Wyatt

Wyatt loosened his tie and headed toward his closet. His belly was full with the best steak he'd ever eaten and he was still shaking his head in awe because of it.

That was so good, he thought. Lily pulled it off, just like she had promised.

He slipped out of his suit and hung it up on a hangar. Then dug through his clothes to find a polo shirt and a pair of slacks. As he got dressed, his mind was on Lily. He wasn't just thinking about the meal she'd just made, though. He was thinking about how fast the time was moving and that he only had one more night of her living with him.

I really don't want to see her go, he thought, making his way to his bathroom to comb his hair. It's been so incredible having her here.

Wyatt knew that Lily would go home at some point, but now that they only had one evening left, it suddenly felt very real. It didn't matter that she lived close and that she'd still come over to see Maggie once in a while. Having her actually live there was different. It made him feel so connected to her.

He combed his dark hair to the side and let out a long sigh.

“I guess it is what it is,” he whispered to himself.

Then he spun around and left the bedroom, making his way downstairs. When he turned the corner into the kitchen, he saw that Lily was standing at the counter. She was facing away from him as she filled up the wine glasses.

Holy shit, he thought, doing a double take.

He hadn't expected to come downstairs to see her all dressed up like this. His eyes moved down her back, immediately dropping to her ass. Her silky green dress just barely covered it up. It was short enough so that, if a slight breeze came through or if she bent over even the tiniest amount, it would have slid up to reveal what was underneath.

Wyatt swallowed hard and look away, only to bring his attention back to her the next second.

My God, he thought, shaking his head in awe.

The material of the dress was thin and clung tightly to her body. He could see the lines of her panties underneath it. She was wearing booty shorts, the kind that only covered up half of her butt cheeks and left the other half exposed. Wyatt didn't think that there was anything sexier on a woman than that.

His heart beat quickly, pumping blood through his body. His cock began to swell underneath the front of his slacks.

“Fuck,” he whispered, without even thinking about it.

Lily spun around. She had a glass in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. She seemed very surprised to see him standing there.

“Did you say something?” she asked.

Wyatt cleared his throat, then stepped up close to the center island so that she couldn't see his bulge in the front of his slacks.

“What? No, I didn't say anything,” he said, clearing his throat again.

She just smiled and approached the opposite side of the island, setting the glass and wine bottle down. “You still up for finishing this bottle?”

He nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good,” she said, then grabbed a second glass and set it in front of Wyatt.

His eyes moved down her front, following the lines of her collar bones toward the center of her chest. The dress had a low cut and between it, her firm cleavage spilled out. He drew in a quick breath as lust surged through him.

Why did she get dressed up like this? He thought. Just to torture me?

She finished pouring his glass of wine, then pushed it across the counter toward him.

“There you go,” she said, lifting her gaze.

He pried his eyes away from her tits and brought them up to her face. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome,” she said.

She caught me looking, he thought. There is no way that she didn't notice that. I was so fucking obvious.

Even if Lily had caught Wyatt staring at her chest, though, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, Wyatt was almost positive that he saw her eyes dilate. Just a tiny bit, but enough to be noticeable.

“You're all dressed up.” Wyatt swirled the wine in his glass before taking a sip.

Lily's cheeks turned a little red. “Yeah, I just put something on. My clothes from earlier were kind of dirty after making dinner, so I wanted to change into something clean.”

Wyatt took another sip of his wine and as he set the glass down, he noticed a bit of Lily's perfume waft into his nose. The smell was intoxicating.

She put on perfume? He thought. Girls don't wear perfume unless they want to impress someone. At least, that was what I always thought anyway.

“Well, here's to what was a pretty successful week all around,” Wyatt said, holding his glass up. “You did really well, Lily. Thank you a million times over.”

Lily smiled and clinked her glass against his. “I've had so much fun this past week, Wyatt. Honestly. None of it felt like work at all. It was a straight up vacation compared to working at the coffee shop.” Her smiled suddenly faded. “I'm honestly not looking forward to going back there.”

“That reminds me,” Wyatt said, leaning forward a bit. “I need to talk to you about something.”

She lifted her gaze. “What is it?”

