“I say . . . perfect.”
He palmed her cheeks and lightly brushed his lips across hers. The tenderness made her tingle from her lips to her toes. The tip of his tongue stroked lightly along her lower lip, and she swore every hair on her head tingled. He pulled back, and she released the breath she’d been holding. She reached for him, but his eyes looked so serious, she stilled.
“I don’t have much experience with innocence.” He ran a nervous hand through his still damp hair. “Hell, I don’t have any actually.”
A jolt of panic struck her. Their conversation had started to sound eerily familiar.
“I’m sure guys have tried to tell you it’s too hard for them to wait until you’re ready, or that it’s uncomfortable or even painful for them to hold back.”
Her skin goose-bumped with a sudden chill. He stared and waited for her response.
“Yes,” she said finally and hated how tiny her voice sounded. She tried to pull free of his arms, but they tightened around her. She couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Lily, I lost you once already. I don’t want to do anything to screw this up. I’ve got hang-ups, and I’ll work through them. Be patient with me, please. I’m sorry for not believing in you, and I swear I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
“Your trust and understanding is all I want,” she said softly. “All I need.”
“We’ve both spent a lifetime protecting ourselves against others taking advantage of us,” he said, his eyes trained on hers.
She felt a flood of warmth sweep over her. He did understand. He truly did.
“But I know now you would never take advantage of me. I trust you, Lily. And I’ll never take advantage of you. You have to trust me.”
He had put so much emphasis on the never, she filled with hope.
“Other men may not have been willing to wait, but not me,” he said. “I’ll wait. As long as I have to. You can count on it.”
Her eyes locked on his.
“You call the shots, Lily. No pressure. When we make love, you’ll have to come to me. I’m not taking any more chances.”
He had said when, not if. She couldn’t swallow past the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. His gaze burned into hers as though willing her to believe in him, to trust in him.
“You’ll be safe with me,” he said softly. “Always.”
She placed her hand on his cheek, needing the connection to be sure this was real. He rubbed his cheek in her palm like a puppy. She smiled.
“Take as long as you want. I’ll be waiting. I won’t change my mind,” he said, his voice so low and husky her toes curled in the sand.
She couldn’t stop the tears that tracked down her cheeks.
He looked stricken. “Please don’t cry. It kills me to see your tears.”
One stubborn sob squeaked out before she could capture it. “They’re happy tears,” she said and cupped his cheeks, pressing a tender kiss to his lips.
“You’re sure?” he asked against her lips.
She nodded.
“We still get to kiss and hug all we want, right?”
She smiled. “Yes, of course.”
“And make out on the couch?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Yes.” The smile became a grin.
“Starting now?” He grabbed her and swung her in a circle and then kissed her dizzy. “You’ve always made me feel like a high school boy, and now I get to act like one, too.”
They retrieved their clothes from the dryer and went upstairs to cuddle in that enormous bed. And Rhett remained true to his word.
They talked until the wee hours of the morning along with some kissing and hugging—okay, a lot of make-up kissing and hugging—and Lily knew Hank had been right all along. The right man would treasure her gift, and she believed she’d finally found the right man. She had fallen in love with Rhett Buchanan all over again tonight out on the beach, but one niggling thought kept her from easing forward past that point of no return.
Tonight had been beautiful, wonderful, but Rhett hadn’t said those three precious words, and Lily just couldn’t share her treasure without them.
Chapter 16
Rhett woke Lily at nine on Friday morning with a kiss and a cup of coffee. “Wake up, sleepyhead.” He grinned. “We’ve got some shopping to do.”
“I can’t believe I slept this late.”
“You didn’t go to sleep until four.”
She sat up straighter and brushed her hair back. “I can’t go shopping yet. I’ve got to go to the nursery first and get everybody settled in.”
“No, you don’t.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. “I called and left Tammy a message that you would be in later. You and I are going shopping.”
He had already showered and shaved and smelled absolutely wonderful. She wanted to resist. She had to check on the nursery. She always checked on the nursery.
He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her mouth.
She melted.
“Okay?” he asked, against her lips.
She nodded. She loved having Rhett take care of her. She loved having someone she could depend on. Her brain yelled to go slowly with him this time, but her heart wanted to jump right into the relationship.
After he made her a breakfast of bacon and eggs, he whisked her out the door. Three hours and seven stores later, Rhett dropped Lily back at the nursery. She had put her foot down when he headed for Worth Avenue, and he’d compromised with the Palm Beach Gardens Mall and a kiss.
“I’ve wanted to spoil you since the day I met you,” he told her. “Let me, Lily. What good is having money unless you can share it?”
He pulled the Navigator in at the Bloom & Grow office, got out, and came around to help her out. “Want me to stay for a while? Check out the cottage with you?” he asked, his expression and tone grave.
