Page 50 of Lorenzo & Lily

Chapter Nine

Lily had barely sleptall night, and now her ringing phone was disturbing the little sleep she had gotten. She reached over, her hand banging against the night stand until she found her phone. She answered it with her face still half-buried in the pillow. “Hmm?”

A low, amused, and entirely too sexy voice answered back. “Morning. Did I wake you?”

She sighed, then rolled onto her back. “Morning, Lorenzo. Waking me would give the impression that I’d actually slept.”

A pause. “Was it the move keeping you up?”

“Among other things.” Her mind had whirled all night. Thoughts about Lily, the castle, her job, and too many about Lorenzo. Not to mention, the life she led now in relative anonymity would be over; once the move took place, her life would change once more, and so would her baby’s.

“I’m sorry for it. Truly. I just feel we should act swiftly.”

“I know. I know we’ll be more protected in the castle than we would be here.”

“Even if you moved to a larger, better, more secure apartment complex, you still wouldn’t have the security you will here.”

“I know. And Liliana’s pretty excited about it.”

“So am I.” He paused again. “I want more time with our daughter, for her to get used to me and trust me.”

“Lily’s very trusting. I’ve had to have discussions with her about it. Especially considering her new situation, it would be best to break her of the habit, and teach her to be more discerning.”

“On that, we agree. Please give her a kiss from me when she wakes up.”

“I will. So, was this just a wakeup call?”

“No,” he said, all business; she remembered his ‘business’ voice. “The movers should be by at about eight. That gives you an hour and a half. Is that enough time?”

Panic slid through her and she shot up from the bed. An hour and a half! “It’s not very long, but I suppose I’ll just have to make it work.”

“I’m sorry. I should have called you earlier.”

She blinked. He’d apologized, and meant it. She wasn’t used to that sort of consideration or kindness. “It’s fine, really. I just couldn’t get Lily’s room organized since she was sleeping. I’ll need to get her up and get breakfast sorted, then her room sorted. I’m worried I won’t have time for everything.”

“Don’t worry about it. The movers will do everything, and they’ll be more than efficient about it. They’ll have your place packed up in no more than two hours, even if you haven’t organized Lily’s room yet.”

She glanced around; her bedroom alone – though it wasn’t very big or contained a great deal – would take at least that, if not more. “You’re joking.”

Amusement flickered in his voice. “No, I’m not. Care to wager on it?”

Uh-oh. “Wager?”

“I bet the movers will have the entire apartment packed up in no more than two hours. If I’m right, you give me what I want. You win, you choose.”

“What do you want?”

“A kiss from you.” That didn’t sound bad at all. In fact, in the late-night hours, she’d decided to try a relationship with him. They still had a lot to talk through, a lot to work through, but she hoped they could find their way together.

“What would you like, Lily?”

She scrambled to think of something. “If I win, you don’t kiss me. For a week.”

He chuckled, the sound reverberating through her body in warm, happy waves. “You’re on. I’ve rearranged a lot of my schedule today, so I should be there not long after you arrive. I have a meeting in the afternoon I can’t miss, but my brothers and sister-in-law are nearby if you need entertaining.”

“I’m fine on my own. So is Lily.”

“I’m sure you were. But you’re not alone anymore, if you don’t choose to be. Think about it.”

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