by Lea Hart
Looking up, Lilly noticed her mama’s happy expression as she dug into Lucy’s delicious food. If they were all lucky, that would be the end of the discussion. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Why?” Lucy asked as she rested her chin in her hands. “I want to hear about you and Brock. I’ve been waiting for this to happen ever since I was a kid. The way you two stared at each other when you thought no one was looking almost lit my hair on fire. I never could figure out why you all just didn’t give in back then.”
“He was eighteen and going off to college, and Lilly was too young,” Mama replied. “They both had to grow into who they were supposed to be before they could come together. Never would’ve worked otherwise.”
Lilly sat back and stared. “How long have you thought this?”
Wiping her mouth gently, Mama then crossed her legs. “I suppose it was the day he left for college. I remember, we were all standing in the driveway as he loaded up his car, and the two of you were miserable. You both would steal glances at one another and then frown. I knew then that the connection you two had wasn’t going to be severed by time and space. Turns out I was right.”
Lilly shrugged and started eating. There wasn’t much she could say because Mama was right, just like she always was. There had always been something between her and Brock, and the last week had shown her what it could possibly become. Lord have mercy.
***
Lilly left her mama and Lucy discussing recipes and headed for her car. As she walked down the sidewalk, she saw Brock coming toward her. A little flutter in her tummy told her she wasn’t any more immune to him than when she was a girl. He sure was handsome in his uniform. All those rippling muscles were shown off beautifully as he took long strides in her direction. “Hey, there,” she called. “You comin’ to eat some of Lucy’s good food?”
“I wish.” Opening his arms, he enveloped her in a tight embrace. “I’m on duty and heading over to the fire station.”
“Are you allowed to hug me when you’re working?” Lifting her chin, he dropped his head and kissed her thoroughly. Her hand had somehow crept up the front of his shirt, and she gripped it as the kiss took her good sense away. “Guess that answers my question.”
“Missed you. Two days seems like two years now that we’re together.”
Smoothing the front of his shirt down, she found herself smiling. “Are we together? I had no idea.”
Releasing his hold, he took a step back. “Are you playing with me?”
Seeing his frown made her realize that this wasn’t something she could tease him about. His sense of humor wasn’t that well-developed, and given the way he’d been acting, their relationship wasn’t going to be something she could tease him about. “Let’s not discuss the finer points of what we are or what we’re not. We can save that for another time. Tell me what you’re doing at the fire station. Is it anything I can use in my books?”
“There are no fine points of us. We’re together. End of story.”
“Gosh, how could a girl object to that?” Digging her keys out, she looked past him and noticed Drew walking toward them. “What are the chances?”
“Of what?” He turned around, and his hand went to the gun on his hip. “I just need probable cause.”
Wrapping her arm around his waist, she pinched his side. “You behave.” When he kissed her head and covered her hand, she let out a deep breath.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’m not going to do anything that would land me in jail. My days and nights are meant to be spent with you, and I won’t jeopardize that.”
“If you say things like that, then I’m a lot more likely to go along with your plans.”
“Noted,” he said just as Drew reached them.
Lilly remained silent when Drew stood in front of them. Loren had firmly instructed her not to initiate any communication. If he tried to, then she was to keep her responses to a minimum. It wasn’t that hard to do, considering she had nothing to say. Well, that wasn’t exactly true…She had a lot of things to say, but they would just get her in trouble. And she had enough of that without adding to it. The thing she really wanted to know was, why? Why did he want any of her money?
Mama had told her that Drew and Tina were like sandpaper. They might scratch and hurt her a bit, but as a result, she ended up polished and they ended up useless. Which as far as Lilly could tell was true. Seeing Drew dressed up with his slicked-back hair made her wonder what she ever saw in him. Granted, the man before her was about the worst version of the boy she’d known. To have as many blessings as he had and turn out like he had was a tragedy. Thank God it wasn’t her problem.
“So, it’s true?” Drew said with enough animosity to poison a cat.
“What’s that?” Brock asked as he tightened his hold.
“You two are together.”
“Can’t see how that’s any of your business, but your eyes are not lying to you,” Brock replied as he tipped his hat. “Come on, honey.”
Lilly gave Drew one last look and then followed Brock. “Dinner is at six. I expect you to be on time,” she said loudly enough for Drew to hear. “I want to get to dessert as soon as we can.” When they were halfway down the block, he tugged her to the side and laid a kiss on her that was worthy of a movie. When he was done kissing the breath out of her, he grinned. She asked, “Why are you smiling like it’s Christmas morning?”
“’Cause my girl just claimed me.” Running his nose along her cheek, he laughed quietly. “God damn, you make me happy.”
Looking up into his pretty gray eyes, she grinned. “It wasn’t my most mature moment, but if I had to do it again, I would. Why would he ask about us?”
“If he was as jealous of me as you said, then this has to make him mad as hell. It doesn’t matter that he’s moved on and you two were done long ago. This chaps his ass.”
“Guess you’re right.” He gave her one more kiss and then stepped away. “You’d better get back to work.”
