Page 21 of Touch Me Not: Anniversary Edition

“I’m willing to help her get past her phobia and make Boy Wonder jealous if she agrees to my price.”

“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 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 didn’t bother to look to see who was calling. It was Adam. He’d been blowing up her phone 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 was how she ended up feeling. That was 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 agitation. 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 resigned herself to a potential fight.

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

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

He let out a breath, and she thought maybe Nikoli wasn’t entirely wrong about how Adam felt. Could there be hope? One way to find out.

“Not that it would have been any of your business if I had,” she said. “Why do you even care who I sleep with?”

“Can I come in?” he asked, his eyes a little pained. “I don’t really want to talk about this standing here where half the hall is listening.”

Lily peeked around him and saw several of the doors had opened and people were listening. Damn nosy freshmen. She stepped back and let him in, closing the door. He collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a minute. She leaned against the door and waited.

He rolled to face her. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” She narrowed her eyes. “For insulting me? For following me to Joe’s? For acting like a complete asshole? For embarrassing me in front of Nikoli? For making me feel worthless? What exactly are you sorry for, Adam?”

He had the good grace to wince. “All that,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make you feel worthless, Lily, or insinuate that you weren’t good enough for Nikoli. I swear to God, that’s not what I meant.”

She continued to glare, and he flushed.

“Look, Lily, it’s just that Nikoli is more experienced, he’s…well, he’s…”

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