Lily sat beside me, devouring the last of her What-a-Burger. I’d offered to take her anyplace she wanted, but this was what she chose.

I chuckled to myself, recalling my mama’s warning to never trust a woman that didn’t appreciate good barbecue or a greasy cheeseburger. Since Mama also believed that the sun rose and set on Tyler Noble’s ass, I wasn’t always inclined to take her advice. But as I watched Lily poking around in the bag for leftover fries, I couldn’t argue with her logic. The girl looked adorable with grease on her fingers and a tiny bit of ketchup staining the corner of her mouth.

“Did you get enough to eat, darlin’?” I asked.

She stopped gathering crumbs from the onion rings and blinked at me. “Huh?”

I swiped the ketchup off her lip with my thumb. “Are you still hungry?”

Nervous laughter tumbled out as she brushed off her hands. “No…I’m fine. I just love burgers and fries. I wasn’t allowed to eat them when I was a k-kid.”

She downed the last of her water, then scooted toward the mini fridge. Glimpsing the black elastic waistband from my boxers peeking out of her jeans, my cock sprang to life.

She glanced over her shoulder, a Dr. Pepper in her hand. “Want something?”

You… Now.

“Nope. I’m good.” I smiled, trying to figure out a way to keep her in that position long enough to get her pants off.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

My phone lit up on the seat. Logan. I chose to ignore the call when Lily settled on the floorboard between my knees. Twisting a hand in her hair, I tugged gently.

“There’s enough seats in this thing for twelve people,” I joked. “You don’t have to sit on the floor.”

Turning sideways, she rested her head on my knee, a faraway look in her eyes. “My dad…he had a limo just like this. We never had a car when I was growing up. My mother used to get so mad at me because I loved to crawl around on the floor.” Her smile lost a little shine. “I guess it just reminds me of my childhood.”

Stroking her hair, I fanned the golden locks out over my jeans. “I never rode in a limo until we signed with a record label. Not even to the prom.”

She propped her chin on my knee, grinning. “Tell me about your prom.”

Tracing my index finger along her jaw, I shrugged. “Not much to tell. I’m sure it was just like yours. Except, maybe you didn’t have to ride there in your best friend’s twenty-year-old truck.”

Actually, I couldn’t really complain about that. Logan’s pickup had a single bench seat, assuring that my date was on my lap for the entire ride home. After having my hard on pressed against her for twenty minutes, Crystal invited me to sneak in her window. Good times.

“I didn’t have a prom,” Lily said glumly. “I came out when I was sixteen.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if this has anything to do with girl on girl action, please don’t spare the details.”

Lily bit the inside of my denim-clad thigh. “You perv. Not that kind of coming out. I went to Hockaday.”

Grabbing her under the arms, I pulled her onto my lap. “No biting—unless we’re naked.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “What’s Hockaday? And what did you come out of?”

“Hockaday’s an all-girls school. That’s where I had my ‘coming out’ party.” Puzzled at my confused expression, she blinked at me. “You know, a debutante ball? Big-ass skirts? Boring guys with crew cuts?”

I’d heard about debutante balls. But I didn’t know they still had them. And my only experience with all-girls schools was courtesy of Logan’s vast porn stash.

“Sounds fancy.” Pulling her legs up so she was cradled in my arms, I eased back in the seat. “Who took you to this big ‘coming out’ party?”

Shifting uncomfortably, she stared down at her fingernails.

“You can tell me,” I cajoled. “Did he have a hump? Three nipples? Or a—“

“Nothing like t-that. He was just a regular asshole. No d-deformities. Unless you count arrogance and an underdeveloped personality.”

Sadness dimmed the light in her eyes, so I gave her a squeeze. “Make me a list of your old boyfriends and I’ll take care of them for you.”

It was meant to be a joke, but her expression turned serious. “I told you b-before, there was only one guy. Ever. One asshole.” Noting my shocked expression, she scooted off my lap. “Why are you so s-surprised? I’m nothing like you. My parents didn’t let me go to parties or dances. And my only boyfriend—no, my fiancé—b-broke up with me because he couldn’t stand the thought of being married to an ‘artist.’”

As her words sank in, I couldn’t help the dry chuckle that worked its way from my throat.

Lily’s face fell. “It’s not funny, Cameron.”

Scooting onto the floorboard, I positioned myself between her knees so we were eye-to-eye. “I wasn’t laughing at you, baby. It’s just…when I was growing up, I thought people like you, with money, didn’t have any problems.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Why would you th-think that?”

“My old man would go on a bender and leave for days. Sometimes my mom had to go to the neighbors to ‘borrow’ a loaf of bread to make us toast with sugar. For dinner. I guess I thought if you had a full stomach and nice clothes, what else could you want?”

Turning so that my back was against the seat, I stroked her calf. It felt good to share a bit of my past with someone without fear it would make its way into some D-list gossip column. Too good. Reaching for a distraction, I snatched my phone from the seat to listen to Logan’s voicemail. He ticked off the name of the club in Deep Ellum where the band was having the meet and greet. I fired off a text to confirm I’d be there before glancing up at Lily.

“Where do you live, darlin’?”

Her brows turned inward. “Why?

That was a good question since asking her to come along would only complicate the situation. None of us took dates to meet and greets. It was an unspoken rule.

“I thought we could swing by your place and you could grab some clothes. There’s a thing tonight in Deep Ellum. I want you to come.”

She frowned. Not exactly the response I was looking for. “I can’t tonight.”

Well, shit. Taking her hand, I decided to lay my cards on the table. “Lily, I only have a few more days here. I’d like to spend them with you. Every minute.”

Her eyes clouded with something I couldn’t decipher. “I have plans.”

“Can you break them?” For me.

She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”

But she didn’t sound sorry. In fact, her tone held no emotion at all.

My stomach tumbled onto the floor, along with my pride. “Suit yourself.”

Shifting my attention back to my phone, I checked my email. Then I played Angry Birds. Then I just stared at the screen. When the limo finally pulled to a stop in front of the Mansion, I was boiling mad. And I didn’t know why.

“Cameron?” I could feel Lily’s eyes on me like fingers. Probing. Searching. “I’m really s-sorry. I have to—”

“No worries.” I looked up from my phone. “We’re just killing time, right?”

Her face crumbled, and she was out of the limo before I could stop her.

I paused for only a second before slamming my fist against the seat and following her out. “Lily, wait!”

My head swung in the direction of the engine that could only be hers, and I moved toward the sound. But it was too late. The Honda peeled out of the space, tires squealing, and made it to the end of the row faster than I ever thought possible.

Cursing under my breath, I tapped out a message. “Come back.”

But what was the point? Even if Lily returned we were only putting off the inevitable. She lived in Dallas. And I lived… everywhere. And that wasn’t about to change.

Stowing my phone in my pocket to keep from sending the text, I marched toward my bungalow, hoping like hell the maid had changed the sheets.