She lightly touched two fingers to his jaw, still wanting that connection to be sure this dream was real. “I’ll be fine. You’ve already helped me more than you know.”
“I’m just going into the office to take care of a few loose ends,” he said, “and I’ll call you later to check on you.” He caught hold of her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. Though just a quick pass, the kiss still sent tingles to the tips of her toes.
He rested his forehead against hers. “You’re coming home right after work, right?” He emphasized the word home, and Lily’s heart skipped a full beat. Not trusting her voice at that moment, she nodded her assent.
He placed a kiss where his forehead had rested. “Good. I’ll see you later.”
The Navigator hadn’t pulled onto the highway before Tammy appeared on the porch. She raced over and hugged Lily. “Good grief, I was so worried about you! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lily assured her. “Rhett’s been wonderful.”
“Rob said Rhett saved you last night.” Tammy still looked a bit panicked.
Lily nodded. “He did in more ways than one. He came by after everyone left last night to corner me and force me to talk to him. If he hadn’t, we might have lost the nursery.” She gave Tammy a quick rundown on the fire and how Rhett had pulled her from the burning cottage.
“Rob said you stayed at Rhett’s,” Tammy prodded. “Is everything . . . okay?”
“Don’t look so worried. Everything is wonderful. Except for losing the cottage, of course, but Rhett said he would help me rebuild.”
“Yes, but what about—”
“Stop worrying.” Lily gave her another quick hug. “We talked for hours last night. I-I told him everything.”
Tammy’s brows rose in question. “Even?”
“Yes, even about me being a virgin and all. And he was wonderful. He said he would wait, and the decis
ion was mine. I would have to come to him.”
Tammy’s expression softened. “That is soooo romantic! So now what?”
“Well, Rhett took me shopping this morning to get some new clothes since all I had were the ones on my back when he pulled me out of the cottage.”
“No! Not what are you doing about clothes? I mean, now what are you going to do about Rhett?” Tammy pressed. “I thought we’d talked you into taking a risk.”
“I’m taking my time. He hasn’t said those three magic words.”
Tammy’s brows wrinkled into a frown. “Some guys just can’t say the words.”
“Then I’ll wait. I have faith in him.”
“You seem sure he’s the one.”
“After all that’s happened, I love him even more than I did before.”
Tammy put an arm around her shoulders and guided her up the steps. “Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Lily stopped in the middle of the porch. “Did you go see the cottage?”
“I did as soon as I got here. The fire inspector’s been back there for a couple hours, going over everything with a magnifying glass.”
“I better go back and check on him.”
She tried to pull free, but Tammy held on tight. “Not yet, you don’t. There is something you need to see first, and everyone saw you pull in.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on with me.”
Tammy led her through the nursery office, down the hall and out the back door. Clustered around the two picnic tables under the ancient oaks stood every single Bloom & Grow employee. The men swept the caps from their heads in unison. Lily started in astonishment, and Tammy’s arm tightened around her shoulder when Lily’s knees wobbled.
Jason Graber stepped forward as their spokesman. “Lily—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “We’re sorry about your cottage, and we’ll all help you rebuild when you’re ready.”
“They don’t know about the code hearing,” Tammy whispered, low enough that only Lily could hear.
Lily gave her an almost imperceptible nod. “Thank you, everyone,” she said, her voice breaking. She had to swallow twice to get past the lump in her throat. “You are all like family to me.”
The crowd eased forward to surround her, each person waiting their turn to offer a hug of condolence and solace. As the last of the group hugged and moved on, Jason stepped forward again.
“While we couldn’t replace all your clothes and personal stuff, there was one thing we could do for you, Lily,” he said quietly and motioned the crowd to part so she could see the two picnic tables.
Dozens of picture frames covered the surface of both picnic tables—all pictures of Hank.
“We tried to find pictures of us with both of you,” Jason said. “Sometimes it was just us and Hank. We thought maybe you’d like to have them, now that yours are gone.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her fingers reaching up to cover her trembling lips. “How can I thank all of you for this?”
She moved to the tables to examine and admire each and every picture. Her eyes filled with tears that quickly flowed down both cheeks, and still she continued to pick up picture after picture, remembering the scene with each employee. Tammy stuck by her side, supplying fresh tissues and collecting the throwaways.
“We are family,” Jason said, when she finished with the final picture. “You’ll never be alone.”
Every head nodded in unison, and Lily smiled back through her tears.
The minute Lily stepped into the nursery office the following Monday morning, Tammy flew to her side “So how was your weekend? I got a little worried when we didn’t hear from you all weekend, but I told myself not to butt in, that you’d call me if you needed me. I told Rob the same thing every time he called me.”
