Gilded Lily(72)

It’d been ages since she’d painted her toenails. Hell, it had been ages since she wanted to. After the polish was dry, she made her way to the kitchen, where she watched out the French doors as the torches on the back lawn twinkled in the night.

She slipped her feet into the sling-backs and headed out onto the porch. The moonlight slid through the trees in such a way as to cause shadows to jump and scurry. The dim lights were tiny beacons in the darkness. As she stepped onto the cobblestone walkway, she sighed in relief. All the torches along the path had been lit as well.

She clutched the shawl around her shoulders. They’re going to think I look like a fool. She passed another torch on the path. It felt so strange to be wearing shoes. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn lipstick. Now she was panicking. Keith always wanted her fixed up to the nines for his dinner engagements with the other lawyers, but Lily felt like she was being paraded around in a circus.

Tony liked her to look natural, no makeup. Her heart clenched, causing her to clutch at her chest. She wasn’t only worried about pleasing Tony. What if Adam didn’t like the scant blush she’d painted on her cheeks or the way she’d highlighted her lashes with mascara?

She wanted to please Tony. She needed to please Adam.

The wave of nausea invading her belly increased the nervous cadence of her heart tenfold. The idea of turning around entered her mind. Reluctantly, she decided against it and forced her feet to move forward.

She could see the lights coming from the stable house. It looked like a warm and inviting shelter. In the back drive she could see Tony’s shiny black Lexus. She stood on the porch, taking slow, deep breaths, waiting for the ache in her chest to relieve.



ADAM POPPED THE cap on the bottle of beer sitting on the counter. “I told you three months ago that I’d be able to go,” he said into the cell phone cradled against his ear. “Did you think I’d bail on you now? Look, I just needed some time off. I know the deadline. Have I ever let you down?”

He grabbed the bottle and took a drink. This isn’t my first rodeo, he thought as he listened to his agent once again try to push him into yet another assignment. “I’ll be ready,” Adam said. “The tickets are set up, and I e-mailed the itinerary to the publisher. It’s a go.”

Adam waited for man to finish his go-get-’em speech and said his good-bye.

“Anybody home?” Tony asked as he opened the screen door.

Adam set the phone on the counter before going over to the stove to check on dinner. “I’m back here.”

Tony walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer from inside. “So, what time is she supposed to be here?”

“I told her to be here around eight or so,” he said. “She should be here any minute.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. I hope she’ll go for it.” Adam took a drink. God, he prayed she’d be game for his plan. He couldn’t just go overseas and leave her to her own devices. All the progress they’d made would die along with his dream. “She’s not going to think she needs it right now, but when I’m gone, she’ll realize that I was right.”

“What’s that knocking?” Tony set the bottle down. “There it is again.”

“That’s someone trying to knock on the door.” Adam smiled. “She must be nervous.”

Adam opened the door to find Lily standing on the porch with her hands clasped behind her back. He lost his breath at the sight. How could one woman look so sexy and coy at the same time? Her full lips tilted into an anxious grin. She’d worn shoes. For him? His mouth watered as his gaze slid up over her shapely legs and finally rested on the hidden mounds beneath the lacy shawl. Damn if her breasts weren’t the most edible sweets he’d ever laid his eyes on.

Clearing his throat, he stepped aside to let her pass. As she walked into the room, Adam looked over her head toward Tony, who was leaning against the back of the sofa. He was sure his own expression mirrored Tony’s. Awe and appreciation.

“Poppet, you’re beautiful,” Tony said as he kept his relaxed position. “Come here and let me look at you.”

She cautiously walked to where he was standing. Her gaze flittered back and forth between Tony and Adam.

“You wore red. I like that.” He lifted her chin so he could see into her eyes. “It’s my favorite color.”

A faint smile unfolded from her lips.

He peered up to where Adam was standing behind her. “What do you think?”

“I prefer her naked, but I could stare at this all night just fine.”