Lily's List (3 page)

She opened her mouth to reiterate her
position but never got the opportunity to speak. Carson swooped
down and captured her lips. His lips were firm and warm against
hers. He didn’t force anything, just moved his mouth over hers. In
spite of her resolve, she found herself leaning into his kiss.

She wanted to know what he tasted like.

She snaked her tongue out and traced the
contours of his mouth. He groaned and parted his lips. She took
advantage of the invitation and slipped her tongue inside. He
tasted like coffee and mint and hot male. It was scary and
intoxicating at the same time. She didn’t think she’d have the
nerve to continue, except Carson seemed to be as involved in the
kiss as she was.

They were standing so close together that his
chest brushed hers with each breath he took. He was bigger and
stronger than her, yet she didn’t feel the least bit threatened or
overwhelmed. His hands were resting lightly on her shoulders, but
he wasn’t holding her. She could step away at any time. She sensed
that this was his way of letting her know she was in charge.
Anything they did was up to her.

There was power in that. And it made her head
spin.

She slowly slid her hands over his chest,
lightly kneading the supple skin beneath his shirt. He was all taut
muscle and sinewy strength beneath her palms. She stroked her
fingers over the broad expanse before linking them behind his neck.
The action brought her upper body tight to his. She swallowed back
a moan as her taut, beaded nipples pressed against the solid planes
of his chest.

Carson broke their kiss and buried his face
in the curve of her neck. His breath was hot against her skin.
“Does this mean yes?” He raised his head and she found herself
pinned by his laser blue gaze. She could see the heat simmering
behind it. The passion.

Her body responded to the sensual promise she
saw there. An ache began to throb low in her belly. She felt empty
and needy. Arching her hips slightly, she brought her pelvis into
alignment with his. The hard bulge behind his jeans both fascinated
and terrified her. It had been such a long time for her.

Not that she was considering sleeping with
Carson—not exactly.

Then what exactly was she doing?

Flustered, she broke away and took a step
back, sucking much-needed air into her starving lungs. “I don’t
know. I’m not sure.” And how stupid did that sound after being
plastered all over the man? “I’m sorry.” She waved her hand between
them. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean for things to get
so out of control.”

He stared at her for so long, she began to
squirm. The man had a right to be angry with her. She was certainly
sending out mixed signals. Problem was, she was even confusing
herself.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a
satisfied grin and a twinkle entered his eyes. “I’ll take that as a
good sign.” Reaching out, he hooked his fingers into her belt loops
and tugged her closer. She was powerless to resist. The man was a
bigger temptation than a box of her favorite dark chocolate and
twice as addictive. “Why don’t you take some time to think about
it? I’ll call you later tonight. If you’re not interested in phone
sex, you can just hang up on me. No harm, no foul. Okay?”

“That’s not fair to you,” she blurted out.
God, could she really be considering this? Yes, she realized, not
only could she be, but she most definitely was.

“Why don’t you let me decide what’s fair to
me and what’s not?”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Why would a much younger, sexier man even bother? A thought entered
her head and she scowled. “Just because I write erotic romance
doesn’t mean I’m easy.”

“Believe me, Lily. There is nothing even
remotely easy about you.”

Her frown deepened. She couldn’t tell from
his expression what exactly he meant by that. Deciding the best
course of action for the moment was to simply ignore it, she
continued. “Nor does it mean I’ll do anything kinky.”

“A man can only hope,” he said under his
breath, but she heard him anyway. It started butterflies quivering
in her stomach. “Whatever we do is up to you. You’re in total
control of the situation.”

His offer was too good to be true and that
made her suspicious. But she’d come to know Carson fairly well over
the past few years and knew him to be both straightforward and
trustworthy. Lily quite honestly didn’t know what to say or to do.
Fortunately, Carson didn’t seem to expect a reply.

“I’m going to go now.” He released his hold
on her and took a step away. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

She managed a jerky nod.

