Lily's List (16 page)

Intellectually she enjoyed talking to him. He
was amazingly well-read on many subjects and always thought about
what he wanted to say before speaking.

But it was emotionally where he touched her
deepest. He hadn’t been afraid to put himself on the line for her
and she could do no less.

“I love you,” she blurted out. His shoulders
tensed.

“Are you sure?” His voice was low and
hard.

She wished she could see his face. She had no
idea what he was thinking at this moment. Still she plunged onward.
There was no going back for her. Not now. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Where do you want our relationship to go
from here?”

She wrapped her arms around her torso,
feeling cold and alone. Had he changed his mind? “I
. . .” she began and stopped. Screwing up her courage,
she started again. “I want us to be together.”

“Publicly?”

“Yes.” She nodded, even though he couldn’t
see her. “I wouldn’t have sent you the flowers and the gifts if I
didn’t.”

He swiveled around to face her. “Thank God.”
She could see relief and the remnants of pain in his face. “Thank
God,” he said again and tugged her into his arms. She went easily,
loving the warmth that emanated from him. “I thought so, but I
needed to be sure.”

His heart was thudding heavily against her
cheek. Resting one hand over it, she raised her head. “I was afraid
at first,” she confessed. “It had been so long for me and you’re so
much younger. But you’re worth the risk. We’re worth the risk.”

She hesitated, but then pushed forward,
wanting no more misunderstandings or secrets between them. “What
about children?” His muscles tensed beneath her hand. “You’re young
and my son is grown.” It was a big concern for her.

“Lily.” Carson’s voice was tender and deep as
he tilted her chin up until she could see his eyes. “I want you.
I’ll admit that I’d love to have a child with you, but if it
doesn’t happen that’s okay too. I already think a lot of Ethan.
He’s more than enough son for any man.”

Relief filled her when she sensed he was
being totally sincere. “Okay. That’s good. I’m not saying I’m
opposed to children or anything. But, Carson, I’m going to be forty
in a month’s time.”

He chuckled. “You’re beautiful and don’t look
nearly old enough to have a son Ethan’s age.”

Lily couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, but
that doesn’t change the fact that I am and I do.”

He pushed a lock of hair from her forehead
before leaning down to drop a kiss there. “I don’t want to do
anything that might be a risk to your health. Whether or not we try
to have a child is your decision and it’s not one we have to make
today.”

She nodded. “So where do we go from
here?”

Reaching behind him, he took something from
the box. “I didn’t know how long the other one was in the delivery
van, so I stopped and bought a fresh can.” Her breath caught in her
throat as he brought his hand around to the front.

Her eyes widened and she started to laugh.
Clutched tight in his grip was the familiar can of whipped
cream.

Chapter Twelve

Carson scooped a laughing Lily into his arms
and carried her up the stairs. The ring he’d bought for her was
practically burning a hole in his pocket, but it wasn’t time to
give it to her yet. He wanted her naked, sated and lying in his
arms when he asked her to marry him.

He strode into the bedroom and tossed her
lightly onto the bed. When he’d left her last night, he hadn’t been
sure he’d ever be back here again. He set the whipped cream on the
bedside table and reached into his back pocket, pulled out a condom
and laid it alongside the can. Lily stretched out on the bed,
watching him, a smile on her face.

God, he loved her. Everything he’d wanted in
life was finally within his grasp. And he had no intentions of
losing it.

He practically ripped his shirt in his haste
to be rid of it and then he tackled his boots. Lily kicked off her
shoes and then tugged her sweater over her head. He stopped, hands
on the button of his jeans, to watch her strip off her top. Her
slacks came next, along with her socks. Clad only in a beige panty
and bra set, she reclined back against the pillows.

Carson made quick work of his jeans, shoving
his boxers off with them. His cock was hard and ready, but she
wasn’t. Not yet, but she would be. When he was naked, he knelt on
the bed between her thighs. His hands were tanned, much darker than
her pale skin. She was so soft and feminine. She took his breath
away. He stroked his fingers up her legs, skimming her inner
thighs. She sucked in a breath and parted her legs.

