Boone
Tapping on my chest wakes me up and I flutter my eyes open. Looking left, I see Lilly up on one elbow smiling at me. She slumbered all night sprawled over my chest and I didn’t attempt to move her, liking the weight and feel of her against me. Of course, after what I did to her last night, it was pretty much guaranteed I was going to wake up with a hard-on this morning.
“Good morning,” I say, reaching over to tug on a lock of her hair.
Lilly lowers her head until her chin rests against my pec. “Good morning. I hate to toss you out of bed so early, but I need to get going.”
I nod, slipping my arm around her waist and pulling her against me for a moment. She lets me hug her and I can’t help the shiver she elicits when she presses her lips to my throat.
A million dirty thoughts run through my head and it would be so easy to roll her under me. But she’s right… we have stuff to do today. Lilly’s spending the morning at the deli to give Georgie time off as she’s been feeling guilty because he and Charles have been working so hard to cover her.
Slipping my hand through her hair, I grip it to pull her head back a little so she’s forced to look at me. “You okay this morning after what we did last night?”
The reddening of her cheeks is adorable. She nods at me, biting down on her lower lip before saying, “I still wish you would have let me…”
Her words fall away as a shyness takes hold. I give her head a little shake. “Soon,” I promise. I then press a very hard kiss to her mouth. “I’ll grab a quick shower, then I’ll take you to your apartment. I’ll head to the hospital to hang with Aiden.”
I start to roll out of the bed but Lilly’s hand on my arm stops me. “You don’t have to do that for me.”
I reach back, pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “I’m doing it for me. I happen to like hanging out with your brother. I also like doing things that make you feel better and I know having someone with him will let you concentrate on the deli. It’s a win-win situation for me.”
To my surprise, Lilly pushes my hand away from her chin and throws her arms around my neck, forcing a blistering kiss on my lips. It’s enough to harden my already aching dick but I ignore it, savoring the bold move.
Unfurling her wings.
Because I’m a man who is subject to weakness when it comes to a beautiful, sexy woman kissing me like she wants to devour me, and because I truly do want to take this slow with Lilly, I gently break this kiss. Staring into her eyes, I whisper, “You’re being bad.”
She laughs at me. “All your fault.”
“Come on… let’s start our day.”
Within fifteen minutes, I’m showered, dressed and we’re out the door. After a quick stop at a Starbucks, I drive Lilly across the river. We make good time since it’s early on a Sunday and I drop her off at the stairway to her apartment. I don’t walk her up because she shoos me away. “Go have fun with Aiden.”
That doesn’t stop me from sitting and watching her run up the long wooden staircase, admiring her ass. I didn’t get to see much of her last night given that my T-shirt swallowed her up, but I felt enough of her soft curves to keep me satisfied. The luscious view of her backside is a bonus.
Smiling to myself as the door closes behind Lilly, I put the car in reverse and head toward the hospital. Pressing a button on my steering wheel, I request the magic of Bluetooth to dial Baden.
“What’s up?” he asks when the call connects.
“Calling about the barbecue Saturday night.”
“Don’t have to bring a thing,” he assures me. “Sophie and I have everything covered.”
Baden sent out a text last night that they’re putting on an impromptu get-together Saturday afternoon for the team. Something casual and low-key, but an opportunity for us to hang out. The next playoff round starts the following Monday, so there is plenty of time for the team to have a party.
“I was wondering if I can bring someone,” I ask.
“Lilly?” he asks. “Of course you can bring her. Aiden too, for that matter.”
Baden hasn’t met either of them yet, but he knows all about my new friends. Everyone on the team knows either because I’ve talked about the Hoffman family or they’ve met Lilly or Aiden either at a game or a visit to the hospital—and because a lot of the guys like to give me shit about the fact I’ve fallen for Lilly in the process. Gossip runs rampant in the locker room, but I don’t care. I own my new relationships.
