Touch Me Not(21)

“Lily has a phobia,” he said at last. “I’m only telling you because you need to know so you don’t do something to send her running. If she finds out I told you, she’ll beat me bloody.”

“Now I really am curious.” Luther tossed Nik a bottle of water as he sat down. “What? We’re out of beer. Water won’t kill you.”

Nikoli grunted. Truth was neither he nor Luther were big drinkers. They could drink with the best of them, but they both agreed after the epic car crash of 2008, they’d keep their drinking to a manageable level. They’d gone out drinking with a buddy, and on the way home, they’d crashed the car. Their friend, who’d been driving, died. After that, both Nikoli and Luther refused to drink and drive.

“She doesn’t like to be touched,” Nikoli said. “That’s where my biggest problem is. If I can’t touch her, I stand zero chance of getting her in my bed. If she can’t learn to tolerate someone touching her, she stands zero chance of stealing Boy Wonder, who is a touchy-feely person.”

“Well, damn.” Luther whistled, his expression thoughtful. “That explains a lot. So what kind of agreement did you two come to?”

“I’m willing to help her get past her phobia and make Boy Wonder jealous if she agrees to my price.”
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“And what price is that?” Luther was back to being suspicious.

“I get the chance to seduce her, and she gets Boy Wonder.” Nikoli swallowed the rest of his beer and then broke open the water. “It’s a win-win.”

“Until you break her heart,” Luther growled. “Lily’s not…”

“Dammit, Luther, shut the hell up!” Nikoli exploded. “I’m tired of hearing everyone warn me off. She’s just a chick!”

Luther’s mouth worked furiously, before he snapped it shut. A slow grin spread across his face, and Nikoli’s frown deepened.

“I take it back,” Luther said. “I think this is the best damn idea you’ve ever had.”

Something was definitely up; Nikoli just wasn’t sure what. “Why are you grinning like an idiot?”

“Because you are never going to see it until it’s too late,” Luther said. “Lily is the best thing that’ll ever happen to you, but by the time you figure it out, she’ll be gone.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Nikoli denied, even though he knew Luther was probably right. Lily Holmes terrified him.

“We’ll see.” Luther grinned. “Come on, let’s get out of here. The White Horse or T’s?”

“T’s,” Nikoli told him. “I’m not in the mood for trendy. I need a bar tonight.”

Luther didn’t say a word. He just held the door open and grinned like the idiot Nikoli labeled him. Nik grumbled and headed out. Tonight he needed some stiff whiskey. Lily Holmes wasn’t even his yet, and she was already driving him to drink. Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?



***



The phone buzzed again, and Lily sighed. She knew without looking it was Adam. He’d been blowing up her cell since she left the restaurant. He was worried. She got it, but at the same time, he didn’t have the right to make her feel like second best to anyone. It may not have been his intention, but that’s how she ended up feeling. That’s how she always felt around Adam.

It came back to her aversion to being touched. Adam looked out for her, protected her. He saw her as a pseudo little sister. Never once in the entire time they’d known each other had he ever looked at her the way he looked at any of his girlfriends. Even before her aversion started. She was always just Lily to him.

Frustrated, she threw a throw pillow at the wall. Nikoli was right about one thing. Adam was a touchy-feely person, and he needed that intimate contact. Her hands started to shake just thinking about letting Adam stroke her hand like he had Sue’s, and she cursed herself six ways to Sunday. Why couldn’t she get past her stupid phobia?

Someone started pounding on her door, and she closed her eyes in frustration. It was only the first day. What kind of trouble could the girls have gotten themselves into already? Grumbling, she dragged herself to the door, surprised when she saw Adam on the other side. He looked relieved to see her.

“What are you doing here, Adam?” Lily asked, resigned to a potential fight.

“I just need to make sure you were…that you didn’t…are you okay?”

Lily quirked a brow. “That I didn’t what? Sleep with Nikoli? You know me better than that, Adam.”