Lilli…

Backdraft had this magic about him when it came to me that he could make me forget about everyone and everything else. It was the kind of magic I had sorely needed over the last week, and I was glad he was here, now. He kissed the back of my shoulder as we showered the next morning, and though the last few times we’d made love without protection, with the media and the crazy and the stress right now? I was glad I was on birth control injections every three months. I took those more to regulate my cycle and lessen their duration than for birth control, but as of right now, it was a really nice added perk.

We had a discussion about it while the water sluiced down our skins and I could tell he felt better about things. We were on the exact same page. Kids someday, but not this year and maybe not even the next. ‘Not ever’ might be okay, too. We were in no rush.

It was unbelievably good just even having the talk, though. I’d never been with anyone to this point where I’d felt comfortable planning any sort of future together and it just showed me that Backdraft, unlike any that’d come before, was indeed the man for me.

“Lilli,” Veronica called through the closed bathroom door.

“Yeah?”

“Delivery out here, hope your guy is handy, because ‘Some assembly required’.”

“Delivery?” I asked and frowned.

Backdraft laughed a little and called back, “I am, and thanks, Veronica, be out in a bit.”

“What did you do?” I asked him.

“My homework,” he said and turned me to face him. He planted a quick kiss on my mouth and said, “Take your time finishing up.”

“Okay.”

He got out and pulled one of the towels down from the rack, running it quickly over himself and his hair. I watched, forgetting I was supposed to be finishing up myself, mesmerized by his ass as he walked out of the bathroom with the towel around his shoulders. I shook myself out of my lusty dream state and stuck my face under the water.

I made quick work of finishing up myself and went over to the makeup and dressing table in my bathroom suite. I picked up my brush and hairdryer, towel secure at my chest and quickly got my hair from wet to barely damp, my curiosity eating me alive.

What did he do? I wondered.

I dressed quickly in a pair of comfortable leggings and an oversized boat neck tee, forgoing a bra for the time being. I didn’t really have any intention of leaving the house. Veronica and I had some things to go over to get me back on track with the book I was working on. I was beginning to worry I wouldn’t meet my deadline, but only because I had belted out a novel different from the one I was supposed to be writing first.

When a story demanded your attention that badly and tore out of you and onto the page like the side project had, well, any writer knew that it couldn’t and wouldn’t be denied, no matter what any publisher said. I’d gotten it done and pushed off to the side but still had at least three-quarters of the one I was supposed to be working on left to do.

I was thinking I would need a carrot on a stick to get any kind of decent word count down. Maybe instead of chocolate, I could get Backdraft to deny me sex until I met a certain word goal. That would certainly motivate me to get my ass in gear.

“Oh, my god,” I said and choked on a laugh at the long, flat boxes that Backdraft and Veronica were bringing into my bedroom. “What is this?”

“His idea, I just executed it. You can thank me later,” Veronica said flatly.

I laughed and they set it down at the bottom of the steps up to my bed.

“Grab the other one?” she asked.

“Yep.”

I went over to the box, frowning, and ran my eyes over it trying to see if there was anything identifying what was inside. The words ‘canopy’ and ‘frame’ stood out and I straightened.

“No!” I cried, delighted. “You guys!” I was suddenly very excited to get the boxes open.

“You and Ronnie go,” Backdraft said. “Go do whatever work it is you need to do. I’m going to get this unwrapped and figure out what tools I need, and run home.”

I felt happy tears spring to my eyes, and went over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He laughed and folded his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.

“Don’t do that,” he said. “No crying.”

I sniffed and managed to rein them in without any spilling over.

“You’re too good to me,” I said. “The both of you.”

Veronica looked at her nails and said, “Oh, trust me, I know.”

I laughed and she jerked her head out toward the rest of my apartment.

“Now, to the office, we have shit to do.”

I turned my face up to Backdraft’s and he kissed me soundly, saying, “Go to it, babe.”

The rest of the day was both the most productive and harmonious I’d had since moving to the Echelon. It was certainly the best day I’d had all week. I found myself smiling more and laughing. We ordered takeout for lunch and listened to Backdraft’s power tools and cursing from the bedroom while we kept working at the dining room table. The true highlight, though? When Backdraft came out and put his hands over my eyes and whispered in my ear, “It’s time.”

“Oh, yay!” I cried enthusiastically, and tried to pull his hands away.

“Nope, uh-uh, come on, now.”

Laughing, I awkwardly got up from the table and, his arm around me, one hand over my eyes and the other across my chest, cradling me in his body protectively and doing this awkward gait to keep me safe, we moved up the hall.

“Oh, wow,” Veronica said, and his hand moved from over my eyes.

I blinked, waiting for my eyes to adjust and had to agree.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured and drank the sight in.

It was a brushed-aluminum frame, simple in design and matching the simple modern feel of the rest of the room. What made it, though, were the sheer cream curtains, matching the cream comforter and light peach sheets on the bed. Over the cream sheer drapes, gathered at the corners to keep the view intact, were deeply off-white lace curtains to further obscure things. A bar rested atop the framework, material draping down at the head of the bed artfully. Slide the bar to the foot of the bed, that material created an instant roof, let down the curtains and there were four walls. Privacy restored. It was perfect.

“I love it,” I said, turning in Backdraft’s arms. He smiled down at me, hazel eyes alight with love, and bent to kiss me. I kissed him back with everything I felt in that moment and more and he sighed against my mouth, a happy and contented sound.

“Stay tonight,” I urged and he sighed again, a very different sound from the one before.

“I can’t.”

I groaned, whining a little. He smiled and pecked me on the nose, stepping back just a bit and I knew there was no convincing him.

“Why not?” I asked, pouting out my bottom lip.

“Can’t tell you; plausible deniability, babe.” I nodded, and he said, “In fact, I need to go now.”

I wrinkled my nose and asked, “When will I see you again?”

“Soon, I promise.”

I nodded again and reluctantly let him go.

“Take care of my girl, Ronnie,” he said and she winked.

“Like it was my job,” she said and he and I laughed.

He packed up his tools, kissed me one more time and left. I confess, I stood at the door and watched the Indigo Knights logo splashed across his broad back float up the hall with every stride he took. He gave me that cheeky little salute of his before he stepped on the elevator and I gave a little wave, heaving a big sigh once he was gone.

“You are totally sprung,” Veronica said from the kitchen, working open a bottle of wine.

“Can you blame me?” I asked and she scoffed a laugh.

“Not at all, honey. Not. At. All.”