He brushed a lock of hair off of her
forehead, looking as if he wanted to say something more. She waited
with bated breath, but instead of speaking, he spun on his heel and
headed for the door. Her eyes were drawn to the long line of his
muscled back and his tight ass, which looked incredible encased in
faded denim.

He opened the door and walked away without
looking back. Lily was left standing in the middle of her kitchen,
staring at the closed door.

The sound of an engine coming to life
galvanized her to action and she rushed to the window just in time
to see Carson’s truck pulling away from the curb.

“Oh, God.” She placed her fingers over her
lips and swallowed a half sob, half laugh. At this point she didn’t
know whether to cry or laugh. Her emotions were all over the
place.

Groping her way back to the table, she
practically fell onto her chair. She’d kissed Carson Granger. Not
only that, he’d kissed her back. Lily wasn’t quite sure how she
felt about that.

The kiss had been amazing. Incredible.
Stupendous. And they’d barely gotten started. That man was lethal
to her well-being. She touched her lips again, swearing she could
still feel the warmth and pressure of his.

He sure as heck knew how to kiss. It wouldn’t
have taken a whole lot more for her to orgasm, and for a woman who
hadn’t had one of those in the presence of a man for too many years
to even think about, it was exhilarating.

Then there was the whole
research
issue. What was she going to do about
that?

Her eyes strayed back to the list she’d made
last night while curled up alone in bed—sex in a public place,
phone sex, roses, whipped cream and striptease. Thank heavens she
hadn’t put sex toys on the list! Although she doubted that Carson
would have a problem with it if she had.

Images of blindfolds and silk scarves flitted
into her brain.

Groaning, she dropped her head into her
hands. What was she thinking? Scrubbing her hands over her heated
cheeks, she slowly raised her head. She was a woman with a grown
child, for heaven’s sake. This was nothing to be embarrassed about.
She’d known Carson for years and was confident her secret was safe
with him.

That gave her pause. At no time had she even
for one second thought he’d betray her secret career. That told her
just how much she trusted him.

What if . . . She shook her head in
denial, but the thought wouldn’t leave her. What if she took him up
on his offer? A little hot phone sex wouldn’t hurt anyone, and it
would certainly allow her to write the scene realistically.

The irony of the situation struck her. Her
book was about a younger woman being educated in the ways of sexual
enticement by an older man. In reality, it would be an older woman
being educated by a younger man.

Her sex clenched and she squeezed her thighs
together to help alleviate the growing ache. She hadn’t wanted a
man this much in . . . well, she really couldn’t remember
wanting a man this much. Ever. There was something about Carson
that had drawn her attention from the first time they’d met, but
now that it had moved beyond the realm of fantasy and into reality,
it was even more pronounced.

Okay, maybe the phone sex would be okay. What
was some sex talk between two consenting adults? It wouldn’t hurt
anyone. Neither of them was in a relationship. She knew that Carson
wasn’t seeing anyone because Ethan had mentioned that little detail
just before he’d left for college two weeks ago, seeming surprised
that his boss wasn’t dating. Lily ignored the fact that that little
tidbit of information had made her feel good. It gave them
something in common. They were both single.

As for the other things on her list, they
would take some thinking. Carson didn’t seem to have any problem
with them. His suggestion that she could remain fully clothed
during the rest of them was completely sensible.

Why did it depress her so much?

Did she really want to get naked with Carson?
Her stomach jumped and her breasts ached. She cupped them with her
hands, desperately trying to make the empty feeling within her go
away. Her nipples were tight and her breasts heavy. Touching them
seemed to make the problem worse, so she dropped her hands back
onto her lap.

She knew one thing for sure—if she didn’t
engage in phone sex with Carson tonight, she was going to have to
break out her vibrator or she’d never get any sleep. She was wound
so tight right now it was a wonder she didn’t implode.

