Page 27 of Devil
He paused, seemingly considering her approach, then spoke. “And if nothing else, I’ll get to see you all dressed up. There are worse ways to while away an evening.”
“We’ll be keeping this professional, Commander,” Devil said, then frowned. Her voice hadn’t sounded as stern as she’d intended. Jumping into bed with Commander Darius Washington would, no doubt, be well worth her time. But it was the complications that came after that she wasn’t ready for.
“The millennials don’t have it all wrong, Lily,” he said.
“I have no idea where you’re going with this.”
“Surely you’ve heard the phrase friends with benefits?”
Her brow furrowed. She’d never slept with a man she considered a friend before. There had been men she liked and respected, men she’d known through work or travel. But none had been afriend.
“I take it you haven’t been able to find the document Dr. Pritchard printed?” she asked, changing the subject.
He chuckled again. “Not yet, but if she printed it at the center, Iwillfind it.”
“You know you could be chasing a ghost. She might not have used any of the devices there.”
“Possibly, but we won’t know until I check. Have you found anything new?”
She spent a few minutes updating him on what little information she’d found that morning, including Nora’s suggestion about the Uyghur. When she finished, they locked down a time for her to swing by and pick him up that evening and then said their goodbyes.
A little part of her was eager to see him in a tux. But that would have to wait. Right now, her three friends were staring at her through the window. They might look cozy and relaxed on her patio, but she knew better. They were done talking about Lab 14. And there was no escaping the grilling she was about to get about one Commander Darius Washington.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
When Darius learnedthe venue of the dinner, he’d texted Lily and said he’d meet her there. It was less than ten minutes from his apartment, and it was easier for him to walk than it was for her to swing by to pick him up. Besides, putting some space between them, and making sure she knew he was focused on the problems at hand and not on getting her naked, seemed like a good idea. He still didn’t know her well, but what she’d told him about her relationship with her family—or lack thereof—had given him a sharp insight into her character. He couldn’t imagine being raised in a family that communicated through assistants. He couldn’t imagine only seeing his parents once a year—and being grateful that it wasonlyonce a year. He couldn’t imagine his family not caring about his graduations.
What he could imagine, though, was how all that—and everything else she’d hadn’t yet shared—had led Lily to be the cool, controlled woman she was. He doubted she’d be so dramatic, but from what he gathered, she’d grown up with no love, no laughter, and, essentially, no family. She’d had material comforts, and she didn’t take those for granted, but she’d had little else. Until she’d attended St. Josue and met Cyn, Six, and Nora.
He smiled as he buttoned the last of the buttons on his jacket. He wouldn’t go so far as to say Lily was a different person when she was with her friends, but she did smile more often, laugh more freely, and genuinely care. Her biological family might have influenced her foundational years, but her chosen family had done its fair share of nurturing.
Taking one last look at himself in the full-length mirror, he figured he’d do. Then, reaching for the small gift he had for Lily, he tucked it into his pocket before hooking an umbrella over his arm. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but it was scheduled to storm later that evening.
After grabbing his dress coat from the hall closet, he locked the door behind him and made his way to the dinner. Rounding the corner to the hotel as Lily pulled in, he slowed his pace and remained in the shadows. He’d been anticipating seeing her all day. It wasn’t professional, but no one was watching, and he wanted to enjoy the moment.
One long leg emerged from the driver’s seat, and a swath of deep red silk slid across her thigh, exposing her smooth skin. Inch by inch, she revealed herself as she exited. Her movements seemed torturously slow, teasingly so, but the swiftness with which he reacted froze him in place. His jacket and pants seemed to shrink against his skin. His gut tightened. And an entirely new, and primitive, urge to claim her gripped him.
Locked in place, he drank in the sight of her as she stood beside her car, talking to the valet. Her hair was up and her elegant neck bare of any jewelry. She did have a single diamond bracelet on her right wrist, and he wondered if it was the one she’d received after graduating from medical school. Guessing that it was, he felt an unnatural hatred for the inanimate object swell up inside him.
Dragging his gaze away from the diamonds glittering on her wrist, he took in the rest of her. Her sleeveless dress cut across her collarbone, falling over her breasts and torso in a way that didn’t cling, but hinted at her body as it moved. The skirt hugged her hips and legs, but a slit that ran up the side to well above her knee made it easier for her to walk.
She hadn’t caught sight of him yet, and she was still talking to the valet. The young man said something that made her laugh, then she turned and reached for something in the car, and Darius’s heart nearly stopped. Her back, from her neck to just above the swell of her very fine ass, was completely bare. Never in his life had his hands itched to touch something so much. He wanted to slide them across her skin, under the sides of her dress. He wanted to cup her breasts and pull her back to his front as he plucked and played with her body. He wanted to hear the sounds she’d make when he teased and seduced her.
Darius didn’t think anything would be able to drag his attention from Lily, but when the valet adjusted his pants while her back was still turned, he stepped forward.
“Lily,” he said, moving out of the shadows.
She straightened from the car and turned. For a moment, they stood there, energy arcing between them, but neither moving. Except for Lily’s eyes, which traveled down his body, then back up again. He hadn’t put his coat on, so she had the full impact of him in his formal dress blues. He was more than happy to let her look.
The valet cleared his throat, and Lily gave a little shake of her head. “Here,” she said, handing her key fob over. “We’re attending the dinner, so likely won’t need it until that’s over.”
The young man nodded, and Lily moved away. Meeting her halfway, he held out his arm. She didn’t take it right away as her gaze skirted over him, lingering on the various insignia and medals. Finally, her eyes lifted and met his. A smile that was part mischievous and part rueful danced on her lips.
“I’ve honestly never had a thing for men in uniform before, but I’m revisiting that opinion by the second.”
He laughed. “You are stunning,” he said, returning the compliment. Her eyes jerked up and held his. He wasn’t sure what he’d said, but there was something thoughtful in her expression.
They remained standing at the edge of the hotel drive as if some invisible force was keeping them in place. Then a car pulled in too fast, and Darius grabbed Lily and ushered her to the safety of the hotel lobby. Once inside, he dropped his grip on her and again held his arm out. This time, she flashed him a smile, slipped her hand under his elbow, then curled it over his forearm.
