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Josh gave Lilly room but continued to hold her. He refused to let go.
Her gaze flew to the third-floor rooms where her sons were supposedly asleep. Nightlights glowed around the edges of closed drapes, but there was no movement.
She scrambled through folds of yellow dress and finally pulled out a smartphone. For a long minute she stared at the caller ID, then groaned, or was it a growl? “What the fuck does he want? Son of a bitch is always interrupting my life.” She swiped the screen and snapped, “What?”
Josh held Lilly in his arms, so close he overheard every word. He considered replacing her naked breasts back beneath the dress, but got lost in his need to take them both back to the moment where he hoped she was going to invite him to her room.
The man’s voice on the phone shook him back to Lilly’s call. “Did I wake you, darling? I’m so sorry.”
Darling? She was standing half-naked in Josh’s arms and another man was calling her darling. Josh wanted to roar his possession of her.
“No. I was awake. What do you want, Bright?” Lilly didn’t seem pleased to hear from the man.
“I’d like to have the boys join me on Cozumel the day after tomorrow.” With far too much glee in his voice, the man added, “I want them to be at my wedding.”
Josh watched as all the blood drained from Lilly’s face.
Shit. She’s still in love with her ex. Then he watched fury build in her eyes and red tinge her brown cheeks. Oh, this was going to be good. He was in for a show, or a showdown. He was going to see the tiger in action.
“You expect me to bring our boys—the children you haven’t bothered to see in a month, or call in the past three weeks, or send a fucking birthday card when Preston turned seven two weeks ago—and you expect me to take both boys over to Cozumel so you can pretend to be father of the year in front of your new wife, her family, and our friends?”
“Of course not, sweetheart. My mother is flying into the Cancun airport. She’ll pick them up on her way to the ferry at Playa del Carmen and bring them over to the island. It’s going to be a small wedding. Just my family and about fifty friends.”
Josh could feel Lilly’s tension, practically see her fume, but she managed to control her tone. “First of all, you have no right to call me darling or sweetheart. You lost that privilege when you cheated on our marriage vows. My heart is anything but sweet when it comes to you.”
That was good news for Josh. No chance she was still stuck on this man, not that it mattered. He wasn’t interested in anything long term, but he didn’t like his women tied to any other man, in any way whether legally or emotionally, while he was...dating them.
“Dar—” The dickhead on the phone caught himself before he stepped into it deeper. “I’ve moved on and you should, too. I know what we had will be hard for you to replace but trust me, you can find that spark of love again. I did.” Female giggling could be heard over the line followed by what Josh swore was a smacking kiss. “Annabelle and I really want the boys with us when we get married. Mother is bringing Kalista and Dalton with her, so I’ll have all my children here when we become a new family.” More giggling.
What an ass, was all Josh could think. Lilly rolled her eyes.
“Sorry, darling, but we have to go. The cruise ship captain is meeting us for a nightcap and you know how expensive these ship-to-shore calls are. Mother will call you and let you know what time to have the boys ready.”
Josh couldn’t understand the female whispering on the other end of the line. Then the jerk said, “Oh, yes, Annabelle would like them to wear khaki trousers, a brown belt, pink button-down long sleeve shirts and brown loafers.” In an agitated voice, he added, “With socks, for Christ sake. And please do something with Greyson’s hair. I want him to look presentable in the pictures. Annabelle has hairspray in case we need it.” Then the man demanded, “Make sure the boys are ready on time.”
Okay. Upgrade that to asshole. Lilly must have agreed with Josh’s assessment because the air surrounding her had gone from crackling anger to bursting fireworks.
“The boys have always been ready on time,” she snapped out.
Before she could utter her next sentence, he sighed. “Yes, yes. It was you who could never seem to be on schedule. At least I don’t have to worry about that ever again.”
Josh watched Lilly tamp down the explosion that would have knocked the man on the other end onto his ass if it could have traveled through space and bounced off the satellite to reach the bastard. Hell, it would probably have rocked the whole cruise ship.
“Lilly. Are you still there?”
Her eyes were closed as she took in a breath and let it out. Then another. “The boys will be ready when your mother arrives. They’ll be happy to spend some time with their grandmother.” She swiped the red X to disconnect the call.
