Loving Lily(54)

Feeling stifled indoors, with a thick blanket and Skully following behind me, we settled outdoors on the patio. I placed the mutt to my side while his tiny, cute furry head rested on my chest, sleeping soundly as I gazed at him.

Would the house experience happiness again with no Drake? The mind-boggling question consumed me before I dozed off with a heart full of shattered hopes and dreams.

*

I wasn’t sure how long I was out like a light, but the moment I heard the startling sound of Skully furiously barking, as if to announce that someone was there, I lost any trace of sleepiness.

Okay, don’t panic! I rushed out telling myself as I started breathing heavily. If there was an intruder, what did I do? And where in the world was my cell phone? My mind was scrambling and thinking at the same time, which made me more useless.

Tiptoeing back inside the house, my eyes searched out for the hairy mutt. “Skully…” I whisper-hissed, hoping he would hear me.

Last I used my phone was around the living room. I left it there after the wretched call I had with Drake and his party of women.

“Skully!” I was beginning to get frustrated because his barks had all but evaporated. Damn. Should I look for the dog or get my phone? I was weighing the question, frowning at what action to take next.

“What are you frowning about?”

The sound of Drake’s voice made me jump and scream bloody murder, clearly frightened as I thought that it was some burglar ready to cause harm.

Facing the infuriating man, I glared at him. “Did you have to scare the shit out of me, Drake? I thought you were a burglar for Pete’s sake!”

He was trying to hide his laugh before petting Skull, who was in heaven in his owner’s arms. I hadn’t thought of his needs, but it was apparent that he, too, immensely missed Drake.

“I decided to come after getting your call…” He suddenly became serious, gone were the twinkly eyes and panty-melting-smiles. “Do you need me?”

Need him … with what precisely?

“Uh … well…” Licking my lips, my body became instantly aware of Drake and how well it needed his skilled touch and expertise. “What are you offering, exactly?” Playing coy wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so best I braved this out and maybe play along with the sexual favors he seemed to be keen on. Well, truth be told, it was the only thing he was willing to offer when it came to me. Therefore, it was wise to take advantage of it. It was better than not having him at all.

Raising his brow, he came closer, his eyes boring directly into me, straight to my soul. “I can always come back when you figure out what it is you want from me…”

Damn him. He knew what I wanted from him. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be toying with me. Even knowing, he had been too preoccupied with other women to bother caring until right then. Now, about those blasted women, where did I even begin?

“From what I heard over the phone, it seems you’ve been quite busy since you got back, huh?”

He seemed unperturbed. “Yeah, you know how my life goes.”

Huh. Right. Of course.

“Well, why don’t you continue on with that life, Drake? I’ll be fine here…” I hadn’t meant to be sarcastic. No, far from it. But, fuck, it was hard not to when all I had been thinking about was him and those flirty laughs I had heard in the background.

“You sure about that?” he pressed, reaching out to touch the side of my eye. “Dried up tear stains don’t signal fine to me.”

“If being a total asshole is what you aim for, then you’re doing absolutely perfect.” I was having a tough time holding myself together, and for him to challenge that by pointing out the evidence, it kept pulling me down.

Out of nowhere, I was shocked when he pulled me to his chest while giving a little breathing room for Skully. “Being pregnant can be really difficult, and seeing how you’ve been, I was hoping I could help and make things bearable for you.”

Okay, where was this going? All of my senses were on high alert, waiting for him to continue speaking.

“We haven’t been agreeing on a lot of things, and as much as I want the both of us to have enough space from each other, with the baby on the way and very soon at that, it just doesn’t seem sensible to me. I have been thinking about this for quite some time, actually, but after seeing you tonight, I am done contemplating. It’s high time I made a solid decision. If you’ll let me, that is…”

Pondering his words, I nodded as I stared at his neck, the spot where his pulse was located, before breathing an “okay,” hoping he would carry on with his explanation.

“Initially, I thought I could live temporarily in a hotel somewhere and come here during weekends. I’m sure there’s a lot to be done for the nursery and little things like preparing for the actual day you’re going to give birth. So, after a few days of weighing the pros and cons, I think it’s best that I still live here, sleeping in the guest bedroom, if that’s viable for you.”