AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Again, she presses her fingertips to my lips, cutting off my words. “London, I’ve been thinking about this a lot since”—Her eyes hold mine for a beat—“well, you know.”
I tip my head.
Because I do. I know all too well.
She runs her hands down the plane of my chest, causing me to shiver. “There’s no one up here but us. The doors are locked until tomorrow, to keep the Upper Tier in suspense. The club is open downstairs, so Myles and Cal are preoccupied.” She shoots me a sly grin and my heartbeat ratchets up further. “We might not be participating in the event as guests tomorrow, but for once—just once—I want to know what it feels like.”
My eyebrows tug inward and I splay my hands over her lower back, trying desperately to keep them from roaming. “Lily, I want more from you than one night.”
One side of her lips curls upward. “But that’s just it …It’s perfect.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
“One nightin the club,” she whispers, bending in close to my ear. “Then, the rest of the nights are ours.”
Realization dawns and I lean back in my chair.
The rules.
She’s talking about the rules of Club Nocté …
“What if…” I swallow hard, trying to calm my emotions. Am I really considering this? “What if we do this and you decide I’m not—”
She levels me with a pointed stare.
“Lily, I don’t want to be a rebound,” I admit, raising my hand to trace her jaw.
She meets my gaze squarely, her eyebrows drawing together. "You think I see you as a rebound?" There's a challenging tone in her voice, mixed with a hint of vulnerability.
"It's not that—not entirely,” I whisper, carefully choosing my words, "It's just … After everything that’s happened, I don’t want us rushing into something. No matter how much I want to.”
Lily's expression softens, but there's still a fire in her eyes. "London, I get it, I do. But I don’t want to be perpetually defined by my past. And when I look at you, I don’t see a rebound. I seehome—my future. I see someone who has known me,all of me,for so long. I just want to share one more piece of myself with you.”
I swallow hard, taken aback by the raw intensity of her words. "Lily ..."
She slides her hands to the nape of my neck, halting my words. "I need you to trust my feelings. To trust that I know my own heart. Can you do that?"
I nod, not trusting myself enough to speak because I think my mouth has just gone dry and my heart has stopped beating all together.
“Good.” A playful twinkle lights up her eyes and she begins slowly unbuttoning my shirt. “Then let’s not waste another moment questioning what we already know to be true. Tonight, is the beginning of …us. That is, if you’ll have me.”
CHAPTER33
Lily
As I wait for London's response, a tense silence envelops us, but I continue to work his buttons.
Slowly, I lift my eyes from his chest, finding myself lost in his silent, searching gaze. In the muted glow of the distant candlelight, his eyes shimmer like they’re the epitome of living starlight.
His warm hands settle over mine, stilling my work. “Lily, are you sure? Because I can—”
I inhale deeply, wishing he could see into my mind and heart. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in all my life. I only wish …” I bite my lip before continuing, “I wish it hadn’t taken us so long to get here. Now, shut up and kiss me.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t make me wait this time. Instead, his kiss is powerful as he drops my hands to pull me in closer.
My fingertips return to his shirt, unbuttoning it as quickly as I can, so I don’t lose my nerve. I’ve been thinking about today for a while now. About how I was going to ask him and how I would initiate this evening.
Carlie was right. I’m the one who had to go to him. I’m the one who had to make this first night happen.
