LILY’S LIFE LESSON #12
When bad habits won’t die, use a sharper knife.
Saturday evening, Trace stood under the shower, bracing his weight against the tiled wall with both hands. The hot water washed over him, and the tension in his tired muscles relaxed. He’d already lined up half the island’s business owners as clients, all of whom were just as frustrated as he was with the inconsistency of their current deliveries. The solution had been right in front of him, but it took Lily’s creative business mind for him to see it.
Same way it took Lily’s involvement with Ben’s science project for Trace to realize what a crummy father he’d been lately. Something he couldn’t allow to continue.
He hadn’t been completely honest with her. Work wasn’t the only thing distracting him. He wanted her. Badly. And if he’d thought one kiss would be enough to get her out of his head, he’d been terribly wrong. She’d tasted like the ocean breeze that blew in the tide on a warm summer evening.
Ocean breeze? Tide? Dudes didn’t use words like that to describe a woman.
He’d damn sure pump iron—or something just as manly—as soon as he got out of the shower. Elliott had a weight bench set up at his place. Trace would pay him a visit and bench-press a few thousand pounds to get his manhood back.
He stood under the water so long, it ran cold. Trace didn’t move. First time in his life he’d hoped for shrinkage. Did absolutely no good.
That kiss had only stoked his flames of desire, making his nights more restless while he thought of how soft and sexy she’d felt molded against him . . . of how much he wanted her against him again with his mouth exploring every crevice.
A thump sounded from the den, and Trace leaned back out of the stream of water. A swipe of a palm over his face wiped the drops away, and he listened.
Another thump sounded.
Trace slowly reached for the knobs and shut off the water. His father had taken Ben and Sophie to the mainland for the night, leaving Trace alone in the house. Either the raccoon that’d interrupted his kiss with Lily was back and making himself at home in the den, or the Remington had a prowler on the grounds.
He draped a towel around his waist and snuck down the hall to peek around the corner into the den.
Thing One and Thing Two had their feet propped on the coffee table and were helping themselves to beer. Far worse than a raccoon.
Trace relaxed. “Sure. Make yourselves comfortable.” He walked through the den to the kitchen to get a beer for himself.
“Hey, asshat,” Elliott said.
Spence took a swig. “We’re going to the Fallen Angel for a beer. Get dressed. You’re going with us.”
Trace sank into the chair and popped the cap off the bottle. “Too tired. I’m gonna catch up on sleep.” It had been in short supply lately. “Get your feet off my table.”
“Wuss.” Elliott uncrossed his ankles and put his leather all-weather boots on the floor. “Ben’s gone, and you want to sleep?”
Maybe he’d be a better father if he were well rested by the time Ben got home. “Yup.”
Thing One and Thing Two gave each other eye rolls.
“I’ve been working long hours, which you two slackers wouldn’t understand.” Trace took a long pull from his beer.
Spence snorted. “While you’ve been flying the friendly skies, Lily’s been working our tails off.” He still had his feet on the table. “I’ve done more painting and repairs the past two weeks than I did all the years I was in the building industry.”
“It shows.” Trace stopped razzing his brothers. “The place hasn’t looked this good since . . .” Since Mom was alive. He didn’t finish because of the pain that sliced through his brothers every time her name came up. “What do you guys think of Lily so far?” He studied the label on his bottle.
“I think she’s fucking smart,” Elliott answered without hesitation. “A few days ago, she asked to sit down with me to discuss the budget. I thought she’d ask for more money because of the list of repairs and upgrades she wants to make.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t even close. She’d already figured out a way to acquire the materials we need to complete her entire list without spending an extra dime.”
Trace frowned. “How?” He’d approved Lily’s list but told her to prioritize, tackle the most important items first, then ask Elliott when the resort could afford the rest.
“She went to Howard’s Hardware and convinced them to barter supplies.” He took a drink. “In exchange, she’s organizing a community improvement month after the summer season is over to bring in extra business for them. Howard’s will give a discount to any business on the island that starts a renovation or building project during that month.”
Howard’s was one of the businesses already signed up for Trace’s delivery service. If their demand increased, they’d need more supplies delivered. It was a win-win for everyone involved. Trace nodded, impressed but not surprised by Lily’s skill.
“And that’s not the best part.” Spence chuckled. “She asked me to pick up the materials because she couldn’t haul them on her bicycle.” He punctuated that with a moment of silence. “Talk about self-sufficient.”
Lily had agreed to ask one of them when she needed a ride, but she was keeping everyone so busy she’d managed on her own. Again. The woman had crazy stamina at work and a real knack for winning people over. Trace had slipped in to observe the training session when she’d introduced the new booking system to the staff. By the time she was done, the employees were so enamored, Trace was surprised they hadn’t carried her around the grounds on their shoulders.
