What can I offer? If I were the mature one, I’d back out of this before it’s too late. When Vivian questioned me, she was right. I’ve only met with Lily a few times. What if this illness is making me crazy?
Yet I can’t accept that. There’s this certainty scorching through me every time I think about her.
With nothing else to do, I spend the rest of the afternoon in my home gym. Moving and sweating is sometimes the only way to block out everything else. I soak the gym floor, sweat running down my bare chest. Despite the slight silver in my hair, I look healthy and strong in the mirror. I don’t look like a man who’s going to drop dead in a few months.
After a shower, I wait for my phone to go off. When it does, I jump and hurry to the elevator. Lily is waiting for me in the lobby, still wearing her work clothes, the white shirt untucked now, loose around her hips.
“Remember what I said,” she murmurs, walking into the elevator.
She looks up at me, lips pursed, cheeks that tempting, attractive shade of red.
“Are you reminding me … or yourself?”
When the doors close behind her, she lets out a small moan and collapses against me. It’s easily the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced, which maybe isn’t saying much since everything is themostwith Lily. We kiss passionately, but then she presses her hand against my chest and pushes me away.
“That was it, okay? My one moment of weakness.”
“This is mine,” I growl, grabbing her hips and pulling her into another kiss. We keep going until the elevator door opens.
She moves away from me, taking a breath and smoothing her shirt. “This is about The Row,” she says. “About The Bear.”
“I thought you were done with that?” I snap.
“Iam. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
LILY
His apartment is easily the most expensive I’ve ever set foot in. It’s a penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows that look down over the city. Everything is modern, new, clean, and a little clinical, almost like he needs a lady’s touch.
Sitting across from him in the living room, I remind myself this isn’t about that. I can’t let the memories of last night rule me. The two kisses will have to be enough. I have to remember that he may be a killer, that Mom disapproves, that he’s going to be gone soon, and this could get me fired.
How many reasons does one girl need? Still, I can’t stop obsessing.
“The middle of the night,” he says, sighing and rubbing his large, powerful hands together. “Damon’s a sick fuck, and he knows how difficult it would be to get a police team out there to monitor it. Even then, he might have cop contacts, dammit.”
“There must be something we can do.”
“Me, Lily,” he growls, staring at me almost like he did last night with that nobody-else-exists look. “Notus. Clearly, you’ve been warned about me.”
“Why’s that so obvious?”
“Because you’re looking at me like you know something.” He rests his elbows on his knees. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts, showing off his massive, muscled arms. The outlines of his strength are evident in the cutting lines. “Or you think you know something.”
I sit up. “This isn’t about anything else. Just The Row.”
“I’ve already figured out what I’m going to do,” he says.
“Well … what?”
“It’s safer if you don’t know,” he grunts.
“So we’re done?” I say.
He nods. “As far as The Row goes … unless you want something to drink or eat.” His voice tilts up at the end, a note of hope entering it. I know I should tell him no.
Instead, I smile. “Are you offering to cook me a meal?”