“Might be a good idea, because I’ve got to be on time for dinner. Don’t want my woman mad at me.” Winking, he took her hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I’ll have to come up with something to make for dinner.”
“We can skip it and just go straight for dessert.”
“Maybe we’ll start with dessert and then order pizza,” she said as he opened her car door. When she brushed passed him to step into her car, she felt his hand slide across her behind. An involuntary shiver ran over her body, and she wondered how she was going to last until six. “See you later.” The dark hunger in his eyes told her she wasn’t the only one who might have a hard time waiting. “Dessert first.”
“Absolutely,” he responded gruffly.
***
Lilly lay in bed and felt boneless. Brock had just served up a dessert that had her shouting his name at the top of her lungs. She traced her fingers down the corded muscles that covered his forearm. “You have some serious arm porn going on.”
“I have what going on?” he asked as he rolled over and kissed her shoulder.
“You heard me. Your arms are sexy and so are your hands.” Matching them up, hers were half the size of his. “I guess most of you is appealing.” When a shy smile lifted the corner of his mouth, she was surprised. “Don’t worry. I’ll dole compliments out slowly because I can see how uncomfortable they make you. It’s got to be a shock to your system after all the years of squabbling we’ve done.”
He tangled their feet together and pulled her closer. “I’m just not all that comfortable with compliments from anyone, but I’ll work on it.” Smoothing his thumb close to her mouth, he growled, “Anything that tells me that I’m not in this alone is welcome news. I thought once we got started I would calm down, but the exact opposite is happening. It’s only gotten worse. When I didn’t see you Sunday, I almost crawled up the walls.”
Holding his face, she dropped her mouth and whispered against his lips, “I like what’s happening b
etween us, and I don’t want it to stop anytime soon.” She sealed their mouths together and then felt him take over the kiss. His hands gripped her savagely, telling her how he felt and how true his words were. Everything he’d taken on in his life he’d given a hundred percent to. It seemed that she wasn’t going to be the exception to the rule.
Being the focus of a man like Brock wasn’t for everyone, but it was for her. The more she opened herself up to the idea of them, the better she felt. It was like going off a diet. She no longer felt starved.
When his eyes devoured her with pure, plain desire, she tried to scoot away. “Whatever you have in mind will have to wait. The pizza is going to be here any minute.”
“I can make you real happy and it’ll only take me five minutes.” Rocking his hips against her, he winked. “Just a little something to get me through dinner.”
“We had a whole lot of something twenty minutes ago.” His answer was lifting her leg over his. Looking down, she watched him fist his erection and drag it through her slick folds. Her body responded immediately as her hips moved on their own. “Why is that turning me on?”
His answer was several more strokes against her clit. “Because it’s us, doing what we’re meant to do.”
Cum leaked from his broad tip. He held himself still and let it drop directly on her clit and she felt her body convulse. He was going to make her peak without even being inside her. He repeated the action, and she moaned and inhaled a sharp breath.
“You’re close. All I have to do is get near you and give you a couple of strokes and you’re ready to detonate.”
“Brock…quit playing.” Arching into him, she held his arms. “Please!”
Laughing, he rolled on top and took a shallow thrust. “Since you said please, I’ll give what you want.”
Three heavy strokes and she was sitting on the top of the roller coaster, ready to go over.
“Let go,” he demanded.
And with that command, her body free-fell into a searing climax. He thrust with abandon several more times and groaned and shuddered and shouted her name. Their bodies glued together and they held on as they fell into oblivion.
It took several minutes to take a full breath, and when she could, Lilly wondered if he’d stolen her mind along with her inhibitions. Being with him had set free a part of her that she’d had no idea existed.
The sound of the doorbell reverberated through the house, and she started to push at his shoulder. “I’ll get that.”
“The hell you will.” He heaved himself off her and grabbed his jeans. “Nobody sees you like this except me.”
She watched him pull on his jeans and grab his wallet before walking out of the room. “Thank you,” she said to his retreating back. Smiling, she wondered if he planned on having dinner in bed. She hoped he did because they had just gotten started.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Wednesday Morning
Brock walked into the bedroom and saw Lilly folding laundry. “Honey, I’m heading to work. I took Popcorn out for a run, and he’s settled in his bed watching Animal Planet.”
“Did he actually run or did he wander around and pee on the bushes?”
“He ran right alongside me for about a half mile. After that, he pretty much walked.”
“My boy hasn’t enjoyed exercise in years.” Setting down a folded T-shirt, she brushed her fingers against his arm. “How many hours does it take to keep your body in shape?”
He captured her hand and lifted it to his mouth. “Not many.” He was about to pull her in for a kiss and she stepped away.
“You’d better get going. I’m not going to be the reason you’re late.”
“A kiss isn’t going to make me late.”
“And when have you stopped at a kiss?”
“Point taken.” He noticed one of his shirts in the laundry pile. “Are you planning to keep that?”
“Of course. It’s perfect to sleep in. I’m surprised a man of the law is asking me questions like that. Remember, possession is nine-tenths of the law. If it ends up in the laundry basket, then it’s mine.”