“It's what I brought up at dinner,” he said. “I didn't want to discuss it in front of Maggie, because I know how she gets her hopes up sometimes.”

Lily looked confused. “Now I'm really curious.”

Wyatt set his glass down onto the counter. “I wanted to chat with you about maybe working here on the weekends. I might have mentioned it before in passing, but I'm serious about it now. I've seen how good you are with Maggie and I know that you love spending time with you.”

“That sounds awesome,” Lily said, then paused. “But what about Mildred? What's she going to do?”

“Well, that's something I need to discuss with her,” Wyatt said. “I mean if she absolutely, positively wants to be here on the weekends, then it might not work out. However, I don't see her feeling that way about it. She's getting older and I think she enjoys the time off. I'm planning on chatting with her about it when she gets back tomorrow, but wanted to check with you first to see if you'd even be up for something like this.”

“I'm definitely interested.” Lily nodded eagerly. Her excitement about it was obvious. “I'd still work at the coffee shop part time, but not having to be there on weekends would so be nice. That's their busiest time.”

“Great, well I'll talk to Mildred and let you know,” he replied.

Lily's face was beaming and Wyatt knew that he had made the right decision in asking her to work for him on the weekends. It made him happy as well. It meant that their time together wouldn't be coming to a sudden end. He just hoped that Mildred would be on board with the idea.

She leaned forward a bit, bringing her elbows to the counter top. When she did, the front of her dress dropped slightly, exposing just a tiny bit more of her breasts. Wyatt's eyes dropped as soon as he noticed.

Why does she have to be so fucking hot? He thought, forcing his gaze away so that he wouldn't get caught looking again.

“Even though I might be working here over the weekends, it still kind of makes me sad that I have to go home,” Lily said, with a sigh. “I don't know why, but spending time here at your house has been good for my soul. I feel really content here. I realized that probably sounds weird, but it's just how I feel.”

“That doesn't sound weird at all,” Wyatt said. “I get it. It actually makes sense that you'd feel so comfortable here. Think about it. You've known me for over five years and you've known Maggie since, well, since she was in your belly. You're part of our family, Lily. It's just the way it is.”

“Do you think it's weird that I'm still part of the family?” she asked.

Wyatt cocked his head to the side. “Why would you even ask that?”

“I don't know,” she replied. “It's just that, over the years, people have told me that it was strange that I stayed so close to my surrogate daughter. They think it's odd that I've maintained a connection with you and Maggie.”

Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “You know what? Fuck those people.”

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“I mean it,” he continued. “Fuck every one of those people who say things like that to you. They don't know a thing about you, or Maggie, or me. They're just the same old nay sayers that say something can't be done, just because they are the ones who can't do it. I've run into thousands of those during my time of owning my own business. Do you have any idea how many people told me I could never make it big in the pharmaceutical industry? Way too many for me to count. But fuck every single one of them. They're all the same. They'll tell you what they think you should do, even though they'd tremble at even the though of walking a mile in your shoes.”

“Wow, I never thought of it like that,” Lily said, swirling the wine in her glass contemplatively. “I shouldn't have brought it up, but it's been on my mind.”

“I mean it, Lily.” Wyatt sat forward and placed his hands on top of hers. “For every single person in the world who will tell you to go for something, there will be a thousand who tell you that you shouldn't bother. It doesn't surprise me too much that people have told you that it's weird you're still part of our family. That's what people do? Let me ask you this, though. Do they have any clue how happy you make Maggie?”

Lily shook her head. “Not really.”

“Exactly,” he said. “They don't know. So I think the best thing you can do is to just ignore them. Maggie and I love having you here, despite what any strangers may think about it.”

Her face relaxed once again and her smile came back. “That's kind of refreshing to think about it that way. You're right. Forget about them.”

Wyatt nodded in agreement. He meant every single word he said, too. If he'd based all of his life decisions on what people thought, there would be no way he'd be enjoying the success that he was. If he'd listened to his own parents, who said that rich people were nothing but greedy, he wouldn't be a billionaire, capable of giving millions of dollars away in charity every year. Not listening to others had given him more of an advantage in life than listening to them ever could have.

He took another swig from his wine and realized that he'd just finished the glass. The Cabernet was so good that he had a hard time just sipping it slowly.