“Have you heard any more from Megan?” Elliott changed the subject.
The question pulled Trace back to the present, and he shook his head. “No. My guess is she’s already lost interest in having Ben stay with her over the summer.” One less thing he had to worry about. “But I’ve been screwing up with Ben the same way she does.”
His brothers both gave him a look that said, “Really?” So Trace rattled off the whole story about the ducks and the forgotten science project and kissing Lily because of how amazing she was with his son who’d never had a real mother.
“You forgot a science project. Ben’ll get over it,” Elliott said.
“He’s had to get over way too much already.” Trace stabbed his fingers through his tangled wet hair. “He didn’t pick Megan to be his mother. I did. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll hold it against me someday.”
“He’s a kid,” Spence said. “Not a Mafia foot soldier bent on revenge.”
“You’re nothing like your ex-wife,” Spence said, “which is why we’re dragging your ass into town tonight for a beer. You deserve to unwind while Ben’s gone.” He snapped his fingers in a hurry-up gesture. “Get dressed, or we’ll be forced to do the public a disservice and carry you out of here in that towel.”
Trace pushed Spence’s feet off the table and stood. “I’d like to see you try.” He strolled toward his room. “Give me ten.”
Maybe his brothers were right. He could use a break. And he doubted unwinding over a beer at the Fallen Angel would cause him to screw up any worse than he already had.
The Fallen Angel was the most unusual bar Lily had ever seen. That was saying something, considering she’d worked in the French Quarter and spent a lot of time on Bourbon Street.
She followed Charley and Briley through a glass door on Marina Boulevard for her first official girls’ night out in Angel Fire Falls. The door led to a set of dark wood stairs that descended into a basement. Basements weren’t common where she was from, so the light streaming in from small horizontal windows close to the ceiling was interesting, especially since the only thing visible through the windows were people’s feet as they walked past on the sidewalk.
Retro rock-and-roll music played in the background as they commandeered a small table with barstools around it.
“Thanks for inviting me out. I needed a break from work.” Lily had even dressed up for the first time since she’d changed out of her flashy clothes in the airport restroom. The white-and-aqua paisley miniskirt was comfortable and fresh looking with a pair of platform flip-flops. She added a jean jacket since the nights were cool in the Pacific Northwest. “So how’s the new restaurant coming?”
“I thought you were taking a break from work?” Charley asked.
“Habit, I guess.” Lily shrugged.
“Well, you are kicking butt and taking names, so I guess you’re entitled,” Charley said.
Briley tried to flag a server. “The menu will be on your desk by Monday. We’re starting fairly simple.”
“Wise. We’re promoting a family atmosphere, so simple works.” Lily nodded. “I have another favor to ask,” she said to Charley. “Can you hook me up with Ben’s teacher? I need someone to help develop our children’s activities calendar for the summer.”
“Sure thing,” Charley said. “Ride with me to pick up the kids from school next week.”
“Great. Thanks.” There was something gratifying about scratching items off her to-do list, and it grew shorter each day.
Finally, a blonde waitress stepped up to the table and offered to take their order. They all asked for a beer.
“Can I see IDs?” asked the server, who looked barely old enough to drink herself.
Fear pierced Lily’s chest and nearly stopped her heart. “Um.” She patted the front pocket of her jacket, then withdrew some of the cash she’d been rationing. She still hadn’t cashed her first paycheck because the name on it didn’t match her license. Would that be a crime? She wasn’t sure. Working on the small island where employers seemed to be pretty lax about requiring identification had allowed her to keep her identity a secret so far. She wasn’t about to start flashing her license around now. “I must’ve forgotten mine.” She thumbed through the bills and smiled at the server. “I’ll just have a Coke.”
“Never mind.” Charley hopped off the stool. “My cousins are friends with the owners, who happen to be tending bar tonight. Let me see if I can fix this.” She tugged Lily over to the bar. “Hi, Mason. This is my friend. She’s new to Angel Fire Falls.”
His black hair tapered perfectly to his neckline. It took a minute for his smoky gray eyes to leave Charley and greet Lily. “Lily Barns.” He drew out her last name with an exaggerated air of familiarity. “Nice to meet you.”
Lily creased her brow. “You know my name?”
“Everybody knows your name. Your ideas could mean great things for the entire island.” Mason tossed a towel over one shoulder. “The Fallen Angel signed up for Trace’s new delivery service, which he credits to you.”
