Page 30 of From the Moment We Met

Her outfit accentuated every curve of her hourglass figure, full breasts and hips that he ached to wrap his hands around. Jacob missed women with curves—women in Hollywood either resembled toothpicks, or their curves were compliments of silicone and surgeons. But Lilly, she had curves in all the right places, and their kiss only whetted his appetite. He could spend hours exploring her body.

He stroked his beard as he watched Lilly laugh with the bartender, her pink lips curved into a smile, her long dark hair cascading down her back.

“Earth to Jacob…you all right there?”

Jacob chuckled, turning back to Sabina. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

“A great ass will do that to you.” Sabina nodded in Lilly's direction. “What are you sitting here for, go buy her a drink!”

Jacob hesitated, his nerves kicking in. What is wrong with me? I’m more nervous than before my first movie audition! “I don’t want to interrupt her and Dr. Torres.”

Sabina grabbed his arm across the booth, forcing Jacob to look at her. “Nothing is going on there. I get no enjoyment watching people make fools of themselves.”

Jacob nodded and stood, but Sabina’s grip remained firm. “But remember, I love that woman very much. Lilly is too good to be another notch on your bedpost.”

“Is that what you think? I take whatever woman I want and play with them until I’ve had my fill?”

Sabina’s eyes leveled his as she reached for her glass. “Don’t you?”

The words stung, but Jacob knew she spoke the truth. He’d dated a string of Hollywood stars, but he soon tired of their wiles and left without a second look. He didn’t intentionally set out to break hearts, it just worked out that way. But Jacob realized Lilly was more than a fleeting interest, no matter how much that idea terrified him. “I owe her a drink, and I promise you, I won’t hurt her.” His gaze held Sabina’s, sober and sincere.

Sabina released his arm and knocked on the table before looking skyward with a grin. “You hear that God? He hurts her, put a lightning bolt in his ass.”

Jacob grabbed his glass. “Do I have permission to approach the bar now? Do you need another?”

Sabina shook her head, laughing. “Go get her cowboy, let her know I’ve got our booth.”

Jacob strolled to the bar, his heart beating faster as he closed in on Lilly. Dr. Torres was nowhere in sight, but a man to Lilly's left was ogling her like a dog after a juicy bone. Jacob slid between Lilly and the ogre and brushed the hair from her ear, whispering, “Glad you made it, wasn’t certain how you’d feel about fraternizing with the enemy.”

Lilly swiveled on the bar stool, rewarding him with a smile that outshone any starlet. “Are you the enemy now?”

“I don’t want to be.”

A few moments passed as they stared at each other, the air electric between them. Jacob was tempted to pull her to him for another searing kiss, but Lilly chuckled with that sexy laugh of hers, breaking the moment. “I’m glad I made it too, how are you and Sabina getting along?”

Jacob placed his hand on the bar and squeezed next to Lilly, his legs brushing against hers. She didn’t move away. “We found we have something in common, which made for interesting conversation.”

Lilly nodded, reaching across the bar for her glass of whiskey. Her arm brushed his, and he caught a whiff of her intoxicating scent. Leaning back, Lilly looked at him questioningly. “Do you or Sabina need a drink?”

Jacob was at a loss for words. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and breathe in her essence. Finally, he righted himself. “Two refills please, and put her drink on my tab,” he muttered to the bartender before returning his focus to Lilly.

“Cheers.” Lilly tipped her glass in his direction. “I saw Janie before I left the hospital, she’s transferred to the step-down unit. She’s a wonder, that one. Sweet as an angel.”

Jacob smiled. “She has you fooled. She’s not as innocent as she looks. You should have seen her as a kid. She would get into all sorts of mischief and then look at my parents with that angelic face and deny any wrongdoing.”

Lilly giggled. “Maybe she was innocent.”

“Not a chance! She painted the dog with watercolor paints and then blamed me! Unfortunately for Janie's four-year-old mind, she neglected to wash the paint off her hands before denying involvement in the incident.”

“I must be careful with her around watercolors then.”

Jacob chuckled, sinking into the now vacated barstool next to Lilly. “I believe she’s progressed to oil paints, but I’ll get back to you with the details.” He sobered as he thought of his sister. “Janie became a wild teenager, into all manner of drugs and partying.”

“And then she met Audrey, right? Janie was hiding who she really was, and when she finally opened the door to her truth, she didn’t have to cover the pain anymore.”

Jacob nodded, astonished how this woman understood his family dynamics. “Audrey saved her; showed her there was a better way of life. Then she had Elizabeth and Janie was complete.”

Lilly leaned towards him, placing her slight hand on his arm. “Sometimes you don’t realize you have holes in your heart until someone shows up to fill them.”

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