Page 63 of From the Moment We Met

"I'm as much under your spell as you are under mine."

His lips crashed against hers in an unspoken promise of future moments and experiences. "Darling Lilly..."

Lilly turned off the water, pulling a towel off the heater and handing it to him. Her eyes shone brightly, but her smile was guarded. "Be gentle Jacob, I'm not built like you."

Her quiet plea snapped him from his reverie. It was there, glimmering faintly—her fear that she was nothing more than a notch on his bedpost.

He extended his hand to her, wanting to scream in protest when she wrapped the towel around her, blocking her body from his view. "Let's go find you some comfortable clothes."

Fifteen minutes later she snuggled under a blanket on the couch, the fire chasing away the evening chill. She looked bloody adorable in his clothes, especially since they were about ten sizes too large for her diminutive frame.

"I look ridiculous," Lilly complained, holding the shirt from her body. There was enough room for another person to crawl in there with her...tempting idea, really.

"You might start a trend."

She let out a harrumph before settling back against the cushions.

Jacob grabbed them both a glass of wine and dimmed the lights before slipping under the blanket. Lilly promptly positioned herself against him, leaning her head against his chest. He dropped a kiss on her hair before starting the movie, chuckling at her excited intake of breath.

"It's a Wonderful Life?"

"You missed it last Christmas."

She raised her huge doe brown eyes to him, and Jacob realized he would be happy looking into them for the rest of his life. "You were listening. Thank you." She nuzzled his nose, peppering his face with kisses.

"I'll make certain we watch it this Christmas, Lilly. You won't be alone this year." Holy fuck, where did that come from? Jacob never intimated a future with any of the women he dated, especially not one that was ten months away.

But the smile that lit up her face chased any uncertainties from his mind. He made the statement, and he was standing by it.

She ran her hand along his jaw, her mouth nipping at his neck. "I told you to be careful."

"What do you mean?"

A coy smile played on her face. "You know exactly what I mean." With that, she nestled in his arms and turned her focus to the movie.

Jacob considered her words, and when he realized their connotation, a smile split his face. He didn't want her to stop falling for him, not by a long shot.

Jacob glanced down at Lilly as the movie played—she dozed off fifteen minutes in, and he took the opportunity to really examine her while she slept.

He ran his fingers along her cheek, she had the softest skin. Her lips were slightly parted, and her long lashes fluttered occasionally. She was entirely natural, which was so unnatural in his world of silicone, fake lashes, lip injections, and Botox. She was real, and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Granted, he'd slept with scads of women world renowned for their beauty, but it was only skin deep. These women caked on makeup like plasticine, surviving on a steady diet of caffeine, nicotine, and vomiting. Any allure ended the moment they opened their mouths. They were beautiful, but only on stage, on the catwalk or on television. And Victoria was their ringleader.

But Lilly's beauty permeated to her core. Her heart was pure, and her soul was kind, and Jacob knew he would never be the same without her in his life.

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her eye, chuckling when she grumbled and snuggled closer against him. He had to say it, even if she couldn't hear him—especially if she couldn't hear him, because right now, it was the only way he could vocalize the words.

"I'm falling in love with you, Lilly," Jacob confided, his lips grazing her forehead, his breathing ragged. "That's not true either. I'm already there."

His phone startled him, breaking the moment. He snatched it from the table, careful not to jostle Lilly. The pleasure of this woman cocooned in his arms was beyond compare.

Jacob's eyes widened at the barrage of messages and missed calls—all from Victoria. She was dogged when she wanted something.

Juggling the phone, he shifted Lilly to his right arm and began scrolling through the texts. She wanted—no demanded—to have dinner the following evening, complete with the requisite media entourage tailing their every move.

Jacob released a sigh; he was in no mood to deal with Victoria's antics. Sliding out from under Lilly, he opted to phone his ex, much easier than communicating through text messages.

"I was wondering when you were going to return my calls. I assume there's something more pressing than your film role?" Her tone dripped a warning like a bag of morphine—cooperate or the outcome could be lethal.

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