Oh. No. She had no idea anyone outside the resort knew she existed, except for maybe Howard’s Hardware. And that was because she’d visited them personally with a business proposition. She forced a smile. “Nice to meet you, Mason.”
“Lily forgot her ID. Can you help us out?” Charley asked.
He gave Lily an appreciative look, then turned smoky eyes back on Charley. “Beers are on the house tonight.”
“Thanks, Mason.” Charley picked up two mugs.
Lily grabbed the third and followed Charley back to the table. As they talked, the bar filled up. Without them having to ask, Mason sent fresh mugs to their table as soon as the first round was empty.
“Charley’s got an admirer,” Briley teased, the beer already loosening them up. They had to dial up their volume as the chatter of the full room had grown loud.
Charley swallowed a mouthful of brew and shook her head. “Not interested. I’ve been burned. Fool me once and all that.”
“Me too,” Lily chimed in. “My ex was a jerk.”
“That makes three of us.” Mischief twinkled in Briley’s eyes. “Hey, let’s get our hoo-has tattooed as a show of solidarity.”
The three of them threw their heads back and laughed.
“Charley and I know each other’s stories,” Briley said. “What’s yours, Lily?”
Beer caught in Lily’s throat. She coughed and covered her mouth.
Her two new BFFs waited expectantly for details.
Lily twirled her frosty mug in a circle, a sudden urge to pour out the painful memories of Andrew’s betrayal welling up inside her. None of her old friends had been left to talk to by the time Andrew had sunk the knife in and twisted it.
“Andrew hired me right out of college.” Because her father knew him from renovating the chain of upscale hotels Andrew managed. “He was nice looking.” But not drop-dead gorgeous like a certain pilot she knew. “Very romantic at first and a gentleman.” Both in and out of bed, which she wouldn’t describe as satisfying. “We settled. Mostly, I think I wanted to make my parents happy.” Not to mention her mother had pushed her into the engagement because Andrew’s annual salary contained a lot of zeroes. “We both worked all the time, so I’d lost touch with a lot of my friends from high school and college. Since we worked together, it was a convenient choice for me. Eventually, his friends became my friends, and it was all very easy.” At least that’s what she’d told herself. She shrugged. “Unfortunately, he got the friends in the breakup.”
“You said we settled. What was in it for him?” Charley drew on her mug.
Mainly her father’s name and reputation. Once that started circling the bowl, Andrew pulled the plug and flushed both their relationship and her career. Lily took a long, slow drink of beer. “Corporate execs love the family-man look. I was good for his career.”
Until she wasn’t.
She lifted her mug with a smile. “I’m not dropping my panties anytime soon for anyone, not even a tattoo artist, so I’ll settle for a toast. Here’s to not making the same mistake twice.”
They toasted and took a big gulp each.
She looked toward the entrance and saw Trace following his two brothers into the bar. As though he could sense her presence, his gaze found hers and locked on instantly.
She forced down another sip, hoping the cold beer would cool the heat building low in her belly.
The Remington brothers weaved through the crowded room toward the bar. If all the handshakes and backslaps were any indication, the Remingtons were well liked.
Charley cleared her throat to get Lily’s attention. “You sure about not dropping your panties anytime soon?”
Lily angled her chair away from the bar so she wouldn’t be tempted to stare at Trace. “Absolutely certain. My ex was also my boss. Hard work might be a habit I can’t break, but hooking up with my employer isn’t a mistake I plan to make again.”
A flash went off at Lily’s side, and her head swiveled to see Ronald Parker pointing a phone in her direction.
She held up a hand to block her face and looked away.
Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God.
She kept her face hidden.
“Oh. Sorry, Lily.” Parker stepped up to the table. “I forgot you don’t want your picture taken.”
No more than he did. She had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping at him for taking her picture without permission. “Mr. Parker.” She glanced at his phone, hoping he hadn’t gotten a full-on shot of her face.
He waved it around. “Don’t mind me. I’m just taking a few vacation photos before I go home tomorrow.”
Thank the Baby Jesus the guy was leaving the island.
“I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay enough to visit us again.” Not really, but she was paid to attract business and not chase it away because she got creeped out by a guest. “How was your aerial tour?”
“It was excellent.” He looked thoughtful. “I couldn’t find you on social media.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Then another. “Why would you want to find me on social media?”
Briley and Charley stayed quiet, but their looks said they didn’t like him any more than Lily did.
“Oh, I friend everyone I meet.” He stepped closer until his arm brushed hers.
Her skin crawled, and she leaned away.
“It’s a hobby.” He put his hand on the back of her chair. Not only was it a possessive gesture, but it also invaded her personal space in a way that was far too familiar.
