Gilded Lily (24 page)

Adam growled as he let Tony’s cum slide down the back of his throat. He quickly swallowed again. And again. After Tony’s last thrust into his mouth, he looked up to find Lily’s eyes wild and dilated. Her breathing was ragged as she lay back on the carpet and rubbed her fingers over her pussy.

Adam crawled on top of her lush body and pressed his cock into her warm pussy until he was balls-deep, pumping and grinding his hips. She’d worked her body into a frenzy, and his entry was all she needed to come all over his ramming cock.

“That’s it, Lily Flower. Come for me. Come for only me.” He watched her face as she floated back down, running her fingers through his dark, thick hair.

Adam slowed his thrusts as the voices in the room disappeared and he could only hear her gentle breaths beneath him. She nestled her warm cheek against his chest. Together they rocked, building a new pleasure Adam felt in more than just his cock. The sensation was in his chest, his heart, throughout his entire body. He marveled at how well her tight channel had softened to accept his cock.

He dipped his head and tucked his mouth between her neck and shoulder. The tender kisses she gave him were gifts of sensual joy. He hadn’t known this existed, but was damn sure he couldn’t see himself living without it.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he filled her completely and without shame. He’d given her a fantasy they both shared. A fantasy that only he could fulfill. He continued to enter her with a compassionate and gentle ease. He felt his flesh expand, allowing her warm walls to hug his restless cock. The pressure was building. The threads of his control were fraying, and he was going to burst at any moment. The beast inside him was winning as he fought the urge to rut her wet core. Her body welcomed him, soothed the hard and long strokes until their bodies flowed as one. She leaned up to press a soft kiss on his furrowed brow.

He panted, trying to hold on. The heat, the smooth glide, every sensation kept him teetering on the edge. “I can’t hold on. God, this feels so damn good.”

“Adam. Come for me.”

Her tight walls hugged his cock, massaging him just before he came in a torrent of waves that seemed to last forever. Lily tucked her head against his shoulder as he squeezed her against his chest. Her hot breath panted against his skin when he cradled her in his arms.

He lay still, resting inside her, feeling the comfort of her body beneath him.

He looked up. Tony was sitting on a chair with Renee straddling him. She flung her head back, moaning out her delight. Tony’s focus was not on her splendid body, but on Lily and Adam. Adam smiled at Tony, but Tony hesitated before tilting his lips in a half grin.

Adam glanced down at Lily, who was falling asleep beneath him. He slipped out of her and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go upstairs and get ready for bed,” he said as he guided her out of the parlor. “I want to take a shower with you and see your face without this mask.” He felt her lean into him as he helped her up the stairs. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

She rested her head against his chest as he opened the bedroom door. “Yes, my Adam. I would like that.”

Chapter Twelve

Adam stretched before rolling around on the mattress, trying to wake up. He stuck his hand down the crotch of his underwear and scratched. Damn, it’d been six days since he’d fucked, and his cock was screaming to get off. He hadn’t heard from Lily since she’d left for a book tour. He missed her soft voice, the way she laughed at herself when she did something goofy. He’d gotten so used to hearing the simple things she offered that when she was gone, the silence was deafening.

She’d gotten in sometime yesterday but hadn’t called to tell him she was home. He hadn’t gone to the house to see her, thinking it would be best to wait for her to come to him. He groaned and scooted off the bed. How long was he going to have to wait?

He padded downstairs wearing nothing more than a pair of white boxer briefs and a stubble beard. After fumbling with the coffeemaker, he opened the fridge and grabbed the carton of eggs. A rustle on the front porch caught his attention.

Opening the door, he found Lily tiptoeing down the small steps. “Going somewhere?”

“Oh, I hope I didn’t wake you up. I was going to leave you some breakfast.”

Adam looked down in the doorway. Another one of her enticing baskets was sitting on the wooden planks.

“I can see you just got up,” she said, a bright blush washing over her cheeks.

Adam looked down. Even he could see the outline of his dick beneath his underwear. He could only imagine her view. The thought made his cock thicken. He leaned over to pick up the basket. “So, where’s your red cape?”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She smiled. “Does that make you the wolf?”

