“Whaddaya think? Nice, right?” She stared out the windshield, while Nick studied her profile in the ambient light.
“
Stunning
,” he breathed.
Lily must have caught him staring from the corner of her eye, because she gave a shy smile with fluttering eyelashes. “Um, if you follow the bend we’ll wind up on Main Street.”
They rode a few miles on North Shore Road until the shopping center was in sight.
The empty parking lot meant one thing—she was right—
The. Place. Was. Closed
. A few people were setting up chairs in a line at the front door of Child World. Other than them, no one was here.
Lily’s wide eyes spoke volumes:
I told you so
. She popped a Starlight in her mouth. “Want one?”
Nick shook his head, grinding his teeth on a piece of flavorless gum. He pulled up against the curb to ask the organized mob what time the mall would open.
“Five,” said a random voice.
“Minutes? Or hours?”
“Five in the morning,” another voice chimed in. Meanwhile, his cell phone moaned again, and he dumped the call.
“Why don’t you just answer it already?” she asked sweetly, her curiosity laced with a tone of genuine concern.
“’Cause I don’t wanna!”
“Oo-kay.” Lily shifted closer to her side of the bench seat.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I know who it is—my ex-wife.”
“Maybe she has something important to say.”
“Then she can leave a message. I don’t wanna talk about her,” he grumbled, driving toward the exit.
“We can wait in line if you really want to do this.”
“Ah,
fuggetaboutit
. There’s plenty of time ’til Christmas. I just thought, you know, we could spend some time together. When I was a kid, that’s what we did on a date—go to the mall.”
“I thought you said this
isn’t
a date.” Her seriousness made him wish he chose a different word. Then she smirked like she was just messing with him. “We’re not kids, Nick. We can go anywhere we want.” The husk in her voice vibrated all the way to his core, and he swallowed hard, not sure what she was thinking behind those motel eyes.
His itchy fingers twisted the radio dial, searching for something Christmassy and corny enough to restrain his fantasy from running wild.
“Wait!” She grabbed his hand, sending another shock through his system. “Go back—I love that song!”
“Dontcha wanna hear holiday music?”
“No, thanks. ‘
Hell-ooo. I’ve waited here for you. Everlong…
’”
The green light turned yellow, then red. Nick tapped the brake. When he came to a full stop, he took his attention off the road for the moment to gaze at her as she bopped to the beat, feeling the passion of the song as she sang along with the Foo Fighters.
“‘
And I wonder…
’” The song continued, but Lily stopped and stared like she was reading his thoughts.
“What?” The sensitive serpent trapped in Nick’s jeans twitched as if she was some kind of snake charmer.
“Nothing. Just thinking,” she uttered at the guitar bridge.
“About?”
And I wonder…
“About this song. This day. You. Life. Everything.” She released tangible energy, making Nick want to pull over and grab her on the spot.
The light turned green, and he pressed the gas.
“
And I won-der…
” David Grohl sang.
Thank God for red lights and redheads.
At the next intersection, he timed his arrival with the stoplight so he could lock eyes with her for another
ever-long
moment, then he manipulated the rest of the ride home to last as
ever-long
as possible.
“I didn’t mean to waste your time going to the mall. That was a stupid idea.”
“You’re not wasting my time, Nick.” She reached over and put a reassuring hand on his sleeve. “Don’t even think it for a minute. I’m sorry about before. I really would like to get to know you better. You seem like a
really
nice guy. Any girl would be lucky…” She bit her bottom lip.
“I don’t want
any
girl, Lily.” He made a sharp one-handed turn toward Main Street that sent everything in his backseat sliding to one side. “And I really don’t wanna take you home yet.”
“We can park somewhere if you want.”
He sucked in a hopeful breath. “You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“How about the marina?”
She nodded with a delicious grin. “Sure.”
“Okay then…”
He drove until he found his usual out-of-the way spot where he liked to
meditate
about her.
Being here with her now seemed strange. Just the sound of their mingled breath and the hum of the engine. They stared out the windshield at the moon brightening the sky, reflecting off the water like a sea of twinkling diamonds. Hypnotic waves lapped against the dock, making everything seem to sway.
