Текст книги "Touch Me Not"

Автор книги: Apryl Baker

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“Maybe,” she muttered.

“Well, if you decide to take Boy Wonder up on his offer, you renege on this imaginary bet, and Ellie stays with me.”

His car? That was his first thought? His car? It only solidified Lily’s opinion that Nikoli didn’t love her, that he didn’t want her. He just wanted his damn car. She felt her face heat up, but this time in anger. Why should she care or be shocked? He was Boston University’s very own manwhore, after all.

Nikoli watched Lily’s cheeks fill with color and her blue eyes flash with fury, and he frowned. Why was she mad? Boy Wonder was what she wanted. She should be happy. Nikoli should be happy for her, but he couldn’t be. He wanted to hit something. To beat someone bloody. Anger fought with jealousy inside of him, and he hated it. He didn’t get attached, ever, but this woman had gotten under his skin. She would leave him. He’d known that from the beginning.

“Hey, May, turn that up,” someone shouted, and he and Lily both turned to see another crime scene pictured on the flat screen in the corner of one wall. Another girl had been found, and it appeared to be the same guy who’d been killing all summer. Boston was officially in the grips of a serial killer, and everyone was on edge.

“That’s two blocks away from the university.” Lily’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, he’s been getting closer and closer to the college since he started.”

“Don’t worry, Milaya, they’ll catch him.”

“Yes, we will.”

Nikoli’s head snapped up and he saw his brother, Kade, grinning down at him. The mess of curly black hair and sleepy black eyes made Nikoli laugh. Kade looked like he hadn’t slept in a week and had a serious case of bedhead. He shook his head and stood up, wrapping his brother in a bear hug.

“Good to see you, Nik,” Kade said when they let go. “One would think you were hiding from your brothers the way you never call.”

“Just busy, bro,” Nikoli said. “Lily, this is my brother, Kade.”

“Hello,” Lily said, smiling. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Kade’s eyebrows hit his hairline. Not that Nikoli blamed him. He and his brothers were all alike. They didn’t take girls to breakfast. They had sex, and they moved on.

“You’re the oldest brother, right?” Lily asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Kade murmured and gave Nikoli a look that said ‘what-the-fuck, dude?’

“Kade, have a seat, man. We just ordered breakfast, and the food here is stellar.” Nikoli scooted over so his brother could sit. Kade slid in, but his eyes stayed on Lily. “How did you find me?”

“FBI, remember? It’s easy to track you down.”

“Pretty sure that’s a violation of my right to privacy.” Nikoli snorted at his brother’s pious look.

“Brothers don’t have an expectation of privacy.” Kade laughed. “So, Lily, how long have you known my brother?”

“I’ve known the manwhore for a couple months,” she said, her voice completely innocent, causing Nikoli to spew the mouthful of coffee he’d just taken.

Kade’s laugh boomed through the diner. “Manwhore?”

“Well, he does have a bit of a reputation,” Lily said, “but he has been behaving the last few months.”

“Has he?” Kade asked, glancing at Nikoli, who shot him a fuck-off look. “That doesn’t sound like him. My brother doesn’t know how to behave.”

Lily just smiled. “Then you don’t know him as well as you think you do. Nikoli is a decent guy…for a manwhore.”

“I thought we agreed you would stop calling me that,” Nikoli seethed. He hated that nickname. Truly hated it, especially when Lily used it.

“Did we?” she asked, her voice all sweet, and his eyes widened. She was still pissed at him. But why? He hadn’t understood it to begin with. Why was she mad at him because her dreams were coming true? The woman made no sense.

“Yes, dushka, we did.” He leaned closer, eyes narrowed.

“Don’t call me dushka!” Lily’s own eyes narrowed.

“Oh, I’ll do more than call you dushka,” Nikoli said, his eyes a clear threat.

“You can try, Kincaid.”

Nikoli’s grin grew at the sly tone in Lily’s voice.

