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“If you cut through my backyard on the side farthest from yours, then take the first left, then a right, it will take you out of the neighborhood the back way. From there, you might be able to run without seeing her, because I think she stays in the subdivision.”
He grinned. “That would be great. Thanks.”
“Sure,” she said. “Anytime.”
He looked like there might be more he wanted to say, but then thought better of it and just put his empty glass down on the counter and said, “Well, I guess I’d better be going, finish the lawn before it gets any hotter.”
“Okay.”
Lily went to open the door for him, and he reached for it at the same time, which meant they ended up almost bumping into each other, and when they pulled away, she went left and he went right.
Which meant, they ended up even closer.
He gave a little chuckle. “Hang on.” And caught her by the arms, to keep her from moving again the same way he did, she thought.
Which was fine.
It was…almost a polite gesture.
Nothing more.
She didn’t move at first, didn’t want to if she was honest with herself, just stood there breathing in the scent of him, a big, strong man who’d been outside doing manly things, and the sheer heat of him, which seemed to be radiating from his body.
And then he froze. “Damn,” he muttered, turning his head back to her.
“What’s wrong?”
Had she done something? Completely given herself away?
Would she be forever embarrassed in his company and have to live with him being right next door forever and knowing she wanted him as much as Audrey? Would he be getting tips from someone else on how to avoid Lily?
Still, he held her gently by the arms, mere fractions of an inch from being pressed up against him, and he wasn’t moving away.
“Audrey’s out there. I saw her through the kitchen door,” he said.
“Oh.”
“And she sees us,” he said.
Okay?
So?
“I don’t understand—”
“Lily, she followed me into the kitchen two mornings ago and practically jumped me as Jake was coming downstairs.”
“Oh!”
“I thought I made it clear, as politely as possible, that I wasn’t interested, but maybe I didn’t. Because she’s been stalking me ever since, and Jake is daydreaming about going out with her daughter. So I’d rather not piss her off completely, if I don’t have to.”
“Okay.” Lily said, still frozen there, half an inch from him and liking it. Liking it a lot. “But what does that have to do with…this?”
He took a breath, chest and shoulders rising, coming that much closer to actually touching her, and she wanted him to touch her. She was tingling all over, like her body was singing, it was so happy. Like she’d already anticipated this slight touch a dozen times in the few seconds they’d been standing here, her waiting and waiting for things she couldn’t bring herself to ask for.
He was just so big and strong. So much…a man.
And it had been so long since she’d been this close to a man.
If she was really honest with herself, she’d admit she’d never been this close to a man as appealing as him. In a completely physical way, of course. She didn’t really know him. She just knew that her body really wanted to know his better.
“Well,” he said, dipping his head ever so slowly until his lips were resting somewhere near the base of her throat.
Not touching her.
Not really.
Doing something oh so sexy that was almost like touching.
Breathing on her, breathing in her, like a man taking a moment to savor a great meal he knew he was going to love before he ever took the first bite.
Bite!
She couldn’t think about him taking a bite of her.
Men didn’t take bites of her!
She wasn’t that kind of girl.
Maybe she should have been.
Maybe she regretted that right this minute, but still…
“If I could just do this for a moment,” he whispered, his arms sliding carefully around her.
“Mmm-hmm,” she said, her voice coming out a little squeaky and weird.
“And you were to put your arms around me, just for a minute…”
“Okay.” She was all too happy to comply.
She’d been thinking about touching him for days. Touching him in all sorts of ways, in all sorts of places that made her blush.
And actually touching him was even better, she found.
His body was solid as could be, all hard and sexy, muscles curving and sloping one into another, her hands sliding up his biceps, to cup his broad shoulders, one hand even sneaking onto the base of his neck and into the ends of his hair.
“There you go,” he said, like he really liked that. “Just like that.”
Oh, yes.
Just like that.
Lily took a giant gulp of air, her breasts rising to the point where they just barely brushed his chest.
He sucked in a breath, then gave a shaky little laugh.
“She’s watching everything we do,” he said. “And if it’s okay with you, I think if I just do this for a few moments…”
And then he stroked the tip of his nose along the side of her neck, lips so close they left a trail of heat and longing in their wake.
Lily whimpered. Couldn’t help it.
