“Sorry, that’s probably cold.”
She shakes her head. “That’s okay. It’s worth it.”
I kiss her again, hard, and reach in between us so I can line myself back up with her warmth. Shifting my hold on her, I impale her once again. Our combined moans sound perfect to my ears. Pushing my hips forward, I bury myself inside her as deep as I can get and give her the friction on her clit that she needs.
Lily’s hands move from my shoulders to my cheeks. She holds my head still so I’m looking into her gorgeous green eyes. “If I don’t go to jail, Hank needs an animal sibling.”
Hating the caveat of her statement, I smile down at her because I know that’s what she needs. “Fine, but you have to break it to him.”
She sniffs, her eyes watery. “Done.”
And with that, I fuck her until we’re both delirious with desire. I push against her as she writhes between me and the wall, chasing the pleasure we’re both seeking. Her fingernails dig into my skin as her muscles contract around me, and she screams my name. The feeling of her pulsing around me pulls my release from me with a guttural groanas I suck her nipple into my mouth and dig my teeth in, further drawing out her orgasm.
Once my heart starts to slow, I carefully let her down, but don’t let her go. I gently clean every inch of her as she leans against the wall, looking half-asleep. Using the handheld shower head, I rinse the last of the soap off her body.
“Baby, come on, let’s get you dried off.”
We step out of the shower, quickly dry off, and get dressed. Once our teeth are brushed, we make our way out to the bedroom and climb into bed. She cuddles under the covers so all that’s sticking out is her head. I stay sitting up with my back propped up on the headboard.
Leaning over, I brush a stray hair from her forehead. “I don’t know if you’re ready to sleep, but I want to look through Blake’s laptop some more. Will the light bother you? If it will, I can go to the living room.”
Lily shakes her head and sits up, scooting over to me so her cheek is resting on my shoulder. “I don’t want you to leave. When I get tired enough, I’ll just lie down and go to sleep. The light won’t bother me.”
I kiss the top of her head and reach over, grabbing the laptop and reading glasses from my nightstand. Slipping on my glasses, I open the laptop.
“I was scared to have Blake’s children. Mostly because, for years, I hoped one day I would have the courage to divorce him, and I didn’t want anything to tie me to him. But also, I think a part of me was scared they’d turn out just like him. So I got my tubes tied. Blake never really talked about wanting kids, so I think he just assumed I was on birth control.”
Her voice is quiet and sad, but resolute. It makes me sad that that’s the reason she chose to make such a permanent decision, but I can’t say I blame her.
I kiss her head again and let my lips linger. “That was extremely brave, and I can’t even imagine how difficult the decision was.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I knead her thigh through the blanket, and she relaxes into me. Opening Blake’s emails, I find the one I left off on this morning while going through them. I read a few before opening one from a sender I haven’t come across before, making a mental note of the address before reading the body of the email.
Then I reread it.
I read it a third time just to make sure I’m reading the words correctly. My heart feels like it’s going to burst through my chest at any moment. Not that I doubted her, but here is the proof of what she told me she overheard. I glance down at Lily, worried about her reaction.
Her eyes squint, as if she’s having trouble reading the words, before she sits up and leans closer to the screen. “Oh my god,” she whispers. “This is the person he hired to kill me. It must have been who he was talking to that night.”
I nod. “That’s what it looks like.”
Looking back at me, she grimaces. “I’ve been wondering what he meant on that call. But I guess that makes sense. I didn’t know he had that life insurance policy on me. How do you even get a million-dollar policy on someone without them knowing?”
I shake my head. “I’ll admit, I don’t know much about life insurance requirements.”
She covers her face with her hands, but I don’t think she’s crying. Even though she heard the call, I can’t even imagine what it feels like to see the written proof that your late husband promised to pay someone $50,000 to have you killed once he gets the life insurance payout.
Mandi walksinto my office and sets some folders on my desk. “You look like shit.”
I grab the folder and flip it open. “I’m not sure I’ve told you how much I love these little motivational speeches you give me.”
She nods. “I can see that you do. Anyway, how’s the new girlfriend?”
I look over the top of my glasses. “How’s the new boyfriend?”
Mandi’s eyes brighten, and I immediately regret my question, fearing I’m about to hear way too much about my best friend.