Kade interrupted before Nikoli could respond. “Um, big brother here…do I need to leave so you two can get a room?”

“No.” Nikoli sat back when the waitress came to set down their food. He waited for her to take Kade’s massive order that had Lily scrunching her nose in disgust before asking, “So what are you doing here, Kade?”

“Your serial killer.” Kade’s usual carefree face was serious for once. “The Boston PD called, and we were sent to do what we can to help catch the guy.”

“Called?” Lily asked.

“I’m Special Agent Kade Kincaid,” he said. “I’m a member of the BAU…”

“The Behavioral Analysis Unit,” Lily finished for him, and Nikoli sighed. Lily was a true fan of the show Criminal Minds. She could watch that show for hours when the reruns came on. Truthfully, it had grown on Nikoli too. He found himself watching it even when Lily wasn’t around.

Kade gave Lily his best ‘come here and let me hit that’ grin. Nikoli turned so he could look his brother dead in the eyes. “No.”

Kade’s eyebrows shot up again. Nikoli knew how territorial he was being and how unusual it was for him, but he’d be damned if he sat here and watched his brother flirt with his girlfriend.

He saw Lily shake her head out of the corner of his eye, and he shot her a glare. “I mean it, Kade. Hands off my girlfriend.”

“Your what?” Kade spewed his coffee across the table and right onto Lily, who let out a dismayed gasp. Coffee stains covered her t-shirt.

“Girlfriend.” Nikoli leaned over to wipe the coffee off Lily with a napkin. She looked so shocked at his use of the dirty word, girlfriend. She was his until he broke up with her after Miami. Or until she said yes to Boy Wonder, whichever came first. A brick settled in Nikoli’s stomach at the thought. Damn, he wanted to hit something.

“You don’t do girlfriends,” Kade sputtered.

“I do now,” Nikoli growled. “Apologize to Lily Bells.”

Kade stared at her with his mouth open, and Lily suppressed the urge to laugh. The man looked like he’d been kicked in the teeth at the thought of his little brother having an honest to goodness girlfriend. So funny.

“Sorry,” he muttered at last, confused and frowning. It was all she could do to keep from smiling at his so Nikoli-ish look. She’d seen it on Nikoli’s face a lot the last month or so. If he hadn’t been so blasé about Adam this morning, she might have actually thought he cared. Nikoli confused her. He acted like he didn’t want her, and then he went and told his brother she was his girlfriend.

It was seriously pissing her off, to be honest. She loved the idiot, and he couldn’t seem to make up his mind about what she was to him. Lily knew deep down Nikoli would never be hers, but moments like this gave her hope that maybe she was wrong, maybe he did feel something for her. God, she wanted him to feel something for her. Needed it more than she needed anything else. And it scared her because she was going to be so broken when this ended.

“So, Lily, are you a senior or…?” Kade left the question hanging and brought Lily out of her dire thoughts.

“Senior.” She smiled. “I graduate at the end of this semester.”

“Same as Nik,” Kade said. “What’s your major?”

“English,” she told him. “I’m going to be working at a literary agency in New York when I graduate. They’ve already offered me the job.”

“So you’ll be working with authors? Not an author yourself?”

“Oh, I am an author,” she said, smiling. “My novel is almost done. When I finish and revise it, I’m going to try to get published.”

“You’re writing a book?” Nikoli asked. “You didn’t tell me.”

“No, I didn’t,” she agreed. “I don’t tell you everything, Kincaid.”

“Apparently,” he growled, and Lily laughed. He was in full testosterone mode this morning. “What’s it about?”

“None of your business,” she said, laughter brimming in her eyes. She knew it would drive him nuts until he found out. If he only knew…she shook her head. He’d read it eventually and understand what she wanted to say to him. It was their story. She’d write the ending once they’d ended things. That was all that was missing from their story.

“Why don’t you want to tell me?”