Satisfaction filled him as he touched the
crotch of her panties. “You’re already wet for me.” He could hear
the wonder in his voice. It was true. Whenever he touched Lily, she
was more than ready for him.

She licked her full pink lips. “Yes.”

He loved the fact that she didn’t play games.
She gave herself openly, generously and wholeheartedly, holding
back nothing. He wondered if she had any idea what a turn-on that
was. He slid his fingers beneath the band of her panties and tugged
them down. She bent her legs and helped him remove them.

A rumble of pleasure came from deep in his
chest. She was so beautiful. All pink and lush and wet. Parting her
folds with his thumbs, he leaned down and kissed her. Her hips rose
to meet his lips. He stroked his tongue up one side and then down
the other, tasting her. She moaned and he laughed. He was addicted
to her unique flavor, and if he had his way, he’d be able to feed
his addiction for the rest of his life.

He carefully inserted one finger into her.
Her inner muscles contracted around it as he pushed deeper. Her
breathing was choppy and harsh, her fingers tangled in his hair,
holding him to her. He loved the bite of her nails against his
scalp, her desperation to have him closer.

His cock flexed and his balls tightened. He
wanted to bury himself in her warmth. But not yet. First he wanted
her to come for him. Redoubling his efforts, he began to suck
gently on her swollen clit as he pushed a second finger inside
her.

“Carson.” His name was little more than a
gasp, a whisper. She tugged harder on his hair and her thighs
tightened around his head.

He spread his fingers, widening them as he
slowly pulled them to the edge of her opening. Her thin cry of
pleasure washed over him as her body contracted, spilling her
essence onto his hands. He soaked in every sound, every scent and
every nuance as she orgasmed. When it was over, her legs dropped
back to the bed and her fingers slipped from his head.

Sitting back on his heels, he admired the
erotic picture she made, sprawled across the bed. Her chest rose
and fell as she pulled air into her lungs; a fine sheen of sweat
made her skin glisten; her eyes were closed and her lips
parted.

Carson wasted no time reaching over to the
bedside table and grabbing the condom. He quickly opened it and
sheathed himself. Lily barely moved when he undid her bra, tugged
it off and tossed it onto the floor behind him.

Her nipples were puckered nubs just begging
to be tasted. But first they needed a little something. He reached
for the can of whipped cream.

Lily’s eyes flew open and her entire body
jerked when the first dollop of cream landed on her belly. Carson
smiled and continued to spray, piling mounds of the sweet stuff
over her breasts until just the tips of her nipples peaked through.
When he was satisfied he’d used enough, he tossed the can
aside.

“Now, I get to taste you.” He’d been dreaming
of this since he’d first read it on the damn list. He leaned
forward and licked the line of cream on her stomach, taking special
care to dip into her bellybutton.

Lily groaned and laughed. “How can you make
me so hot again so fast?”

“Don’t bother me, I’m busy,” he teased.

She laughed again and then gasped when he
licked upward, swiping at the bottom curve of her breast.
“Carson.”

He ignored the demand in her voice and kept
on teasing her. He liked playing with Lily. Sex was intense and
serious, but it could also be fun and playful. He enjoyed doing
both with Lily. He ran his tongue over the outside of the plump
mound, licking off cream as he went. The flavor of Lily mingled
with the sweetness of the cream in his mouth. He had to share it
with her.

Carson lifted his head and traced his tongue
first over her top lip and then across her bottom one. Her mouth
parted eagerly and he slipped inside. She sucked on his tongue,
drawing him deeper. His cock jerked, reminding him of just how
close he was to the edge.

Burying his fingers in her hair to hold her
steady, he continued to kiss her until they were both gasping for
air. He left a trail of biting kisses down the curve of her neck,
ending up at her cream-covered breast. He licked and sucked her
sensitive flesh until all the cream was gone, tugging her turgid
nipple into his mouth and rolling it around. It tasted as sweet as
a cherry.

