23
GABRIEL
I was sittingat the desk in my room working when my phone lit up with a text from Lily.
Lily
Can you come by my apartment? I need you.
My heart skipped a beat, and my mouth felt dry. It was just after nine at night. Was she okay? What was wrong? I quickly typed out my reply.
Me
I’ll be there in less than ten.
Without giving it a second thought, I slipped on a pair of shoes, grabbed my coat, and left a note for Hal, who had gone to bed already.
As promised, I got to Lily’s in under ten minutes. I parked my car in front of her building and took the steps up to her apartment two at a time.
I knocked on the door. Not getting an immediate response, I knocked again, calling Lily’s name.
The door swung open as Lily pulled one of her headphones out of her ear. She held a mixing bowl under her arm. “You’re here! That was fast. Come on in.” She stepped to the side, giving me a clear entrance to her apartment.
Lily’s blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants that hugged her body perfectly and a light-blue tank top. She had a dusting of flour on her cheek and nose. Her blue eyes were bright, watching me curiously as I scanned her apartment for any signs of issues.
Everything looked fine—except for, maybe, the mess in her kitchen from whatever she was baking.
I stepped into her apartment, closing the door behind me. “I got here as quickly as I could. Is everything okay? What’s wrong?”
Lily blinked. “Oh! Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I see how that sounded. Nothing is terribly wrong, but we might have a slight problem.”
“Lily,” I rasped, my voice a strained, low growl. “Explain.”
Her breath hitched, lips parting ever so slightly, and her cheeks flushed. Something flashed across her face—something that looked awfully close to desire, but there was no way that was what it was. Luckily, Lily spoke up before I could overthink it.
“Gabe, wait!” She set the bowl on the entry table. She slid between me and the door—the very small space between me and the door. She smelled sweet. Sweeter than I wanted to admit. “It’s about an item on my wish list. I started to overthink it and got freaked out. It’s about the romantic kiss under the mistletoe.”
A smart man would’ve paused this conversation for another time and left the apartment. But, clearly, I wasn’t a smart man, and the first giveaway that this was a bad idea should have been the shot of arousal that went straight to my cock at the mere thought of kissing Lily. Of feeling her soft, pink lips on mine, orhearing the sounds she would make when my tongue slid against hers. The second giveaway should have been that this wasn’t the first time I was having any of these thoughts, especially given that I nearly kissed her after our dinner.
“Lily, I really thought something was wrong,” I admitted.
Her brows furrowed ever so slightly as she watched me, likely confused why I had been so worried. Join the club. I was confused, too. Lily was my competition—not someone I should be worried about.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.” The tone in her voice was genuine. Everything about Lily was genuine. Another reminder that Lily Richards was way too good for me. “You’re all dressed up. Did I interrupt something? We can talk about this tomorrow.”
I looked down at my slacks and dress shirt, shaking my head. “I was at Hal’s getting some work done.”
“You were lounging at home in that? In dress pants and a dress shirt? That’s…that should be illegal! You don’t change into comfy clothes after getting home from work?” Her eyes were wide.
I shrugged. “Sometimes, but not always.”
Lily shuddered, which caused me to huff a laugh.
“Is flour part of your comfy outfit?” I asked, reaching up to gently brush away the flour from her cheek and nose with my thumb. When she didn’t pull away, my touch lingered on her skin for a beat longer.
A blush came over Lily’s cheeks. I didn’t have a chance to ask what had been on her mind, because there was an eager chatter followed by tiny paws resting against my leg.
Lily cleared her throat, and I dropped my hand, stepping away and instead crouching to say hi to Lily’s cats.
