“I know,” Karina commiserated. “She really has a gift.”
“Lily, I’m so glad you could make it!”
Eric’s mom threw her arms around Lily before she’d even had a chance to look up. This was the second time she’d hugged Lily, and it was exactly what she’d always thought it would feel like to be hugged by a real mom. “I am too, Mrs. Maguire. Happy anniversary!”
“What are you gossiping about girls?” Mrs. Maguire asked as she sat down beside Lily and patted her knee.
“Nothing,” Lily replied at the same time Karina said, “Boys.”
A knowing smile spread across Mrs. Maguire’s face as she wiggled her eyebrows. “I think I like Karina’s answer better.”
Both girls chuckled, and Lily noticed that Karina got a gleam in her eye. For a paralyzing moment, Lily thought that Karina was going to ask Mrs. Maguire what she thought about Lily and Eric getting together.
No, please don’t.
“Karina, Henry and Renata need you for something about PR and the visitor’s association.” Ryan held out his hand to help Karina stand.
Karina sighed. “Excuse me, ladies. Duty calls.”
Thank God!
But that did leave Lily alone with Eric’s mother. Not that she wasn’t a sweet person. Lily really liked her from what she’d seen. But the last thing she wanted was to be asked a bunch of questions about her and Eric. Or even just her.
“Boy, I never knew how hard those steps were before taking your class. I watch Dancing with the Stars every Monday and I just thought it was like learning the Hokey Pokey.” Mrs. Maguire started snapping her fingers and singing. “You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about.”
Lily relaxed a little since dance was a topic she was never stressed to talk about. “A lot of people think that, but they don’t realize how technical dance is. The dancers on that show are amazing, and they do a great job of making each dance look smooth and flowing.”
“Well you sure do that in spades. When you would show us a step, I would look at Sean and whisper under my breath to him, ‘Piece of cake’. Then we’d try it and I wouldn’t remember the counts or what foot to start on. I was a mess.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Mrs. Maguire. For one thing, I really wasn’t able to give everyone equal attention—”
“Well that is just the nicest way I’ve ever heard someone say they had to deal with idiots,” Mrs. Maguire interrupted with a warm smile spreading across her face.
Lily smiled, shaking her head before continuing. “And I was only able to teach for about twenty minutes so you really did not get the kind of instruction you needed.”
“Well that’s very sweet of you to say. And I am very much looking forward to taking your next class. Henry said you’ll be teaching until you leave for the tour and then starting again when you come back.”
“Oh no,” Lily clarified. “I agreed—well actually I didn’t agree to do anything—but I’m only teaching until I leave for the tour.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Maguire looked disappointed. “Why wouldn’t you teach when you get back?”
“Well, that’s the thing. After my contract is up with Karina, I won’t be staying.”
“When is your contract up?” Eric asked, appearing out of nowhere.
How do people keep sneaking up on me? I’m flat against a wall.
“Umm, right after the tour.” She looked up into his cobalt blue eyes, feeling as though she’d just been caught in a lie. But she hadn’t.
She’d never told anyone she was staying after the tour. In fact, it was just the opposite. Not only had she only gotten a six-month lease, she’d also told the mayor specifically that she was not going to be back after she left in November for the tour when he’d asked her about taking the class on a permanent basis.
“Hello, can I get everyone’s attention please?” Nikki’s voice boomed over the loud speaker. “Can I ask that you all please take a seat? Mom, Dad, if you could come up here please.”
Mrs. Maguire once again patted Lily’s leg, her eyes dancing with excitement as she stood. “I feel like the belle of the ball.”
“You should because you are!” Lily enthused.
Eric slipped into the chair beside Lily and reached his arm around the back, resting his hand on her shoulder. The second his hand made contact with her skin, all the aches and pains took a back seat to the tingles his featherlight touch caused.
“On behalf of myself, my parents Sean and Rosalie, my brothers Eric and Jake, and my sister Amy, I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight and celebrating this special occasion with our family—my mom and dad’s fortieth wedding anniversary.”
The room erupted in applause.
After it began to die down, Nikki continued. “We all know that forty years of marriage is quite an accomplishment. It doesn’t just happen. It takes commitment and work. When I was about eleven, my best friend’s parents got divorced, and I asked my mom if she thought that was going to happen with her and my dad. She told me that she didn’t think so.
“Well, we all know that I’m not one to drop something that easily so, of course, I asked her why she didn’t think so. And she told me that she and my dad had made a promise to each other to wake up every day and choose to love each other. Again, being who I am, I had to challenge that answer, so I told my mom, in all my eleven years of wisdom, that love is something you feel, not something you choose.
“She looked down at me and smiled. Shaking her head, she said, ‘Oh, my sweet Nicoletta, yes, it is true that you feel love—most of the time. But after years of chores and kids and bills and life, there are some days we don’t feel the love, and those are the most important days to choose to love.
“So Mom, Dad, I want to thank you for giving me an example of what real love is. It’s not just a feeling, it’s also a choice. Thank you for choosing each other every day. Happy anniversary!”