“Yes, I’d like to bring Lilly. Would love to bring Aiden, but the doctors won’t approve it. It’s too risky for him just now.”
“Poor kid,” Baden sympathizes. “Is it cool that we’re all coming to his birthday party?”
Yeah… my team is doing that. I’ve helped Lilly put together a celebration in the outdoor garden and so far, the weather looks like it will cooperate. “The doctors are asking everyone to wear masks and gowns to be extra safe. Between that and it being outdoors, the doctors feel like it’s safe enough.”
“It will be epic,” Baden assures me.
The team is putting together a ton of Titans-related gifts—not just for Aiden, but for all his friends invited to the party. Brienne took it upon herself to hire a magician, a clown and face painters. The other Titans women are going to decorate the gardens. Lilly doesn’t know any of this stuff. She only knows a few of the guys will drop by and she’s ordered a massive sheet cake for all the kids. It’s going to be a carnival atmosphere centered around Aiden’s birthday and the kid deserves every bit of it.
Baden and I next chat about the second round next week. It will either be against the New Jersey Wildcats or the Nashville Badgers, but game five in that series happens tonight and the Wildcats have a 3–1 series lead. We’d both love New Jersey to pull it out since we’ve done well against them this year, but that never guarantees anything. The playoffs are a whole different breed of hockey. No matter, we’ll be ready for either one.
When I pull into the parking garage, I wrap the call. “I gotta go, man. At the hospital.”
“Any other plans?”
“Probably hang the entire day. Last full day we have off and all.” Tomorrow we’ll be back to doing light skates and team meetings as we prep for the next round.
“And then tonight with Lilly?” he prods teasingly.
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
Baden laughs and we disconnect.
Not sure if Lilly and I will have alone time tonight. Since she’s working today at the deli, my suspicion is she’ll want to hang with Aiden this evening and that’s fine by me. I’ll either scoot out and let them have their time or if they aren’t bothered by me staying, I’ll hang out. Like I said, nothing to do today except what I want, and hanging with Aiden and Lilly is all I need.
♦
My gaze moves to the bed from the wall-mounted TV where Iron Man is playing. It’s Aiden’s favorite and was his choice to watch tonight. I don’t mind—it’s a fucking phenomenal movie. Lilly didn’t mind because she indulges Aiden in whatever he wants.
I shouldn’t even be here after spending all day with Aiden while Lilly worked at the deli, but when she showed up to take over, I couldn’t make myself leave. I wanted to be in the same space as her, even if we could do nothing but act as good friends. While Aiden understands that we’re dating, we’ve not been overt in our affection in front of him. I doubt it would bother him, but it’s all so new, I’m letting Lilly lead on this.
Letting her direct exactly how we should be when we’re in the presence of her brother.
Aiden barely made it fifteen minutes into the movie before he fell asleep. I don’t do nights up here, but Lilly said that was commonplace, especially since he’s been feeling a little better lately and expending more energy during the day, so he tends to wear himself out. He’s snoring, lying on his side with one arm curled under his pillow. His other arm, ladened with an IV line, stretches outward across the bed and his hand pokes through a slot in the bed rail, holding Lilly’s on the other side.
My gaze slides past the clasped hands of brother and sister, their fingers intertwined loosely—almost on the verge of separating because they’re both relaxed in slumber—to Lilly’s face. Beautifully serene and peaceful, lips parted slightly. I can make out her long lashes against her skin in the ambient blue cast of the TV and the glow from the hall light coming through the open door. I should wake Lilly and make her go home, but she looks far too content right now.
Rising from my straight-back chair, I suppress the groan from my aching back and neck. I stretch, sling my neck side to side to crack some bones and sigh in relief. Hospital sitting for extended periods is no picnic on the body unless you’re in the recliner that Lilly’s occupying. I stare at Lilly a bit longer, then at Aiden and the touch of their hands. It’s about the most loving thing I’ve ever seen, the need to touch even in sleep, and it makes me want Lilly back in my bed badly.
