by Amy Lamont
“You’re mentally scrapbooking again, aren’t you?” Maggie asked.
I turned my head and grinned at her. One of my favorite pastimes was cutting pictures out of magazines to save interior design ideas. When the ideas came from actual spaces, Maggie called my attention to details my mental scrapbooking.
“You know me too well.”
“I do know you well. Probably even better than you think.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“I know you well enough to know that meeting Will Canter rattled you.”
I looked away from her, grabbing a bar rag and wiping down the counter between us, keeping my eyes on my task. “Of course he did. He’s the guitarist for Sliding Violet. I’d have to be dead not to be rattled by him.”
“If you were anyone else, I’d agree with you. But you didn’t get rattled when Jared Sloane was over here. And you didn’t start a conversation with him, either. You can’t say the same for Will. I saw how you reacted to him.”
My eyes flew to hers and I blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. He rattled me. He’s hot. He’s got sex appeal practically seeping out of his pores. The whole time he was standing here all I could think about was stripping off his shirt and licking him all over. Happy now?”
The only warning I had was Maggie’s eyes slowly growing wider and wider before a voice came from behind me.
“Happy doesn’t even begin to cover it, sweetheart.”
I whirled around, forgetting my ridiculous shoes and almost face planting behind the bar. But that didn’t happen. Because Will jackknifed over the bar and snatched me up in his arms.
Before I could blink, I found myself cradled bridal-style in Will’s arms, his face close to mine.
“You okay?” he asked, his dreamy, dark eyes searching mine.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The best I could do was nod as I stared up at him, eyes wide.
He gave me a gentle shake. “I need the words, sweetheart.”
Words? I think I might have lost the power of speech for good after the move he just made. All over Brooklyn my old teachers and foster parents were rejoicing. Not one of them had been able to get me to keep my snarky thoughts to myself in all their years of trying.
But Will Canter managed it in one fell swoop. Literally.
“I think she’s speechless.” Maggie’s awe-filled whisper reflected just how momentous an occasion this was.
Will turned toward her, keeping his hold tight and swinging me around with him. He flashed a distracted smile at Maggie. “Sorry?”
I couldn’t help it. I giggled. It just slipped out. But the look on Maggie’s face. Oh my God. She looked like she might swoon on the spot like some insipid female in an old historical romance. And that was with Will’s smile at only half-mast. I could just imagine what would happen if he flashed her the one he gave me earlier—the one full of mischief and masculine charm.
My giggle brought Will’s attention straight back to me. His smile widened. “You sound like you might just live, but I’d still feel better if you gave me some verbal confirmation.”
“I’ll live.” For some reason I whispered the words. The moment felt too intimate to speak any louder.
Dear God. I was turning into one of those insipid, fainting heroines, too. What the heck was wrong with me?
“You rendered her speechless, made her giggle, and then when she spoke no sarcasm came out.” Maggie captured Will’s attention again. “Don’t mean to interrupt, but just saying. Those might be the first three signs of the apocalypse.”
Will chuckled. “I guess you two are friends?”
“We’ve been best friends since we were kids. I’m Maggie, by the way.”
“Nice meeting you, Maggie.” Since he kind of had his hands full at the moment and couldn’t shake, Will acknowledged her by tipping his head to the side. “You seem to be a little chattier than your friend here. Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she breathed in a voice that sounded like the answer would be the same if he asked her for pretty much anything.
“Does your friend have a name?”
She grinned. “She totally has a name.”
He waited a beat while Maggie continued to stand there and give him a silly smile. He raised an eyebrow. “Care to share it with me?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we should let my friend tell you if she wants you to know it.”
Maggie was teasing, but I was suddenly struck with an urge beyond all reason to hear my name on Will Canter’s lips.
“Lily,” I said. “My name’s Lily.”
His eyes came to mine one more time and all traces of amusement fled. His look was so solemn, so serious, you’d think I’d just shared the secret handshake to gain him access to heaven.
“Hi, Lily.”
My eyes dropped closed without my conscious decision to shut them. The same feeling that filled me when I heard “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” earlier, filled me again at the sound of him saying my name. The feeling was so profound, it stole my breath.
Finally it occurred to me that I was being an absolute, complete, and total ninny. And I did not do ninny.
My eyes flew open and…Holy crap. The fourth sign of the apocalypse reared its ugly head in the form of heat suffusing my face. I was blushing.
“Oh my God. Could this night get any better?” Maggie asked before she confirmed my worst fears. “I didn’t even know you could blush.”
Crap. Without even thinking about it, I buried my head in Will’s neck, hiding my burning face.
He chuckled, and the vibration rocked through me at the same time the scent of him filled my senses. All thoughts of embarrassment fled and I was filled with a desire unlike anything I ever felt before.
I burrowed closer to him and he seemed perfectly fine with that. He bent his head, his forehead touching my temple, cocooning us in a little intimate bubble right there in the middle of the posh, crowded Christmas party.
I was in so much trouble here.
