She beamed a bright smile, obviously finding confidence in his words, and squeezed his hand as she led them down the path to the stable house. The farther they got from the plantation house, the quicker her footsteps became. He let her take the lead, admiring the way she was finally taking control of what she wanted.
LILY FELT LIKE a little girl sneaking to her favorite hiding place as she tugged on Tony’s big hand, trying to hurry his lazy pace. She couldn’t get to the stable house fast enough. The image of Adam’s perfect smile fueled her feet to move in a downright sprint. “Come on, Tony. Come on!”
“Slow down, poppet. Come here.” Tony gave a swift tug on her arm, forcing her to trip back, landing square against his heavy chest. He reached up to skim his thumb over her smiling lips. “You’re quite a sight. You know that?”
She laughed. “You’re silly.”
Tony let her return to her mission of tugging him along to meet Adam. She could only hope her excitement would lead to other things. Like tension…of the sexual kind.
Lily’s grip tightened. Adam stepped out from behind the screen door. Lily stopped and leaned back against Tony’s chest. They both stood and watched as Adam walked onto the porch with a cardboard box cradled in his arms. She caught her breath as Tony smoothed his palm against the small of her back, giving her a few gentle pets to let her know he was there. Her choppy breaths calmed.
“Hey there,” Adam said, a bit surprised.
His naked biceps flexed from the weight of what he was carrying. Those magnificent arms weren’t the only things exposed. His six pack stretched and released as he knelt down to set the box on the porch floor. He dusted his hands on his jeans, emphasizing the cords of muscle and veins on his forearms. Damn, Lily thought as she adjusted her thighs, feeling the familiar tickle in her clit. His six-pack is amazing. If I could just lick that little trail of dark hair. Oh, please stop. Please stop. God, his chest is so muscular. Shit!
“H-hi. I hope we aren’t disturbing you.” Lily felt the heat in her cheeks melt all the way across her face. Damn it.
Adam grinned before pulling his attention to Tony. “Hello, I’m Adam, Nick’s brother.”
“Good to meet you. I’m Tony.” Tony extended his hand, and the two men gave a firm shake.
Lily watched Adam’s eyes dart back to her before spreading his grin even wider. Lily kept her hand nestled in Tony’s snug grip. She listened quietly as the two men got the formalities out of the way. Her free hand sneaked behind her back. Tony looked down, giving her a reassuring smile before returning to the conversation.
“Would you guys like to come in? I’m afraid the place is a mess. Nick had so many things in progress. I’m deciding what to send to the gallery.”
Lily froze.
“Has Lily told you about what Nick had been working on before the accident?”
“She mentioned a few things,” Tony said.
Lily nervously pulled on Tony’s hand, bringing his attention back to her. The last thing she wanted was to look at those paintings again. “We should probably get—”
Tony sharpened his gaze.
“Come on in and take a look,” Adam said and held the door open as Tony walked inside. He wrapped his hand around Lily’s arm as she started to pass through the door. Horror and excitement shrilled through her as she looked up at him. He gently pulled on the back seam of her dress, exposing the now faded welts. Lily shuddered and closed her eyes as the warmth of his trembling finger caressed the tender flesh. “You left in such a hurry last night.”
Lily didn’t know whether to cry or scream. She edged her way through the door and went to Tony. Four paintings had been propped against the couch with one large piece leaning against the set of windows. She sighed when she saw the vibrant paintings, depicting different places on the plantation.
“They’re stunning,” Tony said.
“Yes, they are,” Lily eagerly added. “Look, Tony, my roses!” Lily knelt to get a closer view of the paintings. “And the main house; he did a wonderful job capturing my fountain.” She was pleased to see these and relieved Adam had taken her advice and disposed of the other ones.
“I’m going to send them to the gallery. He would’ve wanted them there.”
Lily turned to Adam and smiled. “Yes, these would be perfect.”
“I’m…” Adam hesitated. “Going to keep some of the others for myself.” He locked his gaze on Lily. He wasn’t asking for approval. He was simply stating his intentions.
Lily shuffled her focus back to the paintings. What was she supposed to make of that? They were technically Adam’s paintings now. The right to claim them was out of her hands. She prayed he would lock them up in a crate, store them in a safe, and never again let them see the light of day. The emotions in the paintings were hers, to keep private for only Tony’s eyes.