I smiled. I had always admired Jerimiah as a businessman. Now I admired him as a man. He had probably been in his late teens or early twenties when his parents died, and he’d had to step up as not only a big brother, but a dad as well. That was a heavy burden for anyone to carry.
I didn’t know if I could do it had I been in his shoes.
“I’m glad you have him.”
“Yeah, me too.” She looked at me then, as she bit her lip in contemplation.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Jerimiah told me to stay away from you.”
I let out a sigh. Of course he did. “And do you think he is correct in his warning? Should you stay away from me?”
God, I hoped that wasn’t the case.
She offered a dainty shrug. “You’re nothing like he said you were. And nothing like I expected.”
“Is that a good thing?”
She smiled. “I’m starting to see that it is.”
My smiled matched hers when I leaned down slowly, giving her a chance to tell me no, but when she not only stayed silent, but leaned up toward me a little, I took that as her consent, and covered her lips with my own.
Heaven.
She went soft and pliant in my arms, and I couldn’t think of a more wonderful feeling in the world. I pressed my thumb against her chin until she opened up for me, and we both moaned when I deepened the kiss.
Lily wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in closer and closer to her, as if she couldn’t get close enough, but she would try, no matter what. I knew the feeling well.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, loving the way my two hands easily spanned the width of the small of her back, and kissed her with passion I had never shown anyone else.
Only her.
Always her.
She kissed me back with the same passion, though not as experienced as some of my past sexual partners.
I could tell from the way she had kissed me this morning that she wasn’t as experienced. It was in the way she moved, the way she blushed, and even how responsive she was to my touch. As if everything we had done so far was such a novelty to her.
I didn’t know the extent of her inexperience, and honestly, I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I could hold her past against her, considering how much of a slut I had been before. The only important thing now, was she was only mine, as much I would be only hers.
My blood boiled, and the most instinctive part of wanted to claim every part of her. There would be no secrets between us. No past lovers, and no outside intrusion that say we were wrong for each other.
I tightened my hold on her a smidge before letting go. Lily automatically buried her face in my chest as we both tried to catch our breath.
I moved my hand to her hair, playing with the long strands, and rested my cheek on the top of her head, taking in the heady scent of her rose-scented perfume. I would never get enough of her.
“Okay?” I asked, after a moment of silence.
“Yes,” she answered, her voice soft, all the while her small hands moved up and down my back. I kissed the top of her head, enjoying this moment with her in my arms.
“Is there water nearby?” she asked.
“What was that?”
She pulled back and indicated her head out the window, toward the light reflecting off the water.
I smiled and pulled her over to my back balcony, where she caught sight of the small lake, the blue water reflecting off of it.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“This is amazing. I didn’t know people could have houses this close to the lake. Especially since we’re so close to the city.”
My grin widened. I was hoping she would like it. That she would like to live here, with me. It was never my intention to start a family when I first purchased this house. Those things were so far out in the future—or at least it had seemed that way—that it had never even crossed my mind. But now…
“This house and the land that surrounds it was the very first thing I bought when my company finally took off. The lake is what attracted me to this property in the first place, even if the house is small, or at least small compared to some of my neighbors’ houses.”
It didn’t matter.
I lived alone. Both of my parents were in West Virginia, which was where I grew up. They would never make the move to New York, and I would never move back home.
New York was my home. It had felt right since I first came here that August day when I was eighteen and still innocent to the world.
“This is perfect. This house, this lake… this man.”
“Baby, I’m far from perfect. There are things in my past that make me less of a saint and more like a devil. But I want to try to be good. For you.”
I heard her sniff, and I stiffened, turning her until she was facing me. “What’s this? Why are you crying, sweetheart? Tell me so I can fix it.”
She gave me a small, tender smile. “Nothing’s wrong. You always know the right thing to say, don’t you?”
I shrugged. Being in my business, it was essential that I knew how to read people and tell them what they wanted to hear. Some people called it charming. I called it strategic. But not with her. I was telling her everything that was in my heart.
“Is this moving too fast? You and me?” she asked.
“Do you feel like it’s moving too fast? Do you need me to slow down?”
I could