She sliced a hand across the span of her two friends. “Mr. Parker, we’re having a private conversa—”
“Ladies.” The rich timbre of that voice at her back skated over Lily. “Enjoying yourselves?” A warm, firm hand closed over her shoulder, and she knew it was Trace’s without looking.
His scent. His touch. His sound. His very presence might as well be foreplay by the way her body reacted.
“Lily, I know it’s after hours, but can you spare a few minutes to discuss business in the back office?” An easy smile played at his lips. “The bar is a new client, and I need your input. I figured since we’re here, it would save us an extra trip.”
She was supposed to be taking a night off from work. Just a few hours to let her hair down and relax. But Ronald Parker had become more than a nuisance, and this was her chance to escape. “Sure.” She slid off the stool. “But I don’t have my iPad with me to make notes.”
Trace smiled. “You do seem to run the universe through that iPad, but we can get by without it tonight.” He turned to Charley. “I’ll return Lily shortly.” The waver of his smile was so slight Lily almost missed it. “Mr. Parker.” Trace steadied his friendly expression, but pure alpha testosterone fell off him in waves. “I see you’re on the schedule to fly back to the Cape tomorrow.” As he waited for an answer, he drew in a breath that seemed to increase his height several inches.
Parker shrank back a step. “I am.” His questioning gaze slithered back and forth between Lily and Trace.
“I’ve bought you a drink to say thank you for staying with us.” Trace pointed to the bar. “The bartender is waiting for your order.”
With a hand on her elbow, Trace led her toward the back of the room. When they passed Elliott and Spence sitting at the bar, Trace said, “If that guy doesn’t leave Charley and Briley alone, run interference.”
Both of his brothers tensed, bowed out their chests, and leaned back on their stools to look in their cousin’s direction.
Trace tried the handle on a door down the hall, and it opened. He flipped the light on and held the door open for her.
The room was lined with shelves filled with everything she’d expect to find in a bar. “So what input do you need?” She perused the cluttered shelves. “The owners might benefit more from Charley and Briley’s input on inventory organization; it’s a mess in here.”
Trace closed the door and came to stand in front of her, one broad shoulder propped against a metal shelf. “What’s with that Parker guy?”
Good question. Instinct told Lily the answer wouldn’t be good. “No idea.”
Trace crossed his arms, and Lily couldn’t help but stare at his chest as it flexed and flowed under his stonewashed T-shirt. “He seems to think he knows you. Or is that just a come-on?”
As much as Parker creeped her out, it would be a relief if it was a come-on. Otherwise, the press might be closing in. “I’ve never seen the guy before.” If she never saw him again, it would be too soon. “Why?”
Trace made a face. “My gut tells me he’s not straight up. Maybe he was a guest from your previous job?” Trace’s eyes roamed her face. When they swept her length and snagged on the bare skin below the hem of her miniskirt, her knees went weak.
“I don’t think so.” Trace’s concern for her, his willingness to protect her, made her bite her lip to keep the truth from tumbling out. “So you really don’t need my input for your new client?” she asked.
“Not at the moment.” His eyes sparkled. “Unless I misread your body language, Mr. Parker’s advances looked unwelcome. I figured I’d help you out.”
She blew out a chuckle. “I thought I was being subtle.”
“About as subtle as, oh, I don’t know”—he scratched his ear—“pedaling a giant tricycle with ducks riding shotgun during a storm.”
They laughed.
“Nice bodyguard detail you and your brothers provide,” she joked. “You guys could hire out your services for a nice price.”
“There’s no charge. Looking out for women we care about is free.”
She blinked at him. The Remingtons cared about her. He cared about her. Coming to her rescue in a crowded bar was proof of that, which was why she wanted to bare her soul right then and there.
His hungry look said he wanted her to bare everything else.
“I’m not used to having anyone look out for me.” At that moment, Lily felt so alone. So abandoned by everyone in her life. Her father, her fiancé, her friends. No one was left from her old life. Her new life at the Remington offered her more than a job. It offered real relationships and security. And she couldn’t fully embrace it because she wasn’t being honest.
Trace took her in from the top of her ponytailed hair all the way to her dressy flip-flops. “You’ve got someone looking out for you now.” He shifted like he was going to close the space between them but stopped.
So she took two steps, went up on the tips of her toes, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
When she tried to step away, he took the opening of her jean jacket between his fingers and tugged. “You look nice.” His voice went throaty. “More like the girl I saw at the airport getting a massage.” He eased a hand inside her jean jacket and stroked her hip.
“You mean the girl who was moaning?” She smiled as heat rushed up her neck to settle in her cheeks. And several other parts of her anatomy.
