Page 29 of 40 and (Tired of) Faking It
Prescott had said this before, often enough that no one blinked. And no one was jumping up to defend her, again.
JD straightened from the bar top, crossing his arms over his chest. Stared the gloating man down. Waited long enough that the smirk on Prescott’s face began to become brittle, then break down.
Only then did he speak.
“That’s funny. I haven’t found that to be the case at all. If things were unsatisfactory, I am pretty sure the problem was on your end.”
Someone nearby choked. A muffled laugh followed. Several people coughed loudly, their amusement plain. Prescott’s face darkened to a strawberry red.
JD smiled, making it a little mean.
A rustle of clothing preceded Lily’s appearance at the mouth of the hallway. Head held high, eyes on him. He couldn’t tell if she was angry—he’d just announced to anyone within hearing range that they’d slept together, after all. They both knew it was a lie, but he’d been unwilling to allow the insult to her reputation to continue on as it seemed to have for a while.
Softening his smile, he held out a hand to her and prayed she took it. Without a glance toward Prescott, she crossed the space between them and slid her fingers into his. And smiled. No one else was close enough to see the gleam of tears in her eyes.
The sight gutted him.
“Do I get that second dance?”
“Absolutely.”
Ignoring the asshole, now surrounded by his friends’ loud ribbing, JD turned Lily toward the dance floor and led her away.
The jukebox was playing “Endless Summer Nights.” As JD swung Lily around into the center of the moving bodies already filling the floor, he noticed Prescott storming toward the exit. Good. That wouldn’t be the last they’d hear of him, JD was certain; he might even be hearing from Dwayne, and since the man was head of the planning commission, JD had no doubt the father’s anger might be used against him. He didn’t care. Someone had needed to put the bastard in his place, and JD would handle whatever repercussions came from his actions tonight and count it worth it.
Lily was worth it.
And in the meantime, she was in his arms.
They danced through several songs. JD even got Lily to stay with him through some faster tempos, teaching her some of the moves he’d done with Erin. He’d noticed her tentativeness earlier, but he’d been certain that was due to inexperience rather than lack of talent, and he was happy to find he was right. Only when her smile lost its strain and her body was no longer stiff against his did he concede the lateness of the hour and lead her off the floor.
After saying their goodbyes, he followed Lily across the street to the area where both their cars were waiting. Lily didn’t speak, her head down, gaze focused on the pavement. He waited, letting the quiet of the night take over until they came to a stop next to her car.
Finally Lily sighed and raised her head, this time to stare at the stars. “Thank you.”
He leaned against her car, waiting until she finally looked at him. “Thank you?”
“Yes.” That damn gleam was back in her eyes, and just like before, it made him want to find Prescott and do a lot more than insult him. “Thank you. No one has—”
When she didn’t continue, he reached for her fisted hand, uncurled it until their fingers could interlace, then pulled her close enough that she could feel his body heat in the chill night air. “Someone should have, probably a long time ago.” He didn’t know how long this had been going on, but… He swallowed down his anger and focused instead on Lily’s eyes staring up at him in the moonlight. “No thanks are necessary, Lily. I’ve always hated bullies, and I never back down from one, ever. Besides…” He brought a hand up and, when she didn’t shy away, cupped her jaw, a frown creasing his brow. “I know better than to think any of that was anywhere near true.”
A grimace twisted her soft mouth. “How would you know that?”
He stroked the cool skin of her cheek. “Trust me, I know.”
Lily’s laugh was harsh. “I don’t. I mean—” She cut herself off, lips pressed tightly together, gaze anywhere but on him.
“Don’t what?” When she refused to respond, he tipped her head up until she had no choice but to meet his eyes. “Tell me, Lily.”
Quiet surrounded them for a long moment. Lily finally shook her head. “My love life has always been completely lackluster if you want to know the truth. Which you probably don’t. And to be totally honest—and humiliating—I figured there must be some truth to Mason’s rumors.” She shrugged. “If you haven’t achieved an exciting sex life before reaching the ripe old age of forty, you’re probably not going to, right?”
And then she clammed up, one hand rising to cover her eyes.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Lily was actually worried about being a bad lover? He could understand being embarrassed by the rumors, but to truly believe them…
Staring down at the top of her head, her blonde curls gleaming in the moonlight, something coalesced inside him. Or maybe something broke—his determination to not get involved. No, he didn’t need the distraction of sex, but it was there anyway. There was no getting around his hunger every time Lily so much as breathed.
Why keep fighting it?
