9

 

“I can’t do this,” Lily moaned, face down on the couch. “I’m either with Lucas or I’m with Ian. I can’t be both. I know I’m not happy with Lucas…but on the other hand, I haven’t really known Ian for very long…”

Beth glanced up at the clock. “Isn’t eight in the morning a little early for histrionics?” She took a sip of coffee then made a puzzled face. “Let’s see, a romantic man or a horse’s ass? No, wait, a prince or a toad?” She waved her hand excitedly. “I’ve got it, Prince Charming or Prince Alarming?” She blew out a gusty sigh and shrugged. “Personally, I’m not seeing the dilemma here.”

Lily didn’t move from her face down position, but her shoulders shook with laughter. “You’re not taking this very seriously.”

“I’d take you breaking up with Lucas very seriously,” Beth promised then brightened. “Do I even dare hope?”

“I have to,” Lily answered. “Lucas has never once made me feel like Ian does and now I know he never will. He’s out of the office for a few days, so I have time to figure out what I’m going to say.”

Beth pumped the air with her fist and whooped, “Yes!”

* * * *

On Wednesday evening, Lily readied for her date, pausing to admire her new outfit. Beautiful and on sale, it had been an irresistable combination. The elegant sweater dress was a rich red, accentuating her pale hair, curled and piled loosely atop her head.

Ian arrived a few minutes before seven, impeccably dressed in slacks and a suit jacket, his linen shirt open at the collar. He swept her up in a crushing embrace as soon as he walked in. “You look beautiful,” he murmured into her hair.

She laughed against his chest. “So what color is my dress?”

“Em…” Reluctantly, he let go and stepped back. He paced a slow circle around her, taking in every detail from her head down to her pumps and lingering on everything in between. When he finally stopped, he gave her one last once over and met her eyes. He flashed a slow and seductive grin. “Crimson, and if there are going to be more tests I’ll need to be doing a bit more studying. Maybe even a full-on investigation.”

“Oh…” Lily murmured, feeling her face flood with heat “I’ll…uh…be ready in just a minute.” Whirling around, she dashed to the bedroom to grab her wrap and purse. When she returned moments later, he stood quietly by the bookcase, the look in his eyes shuttered.

Their candlelight dinner was both elegant and romantic and their conversation light but Lily couldn’t stop thinking about Ian’s puzzling mood swing. As they lingered over coffee, Ian grew very serious. “I fear curiosity has gotten the better of me,” he admitted. “While I was waiting, I noticed a picture had fallen from your bookcase and I put it back. Might I ask who that is in the picture with you?”

Lily went cold. “I probably should have told you this before now…” she began, smoothing her napkin.

Ian stiffened. “Ah…you are already in a relationship. I apologize for intruding.”

Lily recognized the same odd expression she saw earlier. “You’re not intruding,” she said then went on to explain the assumptive connection between her and Lucas.

 “All right then,” he said, speaking as if he chose his words with care. “What is it you want?” He held her hands tightly on the tabletop, his intense, piercing gaze locking her eyes on his.

“You know, you’re the very first person to ask my opinion on the matter,” she murmured.

“I’m in no position to make any sort of demands upon you,” Ian said after a long pause, “but I do have to be honest. I enjoy your company a great deal, more than you know and far more than I’ll ever admit to.” His eyes twinkled with humor for the briefest moment. “That being said, however…” He faltered then tried again. “I don’t know the words to say this prettily, so I’m not even going to try. I want to know where I stand with you before this goes any further.”

Ian lifted her hand to his lips. “Even under the best of circumstances,” he said, his voice husky, “I do not share well and I will not share you with another man. It would appear, milady, you have a wee bit of thinking to do.” He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles then turned her hand over and ran the tip of his tongue across her open palm.

The effect was instantaneous. Every hormone in her body simultaneously combusted. Her breath caught in her chest and she shivered. “That was not fair,” she breathed.

A slow smile crossed his face. “I never said I would play fair.”

The drive home was quiet, the silence stilted and awkward. At her apartment door, Ian kissed her forehead and said, “I did enjoy your company this evening, milady. When you’ve made your decision, please give me a call.” Giving her a small smile, he turned and walked away.

Before he could disappear down the stairs, Lily called out, “Ian, wait.”

He froze but didn’t turn to face her. “Why?” he asked.

She nibbled her lower lip and whispered, “Because I want you to. Please…stay a while?”

He covered the distance between them with impossible speed, grabbed her around the waist, pulled her hard against his chest, then took full and fierce possession of her mouth and covered her throat with scalding hot kisses. Each one seemed calculated to melt any remaining reticence. She struggled with the rising emotion for only a moment before the last of her resistance crumbled and she returned his kisses with equal passion, grabbing fistfuls of his long hair and pulling him tightly to her.