Kade said, “Writers don’t normally share their work until it’s published. Something about needing their privacy.”

“And how would you know that?” Nikoli asked.

“I dated a writer for about a week.” Kade popped a piece of sausage into his mouth. “She got all pissy when I peeked at what she was writing.”

“That sounds about right,” Lily agreed. “Come near mine and you’ll get hurt.”

“Come on now, Lily Bells,” Nikoli wheedled. “Let me read it.”

“No.”

“Just the first chapter?”

“No.”

“Leave it be, Nikoli,” Kade said. “She’ll hurt you. Don’t you see that gleam in her eye that says she’s ready to stab you with her fork?”

“Lily wouldn’t hurt me,” Nikoli scoffed.

“Wanna bet?” Lily asked, remembering his blasé attitude earlier.

This time it was Nikoli’s turn for his eyebrows to shoot up. Ah, he was finally getting the message of how pissed she was. He probably had no clue why, but he didn’t need to know why, only that she was.

“So, Kade, you are working on the serial killer case?” she asked so she wouldn’t have to deal with Nikoli. “Do you guys have any leads?”

“I really can’t discuss an ongoing case, Lily,” he said. “I will tell you that we just got here last night and are catching up on everything. We’ll get him. Soon.”

“I hope it’s sooner rather than later.” She shivered. “That last one was too close to campus.”

“Yes,” Kade murmured. “We are asking for the college to allow a police presence there, just in case. Make sure you never go anywhere on your own, always bring someone, walk back to your dorm with a friend. Never alone.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Nikoli promised.

Kade’s food came, and Lily turned her eyes back to the TV. The news was still talking about the latest victim. If the FBI was here, then the situation was serious. She’d been nervous about the whole situation since she’d seen the first news broadcast over the summer.

She hoped they caught him soon.

***

When Lily returned to her dorm room, she expected to find it empty, but Adam was sitting on her bed, his face troubled. She closed the door and leaned against it. When his eyes met hers, they were dark and thoughtful. The hangover was evident from his wince when the girl in the next room slammed her door.

“You look like hell.” Lily pushed herself away from the door and plopped down in her desk chair.

He ran a hand through his hair. “I feel worse.”

“Getting shit-faced will do that to you.”

He fell back on her bed and started up at the ceiling. “Lily, we need to talk about…well…”

“What you said last night?”

“Yeah.” He still didn’t move. “I know blurting that stuff out at you when I’m drunk wasn’t the best idea.”

“Ya think?”

“I may have been drunk, but I meant every word I said, Lily.”

Lily closed her eyes and counted to ten. A month ago, this conversation would have meant the world to her, but not now. Now, it only meant she had to hurt the one person who had always been there for her through everything.

“Adam, you don’t mean that…”

“Yes, I do.” He sat and looked her in the eye. “I love you, Lils. I’ve loved you my entire life. I just didn’t think you’d ever get better…”

“So you’re only interested in me now that you think I’m getting better?” Anger leaked out of her voice. She couldn’t help it.

“That’s not what I meant.” Adam rolled his shoulders. “I tried, Lily, I tried so hard to help you, but I couldn’t. I don’t understand why Nikoli could, when nothing I did worked. That is what I meant.”

Either way, the outcome was the same. He hadn’t shown any interest until Nikoli. It still stung a bit, but she’d forgiven him somewhere along the way. Didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed he only told her this after Nikoli.

“Adam, I love you. God knows, for the longest time, I thought I was in love with you, but I’ve only recently discovered the difference. You’re my best friend, and you did help me more than you know. Just being there for me, never letting me push you away. That kept me from going off the deep end. You will always be my best friend, and I will always love you, but I’m not in love with you.”

“You love the campus manwhore.” Adam’s eyes dilated, his anger evident in the way his body tensed. “He’s going to break you into little pieces.”

“Then my best friend will be there to put me back together again.” Lily offered him a small smile. She knew it was true. Nikoli was going to hurt her, but she’d take the hurt for the way she felt right now.

