I’ve no doubt she’d tell Payton a thing or two. Or three.
But I’m hoping to match his wooing attempts with a few of my own.
Chapter Twenty-Four
PAYTON
Lily is driving me mad. Ever since she picked me up from practice today, the woman seems intent on tempting me in every possible way. I haven’t the foggiest idea what changed between this morning and now, and I’m not complaining.
Instead of retreating to her room to ‘write reports,’ she’s helping me make dinner. She might think I don’t notice how she’s intentionally brushing her arm against mine as she preps a salad, but I’m fully aware of her every touch.
Like now, she leans over me to run her fingers under the faucet, giving me full opportunity to inhale her musky floral scent—that’s new. She’s also wearing her hair down, which only adds to her allure. I want nothing more than to wipe the counter clean, lift her up onto it, and kiss her senseless.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to splash you.”
Maybe she should splash me some more so I can cool down. But no, she brushes several water drops off my bicep, not with a towel but with an intentional caress of her hand, igniting fireworks in my head. She’s so incredibly distracting that I have to drag my focus back to what I’m doing or risk cutting myself.
“No worries.” I finish chopping the mushrooms for thecottage pie I’m preparing. Figured she might enjoy a little taste of home. Del may have mentioned it was one of Lily’s favorites when I asked for ideas.
“When are you going to tell me what you’re making?” Her facial expression is unusually open and curious.
“It’s a surprise, luv.” I cringe. “Sorry. I know you don’t like it when I call you that.”
She turns toward me, pressing a hand against my chest. The T-shirt I’m wearing does nothing to diminish the heat radiating from her palm. “What if I said I do like it?”
Is she…flirting with me? I search her face for some hint of what’s going on in that pretty little head of hers. “I’d ask what changed your mind. Luv.”
“I don’t know. Just did.” With a coy smile, she slides her hand down the front of my chest before walking away.
Takes everything in me not to grab her wrist, yank her back, and make my earlier fantasy a reality. “Lily?”
“Yes, Payton?” Now she’s setting the table.
I want to ask her if she’s okay, but that seems counterproductive. “How did your meeting with Sophie and Mia go?”
She pauses in thought. “It was very informational.”
Did she just giggle?
I almost dump the mushrooms on the floor, but make a last-minute save and add them to the skillet to sauté. “Everything’s on track for the fundraiser?”
Returning to the kitchen, she stands near me by the stove. “The kids are going to love it.”
Normally, she grumbles about her meetings, citing how she’s supposed to be guarding me, not planning an event. “Sounds like you enjoyed yourself.”
“I really did.” She says this almost absentmindedly as she brushes her fingers through the side of my hair. “You need a haircut, by the way.”
“Not until the season ends,” I mumble, lost to her touch. Like I said, she’s driving me bonkers.
Her hand stills. “Why?”
“Tradition. Superstition. Whatever you want to call it. We don’t cut our hair or shave until the end of the season.”
In a light caress that sends an ache through me, she runs her fingers from my hair down my cheek. “You’re still shaving.”
“I wait a little longer to stop than the other lads.”
She trails her fingers down my neck toward my collarbone. I grab her hand and give her a pointed look, ready to demand she tell me what she’s up to, but the open desire and affection in her eyes take my breath away. Instead, I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss the center of her palm.