“Is there any of that wine left?” he asked.

Lily poured the last little bit from the bottle and into his glass. “This is it.”

“Well, I for one am not ready to call it a night.” Wyatt stood up from his seat. “Let me run downstairs and grab another bottle. What do you say?”

“I'd say that sounds perfect,” she said. “I'm not tired anyway. Plus, I'm having fun just hanging out with you right now.”

“Why don't put on some music and we can hang out in the living room for a while?” Wyatt asked.

Lily nodded. “Okay! What kind of music?”

He shrugged. “Put on whatever you like. I'm open to anything.”

Then he headed down to the cellar to grab another bottle. What was originally going to just be finishing the remainder of the bottle was quickly turning into a legitimate celebration.

* * *

Wyatt had another bottle of Cabernet in his hand. When he turned the corner into the living room, he saw Lily seated on his overstuffed leather couch. Her bare feet were up on the coffee table. She had her glass of wine in one hand and she was taking a sip from it when he walked in.

There was soft music playing. It had a nice rhythm to it, but no words. Wyatt didn't recognize it.

“Who is this that's playing?” he asked, taking a seat next to Lily.

“It's a band called 'Wild Roots',” she said. “They're brand new. I like them, though. It's great music to dance to.”

“You dance?” Wyatt asked.

Lily nodded. “Yes. I love dancing. I haven't gone out to dance in a long time, though.”

“Why not?”

“Nobody to go with,” she said. “I mean I have a few girlfriends who will go out with me, but they like to go to clubs that play hip hop music. That's not really the kind of dancing I like.”

Wyatt was no stranger to dancing. When Caroline was alive, she had talked him into taking numerous dance classes with her. It started before their wedding, when she wanted to make sure Wyatt would be able to dance for their big day. To Wyatt's surprise, he had actually enjoyed it. It had become a thing for he and Caroline. Every month they took a class. They had tried ballroom, swing and even salsa.

He suddenly felt like dancing with Lily right there in the living room. He wasn't sure if he had a buzz from the wine or if it was the music that lured him to make the decision, but without much thought at all, he set the bottle of wine onto the coffee table and held out his hand.

Lily's eyes widened. “Wait? You want to dance?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, why not? Dance with me.”

“Really?” she asked, as a smirk crossed her face.

I'm not sure if I should be dancing with her, but dammit, why not? He thought. It's just dancing. People do it all the time. It's not like it's intimate. It's not something Caroline would disapprove of.

“Yes, really,” he said.

Wyatt stood up from the couch, but kept his hand extended toward Lily. She smiled nervously, as though she wasn't completely sure whether his offer was serious or not.

“Don't leave me hanging,” Wyatt said, with a chuckle.

Lily hesitantly took his hand and he helped her to a standing position.

“I thought you loved to dance,” he said, walking her toward the other side of the living room where there was more floor space.

“I do,” she said. “I'm still just a little surprised how you like it, too. Most guys hate dancing. You have to practically drag them out onto the dance floor.”

Wyatt winked. “I'm not most guys.”

Then he placed on hand onto the top of her hip, and kept his other hand interlocked with hers. Her body was the closest it had ever been to him. The rhythm of the music was slow, and he began to move to it. Lily followed right along as though she had danced with him a thousand times. They were in sync with their movements, dancing like one person even though they were two.

“You're good,” Wyatt said, legitimately surprised.

Lily smiled coyly and continued to dance. When the music picked up tempo, Wyatt spun her around so that Lily was facing away from him. She pressed her backside toward him, but continued moving her body to the rhythm.

She's too hot for words, he thought.

The zipper of his slacks was pressed against her ass and he could feel her warmth. Only a couple of layers of clothing separated their flesh. It was a good thing they were dancing, because without having that as a distraction, he would have definitely gotten a hard on.

They danced like that for a bit and then Lily spun back around. She placed both of her hands onto Wyatt's shoulders. She swayed her hips in cadence with his. The movement was methodical and pulsed with the tempo of the music. Wyatt's heart was beating faster and faster. It wasn't the dancing that was doing it either. It was the obvious connection between them. It was the same feeling he'd noticed a few other times during her stay, but this time it was even more apparent.