“But, Lils, if you’d only listen to what I’m saying, you won’t be broken.” Adam stood and started to pace. “I love you, Lily. We can be so happy together, if you’ll just trust me and let me show you.”

“Adam, what about Sue?”

“What about her?”

“You’re supposed to be getting married in a few weeks. What would that do to her?”

He stopped pacing and sat down on the floor. His face was torn, confused.

“I think you’re only saying all this now because of Nikoli. You love Sue, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why would you even consider leaving her?”

“Because I love you!” he shouted, his frustration pouring out. “You’re not listening to me, Lily. I love you more than I could ever love Sue. I want to marry you, have kids with you, and grow old with you. Only you. I’ve always wanted that. You are my heart, Lily. It’s killing me watching you and Nikoli, thinking that should be me with you. Every time I see you two together, it feels like someone is stabbing me in the heart. What can I say to make you understand, Lily? I love you.”

Tears blurred Lily’s vision and she wiped them away. He sounded so broken.

“Why, Lily? Why do you trust him and not me?”

“Because I was afraid, Adam.” Her words were hesitant, uncertain. “I’ve been seeing Rebekha again, twice a week for the last few weeks. We’ve been talking about that. I was afraid that if I let myself touch you, you’d die, just like Daddy. I couldn’t do that. My mind refused to even contemplate it. Nikoli had no ties to me. He was a stranger and I wasn’t afraid of hurting him like I was you.”

“Do you still think you can hurt me?”

“No. I understand my fears now, and between Nikoli and Rebekha, I’m getting better.”

“Then why not give us a chance, Lils? Let me show you how much I love you, how good we can be together.”

“Because I don’t love you like that, Adam.” Her voice was quiet, somber. She watched him recoil in hurt, and it nearly made her double over from the pain. “I do love you, but I love you like a brother, like my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life, but that’s all I feel for you, Adam.”

He stood, his movements stiff and slow. His eyes were haunted when he looked at her, but there was a determination in them too. “When he breaks you, Lily, I will be here to pick up the pieces. Then I’ll show you what you mean to me, and maybe you’ll give us a chance.”

“Adam…”

“No,” he cut her off. “Don’t say anything, Lily. I’m not going to give up on you. I’m the one who will be here for you when he’s gone. Remember that.” Adam walked over and planted a quick kiss on her head. It was so fast, it reminded her of Nikoli’s sneak attacks. It was over so quickly she didn’t have time to freak. He gave her a crooked smile and let himself out, closing the door behind him.

Lily closed her eyes and let her head fall to the desk.

Damn you, Nikoli Kincaid, for ruining any chance I had with Adam.

She cried, cried for the life she could have had, for the happiness that might have been, but mostly she cried for the hurt she’d caused the one person who she never wanted to hurt, but had.

Chapter Seventeen

Lily blinked at the bright sunshine as she walked out of the Miami-Dade airport. To her left, Luther looked ready to fall down and kiss the ground. He didn’t fly so well. Even liquor didn’t do the trick. Nikoli had laughed and told him he should have slept. Lily didn’t think that was an option for the poor guy. Flying truly terrified him. She’d plugged in her headphones and watched a movie on her tablet, and then opened a book she’d bought to bring with her. Nikoli had taken his own advice and slept the entire flight. She had a feeling he didn’t like flying either, only he handled it better than Luther.

They waited for the bus that would take them to the car rental facility on the property, and once there, Nikoli rented a new Lexus. Lily would have taken the less expensive Ford Focus, but as Nikoli kept reminding her, he could afford it. Since she’d told him she knew who he was, he seemed almost irritated with her for not asking him for things, but she didn’t want anything from him. Except for his love, and that was something she wasn’t going to get.

