“Yes,” I answered gruffly. I hadn’t even told Lily that. But I would soon. Lily would not go another night without knowing that she was the most important person to me. I would make sure of it.
“Then go,” Jerimiah said. “And no, this isn’t my approval. You’re right. You don’t need that. This is my blessing. I am giving you my greatest treasure of all. Treat her right. Or there won’t be a place on this earth safe enough for you to hide from me.”
He stood up. There was a glimmer in his eyes that told me we were okay, but also that he was serious. If I hurt her, he’d hurt me. Not that he would have to worry. I would rather cut off my own right arm than hurt her.
I nodded and walked out the door, feeling lighter than I had all night.
Time to go get my girl.
I had only been to Lily’s apartment twice.
We spent most of our nights and weekends at my house, which I had already come to think of as our house.
Lily lived in the better part of the city, closer to the office than I was in the suburbs. Closer to Jerimiah, I thought. But he was going to have to get used to the idea that his sister might not live near him anymore.
After tonight, I would officially be bringing Lily home with me.
Forever.
I quickly climbed the stairs to the third floor of the apartment building and knocked on her door. Several seconds passed, and I didn’t hear any movement in the apartment. Could it be that she didn’t go home?
But that couldn’t be right.
Lily was a homebody, and whenever something upsetting happened, she would go home. I knocked again, louder this time. I was sure the neighbors could hear me, but I didn’t care.
“Lily, baby. Open up for me.”
I raised my fist to knock once more, when I heard the lock clicking, and then the door opened just wide enough for me to see her face. And what I saw tore my insides to shreds.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was looking at me like she wasn’t sure where we stood. I didn’t like it one bit.
“Baby,” I breathed out. I gently pushed her back before moving inside. I closed and locked the door behind me, and in the span of one small inhale, I had her in my arms, pressing her warmth into me.
I never wanted to let her go again.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Let me fix it.”
I pulled back slightly so I could see her face. Her bottom lip trembled a little, and there were fresh tears in her eyes once more.
“Is this fixable?” she asked, so softly I almost didn’t hear her.
“Hey, you listen to me, sweetheart. When it comes to us, nothing is unfixable. You hear me?”
“Why?”
My eyebrows lowered in a furrow. “Why what, baby?”
“Why do you want to fix it?”
“Do you even have to ask?” I softly traced the outline of her lips with the tip of my finger. Her eyes shuttered, and I wanted nothing more than to take her to the bedroom, strip her naked, and consume her whole. “I obviously haven’t done a good job of taking care of you if you have to wonder. I’m sorry.”
Her eyes sprang open at my apology. Before she could think of something else that would make her think I didn’t want her, I continued on. “It won’t happen again. Never will a day go by that you don’t know how much you mean to me. I love you, Lily Winthrop. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you across your brother’s bar. And I have only loved you more since. And I will love you with everything in me for the rest of our lives, I swear it.”
The tears she was trying so hard to contain spilled over onto her cheeks, and I hoped these were happy tears. I wiped them away with my thumbs and pressed my forehead to hers, our breath mingling in the small space between our lips.
“You really mean that?” she cried out.
“With all of my heart, my beautiful girl.”
Without warning, she jumped into my arms, her legs going around my waist, her arms around my neck as she held on tight. I placed my hand underneath her ass, holding her to me.
“I love you too,” she sobbed.
“Hush now, baby. No more crying. I’ve have enough of your tears to last a lifetime. I don’t want to ever see or hear you crying ever again.”
She half sobbed, half laughed into my neck. “This is happy crying.”
“Even so.”
I moved us toward her bedroom. She tightened her hold around me. “Now, I think it’s time I take you to bed. It’s been too long since I was last inside of you.”
She giggled. Sweetest sound in the whole entire fucking world. “It hasn’t been that long. We had sex in your office this afternoon.”
“Like I said, too damn long,” I said, setting her down once we neared her bed.
I cupped her mound through her jeans to show my impatience, and her giggles turned into a soft moan. The second sweetest sound in the entire fucking world.
“Tell me you want me,” I said, tightening my grip a fraction. She leaned her head against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my waist, as if she couldn’t hold herself up without help.
“I want you,” she breathed out. I moved my hand, adding in friction and driving her wild. “Oh God, Dereck! I want you so bad. Please.”
“Let it be known, I will never deny you anything. Especially when you beg me so prettily.”
And I turned on her, showing her the desperate, desperate man she’d made me become. She didn’t say anything for a long while, save for those tiny whimpers, her soft moans, and her sweet, sweet shouts,
