Lily

I sucked in a ragged breath and tried to pull together the tattered edges of my dignity. No easy task when being held in the arms of the hottest guy on the planet. But damned if I wasn’t going to give it my best shot.

I lifted my head, putting a tiny bit of space between Will and I. “Umm, while I’ve never been accused of being a damsel in distress before, you’ve done your white knight duties perfectly. But I think it’s safe for you to put me down now.”

Will’s response was to tighten his hold. “I’m good.”

“You’re good?” I blinked up at him.

“Yup.”

Well, hell. How was I supposed to respond to that? I twisted to look over at Maggie. And found myself fighting a sigh. Judging by her saucer-sized eyes, broad grin, and the fact she looked like she was trying to keep from peeing her pants, she was loving every moment of the Will and Lil show.

I turned back to Will. “Your arms must be getting tired by now. I’m no lightweight.”

And I wasn’t. In fact, now that I thought of it, knowing he’d been standing here holding me like I weighed no more than a kitten all this time, I really wanted to get a peek at what he was hiding under that black, button-down shirt. The boy must spend serious time in the gym.

I did my best to shove those thoughts aside. They definitely weren’t helping me any. Unless you found hardening nipples and damp panties helpful.

Get a grip, Lily.

“You’re not heavy. You’re perfect.”

The way he said those words, soft and serious, coupled with the way he looked at me, as if I was his most cherished possession, made me swallow. Hard. He thought I was perfect.

“Oh. My. God,” Maggie whispered.

Sing it, sister.

“What is going on here?”

Three heads whipped around to stare at the person screeching in our direction. Great. Leave it to Satan’s Helper to ruin the mood.

“Oh, Sasha, Will…um, Mr. Canter, he was just, um…” Maggie bugged her eyes out at me.

“I can see perfectly well what’s going on here.” Sasha wrinkled her nose at me like I was something she’d stepped in that now coated the bottom of her Jimmy Choo’s. “I wanted to terminate you before you even got here, but I was nice enough to give you a second chance. And now you’re throwing yourself at one of Mr. Wilder’s guests.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Yes, I’m obviously holding him here against his will. Those are some amazing powers of deduction you’ve got there, Sherlock. I can totally understand why you’re queen of the cater waiters.”

Sasha gasped and I could feel Will’s body shake with a rumbling chuckle.

“You are fired. And if you expect to get paid for your work here…”

Will didn’t let Sasha get too far into that particular tirade. His laughter stopped as fast as it started, and he raised his left eyebrow, a skill I was immediately exceptionally jealous of.

“Sasha, was it?” Will asked in a voice I hadn’t heard from him yet. If I had to label it, it would probably be bored, over-privileged frat boy. Not one I normally found attractive, but in my current situation, the sound of it made me want to cheer. “I suggest if you want to cater an event that takes place anywhere other than a church basement anytime soon, you stop right there.”

Sasha’s lips pressed together so hard, so fast, I feared they might get stuck in a permanent pucker, as if she spent her days sucking lemons. I tried my best not to cackle in glee. But I’m sure the big grin I sported left little doubt about my feelings.

“Your employee almost injured herself because of the ridiculous footwear your company insisted on this evening. I suggest you go cut her a check now, and find someone to cover the rest of her shift as she’ll be leaving now to tend to her feet.”

I gaped up at him.

“She needs…” Sasha started.

“I need for this conversation to be over,” Will said. “Now whose needs do you think Mr. Wilder will be most concerned with?”

“I could kiss you,” I whispered and then promptly slapped the hand not hooked around his neck over my mouth. I totally didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Will glanced down at me and his expression softened for a second. “I’ll take you up on that. Soon.”

My heart stuttered and I swear I could feel my blood start pounding through my veins as I moved my hand from my mouth slowly. And suddenly I found I never wanted to be kissed so badly in my life.

“I hate to do it, sweetheart, but I’m going to put you down. I have to say goodbye to a few people. Get your stuff, get your check and I’m going to take you home.”

Before I had a chance to respond, he eased his arm from under my legs and slowly lowered me to my ground. My body slid against his the whole way down, and I enjoyed every moment of having my curves pressed against his hard contours.

As my feet touched the floor, I braced my hands against his chest, leaning into him. He smiled down at me and my knees wobbled a bit.