He gazed into her beautiful eyes, realizing right then that it wouldn't take very much to get completely lost in them. IN fact, he wanted to get lost in them. Maybe he could just fall right into her irises and disappear for a while.

Neither of them said anything. They just let the music flow through them as they danced in each others arms. It was the perfect moment. Nothing hurt. There was no pain. There was only joy and anticipation. Everything else was irrelevant.

I want this girl, he thought. I can't help it. I just want her.

Without even realizing it, Wyatt began to lean in toward her. The magnetic pull of her beauty was just too much for him to fight. As he brought his face closer to hers, she stood up on her tip toes and did the same thing. They were so close that he could feel her breath as it blew across his lips.

“We shouldn't,” he said, but his words were so quiet that he wondered if any noise had actually come out at all.

Lily brought one of her hands around the back of his neck and pull him the rest of the way toward her. Their lips collided and it was electric. Wyatt's emotional barriers seemed to dropped in an instant. He pressed himself against her. He wanted this. He wanted this badly. This was the first time he'd ever allowed himself the pleasure and it felt so damn good.

It was clear to Wyatt that he hadn't been the only one feeling the attraction. The way Lily pulled him toward her was aggressive, as though this was something she had been wanting for a long time, too.

What started out as a simple kiss, quickly escalated. Soon, their tongues were darting in and out of each others mouth. Wyatt could taste the Cabernet that was still fresh on her tongue.

I know I shouldn't be doing this, he thought. But God help me, because I obviously can't control myself.

His hands dropped down her sides until they landed on top of her hips. He could feel the line of her panties underneath the silk. Feeling that turned him on even more and he began to full his cock throbbing underneath his slacks.

Lily let out a soft moan and pulled herself even closer to him, grinding her body against his. Her hands moved down his shoulders and his arms, until they landed on his wrists. Then she slowly pulled away, breaking the kiss.

They were both breathing heavy now. Their chests were rising and falling in cadence. Wyatt and Lily stared at each other for a moment. It was as though both of them were thinking the same thing.

We shouldn't be doing what we're doing, Wyatt thought. Goddamn, though, I want this.

Lily appeared more beautiful than ever in that moment. Her eyes seemed brighter and more inviting. Her breasts seemed more supple. Her skin seemed more silky and smooth than ever.

They didn't speak. They just gazed into each others eyes for a moment. Then, as if the magnetic pull of attraction had become even more powerful, they leaned in again.

When their lips collided this time, it was aggressive. It was the kind of kiss that someone would give their wife after being gone for years. Wyatt darted his tongue out, and Lily immediately allowed it inside.

Fuck yes, he thought.

Their tongues wrestled and twisted around one another. Wyatt's hands dropped a little further down, making their way around to her back side. When they got there, he gave her ass a soft squeeze, shocked by how firm it was. His dick now pressed firmly outward against the front of his slacks.

Wyatt noticed Lily's hands wandering all over his back. They drifted up toward his neck, where she let her fingers dance along the collar of his shirt. Her touch made him tingle all over. He loved the sensation.

A surge of energy flowed through him and he took a step forward. The movement caused Lily to take a step back. He held her tightly, though. He wasn't going to let her fall. No way. He'd never allow that to happen.

I want her so bad, he thought.

He broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes once more. Her pupils had dilated and there was a look of pure lust in them. It was something he had never seen in her before. It was animalistic, almost like her instincts had taken over. She was breathing harder than before and when he gazed down, he noticed two little bumps on the front of her shirt. She was so turned on that her nipples had become rock hard and pressed out against the silk dress.

Wyatt let out a low, sexual growl. He took another few steps forward, practically lifting Lily from the floor as he pushed her with his body. After a few feet, her back gently landed on the wall next to the fire place.

“Wyatt,” she whispered. “Yes.”

He brought both of his hands up to the front of her shoulders and gently pressed her against the wall. Then he leaned in and kissed the outside of her neck. The scene of her perfume was strong and it turned him on even more. He breathed her in, letting her scent waft into his nose.

I can't stop myself, he thought. I can't stop what I'm doing right now. I've lost control.

