Page 42 of Destined For Forever

It would be crazy to ask him to move to LA so they could see where this went… wouldn’t it?

The thought swirled in her mind, but it quickly turned to smoke as Sean brought his mouth to hers. His lips coaxed hers open, his tongue sliding against hers—confident, seeking. It felt like her whole body was humming. Her palms came to his chest, and her fingers curled into his lapels. She kissed him back with spirit, with energy and excitement. In her eagerness, she accidentally knocked something off a shelf.

“What was that?” A voice in the kitchen made both Sean and Lily suck in a breath.

Her eyes widened, darting to the slatted door, where she could spy two figures standing by the table. Crap! Was that… oh my goodness, was that her uncle? She’d never hear the end of it if he caught her making out with a man in a cupboard, like she was a teenager playing seven minutes in heaven.

Sean grinned and placed a fingertip over her lips. Then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Don’t make a sound.”

The couple in the kitchen appeared to lose interest when they didn’t hear anything else, and eventually they vacated the area. Lily let out a sigh.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re supposed to be putting this on for show, not for real.”

Sean nuzzled her neck. “Feels pretty real to me.”

She had the feeling he was talking about something below the belt, but the thing that worried Lily the most was that she was already thinking about how to avoid this arrangement ending. All day, ideas had circled in her mind about how they might make it work.

But ultimately, that would come down to one of them giving up their life. Either her going back to Australia, or him coming to LA. Neither of those things felt like a good option. It was too much to ask. Too much to give up. It was the sacrifice you made for genuine love. And this was…

She didn’t even know.

What if Sean was simply making the most of the situation? What if she said something and his response was that it was nothing but great sex? Lust. Something superficial. What if he played her like Brock had?

And every time she circled back around to that exact same point, her heart sank.

He’s not like Brock; you know that.

“What?” Sean looked up as if sensing her retreat. “Am I not supposed to say that?”

Gah, why couldn’t she just enjoy herself in the moment and then walk away happy and satisfied that she’d indulged her carnal pleasures while avoiding grief from her family? Why couldn’t she accept that this was a onetime deal?

“What’s wrong?” he urged.

She sighed. “Nothing. I…”

I’m enjoying this way too much.

I don’t want this to end.

I think I love you.

That was not the right thing to say, even if it was only in her head. How could she love Sean when she hadn’t even seen him in years? In fact, the last time she’d seen him was right before she moved to LA. After packing up her apartment in Melbourne, she’d spent her final days in Patterson’s Bluff with her family. On the very last night, she’d gone to Riptide. Why? No idea. The beer was bitter, the bar was sticky, and she hated pretty much everything about it.

Everything except him.

Wave of Love was already getting serious interest from producers and she knew it was now or never. But she’d sat at the bar, watching him work, wondering if there was a reason she kept writing about him. Wondering if never telling him how she felt was the biggest mistake of her life.

You needed to come to LA. It was the right decision.

For her career, yes. But for her heart? She wasn’t so sure. What if nothing came of the portfolio she’d sent to the showrunner of this new TV show? If they read her work and found it dull or predictable or uninspired, then…

Her phone vibrated in the secret pocket, cleverly hidden in the side seam of her dress, and Lily closed her eyes. Intuitively, she knew this was it. The phone continued to vibrate and when she pulled it out, her heart almost stopped.

Sean stepped back, his eyes shifting between her and the phone. “Answer it.”

She swiped her thumb across the screen and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Lily Dunn? It’s Nina Chamberlain. I read over the samples you sent me, and I loved everything. When are you back in LA? I want to talk about bringing you onto my writing team, if you’re still interested.”

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