If this didn’t stop soon, she’d be begging him to stop putting on a show for Audrey and just kiss her already and be done with it.
As it was, she could imagine his mouth opening and then landing right there in that spot where the base of her neck met her shoulder, a spot that was already tingling with longing. She thought about his warm, moist mouth teasing, caressing, his beautiful, hard body plastered up against hers.
Lily stretched her neck out to the side, like she was giving him that spot, giving him anything he wanted, and let her body settle in against his. His arms tightened around her ever so slowly and carefully, like he was determined not to take advantage of the situation.
Or she hoped that’s what it was.
That he was a nice man.
A very nice, wickedly sexy man.
His nose nuzzled her ear, teased her hair, his hand cupping one side of her face and his lips settling as gently as a whisper against her temple before he slowly drew back, a wry grin on his face.
Lily tried not to whimper or to beg for more. Tried to stand on her own two feet without any help from him and tried not to look too thrilled by what he’d done or too devastated that it was over.
“So…she got an eyeful?” Lily asked, reminding herself what this had all been about.
“Yes, she did.” He grinned easily, the way a man might look at a woman he considers a good friend. “I hope that was okay? I mean, I hope I didn’t offend you…”
“No. Of course not,” she said. “Anything to help out a neighbor.”
“Well, she’s gone so…” He waited, like he wanted to say more.
She waited, too, hoping, wanting, needing, thrilled and a little bit scared.
But then he shook his head and all he said was, “I should be getting back to work. Thanks again, Lily.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
She waited until he was out the door and she heard his lawn mower start before she sank down to the floor in her kitchen, leaning back against the cabinets, closed her eyes and relived every glorious second of what had just happened.
Sadly, it was the sexiest thing that had happened to her in years.
Chapter Four
Jake hadn’t been trying to spy on them.
Honestly.
He’d been spying on Audrey Graham, the woman who wore all the skimpy tops and had practically attacked his uncle in their kitchen, because Mrs. Graham had an absolutely gorgeous sixteen-year-old daughter, clearly miles out of Jake’s league and who’d never so much as looked down her nose at him at school.
But still…a guy had to have hope, didn’t he?
If nothing else, Jake could look and hope.
At the moment, he’d been looking at Mrs. Graham, hoping her daughter might be with her, but she wasn’t. He’d seen Mrs. Graham staring into Lily’s house and looking none too happy at what she saw, and then Jake wondered what was going on, and that’s when he saw them.
His uncle and Lily?
It looked like Nick was licking Lily’s neck or something, and it sure looked like Lily liked it.
Women liked to have their necks licked?
Jake frowned.
He didn’t exactly know a ton about women, but he’d sure never heard that one.
Kissing necks, yes.
Licking?
Not that he had a problem trying it.
He was open to pretty much anything, especially with Andie Graham.
He would be her willing slave, fulfilling her every wish, if he ever got to the point where she knew he was alive and was willing to have him close enough to do things to that pretty neck of hers.
Jake took one more look at his uncle and Lily, not quite sure what he thought about that. One, he didn’t want his uncle to make Andie’s mother mad, just on the off chance that Andie might one day have anything to do with Jake. And he liked Lily. She was sweet, and she’d been kind and understanding and made the most incredible fudge Jake had ever eaten. He didn’t want anyone to hurt her, and if she knew his uncle was all over Mrs. Graham in the kitchen the other day, and now all over Lily, Lily wouldn’t like that. Would she?
Women didn’t like to share.
It was one thing Jake was pretty sure about.
And he didn’t like thinking his uncle was the kind of man who’d hurt someone like Lily. Was he that kind of man? Jake frowned and—
“Excuse me? I’m looking for the Malone house? Is this it?”
Jake thought for a second he must be dreaming, because he was pretty sure he knew that voice. He dreamed about that voice. About more than the voice.
He turned around really slowly and hoped he didn’t look too stupid as he stared for a minute and wondered if he was actually dreaming or if Andie Graham was actually standing in front of him. If she’d actually spoken to him.
“Uh…” was all he managed to get out before he had to take a breath and try to calm down.
She was wearing some really short shorts and a little white top with spaghetti straps and a scooped out neckline, and truly, it was hard to breathe this close to her. Especially with her looking the way she did. Looking as good as she did.
