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My cock pulses again, telling me he’s very happy with the way this conversation is going. I give her a broad smile. “You won’t regret it.”
In the next town over from Heart’s Cove, a town called Edgeville, there’s a famous fish-and-chips restaurant that sits on a boardwalk overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As I open my car door and help Lily inside, I already know I’m going to take her there. We should make it right in time for sunset.
Not a bad place for a first date—even if it is casual.
Lily settles into the passenger seat, setting her purse on her lap as I slide behind the wheel. She’s wearing a loose summer dress and white sneakers, her dark hair tied back in a messy bun. The strap of her sundress slides off her shoulder, revealing the top curve of her breast. I stare at it for a beat too long, wishing I could reach over and push it down all the way. Would she make a soft, sweet noise if I took her breast in my mouth? Would her nipples turn to hard little points against my tongue?
I turn the key in the ignition and give her a smile, hoping she’s not regretting her decision to accept my invitation. The Lee Child book sits on her lap next to her purse, a reminder that I’m not above bribery to get a date.
A few weeks ago, Lily walked into the bookstore looking beautifully undone. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips full, and her eyes raked over me like a physical touch. She walked in like a woman who knows what she wants, all confidence and quiet swagger.
I wanted her right then and there. We were alone in the bookstore and my brain served up images of me bending her over the counter and making her come with my mouth, fingers, then my cock. I think I’ve been hard ever since.
“Where are we going?” Lily asks, tucking the book into her purse.
“You like fish and chips?” I glance over in time to see her smile.
“I lived in London for three years. I have a very discerning fish-and-chips palate, so I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
I grin. “I’m ready for anything.”
A strange look crosses her eyes, and she turns to stare out her window. I frown, reaching to flick on the radio. Did I say something wrong?
“How long have you worked for Agnes?” Lily asks, sounding almost desperate to change the subject.
“Since I was thirteen,” I answer with a laugh. “My grandmother raised me. Knowing the value of money was a priority in our home.”
“I can only imagine what a slave driver she must have been.” Lily grins.
I shrug. “Sometimes, but I’m grateful for everything my grandmother did for me. She’s only tough on the outside.” I put my turn signal on and merge onto the freeway with signs pointing to Edgeville.
Lily shifts in her seat and hums. “I always liked Agnes.”
That makes me laugh. No one likes my grandmother, except her long-time partner Hank Cheswick and, I suspect, Dorothy, the local hotel owner—although she does her best to pretend otherwise.
“I’m serious!” Lily laughs. “She strikes me as a realist, and I like that in people. I’ve been around a lot of people from a lot of different cultures, and I can spot someone who’s genuine.”
Her words make something still inside me. I’ve grown up with my grandmother being the butt of jokes and comments, but she’s a special woman. Strong. Hearing Iliana say good things about her makes me want to reach over, grab her hand, and press my lips to her fingers.
Someone in a casual relationship doesn’t do that, though. Especially not on a first date.
Instead, I rest my hand on the gearshift and settle back in my seat. We drive in silence until I take the exit to Edgeville and make my way down the coast. We have to park a little way away from the boardwalk, but Lily tells me she doesn’t mind walking.
“Good thing you’re not wearing heels,” I say, nodding to her sneakers as I turn the car off.
Lily scoffs. “Wouldn’t catch me dead in them. Heels are nothing more than instruments of torture.”
I grin and shrug. “They look good, though.”
Lily cups her ear. “You hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That’s the sound of me not caring.” She arches her brow, then opens the car door and steps out.
I laugh, surprised, loving her snark. I’d kiss the attitude right off her mouth if she let me. When I make my way around the vehicle, I extend an arm and watch Lily hesitate for a moment. Then, with a sigh that seems to say, Oh, what the hell, she links her elbow in mine and lets me lead her down the gently sloping street toward the boardwalk.
She smells sweet and floral, and I want to wrap that scent around me like a blanket. Her fingers tighten on my bicep, sliding up an inch, as if she can’t help feeling the shape of my muscles. I like her touching me, I decide. I like it a lot.