I consider going home but truly, I’ve got nothing better to do and Lilly might wake up, and it would be worth it to stay here to have a few moments of her time. I could walk her to her car and get a hot kiss laced with the promise of more.
Reaching into my backpack, I pull out my digital tablet and pencil. I knew I’d be here a long time today, which included periods while Aiden napped. His marrow might be starting to recover, but he’s still a sick kid and rest is essential. I’ve been using those times to doodle and sketch, and now I have a breathtaking scene playing out before me that I’d love to capture.
Very quietly, I move the chair to the opposite side of Aiden’s bed so Lilly’s face is pointed at me and her arm extends my way. I lower onto the seat and study my subject for a few minutes, taking note of the details I want to capture—subtle and obvious. I start off sketching the oval shape of her face and making a slightly curved cross through it, which will nail down the correct angle and perspective in the finished product. I rough in her eyes, the slope of her nose and the shape of her lips. Next comes the line of her arm, her fingers intermingled with Aiden’s. When I have the bones of my portrait just right, I hyperfocus on the details.
Thin strokes for her lashes, subtle blending of shadows between her shoulder and the chair and cross-hatching for shading under her cheekbones. I get lost in bringing Lilly to life on my screen, all while recounting the time we’ve spent together, the deep conversations we’ve had and the way she orgasmed on my finger last night.
It seems like I’ve only been at it for a bit, but when I check my watch, I’m shocked that almost two hours have passed. My neck aches as I lift it and I once again force the bones to pop for relief. Gaze falling back to the portrait, I know I could add more details. It’s not perfect by any means, but I love it just the way it is. I download the image as both a JPEG and PDF and quietly slip out of Aiden’s room.
Navigating the halls with ease born of frequent visits, I head to the nurses’ station. It’s quiet at this time of night and no one is moving about except one lone nurse I see slipping into a patient’s room. Most of the doors are open and the lights are out, sick kiddos all tucked into bed and resting as best they can.
At the U-shaped nurse’s station, I’m pleased to see Lori there. She normally doesn’t work the night shift. Smiling at me as I approach, I ask her, “Picking up a double?”
She nods. “Hubs is traveling and I thought, why not? The extra money will buy nice things for the grandkids.”
“Love it,” I reply with a chuckle.
“What are you doing here?” she returns with a cocked eyebrow. “You’re normally on day shift.”
I offer a sly grin. “I heard all the prettiest nurses are here at night.”
She waves her hand, scoffing. “I’m old enough to be your mother. Besides… everyone knows you have eyes for Lilly.”
Christ, doesn’t that produce the blush? We haven’t been open in our relationship here at the hospital so I’m surprised that’s the gossip. I find it amusing though, so I only offer a quiet smirk that doesn’t quite admit she’s right but doesn’t deny it either.
“Do you think you could print something off for me if I email it to you?” I ask.
Lori glances around and I’m guessing maybe that’s frowned upon. But no one is in sight and she gives me her email address. Within just a few minutes, the PDF version rolls off the printer.
When she lifts it out of the tray, she gets a good look at it. “Oh my God. Did you draw that?”
“Yeah, I like to tinker around.”
Lori looks up and shoots me a glare for being humble before her gaze drops back to the page. “The detail is incredible. You can feel the love here, that’s for sure.”
“I have a creative side and luckily some talent too.”
She hands the printed page to me with a wink. “I’d still stick to your day job. The Titans need you.”
I grin at her. “Thanks, Lori.”
“Any time.”
Back in Aiden’s room, I grab a pen from my backpack and jot a note to Lilly. I place it on her purse so she sees it before she leaves.
What I want is to brush the hair that’s falling across her forehead. I want to kiss her there and hope it inspires safe dreams.
I don’t though because I don’t want to wake her up, so I quietly gather my things and slip out of the room.