Lily's List (9 page)

He caught her before she could make contact,
wrapping his fingers around her slender wrist. “That’s okay.” He
reached down with his free hand and used his thumb to soothe her
abused mouth. “There’ll be other times.”

It wasn’t a question but she answered him
anyway. “Yes, there’ll be other times.”

He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach
his eyes. “We haven’t tried the whipped cream yet.”

Her eyes shot over to the nightstand. She’d
forgotten all about that. The white-and-red spray can sat patiently
waiting. Before she could stop herself, Lily yawned. Not a small,
ladylike yawn, but a huge, jaw-cracking one.

Carson chuckled. “I think I wore you
out.”

Embarrassment flooded her. “I’m sorry.” He
must think she was totally selfish to let him pleasure her and then
yawn in his face. “I haven’t slept well the past few nights and
. . .” She broke off. There was no excuse that would make
up for this.

He released her wrist and brushed his thumb
over her cheek. “It’s okay, Lily. We’re not keeping score here. As
long as you enjoyed yourself, that’s all that matters.”

“I’ve never felt this way in my life.” She
owed him her honesty if nothing else.

She felt him relax slightly and it was only
then that she realized just how tightly he was wound. “We’ve only
just begun.” On that promise, he stood, grabbed the can of whipped
cream, strolled to the dresser and blew out the candles. “I’ll put
this back in the refrigerator and lock up behind myself.”

Lily squinted to try to see his expression
better, but it was no use.

“Sleep well and dream of me.” He was gone
before she could think to reply.

Sounds floated upstairs. Content, she drifted
in a state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. She didn’t know
how long it was before he left, but she wasn’t the least bit
concerned about him being in her house. The noises were almost
comforting. She knew the moment he left. The door banged and the
house suddenly felt emptier. His truck started and the lights
briefly shone through her window as he backed out of the driveway.
She strained her ears, listening until she could no longer hear the
engine’s rumble.

Hugging her pillow tight, she heaved a sigh
and snuggled beneath the covers.

Chapter Seven

“Dream of me,” Lily muttered as she jammed a
daisy into a floral arrangement. The fragile stem snapped and she
gritted her teeth as she removed it. She hadn’t slept well for the
past four nights. She’d awakened Saturday morning after a restless
night of tossing and turning, only to come face-to-face with the
silk mask that was perched on the nightstand.

Her face heated at the memory.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, when she’d gone
to the refrigerator to get cream for her coffee, the can of whipped
cream had been sitting right in the center of the top shelf,
reminding her that they hadn’t used it—yet. Still, she hadn’t had
to face a dirty kitchen. Carson had taken the time to load the
dishwasher and clean down the table and the counter. That had left
her with a smile on her face.

It had been hard enough to get through
Saturday at work, but as it was her busiest day of the week, she’d
eventually gotten into the rhythm of it. Delia, her assistant, had
asked her several times if she was okay. She’d been a lot more
distracted than usual.

Lily loved her store and took pride in her
work, but she’d been more than ready to leave work when the clock
hit six. Her body had been humming with anticipation and low-level
arousal when she’d closed the doors for the day and headed home.
They hadn’t made plans, but she’d hoped to see Carson.

He’d called her instead.

They’d talked on the phone for over an hour.
No phone sex. Not this time. Instead, they’d shared the details of
their days with one another, chatting and laughing. In some ways it
was even more intimate and made her feel warm and tingly all over.
She’d been ready to reach for her vibrator when she finally went to
bed that night, but something had stayed her hand. She didn’t think
that anything short of having Carson inside her was going to
satisfy her.

On the other hand, her writing certainly
wasn’t suffering. Carson had already told her that he had to work
on Sunday. It was a special project a man wanted done for his wife
and that was the only day she would be away. While she appreciated
Carson’s willingness to go the extra mile for his client, she
wished he’d been able to spend the day with her. Still, she’d
written almost twenty pages on her manuscript before calling it a
day.