He’d done this sort of thing plenty of times, on plenty of
first-and-only
dates in Star Harbor, but it never felt like
this
.
“Are you warm enough?”
“Too warm.” She slipped off her coat and shoved up her sleeves. She wore no rings. No bracelets. No chains around her neck. Not even earrings. Most girls wore some piece of jewelry, but Lily wore none, and it thrilled him, creating the illusion that she never belonged to anyone else.
“Lily…” His attempt to break the awkward silence didn’t get very far, not with her glittery eyes staring at him. “I haven’t done anything like this in
so
long. I forgot what it’s supposed to be like.”
“Me, too.”
“Let me ask you something. What exactly are you looking for?”
She broke her gaze with a few rapid blinks. “What do you mean?”
“I’m wondering…about what you said before.” He shrugged, not even sure what he meant. “Outta life? In a relationship? From
me
? In one breath, you let me know I’m un-dateable. And in the next, you tell me any girl would be lucky…I dunno what to think. I just wanna know what you really want.”
“Hmm...I guess what any girl wants—I just…I want it
all
.”
“Good to know.” Satisfied with her blanket-response, he stole a first kiss. Harder and deeper than he intended because he was working on limited self-control.
Lily purred, bowing her pliant body against him.
His arms wrapped around her, grabbing the hair at the nape of her neck to pull her against his mouth. Like yin and yang—a perfect fit, a perfect kiss. She tasted every bit as sweet as he imagined. Like a candy cane, only better. He slid the bench seat back and pulled her across his lap, cradling her head in the crook of his arm, to kiss her deeper, harder, longer.
Ever-long.
She squealed.
He pulled away to survey her face for any hints of uncertainty, relieved he saw nothing but a molten stare that matched his own raging temperature. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. Not at all.” Her face was red and raw from his five o’clock shadow working overtime.
He stroked her hot cheeks with the side of his finger, holding her face like some fragile treasure. The moonbeam illuminated her profile, setting her delicate features aglow.
“You’re okay with this?”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Really. Everything’s
fine
.” She nodded with eager eyes.
“Then I’m gonna kiss you again, okay?”
“I hope so.” She wet her lips, but he moved around them to nibble her neck, her jawline, her ear lobe, making the glorious moment last.
“You are so delicious.” He murmured between kisses. “I can’t get enough of you.” The words slipped out as easy as the oversized sweatshirt slipped off her shoulder.
He could have undressed her without even trying, but his plan wasn’t to seduce her in the truck, even if she wanted it. She deserved their first time to be somewhere better than his front seat. Besides, the glove compartment was empty; he’d tossed away the remaining condoms figuring they’d expired after being in there for so long.
“I-I…” Lily gasped. “Nick, I can’t have sex with you. Not here…now. I’m not—it’s just—I can’t. I’m not ready to go that far.”
“Shh…it’s okay. I wasn’t even thinking it.”
She pulled back with skeptical lust-drunken eyes. “Yeah, right.”
He brushed the hair off her feverish forehead, tempted to kiss those luscious lips again but needed to adjust his jeans before they cut off circulation to his crotch. “I can use some air. How about you?”
“Sure, why not.”
He opened the door and got a cold, damp blast in the face, then went around to help her out of the passenger’s side.
“Better put your hat on.” He tugged it over her hair. She zipped her coat halfway, but he dragged the metal tab up to her chin. “Didn’t you have gloves?”
“I don’t need them.” She jumped out and put her warm hand in his. “It’s f-f-freezing. Are you s-s-sure you wanna d-d-do this?”
“It won’t be so bad once we’re moving.” He pulled her closer to benefit from the protection of his body against the whipping wind. “Which way should we go?”
She tugged him in the opposite direction of the Scenic View Inn and any chance of renting a room there for the night.
The stores were all closed along Main Street, but their holiday lights sparkled in full festiveness, making it feel more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. No traffic tonight. Just a few pedestrians. Other than that, it was like having the whole town to themselves.
They strolled by Violet’s Valise, a lingerie shop in a purple Victorian-style building. Nick slowed the pace to browse the window dressing.