“I guess it does,” he said as he motioned for her to come in. Adam turned around, watching the way her little sundress hugged the roundness of her womanly hips. Hips he wanted to hold on to while he bent her over the edge of the sofa. He steadied his stance with the thought. The early-morning rays would sparkle against her sun-kissed skin as he caressed her back and took a fistful of that soft hair and gently tugged her head back for a kiss. Yeah, he could so get down with that plan.

And that smell.
God, help me not to rip her damn clothes off.
Some kind of sweet smell radiated from her pores, and he was more than ready to lick every last scent from her naked body.

She put her hands behind her back. “Can I have a cup of coffee?”

“Sure.” Adam set the basket on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to fill two mugs. “Black or sugar?”

“Honey, please.”

“Honey?” He scanned the cabinets, finding a large bottle of honey. “Nick knew he’d better have a lot on hand for you, huh?”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her sad eyes. “It seems so bare now.”

“I know.” He handed her the mug and plopped down on the sofa. “I sent some of the finished oils to the gallery. I was thinking about having a show.” He took a cautious drink. “What do you think?”

“I think he would’ve liked that.” She sat down on the other end of the couch. “As long as you didn’t send the ones upstairs.” Her gaze was obviously worried as she scanned his expression from over the top of her mug.

“Don’t worry. Those are for my private gallery.”

“Your private gallery?”

“You know, the ones I use to…well…take care of myself.”

“You look at
those
paintings?”

“Sure, why not? They’re great material.”

She tossed one of the small throw pillows at him. “You’re terrible.”

“What?” he said through a husky laugh. “They are.”

They sat quietly drinking the hot cups of coffee. Then Lily spoke only slightly above a whisper. “I’d like to watch sometime.” She kept her gaze on the large window. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

He watched her, then scooted over to get closer. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Here.” She leaned forward toward the coffee table, setting the mug down to pick up the basket. “I made scones. Do you like them?”

“Toss me one. Hell, I’m starving. Make it two.”

They ate their breakfast and laughed while enjoying each other’s relaxed company.

Lily stood up. “Well, I had better get back. It looks like you need to get dressed, and I have weeds galore to take care of.” She held the screen door open before moving forward.

Adam fought the urge to cover his crotch. She had to see the hard-on he was sporting. “I’ll be up later, then.”

Lily looked down. When her pretty gaze roamed back up, she had a smile.

“It’s your fault,” he teased. “Hey, do you have any plans tonight?”

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“You and Tony are having dinner here tonight. That okay with you?”

“Sure. Um, okay. Did you check with Tony?”

Adam swallowed the last of the scone and grabbed another one from the basket before taking a step. The flower smell wafted across his nose again, filling his brain with a lusty haze. “Real soon, Lily Flower, you’re going to learn.”

“Learn what?”

Adam gave her a light smack on her backside. “Go. Thanks for breakfast.” He stood in the doorway, eating the scone and watching as she walked down the path until she was no longer in sight. Already missing her, he turned to head inside.

LILY KNEW THE nervous flutter in her belly was making her fuss more than usual on something so silly as what to wear to a simple dinner. Deep in the well of her thoughts, she knew nothing with Tony was ever as easy as a quiet dinner, and Adam made her ravenous for his touch. This
simple
dinner had her prickly and excited.

Unsure and with trembling hands, she slipped the plastic hangers over until she spotted the red fabric hanging behind several other dresses. When she hung the spaghetti-strapped outfit on the edge of the closet door, she knew it was time.

She slipped the dress over her body and turned in front of the mirror to scrutinize the crimson dress she’d worn last year to the literary awards at the Hyatt in Phoenix. She’d picked out the dress on a whim, during a whirlwind of confidence she wished she could muster tonight. The bustline was a bit too low and the hem a bit too high. Once she finally made it home from the department store, the dress had gotten shuffled to the back of the closet while she’d packed her trusted long-sleeved black number.

This was her moment to wear the red dress.

