“Yes, of course,” Zach said with a shrug. “Can’t let one of your women go without a dancing partner, especially since they’re not getting me.”
Patricia’s eyes tightened and she looked at Lilly, shaking her head. “No, not since you insisted on bringing a date when I had perfectly respectable ladies already picked out.”
If Patricia smacked her across the face, Lilly wouldn’t have been more stunned. She’d forgotten how things worked in the so-called polite world.
“Mother,” Zach protested. “There’s no call to be rude to Lilly. She’s done nothing wrong.”
Patricia sighed. “Forgive me. That’s not what’s important here.”
Lilly shook her head and reminded herself she wouldn’t start a war with Zach’s mother.
Zach tilted his head to the side. “Well?”
“I could only find one person who could come on such short notice.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed and his arm tensed under Lilly’s hand.
“It’s only one party,” Patricia said. “Surely you can get along with him for three hours.”
Zach marched up the boarding ramp to the boat. He towed Lilly in his wake and brushed past Patricia. “I promise not to throw him overboard, Mother.”
Lilly allowed Zach to drag her along as he stormed into the cabin of the yacht. He passed guests without even glancing at them. Lilly saw a blur of blue couches and teal wallpaper, reminiscent of Woodbridge Manor.
Zach made a beeline for the darkened stairway on the other side of the cabin and yanked Lilly along behind him. He had a death grip on her arm, and she struggled to keep up.
He marched up a set of stairs. Lilly made it three steps before her leg gave out. As she tumbled down, her arm yanked from Zach’s grasp. Her hip struck the last step and the impact knocked the wind out of her. At least in the darkness of the stairwell, the other guests couldn’t see her.
Of course, there was only one person on the boat she’d like to impress, and his anger and impatience caused her fall in the first place. She hated that he had once again seen her weakness.
Hard-soled shoes clomped down a few steps and vibrated against Lilly’s ear. She felt Zach’s warm hand move against her face and hair.
“Damn it. I wasn’t thinking.” His hand moved across her head, as though checking for injuries. “Can you stand? Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” His hand moved down to caress her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m really okay.” She struggled to get up, and he pulled her to her feet. “Are
you
?”
“I can’t believe I allowed my anger to make me so careless toward you.” He shook his head. “I’m not such a terrific date so far.” Zach ascended the stairs slowly and gave Lilly plenty of time to make her way up them.
A small hiss escaped her with every step, which she hoped Zach couldn’t hear.
When they reached the top, he didn’t turn on a light, but led her across the room and pulled her gently onto a couch. One of his arms slipped behind her head and rested on the cushion. The soft light coming in from outside provided an intimate element to the room. Lilly longed to put her head on his shoulder and stay here the entire night. She imagined the way his strong arm would feel around her shoulders, holding her tightly.
This was not the time to slip into one of her fantasies.
“Lilly, I didn’t think about your leg.” Zach closed his eyes and shook his head. “I wanted to get away from everyone for a minute, but I should have been more careful of you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Stop worrying.” She reached up to touch his chin before letting her hand drop. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”
Zach chewed on his bottom lip. “But I did hurt you, didn’t I?”
“There’s hurting people, and there’s
hurting
people. This was an accident. It’s okay.”
Zach caressed her cheek and looked deep into her eyes. She trembled at his feather-light touch, loving the feel of him against her skin, fearing it at the same time. The lonely look in his eyes haunted her.
“Who hurt you, Lil?”
She shook her head. No way would she tell him about that. “Tell me about yourself. Your problem is the one here with us tonight.”
Zach ran his thumb across her lip and his fingers brushed against her cheek. Never had he touched her this directly before. A wild desire blossomed in Lilly, edging out the less important tremors of fear. The little, incidental caresses Zach had engineered before wouldn’t be enough to sustain her after tonight.
The need she felt for Zach alarmed her with its intensity. She had never been so ready for a man to kiss her. Never had she wanted anyone the way she wanted Zach.
He pulled back from her a little. “Are you with me tonight because you want to be?”
She wrinkled her brow, confused by the change in subject. It was difficult to concentrate on his voice, and not his hand. “Of course I am. How could you ask such a question?”
“I mean, I know you aren’t after my money. You proved you aren’t at all interested in that.” He moved his hand away from her face to caress her hair, crushing some curls gently under his fingers. “Are you here because you felt forced into it? Maybe you’re worried what Grandma will do if you refuse to date me.”
Lilly searched his face. Gone was the confident man who propositioned her the day before. Gone was the arrogant heir who expected the world to fall at his feet. Zach looked lost and insecure, a look she never expected to see on his face.
“I wouldn’t go out with you for that reason either.” Lilly leaned into him and put her arm around his waist, burying her head against his shoulder. She couldn’t bear to look at the hurt that shined through his eyes. “I walked out of Margaret’s when I thought you were propositioning me. I really thought I might not have a job anymore. I chose to be with you tonight.”
Perhaps she had been a little afraid of losing her job, but Lilly had to be honest, at least with herself. She’d fantasized about dating Zach—dreamed of being his girlfriend. It had all been a harmless daydream until yesterday afternoon. When Zach offered to pay her, it had broken her heart. Having him show up on her doorstep with flowers, begging her to reconsider—there was no way to deny him a second time. She wanted to be with him, whatever way she could.
Zach’s arm drifted down off the couch and he rubbed her back. The sensation was exactly what she’d imagined. She breathed in the smell of him, musky cologne and a spicy scent unique to him, and her heartbeat accelerated.
Lilly recognized the irony of their situation. The man who offered to hire her so he wouldn’t have to deal with a relationship now instigated a conversation about what was happening between them. She didn’t laugh or question why he asked these things. His stark need to hear that she wanted to be here, wanted to be with him, brought forth her own desire to be wanted by him.