She spun away from Josh and with her head down, paced four long strides in one direction. “How dare he?” She deepened the tone of her voice and matched the man’s cadence. “I’ll never have to worry about that again.” She turned. Then took four paces back. Changing back to her normal voice, anger woven through each word, she spouted, “He’s the one who never approved of the dress I would pick out and suggested I might look better in another. Even when he’d picked out the first one.”
She turned and repeated the four steps. “How I ever let him take that much control of my life, I don’t know. Ugh. Never again.” Turn and repeat. “Never will I let a man have that much control over me.”
Josh could picture her doing that, talking things out, out loud, with herself, as she worked her way through a tough case, reasoning every point. She was so focused on the phone call she ignored the gentle bounce of her bare breasts with every step.
Josh didn’t. He couldn’t. She was magnificent.
To have an open door to her inner thoughts about her ex...Josh wasn’t sure he should listen. He almost interrupted her but then she said, “Hell, what am I talking about?” Lilly threw up her hands and stopped. “I don’t need a man in my life. Well, certainly not forever.” She raised her face to the night sky. For two heartbeats she stared at the stars above.
Then she lowered her shaking head to the beige bricks and the pacing began again. “Christ, I miss sex, though. But not sex with him.” Four steps then turn. “The man had no imagination and God forbid I suggest something different, like doggy style or female superior—”
Josh’s brain instantly pictured Lilly on hands and knees in front of him, her smooth round ass up in the air as he drove into her. She wanted to ride him? He could cowboy up for that. And anything else she wanted, too. He could be very creative in the bedroom.
“Who the hell am I kidding?” Lilly asked of no one as she walked away from Josh. “I’m nearly thirty-five years old, far from the body of a model, or ballerina, my work takes up too much of my time, and I give my boys every free minute I have. There’s no room in my life for a man.”
He’d had enough of her self-deprecation. Her personal needs and wants aligned perfectly with his. This meant they could return to the moments before the rude interruption and be in total agreement. He’d held those luscious breasts in his hands, tasted her taut nipples. He wanted to continue his exploration of her body, then satisfy them both. Then do it all again.
Josh moved into her path. Mumbling, head down, Lilly ran straight into his chest...and froze. When she looked up, her eyes were wide, shocked to see him.
Priceless. And so beautiful with the moon splashing light on her high Mayan cheeks and eyes as dark as the sky above. Those eyes glinted with the reflection of stars.
“You heard me?” Her voice was quiet.
“Yes, And your conversation with your ex. Hard to miss since you were in my arms.”
Lilly dropped her forehead to his shoulder and buried her face. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”
“I’m not. Your ex is an emotionally abusive ass, and you should be happy to be free of him.” Josh picked up her chin and brushed his lips over hers. “But I think you and I are looking for the same thing. I don’t do long term, and you already know I’m temporary.”
He cupped her bare breast in one hand. Her gaze shot to where he ran his thumb over her nipple. They both watched it harden. He took the other breast in his other hand and repeated the caress with the same result. Her chest rose and fell more rapidly as he rolled the stiff point between his thumb and forefinger, both of them unable to stop staring.
Josh leaned in, his lips right next to her ear, his hands in constant but slow motion. “Tell me what you want, Lilly. I’m very good at taking orders.”
Gradually she turned her head so her warm moist lips were right next to his ear. “I want...” There was a long pause before she sighed. “I’m just not sure.” The insecurity in her voice snapped his resolve. He had to respect her wishes and would never force any woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. She wasn’t ready. At least not tonight.
Josh gently tucked each breast back into her bra then brought his hands to her face. He brushed his thumbs over her freckled cheeks. “A few nights of pleasure...any way you want it...are yours.”
His lips barely touched hers.
He stepped far enough away so he wouldn’t be tempted to sweep her up in his arms and carry her to his room to give her every fantasy she'd mentioned and maybe a few more. “You know where I’m sleeping.”
He did an about face and walked to his room.
Although it about killed him, he didn’t look back, even when he shut the sliding glass door and pulled the blackout curtains closed.
He’d walked away from what could have been a wonderful night of fulfilling Lilly’s every fantasy. That would have made it the best day ever in Josh’s entire life.
But she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t ready for him.
Yet.