Page 70 of All the Beautiful Things
“No. I’m not tired at all.” I drug each word out slowly, letting her hear the intent behind each one.
She blushed to the tips of her ears and tugged at her hair pulled up in a bun. “You say the filthiest things.”
“If you think that’s filthy then I need to step it up.”
“Stop and let me drink.” She held out her hand for the bottle. I used the electric opener and once it was opened, went and rinsed out her glass. “This is sweet, but not overly so. Not too dry. Honestly, if you don’t like this at all, I think wine just might not be your thing.”
“Way to shove a pin in my balloon of excitement.”
“You’ve also gone seven years without any alcohol, Lilly. Maybe it’s not your thing period.”
“We’ll see. Gimme.”
I poured her a sip and set it in front of her.
She took it, keeping her eyes on me. She was intent on liking wine for whatever reason. But with the alcohol limit lifted, there were so many other drinks and cocktails she could try as well.
“What’s so important about this?” I asked and slid back into my chair, taking a sip of my own drink. “Why wine?”
“It just seems like something most adults drink.”
That might have been part of it. And I could understand the appeal. It wasn’t the whole truth though. I could remember the longing on her face the first time I took her to Crème for cupcakes. She’d eyed my glass of wine with a lust I rarely saw in her gaze outside the bedroom. I didn’t push for more though. Lilly would tell me when she was ready. And hell, maybe it was just curiosity.
I waited impatiently while she took her first sip, her tongue came out and licked her lips afterward. She eyed the glass, set it down on the table before bringing it back up for another small sip.
“It’s not horrible,” she said.
I laughed and took another drink of my own wine. “Not horrible?”
“Passable as decent, I suppose.” She grinned over the rim of her glass while she took another small drink.
“So, you have a month off school. And you’ve registered for next semester classes?”
“Yes, and I have to say after this semester, I’m looking forward to the time off.”
“Anywhere you want to go?”
Now that she could travel, I could take her to several places for a quick weekend trip. Kansas City was beautiful at Christmastime. A horse-drawn carriage was kind of hokey, but she might like it.
“Is it strange if I say I just want to stay here? Enjoy a Christmas with your family?”
It was better than anything I heard. “No. That’s not strange. Speaking of Christmas… what’s on your wish list?”
“You don’t have to buy me anything.”
“I never said l felt like I had to. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”
She shook her head. “You’ve given me so much, and I can never repay that. And I don’t have the money…”
“Lilly.” It pissed me off she thought she’d have to repay us for anything. And only further fueled my hatred for her family. It was moments like this I wished I would have kept my mouth shut to Shawn. They didn’t deserve any effort she made if she decided to. And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go through it with her without ending up in jail myself for assaulting her dad if I ever met him. I waited until she focused on me and not on her wine glass. “For one, take your time with that drink. And two, I don’t need repayment. You’ve given me something more beautiful than anything you could buy with money.”
She tilted her head, expression softening with a small smile. Pushing back in her chair, she came to me and I turned, seeing her intention when she glanced at my lap.
I held out my arm and she sat down, one arm around my back. “Don’t you think that I could say the same for you?”
“Lilly—”
She brushed her lips over mine. I tasted the sweet taste of the Pinot Grigio she decided wasn’t horrible and inhaled the scent of her coconut lotion. She smelled like tropical beaches and sugar, moaned into my mouth like a woman desperate for life and pleasure. All things I would easily give her.
