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LILY EXITED HER APARTMENT later in the week, brochures from NYU and Columbia in hand. Although she’d spent hours on the Internet researching law schools across the country, there were several top schools right in the city. And reading about the schools online didn’t compare to visiting the schools herself.
Of course she was already familiar with NYU, having attended as an undergrad, but she wanted to be armed with as much information as possible when applying. Morgan had offered to go over application checklists with her tonight, and Lily had decided to take her up on it. They’d get a little work done, then hang out and make plans for their getaway to The Hamptons this weekend.
Her phone beeped in her purse, and she pulled it out, seeing Hannah’s name flash across the screen. “Hi, I’m just headed out,” Lily said. “What’s up?”
“Mom and Dad are so pissed at you,” Hannah laughed.
Lily blew out a sigh, a wisp of her blonde bangs blowing up in the air. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“I was just calling to say thanks.”
“Thanks?”
“Yes, thanks. Mom was so obsessed over the baby that now she’s focused solely on you ruining your life. She was going on and on for the past several months about nannies and night nurses and lord knows what else. She was telling me I needed to start sending in Kindergarten applications—my baby hasn’t even been born yet!”
“Sorry, hun. But you’re welcome. Mom’s called me at least a dozen times this week trying to get me to reconsider this dreadful mistake I’m making in applying to law school. And she’s reminded me that I’m forgoing my duties to the family by abandoning our fundraising efforts.”
Hannah laughed. “She said you put her in charge of the silent auction for the women’s fundraiser.”
“Well I quit, so someone had to take over. Thank God she’s busy packing for her trip today so I don’t have to pretend to ignore any more of her calls. Did she tell you she and Dad are going to Paris?”
“Only a hundred times. Now she’s worried I’ll have the baby while they’re out of the country, but I reassured her that she’ll only be gone a week.”
“You’ve still got another month to go.”
“Exactly. And although I may be more than ready at this point, the baby isn’t yet.”
Lily laughed. “I can only imagine. Listen, I’m on my way over to Morgan’s place. Can I call you later?”
“Sure hun. Stay out of trouble.”
Lily tucked her phone back into her purse and passed the apartment of the couple next door, nodding politely at the young woman opening their door. She must be the new cleaning lady, Lily thought in confusion. Odd, because Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had used the same woman for years. Not that she kept tabs on who came and went from her neighbors’ units, but it seemed a little out of place to suddenly see someone new.
She shrugged and continued on to the elevator, hitching her purse over her shoulder. An evening with Morgan would no doubt cheer her up. She hadn’t been to see Morgan once since she’d moved in with Jake, after breaking up with her boyfriend.
For a moment Lily panicked, wondering if Jake would be around, but then she remembered he worked nights and breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she had a problem with her best friend’s brother, but it was better to avoid any reminders of Brock. Or any questions that might inevitably arise.
An hour later, she pulled up to Jake’s home in Brooklyn. Traffic tonight had been brutal, she thought grimly. Wasn’t everyone supposed to be out of town? There was a car beside Morgan’s in the driveway, Lily noticed. Maybe Jake wasn’t working tonight after all? He’d probably be busy watching sports or whatever guys liked to do on their nights off. Wasn’t it still baseball season or something? Maybe he’d hit up a bar with Brock later on, she thought with a twinge of regret. But really, what did she care if Brock went out and picked up women tonight? She certainly wanted nothing to do with him.
She rang the doorbell and heard a dog barking in the background. A moment later Jake answered, grabbing hold of the collar of his German Shepherd as she tried to rush out. “Hi Lily.”
“Hey Jake. I thought you worked nights?” Lily asked, stepping inside as Jake’s dog licked her hand.
“They give me a night off every once in a while,” he said with an easy grin.
“Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“I know. Come in. Morgan’s around here somewhere.”
She heard voices coming from the living room, and her stomach did a funny little flip-flop as she realized one of them belonged to Brock. What was he doing here? Had Morgan invited her over on purpose knowing that he’d be there, too?
Her heart caught in her throat as he stepped into view, looking all tall, dark, and smoldering. He looked just as surprised to see her, and she could see the desire instantly burning in his eyes. He had on a snug black NYPD tee shirt that showed off all of his muscular physique, she noticed with dismay. Why did a man so difficult and so much of a jerk have to simultaneously be so freaking gorgeous?
“Lily,” he choked out, his voice deep.
“I didn’t realize you’d be here, Brock, otherwise I would have stayed home,” she said tightly.
