I sit up abruptly, turning to face Lily, her expression shocked at my sudden change in position.
“Firstly, we didn’t fuck. Not yet, anyway,” I point out, letting her see my anger. “And I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks. Whatwedo in the privacy ofyourhouse is no one else’s fucking business. I’m not doing this because I’m trying to snag a fucking cougar. I’m doing this becauseI want you. Ihavewanted you even before I understood the feelings I was having for you, back when I was just a young lad. And yes, I know the thought of that is going to freak you out, but it’s the truth, and I’m not fucking holding back anymore. I want you, Lily. And I’mgoing tohave you. I can be patient. I’ve waited this long, so stop trying to convince me that this isn’t happening. Because it is.”
Her brows shoot high, and her cheeks flush red, and she opens her mouth to speak, but then snaps it shut again.
On the inside, I’m grinning. On the outside, I’m nothing but stone-cold seriousness.
Lily raises her hand, and I realise she’s gesturing for me to leave the basin seat and move to a cutting chair, so I slowly stand, keeping my eyes on her as she walks over to the chair she wants me to take. When I take the seat, my gaze returns to her face in the reflection of the mirror, studying her every move, trying to get a read on her.
Taking a comb in one hand and her scissors in the other, she starts combing my wet strands, remaining quiet as she starts to trim.
Fuck it. I’ve said too much. Pushed too hard.
Maybe my immaturity is showing through.
Fuck.
“You’ve gone quiet.”
She doesn’t speak.
“Come on, Lil. Talk to me.”
Her blue gaze briefly darts to mine in the mirror before she moves in front of me, still trimming my hair. The new position puts her tits at eye level, and I bite my lip, wondering how long I can hold back from touching her, and if she’d stab me if I tried.
I can’t hold back for long apparently, because the next second I find myself reaching out and gripping her waist, tugging her close.
She gasps, “Asher.”
Oh fuuuuck. Her Aussie accent is thick today.
“Lily.”
“Stop. This isn’t right. You’re my sons’—”
“Don’t fucking say it,” I snap, my fingers digging into her waist. “I know who your sons are to me. That doesn’t change how I feel about you. How Ihavefelt from the day you picked me up from school, scared the shit out of the principal, and threatened to kill my old man.”
Her brows shoot up. “You know about that?”
“Yes.” I grin. “I kind of disobeyed you when you asked me to stay in the car. I saw how you made my dad cower, and I saw my mum passed out on the couch, not hearing a word.”
“Asher, I?—”
“I don’t need an explanation of why you did it. I’m glad you did. You’ve always looked after me when you didn’t have to. And I know you’re going to say that’s because you’re a mum and you would never let a child suffer, but I don’t care. I’ve never looked at you like a mum. Only the woman I’ve been crushing on for years, and who I now have in my grasp.”
She pulls away, successfully breaking my hold on her before circling behind me to finish cutting the back of my hair.
“I won’t be home until late tonight. I have a committee meeting.”
I narrow my eyes at her words. They sound like a lie. Is she trying to avoid me?
“Haven’t those committee things stopped now that the twins don’t go to school?”
“Sadly no. I’m still on a few boards. They wouldn’t know what to do without me.” The lie falls so easily from her lips.
“You want some help? I could get you fired from those boards pretty quickly, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore,” I say playfully, and she grins, shaking her head.
“No thanks. Those committees keep me busy. Since the twins have been gone, things are more… lonely. The committees keep me occupied so I don’t fall into a depressive dark hole.”
