Lily White Lies(53)

“That’s not what I meant.”

Running a hand through his golden hair, he said, “I know what you meant.”

I heard him speaking, but it was his yellow knit shirt and the way it stretched tightly over his bicep that had my attention.

“Listen, I didn’t plan this. I wasn’t in on it either, so there’s no need to take it out on me.” He paused. “I can be so calm because getting worked up won’t change our situation or get us out of here any sooner, so...”

“I know. Why get upset.” My voice offered no real enthusiasm.

He sat silently for a moment before smiling and taking our conversation in a new and unexpected direction. “So, you think I’m good-looking.”

Finding it easier to ignore his last remark, I rolled my eyes and made my way to the door. Suddenly, a troubled thought occurred to me and I hesitantly turned to ask, “Who undressed me last...” Pulling the quilt tighter, I shivered and shook my head. “You know what... never mind. What I don’t know won’t embarrass me.”

Prepared for a witty reply intended to heighten my embarrassment, instead, he left me speechless with an evocative wink. It was a gesture filled with a thousand unspoken words, reaching out and grabbing hold of me. I awkwardly backed my way out of the kitchen and headed to the stairs. Each time I involuntarily turned back, he was staring at me, which only served to make my exit less than graceful.



After what seemed like dozens of flights of stairs, I found myself sitting on the edge of the same bed I awoke in earlier and realized that somehow, he had made his way into the room with me. I saw his face in every flash of lightening, I heard his voice in the rolls of thunder and the residual effects of his wink were still dancing up my spine.

I scolded aloud, “Pull yourself together, girl.”

I wasn’t ready for a new relationship. My heart needed time to heal before I could offer it to someone new. Had this been another time and another place, I would have reveled in his attention. However, it was here and it was now. It was him and it was me, and I couldn’t knowingly yield to something between us when I knew I had nothing to give. It wouldn’t be fair to him, but conscience aside... I couldn’t deny—it would be so easy.



I should have been irate. I should have been so mad at Cory and Charlotte that even heartfelt apologies and ten years of friendship wouldn’t be enough to smooth the edges of my anger. But I wasn’t. I knew them; I knew where their hearts were and how sincere their intentions were. Although their scheme was audacious, presumptuous and more extreme than anything they had ever come up with in the past, they did it for the right reasons and for that reason I knew I’d forgive them.

The rain brought a dampness with it that spread goose bumps over my skin as I undressed for a bath. Lowering myself into the steaming water, I closed my eyes and let my hair hang over the side of the tub. I thought I could soak away the frustrations I was feeling. I hoped that if I spent enough time hidden away in the bathroom, he would grow tired of this situation and leave.

I managed to put on a wounded front and play the part of the victim in this little game of Cory’s, but I knew it was only an act to hide my true feelings. His billboard good looks and well-mannered charm aroused me while his outward calm beguiled me. He was the spark of every woman’s fantasy. He was the kind of man that women dreamed about night after night. He was also the kind of man who could take a woman from heaven to hell in the course of one weekend, leaving her dazed and begging for another trip. As I sank even lower in the water, I thought, ‘but what a weekend it would be’.



“Meg? Are you almost through?”

His husky voice penetrated my thoughts and my body jerked upright, causing a deep wave through the water that splashed over the edge of the tub and onto the tile floor.

“Are you okay in there?”

With my hands clutching the edge of the tub, I didn’t know whether to make a dash for the towel hanging on the back of the door or submerge myself deeper in the water and pretend that I didn’t hear him.

“If you don’t answer me, I’ll be forced to believe that you’re drowning and it’ll be my moral obligation to rush in and administer CPR.”

After one skipped heartbeat, I managed to stammer out, “Don’t you dare!”

I heard a muffled laugh before he said, “Okay then. I was just going to fix something for lunch, are you hungry?”

“Actually...” I hesitated. “I am a little. I’ll be right down.”

I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps before I stepped out of the tub to dry off. Rummaging through the bag the girls had left next to the sink, I was surprised to find that they had packed modest clothing, considering the entire romantic theme they planned for the weekend.