Lily has a shy smile as she turns toward the bathroom, and I grit my teeth as the door closes between us. Stifling my groan, I walk into my bathroom to brush my teeth.
When I return to my bedroom, I unbutton my shirt and slide it off my shoulders, tossing it into the hamper, along with my pants and socks. I generally sleep in only boxer briefs, but I pull on a pair of sweats.
A few minutes later, I’m sitting up in bed, reading something on my phone, when quiet footsteps draw my attention away from the screen. Lily stands in the doorway wearing baggy pajama pants and an equally oversized T-shirt. Her dark brown hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She looks so adorable and sexy all at once, and my body immediately reacts. I raise a knee to help obscure the evidence of that.
This is going to be a long night.
She pads over to the bed and pulls the covers back before she flips off the lamp, and the bed shifts as she climbs in next to me. I plug my phone in, drop it on my nightstand, and turn my lamp off. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I slide farther under the covers. Propping my head up on my arm, I stare at the ceiling.
The bed shakes as Lily wiggles a little closer to me. She isn’t touching me, but her body heat radiates into my skin. The unrecognized sexual tension feels harder to ignore in the night. What I wouldn’t give to be able to reach over and pull her against me, even if it was just to sleep with her in my arms.
“Chris?” Lily saying my name in that hushed tone while lying in my bed does nothing for my resolve not to touch her.
I take a deep breath before replying, “Yes?”
“Thank you. For tonight. For everything. I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t imagine not having you by my side through all of this.”
Turning my head, I can see her silhouette. She’s lying on her side, facing me. I don’t even know what to say to her that won’t give away my true feelings. Though, if I’m honest, tonight changes everything. I think we both know that, but neither of us can put into words exactly what it means. Or where we go from here.
Running my hand across the sheet until I find her thigh, I squeeze it gently, pulling my hand away even though it’s the last thing I want to do.
“You’re welcome, Lily. Now go to sleep.” I issue that command, knowing I most likely won’t be able to do it myself.
Her breathing eventually evens out, and I turn my head once again, enjoying a moment to watch her uninterrupted,not caring that it’s just the shadows of her. She’s gorgeous, even in sleep. It actually brings me comfort that she looks so peaceful after everything that’s happened. She deserves to have that and more.
After a few minutes of watching her, my eyes grow heavy. Giving in to the sensation, I fall asleep with images of Lily on my mind.
There’s somuch warmth surrounding me. It’s making it hard to fully wake up, like it’s lulling me into the depths of sleep, not wanting to release me from its clutches. I haven’t slept this hard in a very long time.
Something shifts against me, and I let out a low groan as I inhale a sweet scent. Whatever moved freezes, causing my eyes to pop open. I’m staring at the back of Lily’s head. Her back is securely against my chest, my arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.
But the worst, or maybe best, part is that her ass is snugly pressing into my now rock-hard cock.
There’s no easy way to extract myself from this situation, and right at this exact moment, I’m having a hard time remembering why I should. I take solace in the fact that Lily is also making no move to get out of this predicament.
Neither of us moves or speaks for a few moments, but then she makes the slightest movement, pressing her ass harder into me. My arm around her waist tightens even more, and I bury my nose in her neck.
“Chris...” My name is a breathy moan that drives me insane.
Needing to at least verbalize that this is a bad idea, evenif I’m doing the exact opposite, I murmur against her skin. “Lily, we really shouldn’t.”
Her body presses even more into mine with her deep inhale. “I know you’re right, but…”
Suddenly, I know two things—Iamgoing to fuck this woman, but this morning isn’t going to be our first time.
I move back a little to allow her to roll onto her back. She stares up at me, and the desire shining in her eyes almost has me changing my mind. Smoothing the loose strands of hair away from her face, I leave my hand cupping the side of her head.
“I want you more than anything, but I think we should take a day to really make sure this is what we want. You’ve been through a lot. Your husband just died.”
She grips my wrist. “I didn’t love him.”
I place a kiss on her forehead, loving the way her skin feels against my lips. “I know, baby. But that doesn’t change the facts. I need you to make sure this, and me, are what you want.”
Gnawing on her bottom lip, her green eyes search mine. “What doyouwant?”
My tongue wets my suddenly parched lips. “I shouldn’t. But I’m not going to lie… You. I only want you.”
A small smile grows on her face, making getting out of bed even more difficult.
