Page 11 of Irresistible

CHAPTER FOUR

Tuesday

Lilly sat on the grass next to the small lake behind her townhome and watched her dog snuffle in the grass. The sun was starting to descend, and she wondered how cold it would get later. It had been thirty-nine degrees on Sunday and today hit a high of seventy-two. If that wasn’t a sign of global warming, she didn’t know what was. Leaning back, she lay down, stared up at the sky and let her mind wander. She’d been deep into her writing for most of the day and hadn’t given herself a chance to think about what had happened with Brock. As the last of the puffy clouds drifted out of sight, she remembered the feel of his lips. Pressing her fingers to her mouth, she felt an echo of the tingles he’d sent through her body.

When she asked him to handcuff her, she’d had no idea what she was in for. One minute they were working out the logistics of the scene, and the next he had her pinned against the wall and was kissing her like he owned her. It was the sort of kiss she’d been waiting for. The heat that had caused them to bicker for years turned into something else last night. Something hot and out of control.

Popcorn wandered over and lay down next to her. “You’re supposed to be running around, getting your exercise. I guess you like it about as much as I do. Must be because we’re getting old.”

“You’re not old,” a deep voice called out.

Lifting her head, she saw Brock walking toward her. “Compared to you, I’m not.”

“Three years, Lilly.” Collapsing next to her on the grass, he grinned. “That’s not much.”

“Eight years in the military makes you about a hundred years older.”

“That’s true.” Leaning over, he ran his hand along Popcorn’s head and then kissed Lilly lightly. “How did the writing go today?”

“Well. The muse was with me, and I didn’t struggle with the chapter.”

“Must have something to do with the kissing we did last night.”

“Not sure.” Turning her head, she gazed into his eyes and was surprised by what she saw. Desire, heat and a bit of mischief, if she wasn’t mistaken. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard what Tina’s up to, and I wanted to talk to you about it. The report she filed the other day strongly suggests that you were responsible.”

“It’s such an amateur move. Clearly, she has no experience with mayhem and shenanigans. Accusing someone without checking to see if it’s possible is just foolish. It proves that you’re up to no good, and in her and Drew’s case, that’s all they’re about.”

“How’d this whole thing start?”

“It’s a story driven by envy. Wish I could make it more interesting, but I can’t. The seven deadly sins get you every time.” Sitting up, she crossed her legs and then took her sunglasses off. “I wrote my first two books during the time Drew and I dated, and now I have a movie deal based on the series.” Kissing her dog’s head, she frowned. “There are six books in the series, and he’s claiming that he’s owed some amount of money because he was around when I started it.”

“So that low-life scum-sucking son of a bitch is trying to get money out of you?”

“Yep.”

“His family has four car dealerships and they’re in high cotton. What the hell does he need your money for?”

“It’s not the money he wants. It’s revenge. He asked me to marry him and I broke up with him instead.”

“So it’s pride that’s driving this, not envy.”

“Pride started it and then envy drove the sucker home.” The sun was almost gone and the sky had lit up with all the pretty colors. Orange, pink, and saffron mixed together just like a bowl of sherbet. Shivering, she hunched over. “Did you know that pride is said to be the foremost of all the seven deadly sins? It’s also the only one with a virtuous side. It is the sin from which all the others arise.”

“All those years spent in parochial school have served you well. I’m impressed you remember.”

“The only thing I remember from my catechism classes is what St. Augustine said: ‘It was pride that changed angels into devils.’ I hurt Drew’s pride and he never forgave me. That incident set this whole thing in motion. I had no idea he was going to propose. In fact, I thought he was going to break up with me. We were about a year past our expiration date. We were college sweethearts and stayed together after graduation out of habit and nothing more.”

“That was years ago. Why is he kicking up a ruckus now?”

“That’s where the envy comes in…Tina has never cared for me, and when she and Drew started dating, she decided to seek her revenge. The movie deal made the local papers, unfortunately, and she somehow convinced Drew that he was due a piece of the action. When I say convinced, that’s exactly what I mean. Drew doesn’t have an ambitious bone in his body and has more money than he’ll ever need.”

“Apparently he has a lot of asshole in him, though. How does he expect to hold up his head in town after this?” He slid his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders, then took her hands and covered them with his.

Looking down, she saw her hands disappear inside his. His skin was hot, and she foolishly felt like he would take on the world if she asked. It had been true when they were kids, and she figured the protector in him had only gotten more powerful. Steel sharpened steel, and she knew his time in the Marines had made him about as strong as could be. “Tina recently graduated from Tulane and has a shiny new law degree that she wants to try out. Guess she figured she could get her boyfriend indebted to her, get a little experience, and maybe make a name for herself.”

“Except it’s not really working out that way. Is it?”

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