Everyone clapped and cheered, calling out their own well-wishes for the couple. The lights began to dim just as a huge screen came down from the ceiling.
“Here’s a little look back at just some of those days.”
Soft music started playing from the speakers mounted on the walls as photos of Eric’s parents flashed on the screen. There were several that looked to be taken on dates at restaurants, skiing, roller skating. Then it moved on to the proposal with Eric’s dad on his knee and his mom with her hand over her mouth in shock.
Beside her, Eric chuckled when the next pictured showed Eric’s dad picking his mom up over his shoulder in excitement. Next there were a couple of wedding photos and one of them standing in front of a home with a sold sign. Then there were some of them doing various stages of home improvement.
Lily noticed that in a lot of them his dad was either making faces at the camera or looking at his mom like she was the only thing on earth. His mom was either laughing at whatever goofy expression his dad had or, in the ones where Mr. Maguire was staring at her, she looked completely oblivious to that fact or that a picture was being taken at all.
The next slide caused Lily’s’ eyes to fill with tears. It showed Eric’s dad bending down, kissing his wife’s very pregnant belly. The one that followed was of his father in a hospital gown, holding up cigars. Then, his mom holding a newborn.
Lily leaned over, “Is that you?”
Eric nodded, pulling her a little closer to him as he began rubbing his thumb in circles around her bare shoulder. She allowed herself to lean against his solidness while she watched the rest of the slideshow, which included all of his siblings’ births, holidays, and vacations.
With the lights dimmed, sitting off in their private corner, Lily once again felt like they were the only two people in the crowded room. She didn’t know how he always managed to do that, but he did. She shifted so she could rest her head back on his broad shoulder, and she felt his chest rising and falling at a steady pace against her back. As his breath
ing became more labored, he slowed his thumb’s trail on her shoulder, increasing the pressure slightly, giving her a sensuous massage.
The final picture looked like it had been taken fairly recently, and it was of the two of them kissing. Applause broke out just as the overhead lights illuminated the room once again. As her eyes adjusted, Lily realized that she was practically sitting on Eric’s lap. She quickly moved away just as Nikki was walking up.
“Told you. Not a dry eye in the house,” she smirked to Eric.
“Mine are,” he said flatly.
“That doesn’t count.” She pointed at him. “You were too busy trying to get to second base to even pay attention to the slideshow.”
“Nikki,” Eric snapped, his body tensing. But as soon as he saw that Lily was laughing, she noticed he relaxed. She kind of liked that he was always trying to stick up for her. No one had ever done that for her.
“Well I certainly got misty-eyed, Nikki. It was a beautiful slideshow,” Lily said honestly.
“Thank you, Lily. At least you have good taste in some things,” Nikki said pointedly to her brother before turning and heading out to get more accolades for her photo presentation.
Lily shook her head, smiling.
“You ready to get out of here?” Eric asked as he stood up.
“Can you leave?” Lily asked. She figured they would need to stay until the crowd started dwindling. It was Eric’s parents’ party, after all.
“I can do whatever I want.” His eyes held a promise, and his deep voice caused a flutter in her belly.
As she stood, her face flinched in pain from using her muscles again after she’d been sitting for so long.
Eric immediately put his hand around her back, bracing her while she got to her feet. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just really sore. I got a little carried away in rehearsal today.”
Walking slowly to go get their coats, Eric said casually, “You know what would make that feel better?”
Yes! You touching me, rubbing me, doing anything you wanted to me…
“What?” Lily asked, trying to disguise the direction her inner thoughts had decided to go with Eric’s question.
“If you went in my hot tub.” Eric grabbed their coats from the coat table.
“You have a hot tub?” Lily asked in genuine surprise.
“Yep,” Eric confirmed.
“Great, let’s go,” Lily eagerly suggested.
A slow, devilish smile crossed Eric’s face. Oh yeah, he definitely had a little bad boy in him. And bonus, he was a bad boy with a hot tub. Maybe she wouldn’t have to make the first move after all.
Chapter Nineteen
“Down, Shadow,” Eric commanded the dog that insisted on joining him and Lily as they made their way to the enclosed spa.
Shadow listened—barely—as he continued to hop and jump along the stone path that led to the wood-sided enclosure. Coming up to the door, Shadow whined, knowing that he wasn’t allowed inside. For one thing, the water was too warm for him, and also, Eric did not feel like cleaning dog hair out of his filter.
“Stay, Shadow,” Eric said with authority, and his dog dutifully lay down at the entrance of the spa.
Eric pulled the door open and the smell of chorine wafted through the air. As Lily passed him to walk in, he got a small glimpse of her swimsuit beneath her robe.
Damn.
He wasn’t sure he was going to survive this.
“Wow,” Lily said, looking around in amazement.
Eric had lined the edges of the structure with small white lights. Three-quarters of the walls were wooden and then windows surrounded it up to the ceiling. The ceiling went up in a cone shape that had a skylight in the middle. There were two benches in the far corner and a large twelve-person hot tub in the center.
“This is incredible,” she said as she untied her robe.
“Feel free to use it anytime.” His voice lowered an octave as he tried to reign in his carnal reaction to her.