It seemed as though any hesitations that Wyatt had been holding in his mind about getting close to Lily had fallen to the wayside. All he wanted right then was to taste her and to feel her. He wanted all of her and nothing less.

Lily groaned as Wyatt continued to gently kiss her neck. He started up high, just below her ear lobe. Then he worked his way down until his lips were pressed against the top of her bare shoulder.

“Oh, God, Wyatt,” she said quietly, then dug her fingernails into his back. “I want this. I've wanted this for so long.”

Wyatt slowly pulled his face away from her shoulder. He didn't know what to say, but the expression on his face showed his surprise.

She felt the same way as I did this whole time? He thought.

Lily gently bit her bottom lip and something about the way she looked when she did that sent another wave of lust through Wyatt. He leaned in again, this time bringing his lips to hers. A fire ignited inside of him and his cock became so hard that he felt like it could burst through his slacks any second.

He bucked his hips forward a bit, pressing the bulge against Lily's body. It brushed the front of her dress, gently easing against her most sensitive area. As soon as the friction was there, a moan of pleasure vibrated in Lily's throat. It transmitted up through her jaw, vibrating into his lips.

Wyatt broke the kiss and noticed that he was now panting even harder than Lily.

“Take me,” she said, slowly dropping her eyes downward. “I know you want to.”

Lily reached forward and gently touched the bulge that protruded from the front of his pants. It sent a wave of pleasure through him, causing his jaw to drop slightly.

“Fuck yes,” he growled.

Lily gently eased her fingers up the bulge, until she got to the waist of his slacks. She quickly undid his belt and then the top button of the pants. Wyatt let her do it, too. He didn't stop her, even though a tiny part of his mind still wondered if he should.

While she worked on getting his pants off, Wyatt brought his hands up to the backside of her neck and undid the string that held the upper part of her dress up. As soon as the knot was undone, he released it. The dress fell off of her breasts and down to her waist.

Holy shit, he thought, bringing his gaze down to her beautiful chest.

Her tits looked even nicer than he could have ever imagined. They were just the right size, probably a C-cup. They were also perky as could be. Before even touching them, he knew they were going to be firm and supple.

Her nipples were already erect, almost as though they were begging to be touched.

“You're fucking perfect,” Wyatt said, then immediately leaned toward her.

He didn't kiss her neck or her lips again, though. This time, he brought his face to her chest. He kissed the upper part of her cleavage, slowly moving his lips between each breast. He could hear her heart beat and feel her breathing.

She really is perfect, he thought.

Wyatt moved his face over to her right breast and lapped her nipple with his tongue. As soon as he did, he heard Lily draw in a quick breath. Then she immediately placed a hand over the back of his head, gently squeezing a fistful of his hair.

He circled her areola with his tongue, drawing imaginary lines over it. Then he licked her sensitive nub again, feeling it grow even harder. Lily was groaning now, letting out a little squeak each time he brought friction to the nipple. She'd gotten so overcome with pleasure, that she'd dropped her hands from his waist. She'd managed to unbutton his pants, but they were still pulled up around his waist.

After a moment, he backed his face away from her chest. As her nipple dropped out of his mouth, it made a wet kissing noise. He looked up toward her face. Her head leaning back and her eyes were closed. Her jaw had dropped slightly. It looked like she was in heaven.

Without any hesitation, he moved his face to the left and began giving her other breast equal attention. He sucked and licked her nipple, enjoying the way she squirmed in pleasure against the wall. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing harder than before.

“God, I want you,” Lily groaned, as soon as Wyatt stood back up.

Before he could respond, Lily placed her hands onto his shoulders. She began walking forward, causing Wyatt to take a few steps back. He was strong enough to stop her, but he didn't. His heels hit the front of the couch and Lily pushed him down to a seated position.

Wyatt looked her up and down. Her upper half was completely nude. Her dress was still bunched up around her waist. The smooth silk was now wrinkled, holding itself on her body by only her hips. She brought her hands up her sides, then cupped her tits for a moment before squeezing them.

“That's so fucking hot,” he whispered.

Lily fondled her breasts. Her nipples were shining in Wyatt's saliva, causing her nipples to slide over them with ease. He watched her for a moment, feeling a legitimate throb in his cock. When he glanced down, he noticed that the front of his pants looked more like a tee pee. His dick was pressing out so hard on them that it actually hurt a little bit.