“Those mannequins are a helluva lot better looking than ones we use for CPR training, dontcha think?” Two wore sheer red and white nighties with feathery trim. The third had painted-on silver pants and a shimmery camisole.
She grabbed his elbow. “Let’s keep going.”
“No. Let’s wait for them to open in ten hours.” He wrapped her in his arms. “We’ll start a line.”
Suddenly playing coy, she shooed his hands away. “Quit it.”
He didn’t let her get away so easy. “Why ya being so shy? I’m only teasing. I don’t like this stuff anyway.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“No, really. I prefer cotton and fleece over satin and—what is that?” He pressed his face to the glass. “Silk or something? Who likes that stuff? Give me some sturdy rayon or a polyester-blend—now
that’s
a fabric I can get into.”
“You’re crazy.” She laughed.
“Crazy about you.” He kissed her forehead. “But I’m serious. I especially like my underwear fireproof.”
“Well, then, there’s nothing in Violet’s for you.”
“What about you?” There was plenty that would look good on her. Better yet, scattered on the floor.
“There’s nothing for me either.”
“That’s not true.” He rocked her in a slow dance on the sidewalk. “I wanna take you shopping there sometime. You don’t have to get anything too—”
“
Slutty
?”
“I was gonna say revealing.”
“But you mean slutty.”
“There’s nothing wrong with slutty.”
“Oh, really? If you like it so much, then maybe you should go after a girl like Britney. She seems interested in you, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, I have noticed. But she’s a little too
aggressive
for my taste. There’s nothing wrong with wearing something a little slutty, as long as you’re wearing it for me and no one else.”
“I don’t think so.” She pulled him away from the window.
Nick’s stomach growled as they approached the aromatic air emanating from diner. “Hungry yet?”
Lily flashed incredulous eyes, then glared through the glass where Britney stood behind the register. “Uh, no, thanks. I’d rather starve.” She quickened the pace.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” She snatched her hand away.
“Aww, come on, Lily.” He stopped in the crosswalk, caught her shoulders, and spun her to face him. “You can tell me what’s up with you two—why she has it in for you.”
“She doesn’t like me ’cause I dated her brother. Years ago. In high school. I don’t like talking about it—same as you don’t like talking about your
ex-wife
.” She grinned smartly, zapping him where it hurt, and he took the bullet, not wanting to upset her by pushing the issue beyond the comfort zone.
At the sight of oncoming headlights, Nick nudged her across the street.
She stopped in front of Mr. Lucky’s door as some patrons stumbled out, bringing the warmth with them. “Want to go in?”
“Wouldn’t you rather keep walking?”
“Just one drink.”
With a low, reluctant groan, he pulled the door handle for her. “Sure. Just one.”
It was dark and jam-packed with post-Thanksgiving partiers. The hot, rancid air was a repulsive alternative to being wind blasted, but she wanted to come here. He couldn’t refuse.
She seemed to know where she was going, quickly cutting between cliques, maneuvering through the throng. He kept their fingers laced, not letting her slip away.
He hadn’t been inside a tavern in years, but the layered odors were the same. Stagnant cigarettes and stale beer mingled with the garden variety of heavy perfume and potent cologne. However, this place had the hint of something more pleasant, like burning trees.
Claiming a vacant table for two next to a wood burning stove built into a brick wall, she let him pick sides. He slid into the booth with his back to the wall facing the mob. She sat across the lacquered tabletop, staring at him, making him self-conscious.
“Well?” Her green eyes glowed.
“You come here often?” It wasn’t supposed to sound like a line, but it did.
She shook her head. “I haven’t been here in a while. But this is still the best seat in the house.”
“What’ll ya have?” he asked before the waitress appeared.
“Hmm?” She sighed thoughtfully and sat back, stripping off her hat and coat, adjusting her baggie sweatshirt. “A scotch.” She wrinkled her button nose. “And a cherry soda on the side.”
“Scotch, huh? Wow.” He expected her to order champagne since she bought it by the caseload. “I’ll have a seltzer.”
“That’s it—really? If I knew you weren’t drinking I woulda just ordered the soda.”