The hotel was expensive too. Lily cringed thinking about the room service bill Luther was sure to run up. He loved room service. He’d spent all day yesterday telling her about the wonderful room service the hotel offered. It was their favorite place to stay when in Miami. Nikoli reserved two rooms, one for them and one for Luther. The front desk clerk was overly helpful when he saw them, which made Lily realize they must have stayed here quite a bit over the years for the staff to know them. She shouldn’t be surprised, though. They were into racing, and Miami was a racing city.

Luther declined going out for lunch. He wanted to pass out. Poor fella looked like he needed it. Nikoli shook his head and carried their luggage down the hall, motioning for Lily to unlock the door. The room was gorgeous. There was a sitting room with a very comfortable looking couch and a wall-mounted TV. A small fridge and sink were tucked into the corner next to the bathroom. Nikoli opened a set of double doors that led to the bedroom and dumped their luggage in front of the dresser that sported a TV sitting on it as well. The massive king sized bed was covered in a lovely gray comforter.

“Do you like it, Lily Bells?” Nikoli asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, turning her head to meet his wandering lips, and she sighed when his mouth finally landed on hers. His kiss was soft, gentle. It left her breathless.

“Want to try out the bed?” he whispered against her lips before pulling back and staring down at her.

“Nice try.” She leaned her head back against his chest. “Ellie is mine.”

“Not after this weekend,” he promised. The determination in his voice sent a full body shiver though her. “What do you want to do first? Rest, grab a bite to eat, or go see your mom?”

Lily smiled. He hadn’t forgotten that she wanted to see her family. They’d flown out early so he could take her, since they’d be busy tomorrow. She wasn’t quite sure what time the race began. Nikoli said they’d text the time and location to him.

“Can we go see my mom?” she asked. “I called her last night to tell her we were coming. I’m sure she’ll cook a massive meal that no one can finish.”

Nikoli laughed. Lily had grown up in the mountains, and he’d learned that they tended to try and feed people into complacency, or so she’d threatened.

“Sure, baby. Go freshen up, and I’ll go down and program the GPS with the address. Meet me down there when you’re ready.”

He was being so sweet. This was the Nikoli she’d grown to love, not the person he was around everyone else, even Luther. She was going to miss him. Even though he hadn’t said anything, she had a feeling this was their last weekend together. Call it intuition or instinct, but she knew she wasn’t wrong.

She went to the bathroom and took care of her business before she grabbed her purse and the kids’ presents and headed downstairs. She refused to be sad. If she only had him for this weekend, then she was going to enjoy it.

The drive to her mother’s took them about an hour. She lived right outside the city, but with traffic, it took longer than either of them had expected. Lily saw two orange groves on the way. Her mother always raved about the fresh orange juice she got from one of them. She and Lily’s stepfather had moved from North Carolina to Florida right after Lily graduated high school. They loved it, and the kids loved living close to the beach. What kid wouldn’t, though?

When Nikoli slowed the car and pulled into the Spanish style home, Lily got nervous. This was her first big test to see if Nikoli really had helped her deal with her phobia, or if it was just him she could tolerate touching her. What if she started screaming? What if she terrified the twins? What if…

“You’ll be fine, Lily Bells,” Nikoli told her, his eyes calm and reassuring. “You’re better now. You can do this.”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “If I can’t…”

“You and I have been together for months now, Lily, and nothing bad has happened to me, has it?”

“Well, no.”

“Then have a little faith,” he said. “You aren’t cursed, you aren’t responsible for anyone’s death, and you’re not going to cause anyone to be hurt or to die. You can do this, Lily. I have faith in you, so how about having a little in yourself, Milaya?”

His words wrapped around her, like a cool balm on a hot summer’s day to her rattled nerves, and she returned his smile. She still felt nervous, but the panic that had tried to overwhelm her disappeared. Vanished. Nikoli had that effect on her. He was her woobie. She almost laughed at the thought. She’d had a ratty yellow blanket she’d clutched whenever she was afraid when she was little. Her mama called it her woobie. Nikoli felt like that right now, her own personal woobie.