Lily glanced down at the bulge. Wyatt saw her eyes dilate even further.

“Let me take those pants off,” she said, stepping close to him.

“Come here,” he replied.

Lily reached down and jerked his slacks to his knees. His underwear was still on, though. Lily wrapped her small hand around his dick, gently jerking him off over his boxers. Pleasure washed over him. His entire body tingled and burned with desire. The only thing he could think about was how good it was going to feel to slide his length into her warm, wet pussy.

“I want you,” he said quietly. “Right now.”

Lily released his cock and straddled over his lap. As her legs spread, her dress slid up to her waist. He was now able to see her little green panties. He was pleasantly surprised when he noticed a little wet spot on the front of them.

She scooted forward a bit, letting the front of her panties collide with his bulge. He wanted so badly to just reach down and pull his cock out, then move her panties to the side. His body trembled in anticipation. All he could think about was entering her. He didn't do it, though. He waited, in an attempt to savor the moment.

She can go at whatever pace she wants, he thought. I'm in heaven either way right now.

Lily kept her weight on top of his thighs and leaned forward to kiss him. Wyatt closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of having her on his lap. Their tongues wrestled violently and both of them were moaning now. Within a few seconds, Lily was bucking her hips forward, grinding the wet spot on her panties against his bulge. He could feel her warmth and the wetness of her sex. It was obvious to Wyatt that she was just as ready for this as she was.

His hands slid up the length of her thighs. Her was skin was so smooth. It turned him on even more. Everything about this moment turned him on. It was like a full year of sexual frustration coming to a boiling point, about to be let loose.

Lily kissed him for a moment longer and pulled away. She crawled off of his lap and dropped to her knees on the floor, bringing her face between his knees. She slowly reached her hands up, until her fingers landed on the waist strap of his underwear.

Wyatt's heart beat quickly in anticipation. Then, something completely unexpected happened. With Lily now on the ground, Wyatt's gaze focused on the fireplace behind her. There, on top of the wooden mantel, was a picture of his family that had been taken a few years back.

Suddenly, the lust and desire in his body, changed to the feeling of guilt in his heart.

Caroline, he thought.

The picture was of Caroline, Maggie and himself. They'd had the photo taken professionally. It was of the three of them standing on a bridge over a river. Maggie was between he and his wife, holding both of their hands. Everyone was smiling.

Fuck, he thought. I can't do this. Jesus Christ, what the fuck am I thinking?

Lily had slipped her fingers into the waist of his underwear and was beginning to pull them down. Wyatt placed his hands over hers, stopping her in her tracks.

“I'm sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I can't do this. I'm so sorry.”

Lily pulled her hands away and a confused expression crossed her face.

“Wait, what?” she asked.

“It's just that, I don't know,” he said, with a pause. “I just can't, Lily. I guess I'm not ready.”

Lily slowly stood up from the floor. “I'm really confused.”

“Me too,” Wyatt said.

“Is it me?” Lily asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No, no. Not at all. It's definitely not you, Lily. You're amazing.”

“Then what is it?” she asked. “Two seconds ago everything was fine. Now you're acting weird.”

Wyatt couldn't have been more embarrassed. He felt like a total asshole, but just couldn't get past the fact that he was fooling around with another woman besides Caroline.

“I'm sorry.” Wyatt stood up and pulled his pants back on. “I want you to know that it has nothing to do with you. I promise you that.”

Lily's face turned red. She seemed just as embarrassed as he was.

“I wish you would just tell me,” she said, pulling the upper part of her dress back into position to cover up her chest. “I think you could at least do that.”

“I just don't know that I'm ready to move on from Caroline,” he said, with a sigh. “I know it's crazy. She's been gone for a year. I should move forward, but goddammit, I just can't. It's like, whenever I think about anything sexual with you, this deep guilt fills my heart.”

Lily's eyes widened a bit. “Wait, you've thought about sex with me before.”

Shit, he thought.

It was too late to back track now. He had already spilled the beans.

“Yes,” he said. “All the time.”