Ignoring the dampness between her thighs, she
squirmed on her seat, trying to get comfortable. It didn’t help.
Putting it out of her mind the best she could, she raised the lid
on her laptop and stared at the glowing screen. The only sensible
thing to do right now was to channel all this pent-up sexual energy
into her work.

She thought about her vibrator, tucked away
in the back of her nightstand drawer. It was a long time until
tonight.

She considered it for the briefest second,
but immediately decided against it. Anticipation was part of the
process, the buildup for tonight. And she wasn’t the only one who
was aching right now. Carson had been sporting quite an erection
when he’d left.

With her fingers poised over the keyboard, it
occurred to her that she’d never given Carson the address he’d
wanted. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile. She’d have to
talk to him when he called later, if only to give him Ethan’s
address. Maybe they’d talk some more, and who knew where that could
lead?

Anticipation flooded her and she tamped it
down, focusing instead on the screen in front of her.

• • •

Carson clenched the steering wheel of his
truck so tight he was amazed that the damned thing didn’t crack.
His knuckles were white, his arms rigid. The hardest thing he’d
ever done was walk out of Lily’s home, acting like tonight was no
big deal.

No big deal! He’d almost come in his jeans
while standing in the middle of her kitchen. And that was from
nothing more than a kiss. He hadn’t been with a woman in way too
long and he’d wanted Lily for far longer.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to
relax. He rolled his shoulders and concentrated on the road in
front of him. Yet the image of Lily with her face flushed with
desire, her lips parted and her breasts plastered against his chest
captivated his thoughts. When she’d tilted her hips to rub against
his erection, he’d wanted to grab her and grind her mound against
his cock.

Carson swore under his breath and pulled into
the parking lot of a local convenience store. The way he was
feeling right now, he was a menace on the road. He put the truck in
park and sat there with his hands on the wheel, remembering every
word, every movement Lily had made. It was imprinted on his
brain.

He knew she’d talk to him this evening when
he called her, knew it as sure as he was sitting here. She wouldn’t
be able to resist. Not after what had occurred between them. He’d
always known that if and when they came together it would be
explosive. The kiss they’d shared had only solidified that belief.
Lily was an amazingly passionate woman even if she didn’t seem to
realize it.

God, he wanted to be the man to tap into that
reserve of passion. But first he had to get her trust. His plan was
to seduce her slowly, letting her set the pace. He had a good
imagination and had no problem picturing Lily naked and splayed
across her bed waiting for her lover. Waiting for him.

Her legs were long and shapely. He wondered
if she shaved her pubic hair or if she had a nice tuft of dark
brown hair. Would it be curly or straight?

“Fuck.” He pressed the palms of his hands
against his eyes. He had to stop thinking about her or he’d drive
himself crazy. Lowering his hands, he stared out the windshield at
the world around him. It was almost lunchtime and the convenience
store was doing a brisk business. Mike Sloan, a buddy of his who
was a general contractor, had pulled in next to him and was
climbing out of his truck.

Knowing he had no other choice, Carson opened
his door and willed his body into submission. It wasn’t easy, and
he’d only partially managed it by the time he got to the front of
his truck, where his friend was waiting for him.

Mike stared at him, his head cocked to one
side. “You okay, buddy?”

“Yeah.” He forced a smile. “I’m fine. How’s
Annabelle?” Annabelle was Mike’s wife and a surefire way to
distract him from a topic of conversation that Carson didn’t want
to pursue. What was between him and Lily was private.

A huge smile split Mike’s face. “Annabelle is
great.” Carson envied the relationship Mike and his wife had. They
were obviously in love and didn’t care who knew it. “Got time to
grab some lunch?”

Carson checked his watch. He had to meet a
client about a perspective job, but he still had an hour to spare.
“Sure.”

Mike motioned to a sub shop that sat next to
the convenience store. “I just got a contract to revamp an old
apartment building downtown. It’s the one Tucker used to live in
before he and Emma married.”

Tucker was a mutual friend and Carson nodded.
He knew the apartment building well.