“Thanks. I might just take you up on that,” she said flirtatiously as she pulled her hair up loosely on the top of her head and wrapped a ponytail holder around it several times.
He’d seen plenty of other women do that exact same thing, but when Lily did it, it made him crazy with need. The style allowed him total access to the soft slope of her neck, the smooth line of her collarbone, the small dip right below her earlobe that Eric desperately wanted to sink his teeth into.
His mouth went dry as the terrycloth fabric slipped off of her rounded shoulders and down her arms. She continued looking around as she squeezed her elbows to her sides, holding the robe in place while she kicked off her slippers.
Looking up and becoming aware of his stare, she coyly said, “Ready to go in?” as she dropped her robe to the ground.
Eric’s heart slammed against his chest. The glimpses and impressions he’d had of her body did not even come close to doing it justice. And the bikini she was wearing should be illegal.
Her full, round breasts were encased in small black triangles. He could see the outline of her nipples through the thin material. His hungry eyes traveled farther down her torso to her thin waist that dipped into a V in the center before flaring out over ample hips. Her long, toned legs were slim and sculpted.
She leaned over the hot tub, which was already warm since he’d come out and turned it on before he’d changed. She ran her fingers in the water as she moved beside him, walking in front of the short two-step staircase.
As she stepped in front of him, he watched as her firm, rounded backside that was barely covered by her small bathing suit bottom swayed from side to side as she made her way up the steps. He was already rock hard, and the sight of her ass made his shaft throb with need.
Turning and looking back over her shoulder as she stepped into the hot tub, she asked, “Coming?”
“That’s a loaded question,” he mumbled the pun under his breath as he took off his robe. He knew that his body’s reaction to her was going to be glaringly obvious in his shorts. There was nothing he could do about that. He wanted her.
As he grabbed the railings and took the two steps one at a time, he looked down to see Lily seated on the opposite side of the tub, her mouth open and her gaze frozen on his midsection.
Her face was flushed, and he knew that it could partly be from the steam in the spa, but he knew from her expression that the water wasn’t the only thing making her hot.
Stepping into the hot, soothing Jacuzzi, Eric found himself once again at a loss. If this were any other girl, he wouldn’t be hesitating. But after seeing her the other night, curled up on her couch, the terror in her eyes when she’d opened the door and fell to the ground, he didn’t want to do anything that could hurt her.
But all the stolen kisses and touching had been like an extended foreplay session. His body didn’t just want her—it craved her. Seeing her in that bikini was just fanning the roaring flames of desire raging inside of him.
“That was a really nice slideshow Nikki put together,” she said as she skimmed her fingers across the water’s surface.
“It was.” His voice sounded like a growl.
“Your parents are so cute together, and forty years is…wow… It’s really great.”
He noticed she was babbling, and he thought it was adorable.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” she said, still sounding nervous.
“So did I.”
“And I really like you…” She was looking down, watching her fingers glide through the water.
Eric had heard of this happening. He’d just never experienced it before. The “it’s not you, it’s me” or “I think we’re better as friends” talk. But he had a very strong suspicion that he was about to be on the receiving end of a kiss-off.
“It’s just, I don’t think we can… Or that I can…” She balled her fists up in frustration, and her shoulders bunched slightly around her neck. He could plainly see that she was having an internal battle
with what she was trying to say, and she was becoming really tense because of it.
Since he’d never participated in any “let’s be friends” conversations, he didn’t know the etiquette. But he figured if Lily was going to try and put him in the “friends” box, he wasn’t going to step into it willingly.
“Lily…” His gravelly voice echoed in the small space.
Her eyes jerked to his.
“Come here,” he instructed forcefully.
She sucked in a sharp breath at his words and then moved slowly across the spa, stopping in front of him.
“Turn around.” He sat perfectly still, his arms resting on the edge, waiting for her to turn. When she did, he spread his legs. “Sit back.”
He could see her chest rising and falling in the water, her breathing labored as she hesitated just a moment before scooting back between his legs. The feel of her smooth, soft thighs as they brushed up against his caused his dick to twitch in is shorts.
She settled back farther, and as her plump, round bottom pressed against his shaft, he fisted his hands at the sweet shock of bliss that spread through him. Ignoring his own body’s needs, he sat up a little straighter and moved his hands to Lily’s shoulders. The second he touched her bare, silken skin, his hands began moving. His thumbs rubbed in slow circles on her shoulder blades as his fingers massaged up the side of her neck and across her shoulders.
Letting out a throaty moan, she said, “Oh my God, that feels so good.”
He continued his sensual back rub as he asked, “So what were you saying?”
“Huh?” she sighed softly.
Her body relaxed against his as he moved his large hands under the water to her lower back, kneading her flesh as he went. “You were saying that you just don’t think…”
“Oh yeah,” she breathed heavily. “I’m leaving to go on tour and then I don’t know what so I…” A breathy moan escaped her as he rolled his knuckles up the sides of her spine. “I just don’t think I can have a real relationship. I don’t have time to date.”
Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles) Page 16