Lily mewled against his mouth and her body trembled with the force of her fully engaged desire. When he loosened his grip she staggered back a step before catching herself. “Make. Your. Choice,” he rasped. His face grim, he turned on his heel and strode away without another word.

Stunned, Lily watched him round the corner at the stairs and winced when his car door slammed with a reverberating bang. Once inside her apartment, she grabbed the offending picture and hurled it across the room, shattering the glass with a satisfying crack. She ran back to her front door with the thought of stopping him, but when his car engine roared to life, leaned her head against the door and sobbed instead.

* * * *

You are a miserable fucking excuse for a man, Ian’s conscience informed him.

Unable to make himself leave, he sat in his car, torn apart by conflicting emotions, his pride mauled to find she had another man in her life. I can’t walk away from her, but if I get any closer it’s going to kill me for certain if–no, when–she goes back to him.

In the end, chivalry won out and he climbed the stairs to apologize. Ian raised his hand to ring the bell but paused when he heard the sounds inside. Aw, Christ, she’s crying, he realized. The pain hit him hard, his chest aching with the sound of her anguish. With his forehead resting on the door, he stood listening for a moment longer then slowly turned and left for home.

* * * *

“Ta me ar meisce,” said Ian, his voice muffled by lying face down in the pillow.

“Jaysus, Ian. It’s nearly seven thirty and I can see for myself you’re drunk. My question is why, and at this ungodly hour of the morning,” Meg called from the door of Ian’s bedroom. “I’m not even going to ask why you didn’t even bother to change clothes when you got home last night. Lord, you’re a mess.” When he didn’t immediately rouse to defend himself, she knew. “You two had a fight and it’s your fault.”

“Don’t want to talk about it,” Ian groaned from his prostrated position.

“Oh, you poor dear,” Meg said, flinging open the heavy curtains to allow the early morning sunlight to stream into the darkened room. He moaned and tried to roll into a ball to avoid the light. She laughed. “No help for it, boyo. You’ve got to get up.”

“You’re the devil. Poor Dan,” he muttered, pulled the pillow over his head then hurled it at his tormentor instead.

“I brought you breakfast,” she said, nimbly dodging the feathery missile.

“Not hungry,” Ian growled.

“You need to get some food in your stomach, it’ll make you feel better,” she assured him.

He struggled to sit up and fell back on the bed. “No, Megs, it won’t. I hurt her on purpose and it made her cry. I was a perfect arse,” he said, clenching his eyes against the pain. “Sweet bleeding Jaysus, just kill me now and be done with it.”

“Aw, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re nowhere near perfect,” Meg said, biting hard on the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face.

“It’s not funny,” Ian snapped, managing to sit upright on the second attempt. “Lily might not ever speak to me again after last night.”

“What the hell did you do to her?”

“I kissed her,” he mumbled, pushing off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.

Meg gasped. “Oh, the horror,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Well, it seems to me you’ve done that before and she didn’t run screaming.” When the door opened again, Ian stumbled through the bedroom to the kitchen, returning with Meg’s covered plate. 

“Thought you weren’t hungry.”

“Changed my mind,” he said, sullenly spearing a chunk of buttery fried egg and shoving it in his mouth. “Thanks, Meggie. S’good.”

She nodded. “So what was different about last night?” she asked.

Ian wolfed down the rest of the eggs, sausage and fried potatoes then set the empty plate down carefully on the bed. “She told me she was seeing someone else.”

“Since when has something like that ever bothered you?” Meg asked

Ian blew out a heavy sigh. “Since now. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The shower came on, followed by several muffled thumps. Moving about the room as she tidied up, Meg noticed something blue tangled up in the rumpled sheets and gave it a tug. She eyed the length of silk curious then gasped in realization that maybe for the first time ever, her little brother was hopelessly in love.

Doing all she could to keep from laughing out loud with sheer delight, she banged on the bathroom door and yelled through. “I’ll see you later.” No response. “I’ll let myself out.” Hearing a crash and something sounding like a string of very creative curses, she sprinted for the door, grinning as she stepped out into the sunshine on what promised to be a grand and glorious day.

* * * *

Lily’s day started equally as badly. Having cried herself to sleep on top of the covers, she overslept but still made time to pull a card for the day, blinking her swollen eyes in an effort to clear them. Three of Swords reversed. Reconciliation. Maybe there’s still a chance. Rushing to get ready for work, she rehearsed what she was going to tell Lucas.

“Lucas, it’s over between us.” Too dramatic, she thought, throwing the back of her hand to her forehead.

“Dude, we’re sooo over.” Too…high school.

“Lucas, I know we’ve been together for so many years now…” Back to the melodrama. Shit.

“I’ve met the man…” She met her gaze in the mirror and finished with the truth. “…that I’m falling head over heels in love with.” And the truth shall set you free. Hallelujah.