Her mother stepped out on the porch, and she studied her from where she sat. Lily didn’t look a thing like her mother. Joanna Stanton was a short bundle of energy. Blonde hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun, and she wore a pink tank top and blue jean shorts that showed off her sun kissed skin beautifully. Her mama looked good. The Florida climate suited her.

“Daylight’s wasting,” Lily said.

“What?” Nikoli asked, never having heard her speak like that.

“It’s something my Dad used to say whenever he dreaded doing something. It was his way of reminding himself when something had to be done, there was no point in putting it off.”

“Your father was a wise man,” Nikoli said. “Ready to go?”

Not really, but she got out of the car anyway. She stood staring at her mom. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Her mother stared back at her just as intently. Nikoli came over and gently nudged her forward. She glared at him. He needed to give her time. He shook his head no and pushed her forward again. The man was insufferable. He never let her just take a minute and think.

She gave him one more glare and started walking. When she reached the porch, her mother took an automatic step back. She knew Lily’s phobia intimately.

“Hi, Mama,” Lily said, her voice hesitant.

“Lily.” Her mother’s voice was just as soft as hers. Lily used to love listening to her read to her when she was little. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her thoughts focused on what she was about to attempt. She waited for the panic, for the overwhelming fear to consume her, but all she felt was the warmth and the love she associated with her mother. And Nikoli. She could feel his presence behind her, and she took strength from that.

She walked over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tight. “I love you, Mama.”

Her mother let out a strangled cry and hugged her back just as hard. “Oh, my baby…”

Lily felt her mother’s tears fall down and splash her face. She heard the wonder in her voice. It made her heart cry and swell with love at the same time. She’d deprived herself and her mother of this for years, and now instead of panic, she felt a deep sadness. She’d caused them both so much pain.

“I’m so sorry, Mama,” she whispered, her own tears joining her mother’s. “I didn’t mean to hurt you…I just…I…”

“Hush now, sweet girl.” Her mama stroked her hair like she had when she was a little girl. “Hush and let me hold you.”

Behind her, Lily heard the trunk pop, and she knew Nikoli was getting the gifts she’d bought for her family, but it was only a distant thought. Right now, all she was concerned with was that she was in her mother’s arms with no fear, no panic, no need to start screaming.

And that was all because of Nikoli Kincaid.

They spent the afternoon lounging by the pool while her mother cooked them enough food to feed three armies. The twins were ecstatic to see Lily. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with them in person, but she did Skype with her mom and the twins at least two or three times a week. They tore into their gifts like little fiends and squealed with delight. What really broke Lily’s heart was when they were so shocked she hugged them. She spent two hours just sitting on the floor playing with them, smiling like she hadn’t in a very long time.

Once everyone had been fed, Lily offered to help her mom with the dishes. Nikoli was content to sit and talk about baseball with her stepfather. She helped her mom gather up dishes and took them into the kitchen, where she started scraping them. Her mom ran some dishwater for the pots and pans. She always refused to put pans in the dishwasher, proclaiming that was where all the nicks and scratches came from.

“Tell me about this young man of yours,” her mother said without preamble.

“He’s my saving grace, I guess you could say. I would never had learned to control my phobia without him.”

“How did he do it?” her mother asked curiously. “What did he do that we didn’t?”

“It’s not that, Mama. You did everything you could. It was more me. I wanted to change, to be able to let someone touch me. It wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t needed to change so badly. Nikoli just…he never let me give up. He pushed and pushed and pushed. Sometimes I wanted to strangle him, but he never pushed too far. He knew when to stop. But mostly, he was just there when I needed him.”

“He pushed you?”

Lily snorted. That was putting it mildly. “He pushed my limits, never let me give in to my fear, never let me give up, Mama, even when I wanted to. I never thought I’d be able to let anyone touch me ever again, but I can now, and it’s all due to him. I’m mostly healed because of that man.”

