Chapter Sixteen

Once again, Lilly found herself waking from the most restful sleep she’d had since…since the last time she slept with Lincoln. The guy was like her very own homeopathic sleep aid. Hmmm, how would one market that? Take three Reid orgasms and get the most restful sleep of your life. Side effects may include a dependency on sex, fantasies about computer nerds, and catching feelings. Because as much as she’d like to deny it, she hadn’t awakened with just a sated and well-rested body. She also feared this tugging feeling in her chest was a suspicious case of the cares.

Before they went any further, they really needed to sit down and discuss what they were doing with this whole…thing. But to do that, she would need clothes. No way could she have a rational discussion about relationships in the nude. She needed armor for something so potentially vulnerability-inducing.

She started to rise from the bed, moving to lift Lincoln’s arm from where it lay, draped atop her, cuddling her close. Who knew the guy was a cuddler? But before she could move, he shifted.

“Mm, morning.” His husky, sleep-roughened voice filled her ear as he tightened his arm around her, kissing her softly on the neck. “Planning on running out on me again?”

A tiny fleck of guilt hampered her pleasant morning mood. Did he have to keep bringing up her do-and-dash moment?

“No.” She shifted on the bed, turning over on her side to face him. “I was simply going to get up and head to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee I could make.”

He grinned, full lips peeking out from his close-cropped dark beard, which, yes, she found insanely attractive.

“Liar.”

Maybe, but she wasn’t ready to admit her morning-after jitters. Not without clothes, anyway.

“Regardless, we should be heading out soon. The cleaning company will be here at noon, and the house needs to be empty so they can do their job.”

Lincoln yawned, arms stretching over his head as his jaw cracked. “I suppose you’re right.”

He kissed her cheek before pushing up from the bed, naked and completely at ease with his nudity. Hey, she wasn’t complaining. Not when she got to lie there and reap the benefits. The room had chilled slightly over the long night, but Lilly suddenly felt very hot as she stared at the fine, round firmness of Lincoln’s backside. The man had an ass you could bounce a quarter off of. She remembered he said something once about being a runner. It fit with his lean physique. He wasn’t overly muscular, but his body was honed. Tight. Scrumptious.

“Uh, Lilly?”

At his worried tone, she reluctantly drew her focus off his runner buns and glanced at his face. He stood at the window, curtains slightly parted, his face swiveling from her to the view outside and back.

“Yes?”

He winced, sucking air in through his teeth. “I don’t think we’re getting out of here today.”

“What? Why?”

Grabbing the comforter from the bed, she wrapped it around her as she stood. Not because she was ashamed of her nudity, but because the room was slightly chilly. She might not be a supermodel, but she knew she looked pretty good naked. Lincoln had nothing but praise to say about her unclothed form—or any of her forms, for that matter.

Slipping her glasses on, she headed over to his side. A gasp escaped her lips as she fingered the curtain and peeled it back. The sight that hit her was beautiful and dreadful all at the same time. “Oh no!”

“I don’t think the cleaning company will be making it up today, either.”

She glared at Lincoln, but the smart-ass simply smiled back. With a sigh, she glanced out the window again to see the fluffy, swirling white snowflakes fall from the sky to join the three feet of snow already on the ground. How bad had the storm gotten last night after everyone left? Must have been a doozy to leave this much fresh powder in just a few hours.

“I hope everyone got home okay.” She turned to grab her phone from the pocket of her dress, which Lincoln had tossed on the floor at the foot of the bed last night before blowing her freaking mind. “I need to check in with Mo.”

Her friend wasn’t the best at driving in the snow, and she’d left the latest. But Lilly’s worry wasn’t necessary. As she retrieved her cell phone, she saw she had two texts from her roommate time-stamped late last night. The first read, Just got home. The roads are getting bad. You two better stay put. She breathed out a sigh of relief knowing her friend was safe in their apartment. The second text made her laugh as she read, And you better have lots of hot, wild sex and tell me all about it when you get home!

The first, they’d already done; the second, she would in no way do. She loved Mo, but there were some things you didn’t share, even with your closest friends.

“Mo okay?” Lincoln asked from his spot at the window.

She nodded. “Yup. She got home safe and sound.” Which meant everyone else most likely had, too.

“What do we do now?”

She stared at him, her gaze shifting to the beautiful yet inconvenient storm outside. “Well, I need to call the cleaning service and reschedule for tomorrow. And I should also call the property manager and explain the situation. Hopefully they won’t charge us for an extra day, but if they do, I’ll make sure Marie and Kenneth won’t be charged for it.”

Her clients had already left. They couldn’t control the weather. No way would she let them be charged an additional fee. Lilly was positive the property manager wouldn’t charge them an extra day due to weather conditions. Most Colorado businesses were used to dealing with snow snafus like this.

“Wasn’t worried for a second.” Lincoln grinned. “Besides, I’m sure you can work your superhero magic and get them to agree to an extra day rental at no charge.”

If he kept being so wonderful, she would have no choice but to fall for him.