Chapter 3
Lily
I sucked in a ragged breath and tried to pull together the tattered edges of my dignity. No easy task when being held in the arms of the hottest guy on the planet. But damned if I wasn’t going to give it my best shot.
I lifted my head, putting a tiny bit of space between Will and I. “Umm, while I’ve never been accused of being a damsel in distress before, you’ve done your white knight duties perfectly. But I think it’s safe for you to put me down now.”
Will’s response was to tighten his hold. “I’m good.”
“You’re good?” I blinked up at him.
“Yup.”
Well, hell. How was I supposed to respond to that? I twisted to look over at Maggie. And found myself fighting a sigh. Judging by her saucer-sized eyes, broad grin, and the fact she looked like she was trying to keep from peeing her pants, she was loving every moment of the Will and Lil show.
I turned back to Will. “Your arms must be getting tired by now. I’m no lightweight.”
And I wasn’t. In fact, now that I thought of it, knowing he’d been standing here holding me like I weighed no more than a kitten all this time, I really wanted to get a peek at what he was hiding under that black, button-down shirt. The boy must spend serious time in the gym.
I did my best to shove those thoughts aside. They definitely weren’t helping me any. Unless you found hardening nipples and damp panties helpful.
Get a grip, Lily.
“You’re not heavy. You’re perfect.”
The way he said those words, soft and serious, coupled with the way he looked at me, as if I was his most cherished possession, made me swallow. Hard. He thought I was perfect.
“Oh. My. God,” Maggie whispered.
Sing it, sister.
“What is going on here?”
Three heads whipped around to stare at the person screeching in our direction. Great. Leave it to Satan’s Helper
to ruin the mood.
“Oh, Sasha, Will…um, Mr. Canter, he was just, um…” Maggie bugged her eyes out at me.
“I can see perfectly well what’s going on here.” Sasha wrinkled her nose at me like I was something she’d stepped in that now coated the bottom of her Jimmy Choo’s. “I wanted to terminate you before you even got here, but I was nice enough to give you a second chance. And now you’re throwing yourself at one of Mr. Wilder’s guests.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Yes, I’m obviously holding him here against his will. Those are some amazing powers of deduction you’ve got there, Sherlock. I can totally understand why you’re queen of the cater waiters.”
Sasha gasped and I could feel Will’s body shake with a rumbling chuckle.
“You are fired. And if you expect to get paid for your work here…”
Will didn’t let Sasha get too far into that particular tirade. His laughter stopped as fast as it started, and he raised his left eyebrow, a skill I was immediately exceptionally jealous of.
“Sasha, was it?” Will asked in a voice I hadn’t heard from him yet. If I had to label it, it would probably be bored, over-privileged frat boy. Not one I normally found attractive, but in my current situation, the sound of it made me want to cheer. “I suggest if you want to cater an event that takes place anywhere other than a church basement anytime soon, you stop right there.”
Sasha’s lips pressed together so hard, so fast, I feared they might get stuck in a permanent pucker, as if she spent her days sucking lemons. I tried my best not to cackle in glee. But I’m sure the big grin I sported left little doubt about my feelings.
“Your employee almost injured herself because of the ridiculous footwear your company insisted on this evening. I suggest you go cut her a check now, and find someone to cover the rest of her shift as she’ll be leaving now to tend to her feet.”
I gaped up at him.
“She needs…” Sasha started.
“I need for this conversation to be over,” Will said. “Now whose needs do you think Mr. Wilder will be most concerned with?”
“I could kiss you,” I whispered and then promptly slapped the hand not hooked around his neck over my mouth. I totally didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Will glanced down at me and his expression softened for a second. “I’ll take you up on that. Soon.”
My heart stuttered and I swear I could feel my blood start pounding through my veins as I moved my hand from my mouth slowly. And suddenly I found I never wanted to be kissed so badly in my life.
“I hate to do it, sweetheart, but I’m going to put you down. I have to say goodbye to a few people. Get your stuff, get your check and I’m going to take you home.”
Before I had a chance to respond, he eased his arm from under my legs and slowly lowered me to my ground. My body slid against his the whole way down, and I enjoyed every moment of having my curves pressed against his hard contours.
As my feet touched the floor, I braced my hands against his chest, leaning into him. He smiled down at me and my knees wobbled a bit.
“If you keep smiling at me like that, you’re going to have to carry me out of here,” I warned. “I’m not sure my legs are going to want to keep me upright.
His smile turned into a smirk. “Sweetheart, I’ll be more than happy to sweep you off your feet again.”
His words just made me lean more of my weight into him. But my usual snarky self finally remembered to show up. “You’re not helping,” I said testily.
He laughed. “Okay, how can I make it better?”
“Stop with all the sweet talk. And that charming stuff. And telling off bitchy, control freak cater waiter supervisors.” I gave him my best grouchy face—nose wrinkled, lips pursed—but then realized I didn’t really want him to stop any of those things. I decided to amend my demands. “Or at least hold off on all that stuff until I’m sitting down.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises.”
