Mornings had never been William’s favorite part of the day, but when he woke up with a smile and a hard-on like he hadn’t had in years, he had to admit it wasn’t all that bad. Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. He lounged under the covers, his hand wrapped around his cock, and thought of Lily Summers.

Watching her walk away the previous night had been difficult, but it had also been the right thing to do. He couldn’t just take her in some bloody gallery like he was still in his twenties and cruising the world one misguided pussy at a time. He’d wanted to, but Lily deserved more.

Although, if that were the case, then she definitely didn’t deserve him muddying her life at all.

Hell, if he hadn’t opened his mouth about the whole not-into-casual thing, this would have been so much easier. On both of them.

Not your call, mate, he thought.

The moment he chose to chat her up in that bloody parking lot, the ball wasn’t only in his court any longer. And anything he did—or didn’t do—was roped into a longer, wider string of events he only had partial control of.

So they would have their coffee, and maybe she’d see he wasn’t all that fun to be around on a normal day, let alone in a relationship. Then she’d smile and take that fabulous ass to someone who was worth it.

And he—well, he could keep jerking off to how fucking sweet she’d tasted because he was the tosser who said all or nothing. Jerking off to the memory of how her breasts had dug into his chest under her coat, full and firm, a bloody brilliant mouthful, if she’d let him take them.

Groaning, he envisioned sliding his cock between those two perfect mounds, then pushing himself into her mouth, Lily’s lips leaving traces of that Old Hollywood orange on him as he came closer and closer to exploding all over her tongue. He grunted, increasing the rhythm and pressure of his strokes to match what Lily would have undoubtedly done once she felt him throbbing between her lips.

He thought of those green eyes looking up at him, imagined how she would take him inside all the way to the hilt.

That woman was going to be the death of him.

“Fuck!” The cry ripped itself from his chest, his body shuddering as he came, long and hard, the sheer force of his orgasm snatching Lily’s face from his mind.

He ran his hand down his length once more, pretty certain Lily Summers was the kind of girl who swallowed.

“Christ,” he exhaled. If the dirty old man stereotype needed a poster boy, he might as well volunteer.

Still, the smile continued to cling to the corners of his lips even as he rolled out of bed and marched into the bathroom. At least now he was a bit more confident he could get through their coffee without sporting a bloody tent in his pants the entire time.

He gave his reflection a nice, long look. Due to good genes, he was fit for a man in his mid-forties despite spending too much time in pubs instead of exercising over the past few years. He wasn’t some twenty-something Adonis, but Lily didn’t seem the type to go for those blokes.

He’d caught her stealing glimpses at the silver embedded in his beard, after all. And she certainly didn’t look like she was having second thoughts about his age.

But did he?

Laughing, he shook his head and stepped into the shower.

His younger self would pale in comparison to all he’d do to Lily if things went well this afternoon. His ID might have other ideas, but his cock sure felt at its prime.

After he cleaned himself up and trimmed his beard—leaving it just long enough for a little of that silver to still show—William made his way into the kitchen where he did yet another thing that hardly happened in his life. He made himself breakfast.

Morning wood. Masturbation.

Now this…

And not just black coffee and a smoke, either. But an actual breakfast consisting of honey-coated waffles and freshly squeezed juice.

All of it before seven thirty a.m.

It was like that old, good part of himself he’d lost somewhere along the road had returned. And it was all thanks to Lily.

He powered on his tablet, dug into his food, and checked for any early reports on yesterday’s opening.

If this was what a mid-life crisis looked like, well, William had to admit he actually saw the appeal.