Lily

Will looked up and down the street as I dug my keys out of my bag. I tried so hard not to guess what he thought of my little neighborhood. At the edge of a trendy, up-and-coming area, my street was a mishmash, mixing the old with the new. You were as likely to find a pawnshop here as you were a bar serving pretentiously named drinks.

I moved to the heavy steel door between the diner and a dry cleaning shop, and unlocked it before leading Will up the narrow flight of stairs leading to my apartment. With each step, I could feel my nerves pull tighter until I was holding myself together by a thread.

As I got to the top, I figured I had three options. I could say a quick good-bye and thank you before slipping into my apartment and shutting the door behind me. I could invite him in and open myself to disdain and judgment when he got a good look at where I lived. Or I could charge back outside, grab a taxi to the airport and hop on the first plane I could find that was headed to a tropical island.

Since my plan to be living in my dream house shortly after ringing in the New Year didn’t leave much room in my budget for side trips to exotic locales, I took that third option off the table.

My usual choice would be the one that didn’t leave me open to having my ego lambasted by someone else’s negative opinions. But as I stuck my key in the lock, visions of the last few hours flooded my mind—Will’s teasing banter, his quick reflexes that had him literally sweeping me off my feet, his quick defense in the face of Sasha’s condescending attitude.

I guess that made my front door, door number two.

I pushed it open and glanced over my shoulder. “Do you want to come inside?”

Will grinned. His only answer was pushing up behind me and herding me into the apartment. As soon as we cleared the threshold, he shut the door firmly behind us.

“Guess that’s a yes.”

I quickly busied myself with taking off my coat and hanging it on the hook in the entry. I grabbed Will’s as he shed it and did the same. I took my time kicking off my shoes and lining them up against the baseboard under the coat hooks.

No matter how much I wished I could avoid facing Will’s reaction to my tiny digs, there was only so long I could pretend to be occupied with coats, shoes, and bags. So I sucked in a breath, pulled up my big girl panties, and tugged him past the entry.

My apartment was far from the trendy lofts or luxury high-rises so many people thought of in this part of Brooklyn. Standing in my living room, you could see the entire place in a quick glance. This room was large enough for my small gray couch, the television sitting on a narrow entertainment stand, and a tiny bistro table and two chairs that served as dining room table and desk for me.

On one side of the room, an open pocket door led to the bedroom. The queen-sized bed took up most of the space with only enough room left over for a single nightstand. The bed was pushed into the corner so one side was up against the wall, leaving just enough room to maneuver from the bed to the bathroom.

On the other side of the living room, half a wall made up my kitchen. Actually it was a kitchenette. The sink, stovetop, cabinets, and half-sized fridge were all one unit. And one of the ways I’d been able to negotiate the rent to a lower than average price for the neighborhood was I’d agreed to add the kitchenette myself.

While it might be small, it was mine. My refuge. I’d done my best to make it homey. The walls were painted in pale hues of blue and green. I’d added colorful pillows, throws, and a fabulous area rug.

But my favorite parts of the place were the walls I’d hand painted. On the wall behind the sofa, I’d painted a garden full of trees and flowers. And in my bedroom, instead of a headboard, I’d painted a doorway open to a lush countryside.

I worried my bottom lip between my teeth and slowly turned my eyes up to see Will’s reaction. His eyes were fastened on my painted garden, his jaw slack and his lips slightly parted.

After several long minutes where I resisted the urge to fidget and chew on my thumbnail, he turned to me.

“Did you paint that?”

I nodded.

“It’s incredible. I was already blown away by how beautiful and funny you are, but this…” He shook his head. “This is unreal. You’re so talented.”

My cheeks heated and pleasure bloomed in my chest at his words. “Thank you.”

“Why are you bartending instead of doing this for a living?”

I laughed. “I wish it were that easy. I do make most of my living from my art.” I gestured to my computer set up on the table in the corner. “I do some graphic design and every once in a while I get a commission to paint something like this.” I gestured to the wall behind the couch. “Or the one in my bedroom.”

I pointed and Will wandered to the open door. He stood transfixed as he took it in.

Then he turned to me, “Holy shit. That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

I shrugged and fought down the urge to make a sarcastic comment, my usual response to compliments about my work. While I might be able to blow off anyone else’s words with a casual retort, for some reason Will’s reaction was important to me. It meant a lot to me that he saw value in my art.

“I can’t believe you aren’t booked solid to paint murals like that.” He tipped his chin toward the bedroom. Then he gave me a speculative look. “I know a lot of people in different industries, Lily. I’d be happy to introduce you to a few of them in the city. You’d have jobs lined up for the next ten years.”

My heart sped up and anxiety twisted through my stomach. I curled my hands together, holding on tight. I could only imagine the type of people Will came into contact with—celebrities, designers, agents and billionaires, to name a few. I had no doubt if he introduced me to someone, they’d give me a job or two to appease the rock star.

