Page 11 of Lily
Lily flicked through Sam's social media feed and smiled when she saw photos of Ashley and him together at a party. There were others in which Lily saw that Ashley was clearly paired off with a handsome man who only seemed to have eyes for her. It made Lily's heart clench, but she was happy for Ashley. She deserved to be happy, and by the looks of the photos, Ashley was doing just that.
She paused on a group photo featuring Sam, Ashley, and her "man,” as well as a couple Lily didn't recognize, though she had a hunch. She held up the phone to him. "Is this Tash?" she asked, pointing to the redhead who had an arm slung around Ashley's shoulders.
He nodded. "She's the one. Do you need more proof that I know her and that I come in peace?"
Going with someone she'd only just met was, by all definitions of the word, stupid, so she did what any sane person would do and asked for said proof.
"I do," she informed him.
Sam nodded approvingly at her. "Did I tell you that you were a smart girl?"
She laughed. "You may have already said that."
"Good. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea on my thoughts about you. You're a smart one, Lily Bell." She flushed at the use of her stage name, and she took an unconscious step toward him. His appeal was enigmatic, pulling her forward even when she wasn't aware it was happening.
"Thank you," she said, and Sam flashed her another warm smile that warmed her as well as any mixed drink.
"Why did you say you were here for me?" she asked.
The question had been on the tip of her tongue since Sam had announced he was there for her. Not Ashley, but Lily.
Even if he was here on behalf of her friend, that one little admission, the inclusion of that one word:her.It had Lily willing to trust him, to accept his friendship on the basis of a social media stream because there was something about him that put her at ease and made her lean into his warmth like she had known him for years, not minutes.
"Because I am." He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I've got business here. I've seen your shows before. You're intriguing. And besides, I can't abide a woman without a safe place to lay her head. I'll get you in touch with Ashley; it meant a lot to her that you were safe and comfortable, especially since she didn't get to tell you goodbye before she moved."
She blushed and looked away. "Well, all right then."
She shook her head, holding the phone out to him. "No, no more proof necessary."
"So, we're good?" he asked, tilting his head to the side while Lily deliberated the context of what good truly meant. Finally, she nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, we're good."
"All right, that's what I'm talking about, no more sketchy apartment and no more looking for places on an app. You're worried about me being a serial killer, do you know how much your odds go up when you do that app business?" Sam punctuated his words with a flick of his fingers, and Lily rolled her eyes.
"They do background checks."
"Hardly." He snorted and held out a hand for her bag, surprising her. "Hand it over, sis. You look like you're going to topple over carrying that."
Lily straightened herself to her full height. "I am just fine," she protested, but all it took was one sidelong look from Sam to have her sighing and handing it over. "Fine, but only because I'm tired. Otherwise, I would be perfectly fine."
"Uh-huh." He didn't look convinced but, thankfully, didn't press the issue any further. He held out his hand again. "Give it here, and we'll get on our way. I'll text James and let him know we are on the move. Ashley should have a new phone after the show."
"James?" Lily handed her bag to Sam. He nodded and gestured her in front of him toward the door that led to the front of the venue.
"Ah, Ashley's man." There was something about the way Sam saidmanthat made Lily raise an eyebrow. She stepped in front of him and out into the hallway that led toward the venue. There was another performance underway and the pulsing bass beat of it made it impossible for them to hear one another without leaning close to one another.
"You keep saying that but—"
"But what?" Same leaned closer, his big frame brushing lightly against her as he spoke to her. She looked over her shoulder at him and tried not to notice how long the man's lashes were or how chiseled his jaw was.
"I just, ah, it's nothing," she said quickly.
He frowned, leaning closer still. "What?"
"Nothing!" She leaned up on her tiptoes practically yelling to be heard. Sam was close enough to hear now. The nearness of his hand warmed the back of hers and she looked down to see that Sam was nearly touching her. If she reached out her pinky, she would be touching him, but she didn't dare cross the centimeters separating them. Her hand wavered at her side and she knew she was in danger of reaching for him. Snatching her hand back, Lily swallowed hard and shook her head, signaling that she was fine when Sam gave her a curious look. Thankfully, he looked away from her, and the temptation of touching him went with him.
He lifted his hand and pointed in front of him. "I'm out front. We can go to Ashley's performance if you want."
She nodded. "Sounds great!" The offer set her at ease, and Lily had a smile on her face when she glanced up and over her shoulder at Sam. The imposing figure of the man at her side wasn't threatening, at least to her. His presence comforted her, made her relax, and she tucked her hands into her coat pockets just in case she reached for him. It was hard to keep her hands to herself when it was as if he had always been there, and for the first time in a very long time, Lily felt like she belonged.