“Whoa, easy now, guys,” Jake said, raising his hands. “No need to start World War III.”
“I’m not starting anything,” Lily protested.
“Sorry, hun, I didn’t know he’d be here,” Morgan said, stepping into view. She looked so small next to Brock’s imposing frame. “He came over to see Jake,” she added helplessly.
Lily debated internally, wanting to turn around and leave as quickly as possible but deciding not to let Brock ruin her evening. “Fine, let’s go in your room or something to go over this stuff.”
Jake glanced down at the brochures she was carrying. “Going back to school, Lily?”
“Maybe law school,” she said with a shrug. “I’m still deciding.”
“She’s going,” Morgan said with a grin.
“That’s right, you were pre-law at NYU.”
“Yeah, I was.” She didn’t add anything else, feeling uncomfortable as Brock watched her. Morgan came to her rescue, walking over and taking hold of her arm.
“Excuse us, guys, but we’ve got work to do. Applications to look at, weekend plans to make. World War III will have to wait.” She dragged Lily down the hall to her temporary bedroom, but not before Lily could feel Brock’s gaze burning right through her the entire way.
They spent the next hour coming up with a list of what she’d need for her applications: essays, LSAT scores, letters of recommendations from her professors. Maybe she should even come up with a resume or something. She had done a lot of work for the charities she was involved with.
Lily felt like a teenager all over again applying to colleges for the first time, but it felt great to have a plan and some method to her madness. Lord knows what her parents would say if she actually got accepted into any of the schools she was applying to. She guessed she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. And somehow come up with a way to pay for school—they’d probably disown her if she went against their wishes.
The guys had been awfully quiet, and Lily found herself curious about where they were. If they’d stayed home, certainly she and Morgan would’ve heard them talking or some noise from the TV. Maybe they really had gone out prowling for women. Hadn’t Jake said that was their plan for the upcoming weekend?
The evening was turning into a far cry from the relaxing one she’d envisioned hanging out with her best friend. She knew they’d get some work done figuring out her applications, but she’d imagined them eating take-out on the sofa watching a reality show. Maybe discussing the things they’d do over the weekend. Instead she’d completely lost her appetite the moment Brock stepped into view, and they’d been holed up in Morgan’s room all night.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Morgan asked as Lily stood and gathered her things.
“I’ll take a rain check,” Lily said. “I’d love to hang out when Brock isn’t around.”
“I really didn’t know he was coming,” Morgan apologized. “I think they were working on the same case or something, so Brock just stopped by for some information. And I know he was a complete dick to you, but I gotta be honest—he was really nice when he was helping me set up the classroom the other day. I know it was a favor to Jake, but I really wonder if he just got scared off with you the other night.”
Lily laughed harshly. “Right, because I’m so intimidating. Have you seen the man? He got what he wanted and left. My mistake.”
Morgan shrugged. “I just got the impression that he wouldn’t intentionally mistreat you. You’re friends with Jake, and you’re my friend. There had to be something else that sent him running.”
“Look, I don’t know, and I don’t care anymore. He was an ass to run out the door like that. And really? I’ve wasted enough of my time thinking about him. So thanks for your help and the offer of food, but I’m just going to head home. Maybe I’ll just go out with one of the men my mother and her friends keep trying to set me up with. At least they’ll have a shred of decency. Brock couldn’t be further from the type of guy I want.”
Morgan smirked.
“What’s so funny?” Lily asked.
“The lady doth protest too much.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “You would’ve been pissed if a man did that to you.”
“Yeah, I would’ve. But he’s not some random guy; he’s friends with Jake. So I know he’s not really as much of an ass as he seems.”
“He’s worse.”
“All right, all right. I can see we’re not getting anywhere. Never mind. So we’ll head out Friday night?”
“Yeah. I’ll have a car service take us. It’ll sure beat sitting in traffic for hours. The Labor Day weekend rush is always brutal.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let me walk you out. I’m pretty sure that the guys are gone, but just in case I need to break up any fist fights or something. Pull you off Brock—”
“Ha ha.”
The house was quiet as they walked to the door, and the two girls said their goodbyes. Lily felt a strange twinge of annoyance that Brock wasn’t around. It’s not that she wanted to spar with him some more, exactly, but she also didn’t like the idea that he could be at a bar with Jake hitting on other women at this very moment. It was bad enough the way he’d left last weekend, but to have him chasing after other women so quickly? That sort of stung.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder in annoyance. She seriously never should have left with him at the bar. Or kissed him. Or anything.
