“What kind of shampoo do you use?” His voice came out thick and fuzzy.
“It’s something with almonds. I just started using it. Why?”
He brushed her hair back, dropped a kiss on it, and inhaled. “It smells really good.”
She wiggled in a little closer, and a smile curved his lips. He could get used to this too. “Cold?” he asked.
“Just the parts of me that are exposed,” she murmured.
He grasped the comforter and dragged it over her, then settled into the mattress with a deep, contented sigh as he held her.
A little while later, he startled, only to find the comforter completely covering him and Lily gone. His heart bottomed out. How long had he been asleep? It was still daytime, though the light was thinning. Hobbes stared at him with curiosity from a foot away. Not the female he wanted to wake up to.
Water was running in the bathroom, and he sank back in relief. A moment later, Lily emerged, panties on, tugging her sweater around her hips. Her eyes widened. “Did I wake you up?”
He rolled to his side and faced her. “No. How long was I out?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress barely dipping, and began pulling on her leggings. “Maybe fifteen minutes? You looked so peaceful, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
An alarm went off inside him. “Are you leaving?
Planting one hand behind him, she leaned over and kissed him, long and sweet. “No, I was planning on raiding your fridge to see what I could find for us to eat, and I didn’t think I should be traipsing around your house half-naked with all those open windows.”
He wound an arm around her, his cheeks stretched into a stupid grin. “I can’t see my closest neighbor from here. Feel free to take off your clothes and traipse at will.”
Lips quirking, she smoothed his hair off his forehead, making it impossible for him to wipe the smile from his face.
“It’s a little chilly in the kitchen,” she said, “so I’ll just leave them on for now. Besides, it might be fun having you take them off me later.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and his cock danced to life.
He slipped his hand under her sweater and pulled her down to him. “How about right now?” As his fingers traveled up her back, he realized she wore nothing under the sweater, and his dancing cock became a full-on boner. His hand slid down her back, around her ribcage, until he palmed her breast. It filled his hand perfectly. Her nipple beaded as soon as his fingers brushed it, and he found himself lifting the sweater, angling his mouth closer to her skin.
A giggle bubbled out of her. “I could use a little food before the next workout, Professor. I’m guessing you could too?”
Eyes on her, he flicked his tongue out and licked. She pulled in a quick breath, then faked a stern look. “Are you going to help me in your kitchen or not?”
“I will as long as you keep giving me a reason to keep up my strength.”
“Keeping up your strength is good—among other things you should keep up.”
“Goldilocks, you have a one-track mind.” And I love it.
With a wink, she pulled away, rearranged her sweater, and stood. “Right now that one-track is all about food.”
“I’ll be right down,” he said. As soon as I get something else down. He watched as her ass swayed out the door, then rolled onto his back with a happy groan and a plan to keep her there formulating in his head.
Minutes later, he got up, threw on a pair of sweatpants, and jogged downstairs to the kitchen. The sight of Lily on tiptoe, peering into one of his cabinets, brought him to a halt. Yeah, another sight he could get used to. She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled.
“Going through my stuff again?” he teased.
Her cheeks instantly pinked. “I was looking for measuring cups.”
“Ah.” He walked toward a different cabinet, opened it, and slid out a rolling shelf. “They should all be there.” Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter and watched her sort through varying glass and plastic bowls and cups. “So, speaking of going through my stuff …”
She froze and fastened wide eyes on him.
He fought a smile. “You were right about the, ah, condoms in the nightstand.” An old three-pack he’d totally spaced, but what interested him more was what he found beside it.
“Well,” she paused and cleared her throat, “when I didn’t find any tissues in the drawer, I …”
“You naturally checked the cabinet.”
A slow nod.
“Did you find anything else in there?” he asked.
She reared back, placed her hand on her hip, and struck a sassy pose that had him wanting to carry her cute ass right back to bed. “You must know I did if you’re asking.”
With a low chuckle, he reached for her and drew her between his legs, lacing his hands at the small of her back. “You saw the picture.”
Her index finger traced a lazy circle on his bare chest, and her gaze followed it. “I saw the picture. But I don’t need to know about it.”
“You don’t need to know, but I want to tell you anyway.” He lifted her chin with a knuckle. “You okay with that?”
“I’m okay with that,” she whispered. The look in her eyes told him differently.
“Jessica is a girl Sarah and I grew up with. Our moms were best friends, and they took care of each other’s kids. Consequently, we kids all had a second mom. Well, I actually had three, considering Grandma, and sometimes four, if you count Sarah.”
Lily rewarded him with a half-smile. “Poor guy.”
“Oh, you have no idea! It was like living in a
