Page 18 of Kiss Me at Midnight
Chapter Four
Rachel stared at Jud like a dieter who’d been served a hot fudge sundae with a warm spoon.
Jud should have welcomed that look, encouraged that look, emboldened her to do more than look. That look could earn him an investor.
Not like this.
“Lily, will you look at that view,” Jud said instead, gesturing toward the receding New York City skyline, sparkling in the morning sun. “Come on, honey.” Jud led Lily away from Rachel and out to the viewing deck where they leaned on the rail. The same homely black metal exterior lights that were illuminating the side decks were out here. In fact, they were all over the public areas of the yacht, making him wonder if Rachel had partnered with the maker and intended to mass produce them.
Coming soon to a home improvement box store near you.
“Sorry about my grandmother. And the Aviator. And the way Rachel won’t stop looking at you.” Lily stared at her hands. “The amount of regrets I’m having doesn’t bode well for this trip.”
“Let’s not talk regrets before we determine the depth of Rachel’s feelings for Paulo.” The groom seemed smitten with Rachel, but Rachel was still transmitting signals that argued against her being in love. Jud inched closer to Lily, partly because Rachel would notice he was taken, and partly because he liked being close to Lily. “Are you cold? I could put my arm around you.” He hoped she’d say yes.
“In for a penny…” Lily gave him a resigned smile. “Go for it, Talon.”
“Talonwouldgo for it.” Jud limited his moves to an arm over Lily’s shoulders. But he drew her close. “I know it’s torture to be in my arms.”
“Like your kisses.” She rolled her eyes. “A test of my endurance.”
Now that was taking things a little too far.
Stung, Jud drew Lily closer still, whispering in her ear, “I’ve had few complaints about my kissing technique.” Much less hear women refer to his kisses as requiring endurance.
“It’s not that, I…I wouldn’t complain if we knew each other better.” Lily blushed. “Not that I’m asking you to make it real. It’s like… It’s like going to the store and eating the food samples they’re handing out for lunch when you know you aren’t going to buy the family-sized pack of frozen pizza rolls they’re selling.”
“I’m the frozen pizza rolls in this metaphor?” His pride was getting a good trampling today.
Lily stared at the water churning beneath them. “You didn’t feel awkward kissing me last night? We’re strangers.”
“I don’t want to sound like a man-whore, but as a TV commercial actor in my teens, I showed up on the set and kissed a girl on camera within an hour of meeting her.”
Her brows lowered in disapproval. “Acting.”
Jud ran a thumb across the wrinkle in her brow, smoothing it away. “Our kiss may have started as a ruse, but it was sincerely felt.”
She smirked.
She didn’t believe him? “I have a genuine need to kiss you again.”That’s right, girl.He arched his brows. Need, not want. “No acting required. Now, share your evil plan to stop the wedding.”
Lily leaned on her elbow, half turning to face him without moving from beneath his arm. “It’s simple, not evil,” she whispered. “I know I can’ttalkRachel out of anything. So, today and tomorrow, we act like a happy couple. Then on Wednesday, we stage a big fight. Rachel will want to comfort you. And you’ll make your move. If she doesn’t love Paulo, the wedding will be canceled.”
No.
Jud took a beat. His gut reaction was surprising and it came from… He stared into Lily’s big brown eyes behind those glasses. Her gaze was straightforward, the same as her plan. That was the thing about Lily, he realized. She didn’t come to him with hidden agendas. His gut reaction came more from not wanting to break up with mundane Lily than offering himself up as the sacrificial lamb with the hungry-eyed Rachel.
“But…” Like clockwork, uncertainty crept into Lily’s gaze. “What if they love each other?”
Jud drew a deep breath. “Then I’ll find another way to finance my dream and you’ll find another way to feed the hungry and provide refuge to folks who need it.” He drew her into the shelter of both his arms, drawing comfort and hoping he gave some in return. “How can you tell if someone’s in love?”
“I don’t know. I have a three date limit.” Her arms came around his waist. Her lips moved closer to his ear as she began to whisper, “Is it when that person brings out the best in you?”
“I always thought it had to do with a level of trust and deep understanding.” Jud’s hands roamed slowly across her back. “That’s how all the great script writers I’ve worked with have put it into words.”
“Trust comes hard for me,” Lily admitted in a voice filled with regret.
“A result of that adventure Rachel convinced you to go on?”