Monday passed with another long phone call in
the evening. It was now late Tuesday afternoon and they still
hadn’t made any definite plans to get together. In a fit of
frustration this morning, she’d shoved the can of whipped cream to
the back of the refrigerator.

Picking up another daisy, she carefully added
it to the arrangement in front of her. She stood back and looked at
it with a critical eye. Perfect. It was just what Mr. Fitzgerald
had ordered for his wife’s birthday. Picking up the crystal vase
he’d chosen for the special occasion, Lily carried it to the cooler
and popped it inside. Mr. Fitzgerald had promised to pick it up
before closing today.

She walked briskly back to her work counter
and began to clean it. There were no other orders she had to fill
today and tomorrow was her day off. Thursday and Friday would be
busy, as Lily’s Blossoms was doing the bouquets and all the floral
arrangements for two weddings this weekend. She, Delia and both her
part-timers would be here early Thursday morning to start work.

But tomorrow was hers to do with as she
chose. The only problem was that she wasn’t quite sure what she was
doing yet. The bell over the door tinkled merrily and she
automatically turned with a welcoming smile on her face. Carson
stood just inside the door wearing his usual uniform of scuffed
boots, jeans and a plain T-shirt. Today the shirt was a chocolate
brown that made him look positively yummy.

Lily didn’t move as he sauntered toward her,
a familiar gleam in his eyes. “Hello, Carson.” She was proud of the
fact that her voice sounded calm and totally natural.

“Lily.” His deep baritone sent a shiver down
her spine. It wasn’t what he’d said, but rather the way he’d said
it—low and intimate.

She locked her knees and tilted her head to
one side. “What can I do for you today?”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “That’s a
loaded question.”

Lily scowled. Truthfully, she was slightly
irritated with him. He obviously found it easy to stay away from
her for four days, and now he waltzed right into her store at
closing time and expected . . . She hesitated. She wasn’t
quite sure what he expected.

The bell over the door chimed again, saving
Lily from having to come up with a witty reply. Mr. Fitzgerald
rushed in, obviously in a hurry. “Afternoon, Lily,” he said as he
puffed for breath.

She skirted around the edge of her worktable
and headed straight for the cooler. “I’ve got the arrangement you
wanted all done.”

“Good. Good. I’ve got to get to the jewelry
store before it closes.” He glanced at his watch. “That gives me
fifteen minutes. I would have been here sooner, but I stopped to
pick up the cake first.” While Mr. Fitzgerald prattled on, Lily
retrieved the flowers and carried them to the counter. He stopped
talking when he saw them and nodded. “Perfect.”

Lily quickly ran his credit card through the
machine and, less than two minutes later, Mr. Fitzgerald was out
the door, carefully cradling the large arrangement in his arms.

Throughout it all, Lily was very aware of
Carson watching her every move. Now they were alone again. She
rubbed her hands up and down her forearms, feeling slightly
chilled.

She heard the low clomp of his boots against
the floor as he came up behind her. He didn’t touch her, but she
could feel the heat of his body. “Lily?”

She knew she was acting strange, but she
couldn’t seem to help herself. She shook her head and sighed. “I’m
fine.”

His lips grazed the sensitive skin just below
her ear. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Her head fell forward. She was tired because
she hadn’t been sleeping well. In all fairness, it wasn’t his
fault. She was an adult in charge of her own life and feelings.
“You didn’t. I’m just tired.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well either.” His
teeth tugged at the gold hoop hanging from her ear. Lily shivered.
“I keep dreaming about you.” He stepped away suddenly, leaving her
feeling slightly bereft. She turned around to face him just as the
front door pushed open and two customers walked in.

Lily was glad that one of them had their wits
about them. When Carson was near, hers seemed to disappear. “Good
afternoon,” she greeted the two young women. They smiled and nodded
in greeting and headed toward the ready-made bouquets in one of the
front coolers.

When she glanced back at Carson, he was
standing off to one side, hands in his pockets, watching her
intently. “We need to make plans.” His voice was low enough for
only her to hear, for which she was grateful, but his words made
her entire body clench with need. The man was making her crazy.