“There is no such law and you know it. But keep it if you want. Just don’t plan to sleep in it.”
“What should I wear to bed?”
“Me, honey.” He watched her face turn a pretty pink color as she gave him a small smile. He had a feeling that his frank talk was still a shock to her. Their relationship had changed radically over the last week, and neither one of them was sure of the terrain they were navigating.
“Okay.” She gave him a sassy wink, then lifted the pile of folded shirts and walked into the closet.
The easy agreement made him realize that he might have a real chance at something he wanted. He hadn’t allowed himself to want or need anyone since his mama passed. But the time he’d spent with Lilly over the last week had changed that. His need for her was an irrefutable fact and one he didn’t want to ignore. For the first time in his life, he was willing to put his heart on the line and ask for everything. How it would all turn out was anyone’s guess, but he had no choice and had to find out. When she walked back into the room, he decided to leave those thoughts for another day. They had only a week of peace under their belts, and he wasn’t ready to do anything that might change that.
“How’s production going on the movie?” he asked. “Are we still going down this weekend?”
“I haven’t heard anything since they arrived at Jefferson Island, and yes, I still plan to go down Saturday.”
“I’m going with you. I cleared my schedule the moment you told me about it.”
“It might not be all that interesting. I think life on a movie set is a lot of ‘hurry up and wait.’ They filmed all the interior shots in a studio in Atlanta, and the rest is being filmed here. The director and producer wanted to capture the local flavor, so we’re going to expose our home state in all its glory. People will see the pressure cooker of good and evil, sweltering heat, total poverty, and embarrassing wealth that’s made these stories possible.”
“I think it’s the imagination you’ve had since you were a kid that’s made these stories possible. I remember you playing with Barbies and talking to yourself as a story unfolded in your mind. I could hear you from my bedroom window and always wondered where it all came from. It was fascinating because nothing like that ever happened to me. I never had a story unravel in my mind. I must be too literal or something.”
“Which is why I’m the writer and you’re the warrior. Everybody has a talent, and if they figure out what it is in time, then they have the pleasure of pursuing it. It seems you and I have been lucky because we’re both doing exactly what we’re meant to do.”
“Speaking about that, how’s the writing gone this week? You haven’t said much, and I’m not sure if you want me to ask.”
“It’s going all right. I’m not sure what I’ve got, so I’ll wait to talk about it.”
“Okay, then I’ll leave you be. I’m interested in listening if that helps, or if you need some technical info, just let me know.”
“Thank you.”
“Give me a good kiss and then I’ll get out of your hair.” Opening his arms, he waited for her to walk into them. When she did, he held her tightly. “Have a good day, honey,” he said.
“Okay, you too. Be safe out there and come back tonight in one piece.” She ran her hands through his hair and then gave him a kiss.
“I promise to do my best.” When she squeezed him, he wondered what was going on. “Anything you want to tell me?”
“I was worried you were going to be all up in my business and you have been…but it turns out I like your business in my business.”
He gave her a good squeeze and laughed. “I knew my plan was going to work.” Running his hand up and down her back, he felt her relax into his embrace. “I’m greedy, Lilly. That’s another deadly sin that I find has a grip on me. I keep expecting my need to diminish to a reasonable level and it hasn’t.”
“You�
��re not telling me anything that I haven’t already figured out.”
“I thought I’d been hiding it. In fact, I was sure of it.”
“Not so much.” Patting his chest, she gave him an encouraging smile. “We might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Have a feeling it’s not stopping anytime soon, if ever.” After kissing her head, he released her and walked toward the door. “Call me if you need anything.” When she waved and went back to folding laundry, he smiled. The sooner he left, the sooner he could come back.
***
Brock sat at his desk in the busy squad room and did the thing he hated most: paperwork. He hadn’t kept up with it during the week, and it was now biting him in the ass. As he worked on an incident report, Pete walked over and parked himself on the corner of his desk. “Hey, man. I wanted to give you a heads-up. I got a call from a buddy, and he let me know that Ruth has been released from the forensic unit over at East Louisiana State Hospital. Apparently, she’s been rehabilitated.”
A cold chill ran down Brock’s back as he sat up. “How in the hell did that happen?”
“I’m guessing it was a matter of overcrowding,” Pete replied. “I sent you an email with the contact information for the person who’s overseeing her transition.”
“I wonder how much supervision she’s going to have and where they plan to house her.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and groaned. “I’ve got to let Lilly know. The hospital is only two hours away.”
Pete stood and looked across the room. “I guess the thing with you two is on?”
“Yeah, sure is.” He glanced up at his friend and cringed. Pete looked like someone had kicked him, and he felt like a total shit. But there was nothing he could do. The fact of the matter was that he and Lilly were always meant to be together. They’d just had to wait until their timing worked. Not that any of this explanation would make a damn bit of difference to his friend. “Lilly and I have been a long time in the making. This isn’t something that started last month or even last year. I’ve known her since I was ten, and some part of us started on that day.”