He cringed, unsure of what Lily's reaction was going to be. To his surprise, her face relaxed and she began to smile.

“Seriously?” she asked.

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. I've thought about it more times than I care to admit. Every time I did, I felt guilty. Still, it happened all the time. Ever since I walked in on you last week and saw you in your panties. It's all I could think about.”

“I'm really surprised right now,” Lily said.

“Yeah, well, you probably think I'm some creep,” he said. “I promise you that I'm not, though. I really like you, Lily. It's not just about your body either. I love your eyes and your smile. I love how well you take care of Maggie. I think about these things, too. It's not always sex that's on my mind.”

“That's really sweet,” she said.

Wyatt felt a little better about things, now that Lily was smiling again.

“I hope that this doesn't effect anything between us,” he said. “I'd feel horrible if it did.”

Lily shook her head. She approached Wyatt and held both of his eyes while gazing into his eyes. “You don't ever have to worry about that. Nothing will affect our friendship.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Really.” Lily squeezed his hands. “I should tell you something, though. You're not the only one who has been thinking about what it would be like if you and I got together. It's been on my mind, too. In fact, to be honest, it's been killing me that I've had to ignore these feelings.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better for coming onto you?” Wyatt flashed a wink and smiled.

Lily giggled. “No, I mean it, Wyatt. I think there's something between us that's real. I mean we've both felt it. I known it for years. I've always had a little crush on you, but when I moved in here, it seemed like the crush amplified by a thousand times. I was so happy when you danced with me tonight and kissed me. It breaks my heart that you can't let your walls down, but I understand why you can't. I want you to know that I don't want to push anything with you that would make you feel guilty. I loved Caroline, too. You know that.”

“I do know that,” Wyatt said. “Man, I wish I could just feel okay about this. I guess I'm just broken still and haven't been able to put the pieces back together. I'm really sorry that you've had to see first hand just how messed up I am.”

“You're not messed up,” she said. “Not at all. You're more together than anybody I know. Losing Caroline was traumatic, though. Nobody knows how they'll react to losing a loved one until it actually happens. Then, when it does, everything goes out the window. You find out who you really are.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” he said. “I'm not so sure I like who I really am, though. I mean, what normal guy turns down a girl like you when he's about to have sex with her? If that doesn't paint me as a total weirdo, then I don't know what does.”

Lily smiled. “You know, in a way, I think it's kind of sweet. I think the fact that you didn't want to betray your heart makes you ten times more of a man than any guy who would just hook up with a girl for the sole reason that he could.”

“So you don't think I'm weird?” he asked.

“Well I don't know about that,” she said, with a playful wink. “I like who you are, Wyatt. And I respect where you stand and your feelings for Caroline. As much as I'd like tonight to continue on like it was a few minutes ago, I don't want you to do anything that makes you feel guilty.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Wyatt said. “I mean it. I truly appreciate it.”

“You don't have to thank me,” she said. “I'm just doing what I feel is the right thing to do. I know how much you loved Caroline and I would understand if it took years for your heart to heal from losing her. I don't blame you one bit for being guarded. I'd be the same way.”

Wyatt squeezed her hands and let out a sigh. His cock had relaxed now and the bulge in the front of his pants had faded away. “I guess I should head to bed and get some sleep. I'd like to get up early enough to have breakfast with you and Maggie before you head back home.”

Lily nodded slowly. “Yeah, I'm kind of tired anyway. So, I'll see you in the morning?”

“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “See you then.”

Lily released Wyatt's hands, then turned and walked away from him. He watched her until she turned out of the room, disappearing up the stairs.

“Fuck,” he whispered, then collapsed onto the couch.

He wasn't sure if things would ever be the same between he and Lily after fooling around with each other like that. She did say that it wouldn't change anything, but he had a hard time understanding how that could possibly be true.

It changes everything, he thought. I'll never be able to look at her in the same way and I doubt she'll be able to do the same with me. At least she wasn't mad, though. I've got to hand it to her, too. Most girls would have flipped out if I'd stopped foreplay because I was thinking about my dead wife.

Wyatt wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and then lifted his arms into a stretch.

I guess I'll head to bed, he thought. I'll try to get some sleep, but God knows the only thing I'll be able to think about now is Lily.