Shifting position, he stretched out on the
bed beside her and tugged her into his arms so that she was
sprawled on top of him. She spread her legs so that they were on
either side of him, the motion pushing her damp mound against his
straining erection.

“Take me inside you.” He stroked the long,
lithe line of her back. “Ride me, Lily.”

• • •

Lily placed her hands on his chest and
levered herself upright. Her entire body was on fire with need for
the man lying beneath her. She’d already come once but was close to
doing so again. Her skin felt overly sensitive and tingly. She
groaned when her puckered nipples scraped across the hard planes of
his chest. The press of his shaft against her sex taunted her. It
wasn’t enough. She needed him inside her.

Coming up on her knees, she gripped his cock
in her hands. Even through the latex barrier she could feel the
heat of the blood pumping through him. She squeezed him tight and
he closed his eyes, tilting his head back. The muscles in his neck
tightened as she brought the tip of his erection to her opening and
began to lower herself.

One slow inch at a time, she sank onto his
shaft, taking him inside her until he was buried as deep as he
could go. Reaching behind, she cupped his sac in her hands,
squeezing gently. His eyes were like blue lasers as he pinned her
with his stare.

“Move,” he commanded.

Slowly, she raised herself until only the
bulbous head remained inside. She sat down hard, driving him
deep.

“Fuck. Lily,” Carson gasped, his hands
tightening on her hips as he raised her upward again.

She began to move faster, finding a rhythm
she liked. She felt wild and free and wanton. Her breasts jiggled
with each thrust. Carson reared up, clamped his mouth over one
turgid nipple and sucked hard. Lily’s head fell back as her blood
turned to liquid fire.

She shifted her legs and locked them around
his waist. The motion pushed him even deeper than he’d been before,
making them both moan. Carson lifted her, coming up onto his knees
and lowering her onto her back. She tightened her grip as he began
to thrust—short, hard jabs that drove her wild.

He hammered his hips against her, the slap of
their damp skin music to her ears. Her inner muscles clamped down
hard and her ankles dug into his butt. Her hands slid off his slick
shoulders so she dug her nails in, needing something to hold on
to.

She cried out as her orgasm broke. Pleasure
suffused her entire being, body and soul. She shuddered and shook
as she came, vaguely aware of Carson crying out, his hips jerking
against her. He tightened his arms around her and then he was
coming, his body heavy and warm. She tucked her arms around his
waist and held on.

Time ceased to matter as she floated in a
world of pleasure. Finally it began to fade and she became aware of
her surroundings again. She felt sticky and sweaty, and when she
opened her eyes she realized that her head was at the foot of the
bed and her feet were resting on her pillow.

Carson’s hair tickled her chin and a long
strand of it was plastered against her cheek. She smiled and
brushed it aside. He stirred beside her, lifted his head and
planted a firm kiss on her lips before levering himself off her.
Their bodies were stuck together and they parted with a sucking
sound that made her laugh.

He rolled off the bed and stretched. His
biceps bunched and the muscles in his back flexed. Lily admired the
view of his bare butt as he walked to the bathroom. She lay on the
bed, completely and utterly content, not just physically but
emotionally. She could hear Carson rummaging around in the bathroom
and the sounds felt natural and right, as if he belonged here with
her. She couldn’t imagine sharing her space with any other man.

He returned quickly, bringing a damp cloth
with him. It was a measure of how comfortable she was with him that
she allowed him to wash her breasts and stomach and between her
thighs. Not once did she stop and think about how she must
look.

“Let’s get you settled.” He lifted her and
turned her around. He managed to get the covers pulled back and her
beneath them. She snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes.

“Hey.” He gently tugged on her hair. Lily
managed to open her eyes. “Thank you for the flowers and the
gifts.”

Lily smiled, loving him more in this moment
than she ever thought it possible to love a man. “You’re very
welcome.” She shifted her legs and stretched them. Physically, she
felt marvelous, if a bit tired. She hadn’t slept well after their
disagreement last night.

“I’ve got something for you.” Carson reached
over the side of the bed, snagged his jeans and dug into the front
pocket. When he sat back, his fingers were closed in a tight
fist.