“If you keep smiling at me like that, you’re going to have to carry me out of here,” I warned. “I’m not sure my legs are going to want to keep me upright.

His smile turned into a smirk. “Sweetheart, I’ll be more than happy to sweep you off your feet again.”

His words just made me lean more of my weight into him. But my usual snarky self finally remembered to show up. “You’re not helping,” I said testily.

He laughed. “Okay, how can I make it better?”

“Stop with all the sweet talk. And that charming stuff. And telling off bitchy, control freak cater waiter supervisors.” I gave him my best grouchy face—nose wrinkled, lips pursed—but then realized I didn’t really want him to stop any of those things. I decided to amend my demands. “Or at least hold off on all that stuff until I’m sitting down.”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises.”

I harrumphed and pushed off his chest, pausing a second to make sure I didn’t actually melt into a puddle on the floor without his support. When it seemed like I could hold my own, I dropped my hands to my hips and gave him a long, considering look, ignoring my best friend’s gleeful gaze and Sasha’s dramatic exit from our group. I had more important things on my mind right that second.

Was I really going to let this guy I just met take me home?

My gaze hit his and the look he was giving me made warmth spread through every inch of my body, with an extra hot helping of it pooling low in my belly.

Oh, yeah. I was totally going to let him take me home.

* * *

The warmth carried me through hugs and girly squealing with Maggie, into the kitchen to get my stuff and collect my check from a grim-faced Sasha, and out onto the street with my hand tucked firmly in Will’s arm.

It took a little hit when, instead of taking mass transit, Will settled me in the back of a black Town Car with a uniformed driver. But of course he’d have a car and driver. I couldn’t even imagine the reaction he’d get if he tried to ride the train to Brooklyn with me.

Getting the warmth back didn’t take long, as Will tucked me under his arm after I gave directions to the driver, and we drove through the dark city night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d traveled through the city above ground. Subways might be fast and cheap, but no matter the season, the views remained the same. I didn’t realize until just now that I’d missed the experience of sightseeing in the city.

I cuddled into Will, amazed I felt so comfortable with a guy I’d just met. I kept my eyes to the window and took in all the sights and sounds of Manhattan during Christmas.

I smiled at the street corner Santa’s and the store windows decked out for one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. I loved every second of it. Especially the part where I got to view it all while Will held me close to his side.

I tipped my face up to him. “Are you sure you don’t mind going all the way out to Brooklyn? I didn’t even ask. Do you have a place in the city?”

“I don’t mind at all. And no. I don’t have a place. I got in this morning and dumped my bags with Jared and Paige at his apartment. I figured if I was going to stay for the month, I’d get a hotel or something.”

I nodded, but his words made me conjure pictures of the places he was used to staying. Jared’s apartment was probably comparable to the penthouse we’d just left. And my guess was the hotel Will had in mind for a month-long stay didn’t come with a bed that vibrated after you shoved a few quarters in a slot or a television bolted to a cheap piece of wood veneer furniture.

I sank my teeth into my bottom lip and felt the warmth leeching out a bit again. What would a man who traveled the world and hung out with people like Nate Wilder think of my tiny apartment above an all-night diner?

As soon as I had the thought I kicked it right out again. I wasn’t going to let some guy make me feel bad about where I lived, even if he was a rock star. Besides I wouldn’t even be there much longer if things went as planned.

I shored up my defenses as we got closer and closer to the bridge that would take us into Brooklyn. Since I laid eyes on Will a few hours ago, I’d been letting my heart—and a few other of my girly bits—lead me around. Now I reminded myself why I usually avoided wearing my heart on my sleeve. It had never gotten me much of anything but disappointment and heartbreak.

I couldn’t allow myself to invest too much hope in things developing more deeply than they went right now with Will. No matter what, I’d look at this as a fun adventure. I would not expect anything more.

“You okay?” he asked, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

“Of course.” I flashed him a bright smile and watched as his eyebrows drew together.

“Are you sure?” He held my gaze captive with his own, his eyes searching mine so thoroughly, I was afraid he’d uncover every feeling and every secret I’d ever pushed down inside me.

But if he saw more than I wanted to, he didn’t let on. He pressed a gentle kiss to my temple and cuddled me close. He didn’t allow me to move away from him until we pulled up in front of my apartment.