She wished she knew what it was Zach expected to happen. Did he want a relationship with her? His actions suggested this was no longer a fake date, but she didn’t dare trust that. His arm squeezed tighter around her, and Lilly found it impossible to care about his motives any longer.
The sensuous feeling of his arm holding her was what mattered. She felt cherished and needed for this moment. She could worry about whether or not she acted the fool if he didn’t call tomorrow.
The noise of the engines started, and the boat slowly left the dock. Lilly knew Zach had things to take care of for the party, but he made no effort to move. He sat with his arm wrapped around her for several long moments, and gradually the tension eased out of him.
“You smell wonderful,” he murmured.
She nuzzled closer to his chest.
Heels clicked on the stairwell. “There you are, Zach!”
Lilly jumped and sat up as Sarah appeared at the top of the stairs.
“I want to introduce Lilly to Steven. Oh—” Sarah stopped walking. Guilt at being caught in Zach’s arms plagued Lilly, though she wasn’t sure why. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, sis. I needed a minute,” Zach answered with no apology in his voice. He kept his arm around Lilly’s waist.
“Mom told you she invited him then.” Sarah nodded. “I told her to call and tell you. She thought you wouldn’t show up if you knew.”
“Yeah, she sprung it on me right as we boarded.” Zach shrugged. “In her defense, she doesn’t know what happened. It’s my fault. I’m the one who told the family I quit being his friend over a business deal. She doesn’t know what he really is. Besides, he’s Tommy’s best friend.”
Sarah shook her head. “Mother should have figured out something different. She may not know what happened, but she also isn’t blind or stupid, though Lord knows she sometimes pretends to be.”
Zach chuckled but Sarah turned a delicate shade of pink and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Lilly, forgive me. I shouldn’t say stuff like that in front of you.” She walked back toward the stairway. “When you’re ready, come meet my husband. He’s dying for an introduction to the woman who’s finally captured Zach’s attention.”
Zach pulled Lilly to her feet and they followed in Sarah’s wake. He walked in front of her down the stairs, turning slightly to keep a firm hold on her forearm and help her navigate the narrow staircase. When they reached the bottom, Zach captured Lilly’s hand in his and twined their fingers together. Somehow, this felt much more intimate than the almost full-body contact they’d shared when he assisted her onto the boat.
They strolled back to the party. He reduced his pace and allowed her to set their speed. She feared she would embarrass him when his friends realized she limped, but Zach didn’t appear to care.
Lilly tried to keep an eye on everyone at once as they followed Sarah. Many of the women seemed hostile, but Lilly figured they were jealous because she was there with Zach and they weren’t. Still, she wondered how long her date would last before someone walked up and accused her of being a murderer, ruining Zach’s party and her new life.
“This is my husband, Steven,” Sarah said with evident pride as they reached a handsome, brown-haired man who stood by a bowl of punch.
Steven chatted with Patricia but smiled as they approached. Zach’s mother frowned, looking at Zach and Lilly’s entwined hands. She walked away without saying a word.
“So you’re the famous Lilly everyone’s been talking about.” Steven shook Lilly’s free hand in a firm grasp and looked over his shoulder where Lilly watched Patricia walk away. “Don’t worry about her.” He lowered his voice and leaned close to Lilly. “She hated me for a year. But as far as in-laws go, I’ve never hired someone to kill her, and my kneecaps have remained intact.”
Lilly’s heart pounded, and she stared at Steven for several long moments. Words stuck in her throat as the silence stretched out. Was this his macabre way of telling her he recognized her?
“Really, Steven, don’t scare Lilly off.” Sarah swatted her husband’s arm. “You know Mom’s always stressed out before a party. The caterer canceled and she had to find someone at the last minute. It’s been a nightmare.”
“I’m only trying to make Lilly feel better about Patricia snubbing her.” The corners of Steven’s mouth twitched upward. “You know your mother can be difficult.”
“That’s the truth,” Zach and Sarah said simultaneously, and all three laughed.
“Hey, I was joking around about the whole year thing,” Steven said. Concern narrowed his eyebrows as Lilly stood in silence. “Patricia really will come around. She’s not the ogre she pretends to be.”
Lilly forced herself to smile at him. “Think nothing of it. I’m sure things will be fine.”
Reassured, the three of them moved into a lively discussion, arguing about things that were obviously favorite topics. Lilly only had to murmur something appropriate occasionally.
Throughout the course of the conversation, Lilly decided Steven really had been joking about hiring someone to kill Patricia. His jest was chillingly close to her life, and she nearly ruined everything with her reaction.
“It’s so nice to have a woman around,” Sarah said. “Finally, there is someone to share my viewpoints.” She looked across the room at the guests. “We’d better go mingle now or Mother will be upset. I know you aren’t going to date any of these ladies she invited, Zach, but you still have to talk to them.”
“I know what is expected, Sarah. When have I ever embarrassed Mother by sulking in a corner all night long?”
Sarah’s expression softened, and she patted his arm. “I know you just needed a few seconds when you found out he was here.” She turned her attention to Lilly. “I’m so happy you came, though. I’ve been dreading this party. Because of you, tonight will be a lot better.”
Sarah surprised Lilly, putting an arm around her shoulder in a quick hug. Bemused, Lilly watched as she and Steven walked off to another group of people.
“Guess we should make the rounds, too,” Zach said.
A cold sweat trickled down her back and Lilly’s mouth went dry, once again recalled to her situation. Any one of these guests might be the person who recognized her. “I haven’t eaten all day. You should mingle while I try out the new caterer’s food.”
“Too nervous about meeting my family to eat?” Zach steered her toward the buffet tables along the back of the room. “I’ll do the host thing while you get dinner, and then we’ll dance the rest of the night away. Sound good?”