When she pulled into the agency parking lot ten minutes late, it was already busy and the morning flew by in the office before she could get even a minute to herself. Lucas seemed to be in an excellent mood, so when Lily knocked on his office door around noon, he greeted her with a big smile. “Come in, sweetheart,” he said, pulling out the chair for her to sit before returning to his desk.

Okay, that’s new, she thought but plunged in before she lost her nerve. “Lucas, we need to talk,” she said, her voice firm. “I know you’re expecting… I mean, everyone just assumes…you’ve never actually come out and said…”

“This’ll be a short conversation if you can’t even finish your sentences,” he said with an acerbic laugh.

“Lucas, I’m not going to marry you.” Great job with that kinder, gentler let down, she chided herself.

The astonished look on his face was almost comical in its extreme. “What are you saying?”

“I’m…I’ve met somebody and it’s not fair to you to keep you hanging on,” she continued in a rush of words. “The way I care for you is like a friend, not like a wife. You deserve to find somebody to love you like you should be loved.”

Lucas slumped back in his chair. “Are you sure?” he asked in a broken whisper. “Was it something I did? Please, baby, don’t do this. Give me a chance to make it up to you…” .

She couldn’t bear to look at him. “It’s nothing you’ve done, Lucas,” she said, hating the pain in his voice.

“So your mind is made up, then.” He exhaled a deep, shuddering sigh. “All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and if you’re happier not being with me…but promise–if he ever hurts you, you come to me, okay? I’m here for you.”

When Lily nodded her agreement, Lucas gave her a weak smile. “I’m going to go home for the rest of the day. I think I need some time to…to think about things. I’m sorry. I just didn’t see this coming.” Picking up his briefcase, he blinked back tears and left the office.

One small part of her hated herself, but the greater part felt like a huge weight had been lifted. Despite her relief, one nagging little thought persisted. He took it a whole lot better than I expected, she thought uneasily.

Before the front door had even closed completely, Irena slipped into Lucas’s office. “Lucas just lit out of here like something bad happened. You two have a little fight or something?” she asked, concerned.

Lily shook her head and pushing past Irena announced, “I’m going to lunch” to no one in particular, grabbing her purse on her way to the door. She called Beth en route to the mall and then met her friend to commiserate the trials and tribulations of her love life over medicinal cafe lattes at Starbucks.

* * * *

At the Castle, the painting crew wisely gave Ian a wide berth. He painted in silence, absorbed in dark, brooding thoughts. He hadn’t wanted to kiss Lily like he had, but so afraid it would be the last one he was ever going to get, he had been powerless to stop. Christ, he never expected her to respond like she had. His balls tightened just thinking about the sweet moment when she surrendered completely to his kisses…

“Can’t think about that,” he said aloud, jabbing the paintbrush venomously at the wall. In London, he thought, I would have had her on her back before she knew what hit her. His inner voice mocked him. What’re you waiting for…want her to love you first? Thick bastard.

“Won’t. Think. About. That,” he amended, but knew he didn’t mean it. Something was different about Lily…his Lily. No, not his Lily, that was made abundantly clear last night.

The men’s whistles got his attention and he turned to see Beth standing with arms akimbo and a mischievous look on her face. “Hullo, Ian,” she drawled.

“Beth,” he said, nodding curtly. “Something I can help you with?”

“No, but I can help you,” she said with a mysterious smile. “Wanna see a magic trick?”

“Not much in the mood, sorry,” he said, turning back to his work. When he felt a tap on his shoulder he spun around with a ready curse on his lips, but stopped short when he saw Lily standing beside Beth.

“Ta-dah!” Beth announced with a bow. “And for my next trick…”

Lily gave Beth a playful push. “Nope, you’re done now. Off you go.” Sobering, she raised her eyes to Ian and met his gaze..

“I want to apologize…” she said at the same time as him, but Ian shook his head. “No, me first,” he insisted. “I’ve no right to make any demands on you and I’m sorry for the way I acted. I’ll be grateful for any time you can spare for me.”

Lily appeared to study him for a moment. “As of this morning, any personal relationship I had with Lucas is officially over. Period. Our relationship, on the other hand, has a matter which needs addressing immediately.”

“Which is?” He tensed, waiting for her to finish.

Her tone was imperious. “You, sir, had no right whatsoever to kiss me in such a fashion and leave. As punishment for said offense, I command you accept your just desserts for those unconscionable actions.” Bringing out a rose from behind her back, she offered it to him, eyes sparkling.

Ian accepted the sweet smelling olive branch, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I acquiesce to your decree, my lady. What would you have me do in recompense?”

She lowered her lashes and whispered, “Kiss me again.”

And to the delight of everyone present, he did.