“I’m sorry you two were worried,” Lily said, feeling duly chastised. “I should’ve called. I guess I didn’t think. Time just slipped by too fast.”
“Judging by that lovesick look on your face, things went well,” Tammy said, smiling. “Still in a quandary or have you come to any resolutions?”
“If you mean what I think you do, then the answer is no. I’m still taking my time.”
“Good girl!” Tammy exclaimed. “You need time. Especially after what happened the first time you two were together.”
“I thought you were on Rhett’s side and wanted me to take the risk.”
“I’m on your side, and don’t you ever forget it. I’ll admit I had a few misgivings about your propane tank blowing up the same night he came over to make up with you.”
Lily took a step back. “Surely you don’t think Rhett had something to do with that!”
Tammy didn’t answer fast enough.
“Well, he didn’t! I can promise you that. He’s been wonderful and kind and patient and wonderful.”
“And you’re in love with him,” Tammy said softly. “You and Rob and I are all family, like brothers and sisters, and we want him to be perfect for you, too.”
Lily sighed. “He will be. I just know it.”
“I hate to break your bubble, but we’ve got a code enforcement hearing tomorrow afternoon. Did you remember?”
“Of course, I remembered!” Lily said indignantly. “And I’ll be ready.”
“Did you ask Rhett what he thought?”
Lily’s shoulders slumped. “We were so busy I didn’t even—”
“—think about it,” Tammy finished for her.
“I’m sorry. I was just so happy being with him this weekend.” She shrugged. “And now I have to find a place to live away from the nursery anyway, though Rhett wants me to stay with him.”
“For now.”
Lily frowned.
“I’m sorry, honey, but you have to plan for the future, not for the now. And you have to fight for the right to rebuild your cottage.”
“But the Code Enforcement Department won’t let me rebuild. I lost my grandfathered status when the cottage burned to the ground,” Lily argued and turned away.
“If you had torn the cottage down to rebuild, then yes, you probably wouldn’t be allowed to rebuild, but you can’t be held responsible for the cottage fire or the tank blowing up.”
Lily whirled to face her. “What are you talking about?”
“The fire inspector just left. He believes the propane tank was sabotaged to blow up.”
“Somebody did it on purpose?” Lily whispered.
“Hey, sit down. You just went all pale on me.” Tammy tugged her into a club chair near Tammy’s desk and crouched in front of her. “The fire inspector can’t prove it definitively until his test results come back, and that won’t be in time for the meeting tomorrow, but he wanted us to know. He asked if we could think of anyone who would do that?”
“Whittenhurst,” Lily said softly.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I can’t believe it.”
Tammy put a hand on her arm. “You better believe it, honey, and you need to be careful. You could’ve been killed the other night, and whoever set the tank to blow didn’t seem too concerned about that.”
“Oh good Lord!”
“You have to tell Rhett, so he can keep an eye on you.”
“I don’t need—”
“Promise me!” Tammy insisted, cutting her off.
“All right.”
“When are you going to tell him?”
“He’s on the road today with Garrett, inspecting construction sites. He won’t get home until late. I told him I’d work late, too.”
Tammy frowned. “He didn’t give you a key?”
“Of course, he did. I just feel funny going over there when he’s not there.”
“You better get use
d to it or get your own place.”
“I’m going to look for a place as soon as the Code Enforcement meeting is over,” Lily assured her.
“Does Rhett know that?”
Lily shook her head. “No, I just wanted to be happy playing house for a few more days.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a lot to talk about tonight,” Tammy said, looking concerned. “Just promise me you’ll tell him about the sabotaged tank tonight.”
“I will. Now I’m going into my office to write my defense and resolution scheme to fight against Whittenhurst’s code violations claim at the hearing tomorrow, so guard my door.” Lily got up and went toward the short hall.
“You haven’t written it yet?” Tammy squawked.
“I have all my notes and comments. I just have to put it all together.”
Tammy exhaled her relief. “Well, don’t forget to mention the fire inspector’s suspicions.”
“Count on it.”
“Man, I take my eyes off you, and the world comes apart,” Garrett grumbled. “I only left town for three days and look what happened.”
“But I’m back with Lily.” Rhett grinned at him from the passenger seat of Garrett’s truck. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”
Garrett grinned back. “I knew that from the way you were whistling when I picked you up this morning.”
“I was that obvious?”
“I’ve never heard you whistle before.”
Rhett let out a hoot of laughter.
“Nor have I heard you laugh this much since we were in college.”
“I’m happy.”
“And I’m even,” Garrett said smugly.
Rhett raised his brows.
Garrett shot him a quick glance. “You saved me enough times in college. I finally got to return the favor.”
Rhett stared at him intently for several long moments. “So, that’s what this was all about? All your meddling?”
Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances Book 1) Page 28