“Okay, but not now.” She glanced at the
clock. “I close up in about ten minutes.”

Carson rocked back on his heels. “I can call
you later.” She was partly relieved, partly disappointed. “Or
. . .” Her heart began to pound. “I can pick up something
for us to eat and bring it to your place.”

Lily nodded. “That would be good.”

The smile he gave her was oddly gentle. He
raised his hand as if he might touch her, but quickly dropped it
back to his side. “Which one?”

It took her a minute to realize what he was
asking her. She quickly replayed their conversation in her head and
groaned. She hadn’t given him an answer at all. “The second one.
Supper.”

His smile deepened. “I’ll leave you to your
work.”

Turning, he headed for the entrance. When the
door closed behind him, she heard a feminine sigh. Whirling, Lily
came face-to-face with her two customers, both young women in their
mid-twenties. The woman who’d sighed shrugged at Lily. “I couldn’t
help but admire the view. That’s one good-looking man.”

Lily searched their faces but found no sign
that they’d overheard any of her and Carson’s conversation. She
nodded at the women, not quite sure what to say. Her stomach felt
queasy and she was irritated by their obvious interest in Carson.
She felt possessive and territorial. He belonged to her. At least
for now.

“What can I help you with today?” She forced
herself to smile, but it wasn’t easy. Her anger faded as she
assisted the women in choosing flowers for a dinner party. By the
time they left, she was feeling slightly deflated.

Truthfully, she had no hold on Carson. It had
been her idea to keep their association a secret. That was probably
for the best. There were a lot of much younger and prettier women
in this town with their eye on Carson. Plus, he was the kind of man
who would eventually want a family. Her son was grown and in
college. They were at two completely different places in their
lives. It was only a matter of time until he decided he wanted to
move on.

She absently rubbed her breastbone. Her heart
ached at the thought of that day finally coming. Perhaps it would
be best to break things off now before she got in too deep. A voice
in the back of her head informed her, sadly, that it was already
too late. She was half in love with the man.

Lily dropped her hand and meandered to the
door to lock it for the night. Breaking things off now might save
her some heartache, but if she did, she knew she’d be plagued by
the “what ifs” for the rest of her days. She’d always be left
wondering what memories they might have made together and where it
might have led.

Straightening her shoulders, she strode back
to her cash register. She was in this for as long as it lasted.
Yes, she was older than Carson, but seven years wasn’t really that
much when you thought about it. She might not be quite as shapely
as all those younger women, but she was intelligent and, well, a
good person. That had to count for something. Furthermore, Carson
seemed to enjoy her company. After all, it was him who’d asked to
spend time with her in the first place.

Slightly buoyed, for now anyway, she rushed
through her closing tasks, grabbed her sweater and purse and headed
out the door.

• • •

Carson idly tapped his fingers against the
steering wheel of his truck and stared out into the gathering dusk.
He’d obviously made an error in giving Lily too much time alone.
After the intensity of Friday night, he’d stepped away, not wanting
to crowd her. It hadn’t been easy to stay away from her, but he’d
thought she would appreciate the time to regroup. Instead, it
seemed she was rethinking their relationship.

The smell of ribs and home fries seeping from
the large bag next to him made his stomach growl. He’d put in a
busy few days at work, but it was worth every extra hour he’d
clocked. Tomorrow was Wednesday, Lily’s day off, and he’d managed
to clear his schedule as well. His crew could handle the jobs on
tap for tomorrow. He had plans for Lily. That is, if she didn’t
boot his ass out the door tonight.

His gut clenched at the thought. He’d waited
a long time for her to notice him as more than her son’s employer,
and now that he had her attention, he wasn’t about to lose it.

Her blue compact car whizzed down the road in
front of him. He grabbed the bag with the food and slid out of the
driver’s seat, locking the door behind him. He’d parked one street
over in the far corner of the convenience store parking lot. If his
truck was spotted in her driveway a second time in one week, her
neighbors would certainly comment. Personally, he didn’t care, but
he knew Lily did.