I scoff. “Not a chance.”
The elevator opens and I take off down the hall as fast as my bum leg will let me go, which admittedly, isn’t very fast at all. Thankfully, our room isn’t far, and pretty soon I’ve unlocked the door and can finally sit down.
Unfortunately, I can’t hold back the grunt of pain when I do so. Lily’s face is wreathed in worry as she hurries over to me.
“Crap, you spent way too long standing and walking, and not in supportive shoes. I’m so sorry, Jude.” She starts to fuss with my leg, but I bat her away.
“Go. Change out of that sexy dress and put something comfortable on. I’m gonna get room service to bring up some ice and food. My leg will be fine.”
Her eyes flare when I call her dress sexy. I crossed a line tonight, pretending we were something we’re not. But it got her out of a bad situation, and hopefully, helped her feel less alone, so I don’t regret it for a second. The problem is, crossing that line has opened my eyes to the truth.
It’s not just Lily’s dress that’s sexy.
It’s her.
I loosen and remove my tie, tossing it and my suit jacket over the chair in the corner of the room. My shirt follows, leaving me in just a white T-shirt and my pants. I could get up and grab some sweats from my suitcase, but that requires standing, and despite what I told Lily, my leg is definitely not fine right now. If I wasn’t such a stubborn idiot, I would have brought some painkillers with me, but of course, I didn’t.
Hopefully tequila numbs it a bit.
I pick up the phone and place an order with room service, hanging up just as the bathroom door opens and Lily walks out, wearing what I assume are her pajamas. Except she’s obviously not wearing a bra under the tank top, and the sliver of skin where her tank top doesn’t quite meet the top of her pants is teasing me, begging to be touched.
Shit. No. The line might have been crossed when I kissed her head earlier, but that doesn’t mean I have any right to her. Or that she’d have any interest in me.
Still, my eyes follow her as she pads over to the other side of the bed and gingerly sits down on the edge. She tosses me a bottle of pills, and when I realize she brought me some painkillers, the wall around my heart cracks just a little.
“Thanks,” I say gruffly, then hold out the bottle. “Ice isn’t here yet, but want to get started?”
She takes it but doesn’t open it right away. “It’s not a nice story, Jude.”
I exhale slowly. “I kind of assumed that. Okay, new plan. We eat, we drink, we fall asleep, and then we get the hell away from here in the morning.”
Lily doesn’t answer right away. Then, I watch her open the tequila, lift the bottle to her lips, and take a long sip. Damn if that isn’t a sexy sight.
She lowers the bottle and wipes her hand across her lips daintily before looking me in the eye.
“Clay was my boyfriend, I introduced him to Marnie, he chose her over me, now they’re married. Oh, and my entire family thinks I’m a useless fuckup. End of story. Now, drink up.”
I’m not a man of many words at the best of times, but right now I’m at a complete loss for them. I suspected what she just told me was the case, but hearing her lay it out like that, hearing her try to remain emotionless but with pain running through her words, nonetheless — I’m speechless.
A knock on the door has Lily springing off the bed as if she needs to get away from the baggage she just unloaded. I let her usher in the hotel staff who is delivering our food, and I still say nothing when Lily reaches into her wallet for a tip. I’ll deal with that later.
After locking the door behind the server, I watch her walk swiftly back over to the other side of the bed.
“What was that plan? Eat, drink, sleep, then go home?” Lily lifts one of the silver domes off the plates of food. “I’m good with that idea.”
She lifts a burger up to her mouth and takes a big bite. Even after she sets the food down and starts putting ice into the plastic bag I requested from room service for my knee, she still won’t look at me, her eyes going everywhere around the room but in my direction.
“Lily.”
Slowly, her gaze shifts toward me.
“Lily, he’s a dumbass who didn’t deserve you, and your family is wrong. Dead wrong.”
I hand her the tequila, taking the makeshift ice pack from her in return. But when I try to get it to lay on my leg, it keeps sliding off.
A quiet huff of laughter has me glancing up at Lily, who to my relief has a tiny smile on her face. She goes to the bathroom, returning with a large bath towel.
Gesturing to my leg, she asks, “May I?”
