign outside,” Josh continued, “this place opens in five. You might want to search the floor later.”
“Noted.” Dominic released her and fixed his pants.
Josh rocked back and forth on his boots, his smile still firmly in place. “Or you could give the college kid peering in the window, hoping for a beer after class, one helluva view.”
“Shouldn’t you be helping the dishwasher?” Dominic shot back.
“Consider this my good deed of the day,” Josh said, his smile broadening. “Though I’m guessing you might feel differently right about now.”
“Josh,” Dominic growled.
“Before you threaten to ‘shut me up’ or something,” Josh said, “remember I have three older brothers. I can take anything you throw at me. Plus, I slept last night. You look like you haven’t had a solid eight hours in weeks.”