I harrumphed and pushed off his chest, pausing a second to make sure I didn’t actually melt into a puddle on the floor without his support. When it seemed like I could hold my own, I dropped my hands to my hips and gave him a long, considering look, ignoring my best friend’s gleeful gaze and Sasha’s dramatic exit from our group. I had more important things on my mind right that second.
Was I really going to let this guy I just met take me home?
My gaze hit his and the look he was giving me made warmth spread through every inch of my body, with an extra hot helping of it pooling low in my belly.
Oh, yeah. I was totally going to let him take me home.
The warmth carried me through hugs and girly squealing with Maggie, into the kitchen to get my stuff and collect my check from a grim-faced Sasha, and out onto the street with my hand tucked firmly in Will’s arm.
It took a little hit when, instead of taking mass transit, Will settled me in the back of a black Town Car with a uniformed driver. But of course he’d have a car and driver. I couldn’t even imagine the reaction he’d get if he tried to ride the train to Brooklyn with me.
Getting the warmth back didn’t take long, as Will tucked me under his arm after I gave directions to the driver, and we drove through the dark city night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d traveled through the city above ground. Subways might be fast and cheap, but no matter the season, the views remained the same. I didn’t realize until just now that I’d missed the experience of sightseeing in the city.
I cuddled into Will, amazed I felt so comfortable with a guy I’d just met. I kept my eyes to the window and took in all the sights and sounds of Manhattan during Christmas.
I smiled at the street corner Santa’s and the store windows decked out for one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. I loved every second of it. Especially the part where I got to view it all while Will held me close to his side.
I tipped my face up to him. “Are you sure you don’t mind going all the way out to Brooklyn? I didn’t even ask. Do you have a place in the city?”
“I don’t mind at all. And no. I don’t have a place. I got in this morning and dumped my bags with Jared and Paige at his apartment. I figured if I was going to stay for the month, I’d get a hotel or something.”
I nodded, but his words made me conjure pictures of the places he was used to staying. Jared’s apartment was probably comparable to the penthouse we’d just left. And my guess was the hotel Will had in mind for a month-long stay didn’t come with a bed that vibrated after you shoved a few quarters in a slot or a television bolted to a cheap piece of wood veneer furniture.
I sank my teeth into my bottom lip and felt the warmth leeching out a bit again. What would a man who traveled the world and hung out with people like Nate Wilder think of my tiny apartment above an all-night diner?
As soon as I had the thought I kicked it right out again. I wasn’t going to let some guy make me feel bad about where I lived, even if he was a rock star. Besides I wouldn’t even be there much longer if things went as planned.
I shored up my defenses as we got closer and closer to the bridge that would take us into Brooklyn. Since I laid eyes on Will a few hours ago, I’d been letting my heart—and a few other of my girly bits—lead me around. Now I reminded myself why I usually avoided wearing my heart on my sleeve. It had never gotten me much of anything but disappointment and heartbreak.
I couldn’t allow myself to invest too much hope in things developing more deeply than they went right now with Will. No matter what, I’d look at this as a fun adventure. I would not expect anything more.
“You okay?” he asked, giving my shoulders a squeeze.
“Of course.” I flashed him a bright smile and watched as his eyebrows drew together.
“Are you sure?” He held my gaze captive with his own, his eyes searching mine so thoroughly, I was afraid he’d uncover every feeling and every secret I’d ever pushed down inside me.
But
if he saw more than I wanted to, he didn’t let on. He pressed a gentle kiss to my temple and cuddled me close. He didn’t allow me to move away from him until we pulled up in front of my apartment.
Chapter 4
Lily
Will looked up and down the street as I dug my keys out of my bag. I tried so hard not to guess what he thought of my little neighborhood. At the edge of a trendy, up-and-coming area, my street was a mishmash, mixing the old with the new. You were as likely to find a pawnshop here as you were a bar serving pretentiously named drinks.
I moved to the heavy steel door between the diner and a dry cleaning shop, and unlocked it before leading Will up the narrow flight of stairs leading to my apartment. With each step, I could feel my nerves pull tighter until I was holding myself together by a thread.
As I got to the top, I figured I had three options. I could say a quick good-bye and thank you before slipping into my apartment and shutting the door behind me. I could invite him in and open myself to disdain and judgment when he got a good look at where I lived. Or I could charge back outside, grab a taxi to the airport and hop on the first plane I could find that was headed to a tropical island.
Since my plan to be living in my dream house shortly after ringing in the New Year didn’t leave much room in my budget for side trips to exotic locales, I took that third option off the table.
My usual choice would be the one that didn’t leave me open to having my ego lambasted by someone else’s negative opinions. But as I stuck my key in the lock, visions of the last few hours flooded my mind—Will’s teasing banter, his quick reflexes that had him literally sweeping me off my feet, his quick defense in the face of Sasha’s condescending attitude.
I guess that made my front door, door number two.
I pushed it open and glanced over my shoulder. “Do you want to come inside?”
Will grinned. His only answer was pushing up behind me and herding me into the apartment. As soon as we cleared the threshold, he shut the door firmly behind us.