Liar. Like you haven’t fallen for him already.

She cleared her throat, shaking the thought from her head. “Let’s just take this one step at a time.”

She lifted her phone to call the cleaners. Lincoln crossed the room, kissing her cheek and whispering a “good luck” before he made his way to the attached bathroom. He left the door open a crack, and within seconds she heard the shower turn on. Hopefully these calls went quickly, because she really wanted to join him in that shower. To conserve water. They were in the midst of a storm, after all. Had to conserve energy and so on.

The call to the cleaning company was quick, as the staff had not left the city yet and happily agreed to come out tomorrow instead. The call to the property manager took a bit longer, as she had to contact the mayor’s office due to the storm and no one was in the office. It took a bit of searching to find the mayor’s home number, but when she did, he quickly agreed with her decision to have the house cleaned tomorrow instead of today.

Lincoln might have something on his superhero theory, because the mayor didn’t charge her another day but thanked her for staying and keeping an eye on the place, even going so far as to offer her a discount the next time she booked an event.

With responsibilities crossed off her mental list, she dropped the blanket and headed toward the bathroom, pausing to snag a condom from the nightstand on her way. A wall of hot steam hit her face as she pushed open the bathroom door. The space was as luxurious as the rest of the room. A double vanity sat against the back wall, and black-framed mirrors hung over a marble countertop. The toilet was off to the side in a small room with a door that closed off to the rest of the bathroom.

“Lilly? Is that you?”

She craned her neck, squinting through the mist as it fogged up her glasses.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Everything work out okay?”

She stared, trying to make out his form behind the glass of the large shower, but everything was distorted and hazy.

“Yes, everything is set for tomorrow, and there’s no extra charge for acts of extreme weather.”

His chuckle rose over the pounding sound of the water. “Great, then you can come in here and let me wash…your back.”

A giddy thrill shot through her at the notion of all Lincoln could wash for her. But first, Mother Nature called.

“Give me one second.”

She headed into the tiny toilet room and took care of business. The condom packet still in hand, she then made her way to the large shower, leaving her glasses on the sink countertop. Slowly, she pulled open the glass door and stepped inside. Lincoln’s blurry face came into focus as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into him.

“Hi,” he said, kissing her lips softly.

“Hi,” she returned the greeting and the kiss.

“Is that a condom packet in your hand or are you just happy to see me?”

She snorted, water spraying her in the face when Lincoln tilted his head in question.

“It’s a condom,” she confirmed. “And you have the absolute worst sex humor.”

“I didn’t know it was a competition.” He grinned, turning them so the showerhead hit her back.

Warm, pounding water massaged her shoulders as Lincoln’s hands caressed her lower back.

“You know,” he said between rubs. “Shower sex isn’t as hot as the movies make it out to be.”

“I know.” She moaned as his hands dipped lower, grasping the globes of her ass and kneading in a sensual manner. “But I figured we could give it a shot. See if we can make some Hollywood magic.”

He chuckled, lips brushing against hers as one finger dipped in between her thighs to stroke her right where she ached for him.

“For you, sweetheart, I’m willing to give anything a shot.”

She tried not to read too much into that statement. This was just sex talk. They were in the throes of passion. Promises made here weren’t to be taken seriously. That’s how her mom got her heart broken so often—she believed what men said when they were naked. You could never believe what a man said when he was naked…or what a woman said when she was naked, either. The loss of clothes directly correlated to the loss of pragmatic brain cells.

All thoughts left her mind the moment Lincoln plunged two fingers inside her. Her body tightened with need.

“Lincoln,” she gasped, warm water from the showerhead trickling into her mouth as her head tilted up.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. Tell me what you want.”

“You.” She reached out, grasping the hard length of his erection pressing against her belly and stroking. “I want you. Inside me. Now.”

He laughed softly. “One of us is going to have to stop playing so we can put the condom on.”

But she didn’t want to stop playing, and she didn’t want him to stop, either. Why weren’t humans made with three arms? Just think of all the life problems that could be solved by an extra appendage.

“Lilly,” he pressed as she quickened her strokes. “I don’t want to stop touching you.”

Good. She didn’t want him to stop, and she also didn’t want to stop. On the other hand, she wanted more of him inside her. A, ahem, bigger part of him inside her.

“Hold out the condom,” he demanded.

Their occupied hands still working magic on each other, Lilly held up the foil packet. Lincoln maneuvered them again so the water hit his back, blocking the stream from their good bits. He grasped the corner of the foil and ripped, gripping the latex protection between his fingers and pulling it from the wrapper.

That was a new one for her. She’d never shared opening a condom with a partner before. It felt intimate in a way far deeper than it should be. Not wanting to deal with that emotion right now, she dropped the wrapper and gently plucked the condom from his fingers and rolled it on his length, replacing her other hand but continuing to stroke him as she rolled the latex down his cock.

“Now, Lilly,” he growled, grasping her thigh and pulling her leg over his hip.

“Now,” she agreed.

His fingers left her only to be replaced a moment later by the blunt head of his erection. She gasped as he pushed in those first few inches.