“Oh, baby, I’m so happy for you. I only wish I could have helped you more, gotten you better sooner. I’m so sorry.”

Lily put down the plate she was scraping and took her mother’s hands into hers. “Don’t be sorry, Mama. This phobia of mine wasn’t your fault, and you did do everything you could to make me better. You’re a good mother, and I love you so much. No more tears, okay? Only smiles from now on.”

“It’s good advice, Mrs. Stanton.”

They both turned to see Nikoli lounging in the doorway. Lily felt her heart skip gleefully at the sight of him and cringed a little inside. Not out of fear, but the beginning of pain. This was their last weekend together. She knew it deep down. She couldn’t shake the thought. Intuition. She wanted to curl up and cry.

Lily’s mother went over to Nikoli and wrapped him in a bear hug. He laughed and hugged her back. “What’s that for?”

“For giving me my baby back,” she said, a tremor in her voice. She was fighting not to break down. Nikoli smiled down at her.

Nikoli now understood where Lily got her kindness from. Her mother was one of the sweetest women he’d ever met, coming in a close second to his own mother. He saw the gratitude in her eyes and felt himself blush a little. She had no idea why he’d wanted Lily cured, and looking into her eyes now, he almost felt like a heel. Almost.

“Don’t thank me,” he told her. “Lily is a beautiful woman who deserves to be happy. I only helped a little.”

“You are welcome in this house, young man,” her mother said, wiping her eyes. “Always.”

“Thank you,” Nikoli said and then turned regretful eyes to Lily. “We need to get going, Lily Bells.”

“So soon?” Joanna asked. “It’s barely seven.”

“I have to be up early tomorrow,” Nikoli explained. “I have a race.”

“Race?” Joanna asked sharply.

“Yes, ma’am.” Nikoli nodded. “I came down to Florida to enter a race.”

“You race cars?” Nikoli watched Joanna’s eyes fill up with some emotion he couldn’t explain. She had to be thinking of Lily’s father.

“I do,” he said, keeping his voice calm. “Lily has been helping me get the car ready for the race.”

“Those damn cars.” Joanna shook her head. “Lily was forever under the hood of a car, even after her father died.”

“It kept me sane.” Lily smiled.

“Yes, yes, it did. Have you seen my daughter drive, Nikoli?”

“Yes, ma’am. I let her drive the car I’m entering back to campus when I bought it. She smoked me.”

“That’s my girl.” There was an edge to Joanna’s laughter. Nikoli knew she wasn’t at all happy about Lily in a race car.

“We really do have to go,” Nikoli said gently. “We still have to feed Luther, my partner in crime.”

“Oh my, let me fix him a plate.” Joanna went about doing just that on a paper plate they could take.

He went over and slipped an arm around Lily, loving how she snuggled into his side. He leaned down and whispered, “Happy?”

“More than I could ever tell you,” she whispered back. “Thank you, Nikoli Kincaid.”

He brushed his lips over her hair and caught her mother staring at them. She looked so full of hope he couldn’t meet her eyes. He was, for the first time in a while, starting to feel guilty about his own motives. Lily truly was a beautiful person inside and out. She deserved better than to be used the way he wanted to use her.

“Here you go.” Joanna handed the plate to Lily. It was overflowing under the plastic wrap. She was a good cook, and Luther would be groaning with food orgasms before he’d finished the plate.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you.”

Lily handed Nikoli the plate and hugged her mother. “Love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, baby,” Joanna murmured, and Nikoli smiled, knowing how much this meant to Lily.

“Can you start the car while I tell the twins goodbye?” Lily asked him, and he nodded, telling her mother goodbye once more before walking out into the humid Florida night. He started the car and rolled the windows down before turning on the air conditioning. He blew the heat out and then rolled the windows back up to cool the car off. Carefully putting the plate of food in the back seat, Nikoli leaned back and let the cool air hit him in the face.