CHAPTER THREE
As if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin. – Pablo Neruda
She had the kind of face that had to be painted a thousand times over before you could get it right. That was Sebastian’s first thought as he looked at the woman standing inside the church, staring at him with big blue eyes that were as light as a summer sky. They were eyes full of innocence and knowledge at the same time—almost as if she held a secret in them that she would only tell her most trusted friends.
Her lips were soft looking and sensually formed, and he saw a hint of a smile playing there. He also saw ivory skin and a body that wasn’t quite concealed by her cardigan. Her dress hugged her like second skin and for a moment he imagined her without that dress, like a flash before his eyes.
A surge of…something lit up inside him, and he inwardly shook his head and reminded himself he was basically ogling a woman he shouldn’t ogle. The reverend’s niece, he presumed.
And here he was thinking all along she’d turn out to be some little girl. What a mistake.
Sebastian gave her a polite smile. “Good morning. Miss Lily Ray, I presume?”
He was used to young women practically melting at the sight of him and had had too many uncomfortable encounters to count. A lot of women became delighted at the sight of him and while William teased him about that a lot, he usually ignored it—or used it to encourage the women to listen to his message or influence them into doing something helpful to others with their lives. He expected the woman before him to do the same, and was prepared to deflect in his usual way.
Instead, the woman smiled just as politely, almost hesitantly. “I usually go by Lily. If we become friends, you can call me Lil.” Her tone wasn’t flirty, another surprise. It was matter-of-fact and very casual, with a hint of curiosity lurking beneath.
Sebastian gave her an acknowledging nod. “Sebastian Nolan. Pastor Seb for short.”
Deciding to get the tour started, Sebastian led the way and discussed with her the town and the church in general—its history, its amenities and the people who’ve been in it for years, including her uncle himself. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her listening in interest, throwing out a question here and there and surprising him again with her listening skills. They walked the garden path that was in the church’s backyard and she stopped and stared in appreciation at the beautiful flowers maintained habitually—and with a flair of passion—by Pastor William.
“You’ll meet him soon. In fact, a few days of getting settled in and I’m sure you’ll meet everyone soon.”
“I’ve already met some of the townspeople,” she said, another smile playing on her lips. “Everyone certainly…has a liking for you, don’t they?”
The cheeky, silky way she snuck that in had him turning his head towards her in yet another surprise. Her eyes were twinkling and it made him realize that it could never be captured by any painter in this world. Unable to help himself, Sebastian smiled in response.
“So you met the afternoon church goers?”
She nodded solemnly. “Yes. And most of them certainly shared praises about you, except for one.”
And he knew exactly which one. Sebastian’s smile turned into a full-on grin as he explained to her that his cousin, Janice Nolan, had never really been his biggest fan. Her eyes widened at the connection, and she grinned back.
The camaraderie between them came as naturally as breathing as the initial wariness between them came off and Lily began to ask more questions about the place. Her genuine curiosity made him proud of the town he’d settled in, as she shyly admitted that the community’s closeness was perhaps what she needed at the moment. There was a trace of sadness in how she said that and it made him wonder what happened in her old life that put the sadness there. Not wanting to pry or to be too nosy, Sebastian let her be and kept talking until they finished touring the church and area. They stopped by the last pew, where he told her that if she ever needed to read up more about the town history, she could always stop by the community library and dig it up there.
Her eyes lit up, darkening to a hue that had a jolt running in his system. He did his best to ignore it and watched as excitement crept up her face, making it more open and warm.
“You have a library?” she asked in delight. “An official community library?”
“I wouldn’t know about official,” he murmured, “But yes, it’s a huge library and all that.”
“That is splendid,” she replied. “Maybe you could take me sometime?”
The warmth in her voice was doing something to him, and he wasn’t sure if he liked his reaction. Sebastian cleared his throat, which was suddenly dry. “I would love to. And I’m sure your uncle would love it, too.”
He expected disappointment at the option he gave out. Instead, she just nodded her head. “Well. That was a lovely tour Pastor Seb. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me.”
“It is my pleasure,” he replied. He glanced at his watch. “Reverend John will be here in a bit, so why don’t you wait here so you could meet up with him?”
“That’s the plan.”
And that was his cue to exit. Sebastian held out his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Lily.”
Lily looked down at his hand, stray hair falling off her forehead. Her hair color was somewhere between golden and brown and it glinted in the sun when she shifted her head. Finally her hand came up to accept his and it was so small that he ended up enveloping it completely.
But that wasn’t the most surprising of all.
The moment their hands touched a spark crackled—the kind that hadn’t happened to him in a long while. Or, if he was honest with himself, the kind that never really happened to him at all. While heat took place inside him there was a certain connection between them, something other than desire. Their eyes met and he saw awareness flare in hers and a flush spread across her cheeks before she tamped down her reaction and quickly removed her hand from his.
A different smile appeared on her face, almost formal. She felt that spark too and didn’t want to, as much as he was reluctant to acknowledge that. Lily nodded her head.
“It was nice meeting you too, Pastor Seb. See you around.”
“Yes, of course. Ask for me if you need anything. I can help you out.”
It was the wrong thing to say, especially with where his thoughts were headed. Sebastian could have cursed himself, but he fisted his hand instead and tried to remain calm. As if sensing what he meant her mouth opened before snapping shut and she nodded shortly.
“Thank you.”
Silence.
“I…think I’ll wait by the front pew. I’m sure he’ll be here shortly.”
The reverend. Right.
Like a douse of cold water they both stepped back and she turned around. Lily didn’t look back, merely kept walking up the aisle until she reached the front. Sebastian watched the graceful sway of her hips and the dip at the back of her neck before he shook his head and closed his eyes.
Who was he kidding? He felt an attraction to her.
And it was the dangerous kind.
In the span of a short tour Lily Ray Jameson had managed to snag his attention like no other woman had in the past few years. Because of this dilemma, Sebastian responded the best way he could. He ignored it and turned to walk to the back, intent on leaving her be.
*****
Sebastian arrived home to a quiet house, and the first thing he did was take a shower again before getting changed for the night. He loved lounging around in his light sweatpants, especially during hot nights like this. Summer was coming in strong, and it was obvious it was just the beginning.
He heated some of Dorotha’s cooking then sat in the kitchen for a meal, savoring each bite before doing the dishes in quick, efficient movements. He took some time reading his notes for tomorrow’s class, remembering that a few of the elementary school kids were planning to stop by and visit. As he loved kids, he knew for sure that it was going to be tomorrow’s highlight. Deciding he had to get to know them first before discussing anything too serious, Sebastian arranged his notes and set them aside, wandering into the living room for a cold apple drink then out to his front yard to check on his neighborhood.
It had gone quiet with everyone already inside and only the street lamps illuminating the roads. Even so, no town had felt safer with a sense of community that was strong and resilient. He knew no kind of trouble would shake its foundation, and that was all thanks to the oldies who had taught good values to the younger generation—things like patience, respect and loyalty to one another.
He didn’t think even a beautiful sultry woman, who was unaware of her own sexuality, could shake it.
Lily might stir up interest, maybe some trouble; or she might not. That depended on her and how she handled the attention—which, he supposed, she was definitely going to get, with knockout looks like that. For his part, Sebastian had already made a vow to be as polite to her as he could and to stay as far away from her as was possible.
He was just going to have to do his best to keep that vow.
Blue eyes flashed in his mind, and he frowned at the sadness in them. Sebastian finished his drink fast then went back inside and turned in for the night, intent on forgetting all about the delectable Lily Ray.