Page 16 of Lilly
“I’ve never heard you come before,” Taylor says, making me turn beetroot red. I’ve never really been one to share the details of my love life. I’ve preferred to keep it inside the bedroom, hence he’s never heard anything before. I wish I could say the same for him. “It was seriously hot, Lil. I’d only just got laid but I was in my room knocking one out after the other listening to youguys.”
“Ew, really, Tay? I don’t need to know this,” I say, getting up to get ready for work. I’ve already annoyed Lucas this morning; I’d better not be late aswell.
Unfortunately, Taylor follows me and continues to question me about every intimate detail of my night, as well as demanding to know why I sent him away this morning if he was good enough to make me scream. Taylor looks about as confused as Lucas did first thing this morning when I explain my reasons. Apparently, he thinks I should have blown off work as well. I don’t mention that one of the reasons I refused was because, in a round about way, Lucas would basically be paying me to spend time with me, and that didn’t sit well with me. I knew Taylor would tell me I’m being stupid, and I probably am, but that doesn’t stop me feeling thatway.
I eventually get out of the flat only thirty minutes later than usual. Thankfully, my rust bucket of a car starts first time and I’m rushing through reception to dump my stuff in my locker in notime.
I burst through Lucas’ hotel room door with my cleaning supplies in hand. I instantly look around for him and I can’t help feeling disappointed that he isn’t here. What was I expecting though, after thismorning?
I let out a huge sigh and crack on, trying to put all memories of last night and this morning behind me. Obsessing over them will not help me in theslightest.
It’s a shame my little pep talk doesn’t hhelp, because I’m totally lost to the feeling of his lips on my body when a throat clearing behind me makes me jump. I drop the bathroom cleaner and sponge I had in my hands in fright. I spin around and gasp at the sight. My heart starts racing and my temperature instantlyincreases.
Lucas is stood in the doorway wearing a black hoodie with the hood up over his head, and a pair of grey jogging bottoms. The hood comes down to his eyebrows and the shadow it causes makes his eyes look evenangrier.
I swallow down a lump that’s formed in my throat. He looks dangerous, like he could seriously hurt someone. Weirdly, I have no fear. I know he won’t hurt me. This shocks me, because after everything I’ve been through, I’d have thought this would set me onedge.
“I need to use the shower,” he statescoldly.
“Uh…right…yeah.”
I gather up my stuff and get out. I can’t stop myself from turning back to look at him as I walk away, and of course he catches me. And just to torture me further, he pulls his hoodie off, exposing that stunning tattoo to me. Frustratingly, he doesn’t shut the bathroom door, so as I go about dusting the bedroom, all I can picture is the water running over his hardmuscles.
I need to get agrip.
It’s only a few minutes before he appears with a towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets running down hischest.
“Lucas, can we talk aminute?”
“No, I’m busy. Just do your job, Lilly. It’s what I pay youfor.”
His vicious words cut me. They actuallyhurt.
“I thought you took the morning off,” I say with as much strength as I can muster, because I don’t want him to see that he’s affectingme.
The look I receive has me cowering away. Now that’s the Mr. Dalton I knew of before I started working up here: a ruthless and powerful arsehole. As much as it hurts that he’s reverted to that when he’s never been anything but kind to me, it actually grounds me a little. This is what I was expecting; this is how it shouldbe.
Lucas
After I spendthe night with a woman, I usually spend the following days—fuck, even weeks sometimes—trying to get rid of them. So why is that Lilly kicking me out this morning hurt? I would like to think it was only my ego, but unfortunately, it’s more thanthat.
I knew she’d be here when I got back from my run. If I’m honest, I wanted her to be. A part of me hoped she might have changed her mind. The second I saw her though, I was pissed off again. My relaxing run was long forgotten. I saw how she was with me last night—how sweet, how responsive, how forward she was. I was not expecting this today. I shake my head at my thoughts, because how she is acting right now is all I’ve ever wanted. Why is it that I’ve found her, yet I want the exact opposite of what I have before? I want moretime.
After cancelling my meetings this morning, I haven’t really got anything to do, but a quick call to my designer gets me a meeting with her to see how everything is progressing with the refit. I know Dad wants to be involved as much as he can with this, so I arrange for the meeting to be at theirhouse.
“Good morning, Luc,” my mum greets when I walk into theirkitchen.
“Morning,” I mutter before giving her a kiss on thecheek.
“Son, how’s it going?” Dad calls out as he walks towardsme.
“It’s good,” I say, but I don’t put much enthusiasm behind the statement, which earns me a concerned look from my mum. I can’t hide anything from her. Coming here was probably amistake.
The designer is the same middle-aged woman Dad has worked with for years. Her designs are good, don’t get me wrong, but they’re so safe. I’m trying to make our hotels something a little different to the competition—safeisn’t going to do that. Dad loves it though; he sees all the standard fittings, the same decoration in each room, the same bedding, and thinks it’s all great. I’m sure I could convince him otherwise, and most days I do, but I just haven’t got it in me this time. So I sign off on the designs and put an end to themeeting.
Dad almost immediately disappears to his greenhouse, leaving me alone with Mum. Fuck knows what he’s doing in there inFebruary.
“What’s going on, Luc? You look stressed. Is everything okay at thehotels?”