“One and the same.” He covered her mouth with his and kissed her deeply.
It was wrong. Stupid, even. She knew where it might lead. How it could end.
Bad habits really did die hard because she sighed against Trace’s lips, and his arms circled her. The hand at her waist smoothed up her back until it reached the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. The roughness of his fingertips made her skin pebble, and she moaned.
“I love that sexy moan of yours,” he breathed against her mouth, then claimed it again to search out her tongue with his.
His kiss, his taste was everything she thought it would be and so much more.
She sighed against his lips, and as if it was the most natural thing in the world, her palms moved over his chest, up his neck, and sank into his hair. He tasted like fresh morning dew on a hot summer day, and Lily melted against him.
He eased her back against the shelves, feathering soft kisses across her neck.
“That’s. So. Good,” she panted out. And so wrong, she tried to remind herself.
“I promise it would be much better if we were skin to skin.” He whispered the wicked promise against her neck. “If we weren’t in a storage room, I’d prove it to you.” He slid one hand up her rib cage and tugged her tank and bra down. When his hand cupped her aching breast, her head fell back and thudded against a shelf.
He kneaded her breast into a hard peak, while nibbling the flesh at the crook of her neck. Then he dipped his head and pulled a nipple into his mouth.
She couldn’t stop a small cry of pleasure from escaping when his warm mouth closed around her throbbing peak. “Oh God.”
He chuckled, and his hot breath made her insides heat to nuclear temperatures. Nice guy that he obviously was, he paid her other breast the same attention. His lovely tongue swiped across her nipple. Once, twice, three times. Then circled it and gently suckled.
She fisted his hair, which caused him to moan too.
“I’d give an arm to see you naked.” He found her mouth with his again and kissed her. This time more urgently. He cupped her ass in his palms and lifted her off the ground.
She squeaked, but her legs closed around his waist.
“No, not an arm. I like what you’re doing with both hands.” She trailed kisses along his neck.
“Hands are more like an accessory,” he said with a laugh. “They’re not the body parts that are going to make you moan the loudest.” He carried her to a bare wall around the corner and steadied her against it. “My tongue and”—he pressed his hips into her center—“this are all I need.”
A shudder of pleasure raked through her. Her panties were already hot with moisture from the sheer pleasure of his rigid shaft grinding against her.
She couldn’t stop. Couldn’t get enough of him.
“Trace,” she whispered against his lips. “This is wrong.”
“So wrong.” His mouth consumed hers as his fingers flexed into her butt cheeks.
She feathered kisses along his jaw to his ear. When she sank her teeth into his earlobe, he shuddered and rolled his hips into her. His granite shaft made her want to puddle at his feet. Made her want to scream for more skin and fewer clothes between them. He moved against her until she shimmied and shuddered and raced toward the edge.
A knock sounded at the door, and Trace stilled. His hot breaths washed over her ear, and she buried her face in his neck.
“What?” he barked out.
The door wasn’t in view, but they heard it open.
“Trace?” Spence asked.
Trace leaned his forehead against hers and stared down at her, lust still clouding his eyes.
She eased one foot to the ground. “It’s okay,” she mouthed.
“Yeah, what is it?” Trace said, helping her find her balance before he let go.
“Someone’s out here asking for you.”
“Who?” Trace helped straighten her top.
She pushed against his chest so he’d step back far enough for her to smooth her skirt. The last thing she needed was to walk back into a crowded bar with her clothes twisted into an I-almost-had-closet-sex kind of way.
“I don’t know.” Spence sounded irritated. “One of your clients maybe?”
Trace let out a breath that was just as annoyed. “Be right there.”
The door shut.
Gently, he brushed a stray strand of hair off her forehead.
He gave her another long, luxurious kiss before he took her hand and led her to the door.
She pulled it free as they stepped out into the hall. The din of the crowded bar came rushing at them. Trace gave her a reassuring look before they walked back into the fray.
The second they stepped into the crowded bar, a young hipster kid wearing skinny jeans and a knit cap moved into their path. “Trace Remington?”
Trace stopped short to keep from colliding with the guy, who was half Trace’s size. “Yes?”
Lily eased up behind him, every instinct she had going on high alert.
The kid pushed an envelope into Trace’s chest.
It all happened so fast, yet it was like it was in slow motion. Before she could tell him to back away and not accept what the kid was offering, Trace grabbed it.
“You’ve been served.” The kid disappeared into the crowd.
Trace stared at the envelope with rounded eyes. He slowly opened it and skimmed the page. “My ex,” he mumbled like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Lily placed a reassuring hand on his forearm. “What is it, Trace?”
“She’s suing me for custody of Ben.”