It was already dark out when she walked down the driveway of the quiet street, and a deep voice calling her name from the sidewalk had her jumping a foot in the air.
“Jesus, Brock, I thought you were an ax-murderer or something,” she said as he approached, actually feeling relieved to see him.
“I haven’t heard of any ax-murderers on the prowl,” he said, a slow smile creeping to his lips. “But I’ll be on the lookout.” He stopped in front of her, gazing down with a concerned look in his eyes.
Lily looked up at him suspiciously. “What are you doing in front of Jake’s house in the middle of the night? Where’s Jake anyway?”
“He got a call and had to go into work. I was waiting for you.”
“For an hour?” she asked in disbelief.
“I wanted to apologize. I know I fucked up, Lily. I panicked. I was a dick. I’ve never been a relationship kind of guy, and leaving you there nearly killed me. But I didn’t want to hurt you. I respect you too much.”
“You didn’t want to hurt me, so you figured you’d have sex with me and then run out the front door? It doesn’t work that way, Brock. You were a complete asshole.”
She turned away from him and walked toward her car.
“I left as soon as I realized it was a mistake,” he countered, following her to her Land Rover.
“All right, I get it, Brock. We’re a mistake. You’re sorry. You don’t have to repeat yourself ad nauseum. So why the hell are you following me around?”
“I care about you,” he said, his voice low.
“You’re unbelievable,” she said, clicking the keyless entry to her car and reaching to open the door. Brock grabbed her hand, wrapping his warm fingers around hers, and bent down from where he stood behind her so that his mouth hovered near her ear.
“What’s unbelievable is how much I want you. I have a lousy track record with women. Ask Jake, ask anyone. I left because I was scared of hurting you, not because I didn’t want you, Lily.”
“Please. As soon as you got what you wanted, you left. Let’s not pretend it was ever going to be anything else.”
“I wanted to take you and fuck you all night long, Princess. I wanted you over me and under me. Riding me as your breasts bounced up and down, your blonde hair flying all around you. I wanted you beneath me, so I could watch you come as I pounded my cock into your tight little pussy. I’ve never been so hard in my life as when I took you from behind, bent over your bed for me like some sort of blonde goddess that I was sent to worship. And the sounds you made as I pleasured you? The taste of you on my tongue? It fucking drove me crazy. I’m hard as steel now just remembering it.”
Lily froze as Brock murmured in her ear, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She knew if she said the word he’d come home with her in an instant. Make all of those fantasies come true. Have her feeling reckless and wild and free again.
But then they’d be right back where they started. He was the type of guy who wanted a steady stream of women, not a steady girlfriend. And maybe he was right—it would hurt more if he made love to her in every way imaginable all night long and then bailed when he freaked out again.
“You’re right, Brock,” she said, pulling her hand from his and twisting to face him.
“I’m right?”
“Yes. You’re right about us being a mistake.”
“Lily—”
“What do you even want? You know nothing is going to happen between us. This is like the one-night-stand from hell because you won’t go away. And guess what? You didn’t even bother to stay the damn night! Goodbye.”
She clicked the remote again and opened the door, this time without Brock stopping her. As she climbed into the driver’s seat, he was suddenly right there between her and the door. His large body standing there made her feel safe. Protected. But anything with him was just an illusion—bound to go up in smoke. He might be attentive and interested for a moment, but he’d be gone just as quickly.
“I’m sorry.” His deep voice rumbled right through her, and before she could even respond, he quietly shut the door, stepping away to the curb.
She looked at him in confusion as he stood there, thick arms crossed as he watched her. His biceps bulged in the black tee shirt he had on, making him look mouth-wateringly delicious—if she could just forget what an arrogant jerk and womanizer he was.
Which she couldn’t.
She turned the key in the ignition, listening to the engine roar to life. Tears smarted her eyes as she angrily recalled him walking out of her room, like his going home with her had been literally nothing. Nothing worth sticking around for. Nothing worth wasting another second on. Damn it. If she didn’t know Jake’s sister, would he even give a crap that he’d upset her? They’d have each moved on with their lives.
Which would’ve been for the best.
Stealing one last glance his way, her heart leapt in her chest. His jaw was set in a hard line, but his expression was otherwise unreadable in the darkness. Did he feel guilty? Upset? Maybe he’d apologized because he just needed to smooth things over with his friend and get the hell on with his life.
Refusing to look at him again, she pulled away, leaving him standing there alone in the dark.