She rummaged through the second drawer in the tall oak bureau. There it was. She held up the lacy black shawl and wrapped it loosely around her shoulders. At least it helped to cover up some of the cleavage. She wanted to wear a bra but knew Tony wouldn’t approve. It was times like this when Lily wished she had Renee’s perky little breasts instead of her jiggling ones.

She sprayed her neck and wrists with a fresh mist of perfume.
There. It’s the best I can do.
The bundle of hair gathered at her nape hung in loose waves. The humidity had done a number on it, and she couldn’t seem to get it right.

Why was she so nervous?
It’s just Tony and Adam… Dinner. Right?
She rustled through the closet, looking for her black sling-back pumps. They felt foreign as she slipped them over the pads of her feet. She should’ve painted her toenails. She pulled off the shoes and went into the bathroom. “Richest Ruby.”
Perfect!
She sat on the edge of the tub and unscrewed the small glass bottle.

It’d been ages since she’d painted her toenails. Hell, it had been ages since she wanted to. After the polish was dry, she made her way to the kitchen, where she watched out the French doors as the torches on the back lawn twinkled in the night.

She slipped her feet into the sling-backs and headed out onto the porch. The moonlight slid through the trees in such a way as to cause shadows to jump and scurry. The dim lights were tiny beacons in the darkness. As she stepped onto the cobblestone walkway, she sighed in relief. All the torches along the path had been lit as well.

She clutched the shawl around her shoulders.
They’re going to think I look like a fool.
She passed another torch on the path. It felt so strange to be wearing shoes. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn lipstick. Now she was panicking. Keith always wanted her fixed up to the nines for his dinner engagements with the other lawyers, but Lily felt like she was being paraded around in a circus.

Tony liked her to look natural, no makeup. Her heart clenched, causing her to clutch at her chest. She wasn’t only worried about pleasing Tony. What if Adam didn’t like the scant blush she’d painted on her cheeks or the way she’d highlighted her lashes with mascara?

She
wanted
to please Tony. She
needed
to please Adam.

The wave of nausea invading her belly increased the nervous cadence of her heart tenfold. The idea of turning around entered her mind. Reluctantly, she decided against it and forced her feet to move forward.

She could see the lights coming from the stable house. It looked like a warm and inviting shelter. In the back drive she could see Tony’s shiny black Lexus. She stood on the porch, taking slow, deep breaths, waiting for the ache in her chest to relieve.

ADAM POPPED THE cap on the bottle of beer sitting on the counter. “I told you three months ago that I’d be able to go,” he said into the cell phone cradled against his ear. “Did you think I’d bail on you now? Look, I just needed some time off. I know the deadline. Have I ever let you down?”

He grabbed the bottle and took a drink.
This isn’t my first rodeo,
he thought as he listened to his agent once again try to push him into yet another assignment. “I’ll be ready,” Adam said. “The tickets are set up, and I e-mailed the itinerary to the publisher. It’s a go.”

Adam waited for man to finish his go-get-’em speech and said his good-bye.

“Anybody home?” Tony asked as he opened the screen door.

Adam set the phone on the counter before going over to the stove to check on dinner. “I’m back here.”

Tony walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer from inside. “So, what time is she supposed to be here?”

“I told her to be here around eight or so,” he said. “She should be here any minute.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. I hope she’ll go for it.” Adam took a drink. God, he prayed she’d be game for his plan. He couldn’t just go overseas and leave her to her own devices. All the progress they’d made would die along with his dream. “She’s not going to think she needs it right now, but when I’m gone, she’ll realize that I was right.”

“What’s that knocking?” Tony set the bottle down. “There it is again.”

“That’s someone trying to knock on the door.” Adam smiled. “She must be nervous.”

Adam opened the door to find Lily standing on the porch with her hands clasped behind her back. He lost his breath at the sight. How could one woman look so sexy and coy at the same time? Her full lips tilted into an anxious grin. She’d worn shoes. For him? His mouth watered as his gaze slid up over her shapely legs and finally rested on the hidden mounds beneath the lacy shawl. Damn if her breasts weren’t the most edible sweets he’d ever laid his eyes on.