Divine Phoenix(Divine Creek Ranch 10)(48)

JT had never allowed Lily to cut her hair, and she’d learned why, when he’d used it to tie her to their headboard and had left her that way all night. That hadn’t happened frequently, but she’d grown to secretly hate her hair. The one time she’d had it trimmed he’d made sure she’d regretted it. Consequently, she now carted around eleven years’ worth of growth.

“I don’t want to cut it short, but I would like to lose most of the length.”

Grace stroked a wayward lock of hair admiringly. “It is very long. Did you grow it out for Locks of Love?”

Lily shook her head. I wish that was the reason. “No, but I’d love to donate it to them.”

With easy assurance, Grace said, “Leslie at Madeleine’s can fix you up. As far as the new tattoo artist is concerned, both Maya Warner and I have actually met him and had a little work done.” With a twinkle in her eyes, Grace said, “I want to invite you to a little gathering where I could show you. Jack, Ethan, Adam, and all of our male friends who like to hunt go to a friend’s ranch in the Hill Country for a hog hunt after the holidays. He’s had trouble with feral hogs and they go every year to hunt and do ‘guy stuff.’ All of the wives, fiancées, and girlfriends come to our ranch and we do a girl’s sleepover. I know Jack invited Clay. Would you consider coming for the sleepover?”

A sleepover, with a bunch of women, most of whom she’d barely met. She wasn’t sure.

Grace must have seen her hesitation and said, “Come on. Maya will be there, so will Emma. You won’t be left out, I promise.” The eagerness in Grace’s eyes was hard to deny.

“All right. If Clay is going, I’ll go.” She hoped that was okay with Clay, recalling his easygoing acceptance of her words that morning. She wasn’t sure how she felt about his agreement to treat what they’d had the night before as something casual. It had felt anything but casual.

“Awesome! You’re also invited for the pig roast and bonfire we have at the ranch the weekend after the hunt. At the sleepover, Maya and I can show you our tattoos Seth Carter did for us. Something tells me it would be frowned upon for me to show you mine right now, considering where it is.” Grace glanced at Tabitha and added, “I’ve never known someone so thoroughly in need of a good orgasm, or two or three…hundred.”

Lily burst into giggles, and Grace joined her. Tabitha did not appear to approve of their display, judging by the way she tucked her chin into her neck and frowned as she bent over a display.

The doorbell jingled, and Lily glanced up to see who it was, then did a double take. Her heart leaped into her throat. “Would you excuse me for a second, Grace?”

“Sure.”

The ruggedly handsome man entered the shop, scanning from one corner to the next. His expression was serious, and he had an almost unapproachable aura, but was still pleasantly familiar to her. What she could see of his skin was all deeply tanned, and as he pulled off his stocking cap, she recognized his sandy-blond hair, which matched the scruff of a light beard and moustache on his face. Recognition occurred between them simultaneously as she looked into his gray-green eyes.

“Del?”

A wide smile slowly spread across his lips as he made a beeline for her across the store. “Lily?”

“Del!”

He caught her as she threw herself into his hug, his arms strong and solid as he lifted her just a bit off her feet and rocked her back and forth. He smelled like sunshine and man. He pressed his face to her neck and held her for a few seconds, and she basked in the quiet attention.

He murmured, “It is you, isn’t it, Lily Bell?”

He set her back on her feet, and her heart pounded with excitement as she looked up at him towering over her. “Are you going to keep calling me that?”

“Uh-huh.” She saw a glimpse of the irritating preteen he’d been in his teasing smile, calling her by that name just to piss her off. Funny thing was, it didn’t really bother her all that much. It never really had. She’d just pretended that it had because it gave them something to banter about. He hugged her again. “Damn, I missed you.”

Everything felt right in her world.

Lily heard the swinging doors open as Clay came out from the workroom. “I’m so happy you’re back safe and sound. Let me introduce you.” After Grace and Tabitha said hello, Del turned to his brother. Unspoken emotion glimmered in his eyes as he grinned at his sibling.

“Hey, asshole. How long has it been?” Del asked as he spread his arms.

“Too long. Four years? And four years more before that. Welcome home, man,” Clay muttered as they bear-hugged and pounded each other on the back. His broad grin and the way he clenched his brother at the shoulders made it clear that he was happy to have his brother home safe.