“Fuck me!” he groaned.

She smiled. “Happy to.”

He grinned a moment before his mouth descended on hers. As he kissed the living daylights out of her, he backed them against the shower wall, thrusting inside her in a slow, easy rhythm. The stall was so big, the water no longer hit them, but the steam rose around them, heating the already scorching air as they moved with a single-minded focus. His tongue played with hers, tasting, worshipping, devouring her every breath. Her mind fell completely blank, the only thoughts filling it Lincoln and the way he made her feel.

She felt the crescendo coming, her thigh tightening around his hip. He instinctively knew what she wanted, quickening his pace, pounding into her until her body exploded with a rapturous delight of gratification. Lincoln surged against her twice more, elongating her delicious ride on cloud nine. She felt him pulse as he found his own release.

“Okay,” he panted, pulling his lips from hers. “Now that proved the Hollywood theory right, I’d say.”

She’d agree, but she didn’t have any air left in her lungs to form words, so she just nodded.

“Come on.” He kissed her temple. “Let’s wash up and then see if there’s any food left in this place.”

Once they finished rinsing off, Lilly headed upstairs to grab her bags and bring them down to Lincoln’s room. No sense in keeping them upstairs, since she planned to spend every second with the man for the next day. Preferably naked.

After they dressed—boo—they headed to the kitchen, where they found the catering staff had left plenty of extra food and wedding cake for the cleaning staff. Lilly made a mental note to give the cleaning company extra cash to make up for what she and Lincoln would consume.

They cobbled together a breakfast of rolls and fruit, choosing to leave the heavy dinner food and cake for later. Luckily, the rental came equipped with a pantry filled with nonperishable items, including the most important of substances: coffee.

They enjoyed their makeshift breakfast, debating whether or not to go outside and enjoy the snowfall, but since neither of them had any protective snow clothes, they opted to stay inside and enjoy the weather from the large windows. Lincoln found a chessboard, and they played a few games.

“Well, it’s official,” Lincoln said with a frown. “We are as bad at chess as we are good at pinball.”

Lilly laughed, but she had to agree. “It might help if we knew the rules a little bit better.”

“Hey, you never did tell me how you became so good at pinball.”

She shifted in the large leather chair, grabbing one of the pawns she’d captured from Lincoln and rubbing the cool marble piece between her fingers as she spoke. “My mom’s second husband was a huge gamer guy. Video games, board games—you name it, he played it.”

His eyes lit up. “D&D?”

“Yes, you nerd.” She laughed. “Even D&D.”

Placing the tiny game piece back on the table, she removed her glasses to clean them with the edge of her shirt even though there wasn’t a smudge on them.

“Anyway, he was a good guy. One of the few I really liked. I was twelve when they got together, so peak awkward preteen stage. Curt—that was his name—he tried to teach me every game he owned, but the only one I really liked was pinball.”

She sighed, a small smile curling her lips at the memory. “He had this great machine in the garage. It was a zombie-themed one. Classic. I spent hours playing that thing and even beat his high score.”

“Did that upset him?” Lincoln asked, his voice filled with concern.

She shook her head with a smile. “Quite the opposite. He took me out for ice cream and declared me the pinball champion.”

“Sounds like a great guy.”

He was. It absolutely crushed her when Curt and her mother divorced. More than any other failed relationship her mom had. And Curt… He’d been so devastated, but he told Lilly he and her mother were just too different to be together. The spark had died, and they didn’t have enough in common to keep them together.

They didn’t match.

She shook off the melancholy memory. “Anyway, after he and my mom split, we moved out. I started playing pinball at the local arcade whenever the stress of…life got to be too much.” She let out a wistful sigh. “Never found another zombie pinball machine as cool as Curt’s, though. I miss that game.”

The glasses she clutched in her hands were suddenly pulled away. She glanced up as a blurry Lincoln crouched down in front of her. When had he moved from his seat across the table? He slid her glasses back onto her face with so much gentle care her throat tightened.

“I’m sure he missed you, too, Lilly. Anyone would.”

The soft conviction of his statement made her heart swell and crack at the same time. She’d never told anyone about Curt and the pinball machine before. Her friends just thought she learned in middle school at the arcade. How had this man gotten past her defenses? Why did she feel safe sharing these parts of herself she’d never shown anyone else?

“Hungry?”

She latched on to his simple question, choosing to shove her more complicated ones deep down in her brain to pull out later and examine.

Much, much later.

“Yeah.” She placed a soft kiss to his lips. “Let’s go see what we can throw together.”

After more leftovers for lunch, they headed to the entertainment room on the third floor, which housed a large TV and an extensive DVD collection. She picked a comedy Lincoln said he’d always wanted to see, and they snuggled on the couch as the movie played. After scrounging up some food for dinner, they headed back to the bedroom, where he spent half the night worshipping her body over and over again.

Honestly, it was the most fun Lilly had ever had being snowed in, and that scared her. Because she wasn’t afraid she might be falling for Lincoln.

She had fallen. And hard.