But what happened when Will lost interest in me? No way would I set up my business based on my connection to him or anyone else. I wanted more than anything to be able to make a living with my art, but being employed at someone else’s whim put me in too precarious a position. I wouldn’t set myself up to lose everything if the guy who liked me right this second decides to drop some nasty words about me in the same ears a few months from now.

No way could I explain all that to Will. I did my best to just shrug his offer away. “Thanks. I’ll have to give that some thought.”

His brow wrinkled and he took a step closer to me. “I mean it. You’re really amazingly talented.”

I couldn’t fight the broad smile that grew at his words if I wanted to.

“Thank you,” I said softly and took a step closer to him, placing my hands on his chest. “It means a lot to me that you think so.”

Jeez. I wanted to take the words back as soon as they left my mouth. What was it about Will Canter that made me blurt stuff like I’d been hit with a truth serum? Part of me wanted to cover with some snark, but a bigger part of me liked the way he was smiling down at me right this moment. And that part of me didn’t want to do anything that would pop our bubble.

Will stepped a little closer to me, his arms going around my waist, pulling me tight to his body. I shifted my hands from his chest to loop around his neck.

“I think I made you a promise,” he said.

I tipped my head to the side. “You did?”

Dear Lord. Who on earth did that breathless voice belong to?

Oh, yeah. That would be me. Guess I wouldn’t be getting any trophies for playing things cool tonight.

Will’s grin widened as if he knew exactly what was going on in my head. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I mean, I was standing in my teeny, tiny apartment above a diner in Brooklyn, being held in the arms of one of the most famous rock stars on the planet. I don’t think I’d be shocked if a unicorn stepped out of the garden I’d painted on my wall and into the center of the living room. That would be pretty much par for the course for tonight.

“What’s going through that head of yours?” he asked.

“Aside from the promise I seem to have forgotten?”

He nodded.

“Unicorns.”

He blinked, once and then again. And then he burst out laughing and clutched me in his arms. And before I had a chance to do anything else, Will’s mouth crashed down on mine in a kiss that blew every other kiss I’d received in my entire life right out of the water.

He captured my mouth with a fierce possession that took my breath away. His lips molded to mine in a way that sent tingles through my body. He used the tip of his tongue to tease my lips apart, and the moment I opened to him, he plunged inside to taste me.

I moaned into his mouth and tightened my arms around his neck. Not one to sit on the sidelines, I met his tongue with my own, teasing and tasting until I shook with desire for more.

He wrenched his mouth from mine, and it was all I could do to hold back a whine of protest. His gaze held mine with a warmth that told me the cessation of activities wouldn’t last long.

“Now you know I make good on my promises,” he said.

I shook my head, still not remembering his promise, and knowing with the way my wits had scattered to all the corners of the universe after that kiss, there was little chance I’d recall it now.

“At the party,” he explained. “I promised to kiss you. Soon.”

“Oh. Yeah. That promise.” I offered him a sultry smile. “I’d definitely say you made good on that. So, so good.”

He bent his head like he was going to start kissing me again, but a twinge of doubt surged through me. My life had taught me one too many times that anything that seemed too good to be true would inevitably prove itself too good to be true.

“I…I don’t really get what’s going on here.”

“Well, I was planning on putting my mouth on yours and kissing you again. Maybe tasting a few other spots that have been tempting me all night.” He bent and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my shoulder, left mostly bare by the asinine Santa dress.

My eyes dropped closed. That felt so incredibly good. I turned my head to put my cheek against his and whispered, “I don’t normally dress like this. It’s part of the job tonight. I usually wear jeans and sneakers and grungy T-shirts.”

He chuckled close to my ear making me shiver. “Me, too.”

“I didn’t grow up in a place anything like the place we were tonight.”

“You mean the penthouse?” He snorted. “Not too many people grow up like that. Hell, I grew up in a cookie cutter house in the suburbs. The only way to tell them apart was the paint color.”

“Did you live there your whole life?”

“Yeah, my parents retired down south now, but we lived there from the time I was born until the band hit the big time and I could help them buy their retirement home.”

“That’s nice.” I smiled at him. “You’re nice.”

“I’m about to be very nice to you, if you let me.” He placed a few butterfly brush kisses along my jawline.

My mind went to war. One-night stands were not my thing. I’d tried it and found, no matter how I tried to leave my emotions out of it, at the end of things when a guy rolled out of bed and got up, got dressed and went home, I couldn’t help but feel used.

On the other hand, comparing the feelings I’d experienced with those few guys with what I’d been feeling for Will since the moment I spotted him earlier tonight was like comparing a puddle to a tsunami. Of course, the tsunami would have a lot more power to do damage to me.

But looking up at Will now, the soft look on his face, the warmth in his eyes, I couldn’t help but want the tsunami to sweep me away.

I didn’t know my answer for sure until I opened my mouth and the words came out. “I want you to be nice to me,” I whispered. “And I want to return the favor.”