Gilded Lily (27 page)

Lily’s smile encompassed her entire face. “I was wondering if you were going to come in here,” she said as he took her waist into his arms.

“Are you sore?”

“A little,” she said.

Tony watched through the open shower door as Adam trapped her sex with his palm. “A little? Tony, you fucked her hard. She’s so swollen.” He kissed her on the forehead and wiped the water from her brow. “How about we wait until tomorrow, and you can send me off properly?”

“But I need you now.”

“I need you too,” Adam said as he shut the door. Tony listened as Adam’s voice cut through the sound of the shower. “But I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. Let me get you cleaned up, and you can fall asleep in my arms. How does that sound?”

“I can’t think of anything I’d want more,” Tony heard Lily say.

He quickly scrubbed the towel over his wet hair and tossed it on the sink. Tony thought about what Lily had said:
anything I’d want more
. Tony thought of one thing he’d want more, but goddamn if he was able to find it. Maybe he never would. All he wanted to do now was get dressed, get the hell out of there, and find the nearest bottle of Scotch.

Chapter Fourteen

Lily stood in front of the stove, cursing at the bubbling sauce. It had been over two weeks since she’d seen Tony, and the anxiety about how he was doing was finally getting to her. “Adam, come look at this. Tony taught me how to make marinara with sausage, but this looks too thick.”

From behind she heard the tap of a knife hitting the cutting board. “Let me check it out. My mom used to make a killer marinara with stuff she picked from her garden. She wasn’t Italian, but she loved to cook.”

Lily eased back when Adam stood behind her to examine the red sauce in the pot. “See,” she said and stirred the wooden spoon around. “It isn’t holding together right.”

Adam cradled her hand in his palm, and they stirred the sauce together. When he brought the spoon to his mouth, she hissed. The tip of his tongue darted out and tasted the sauce on the end of the spoon. The action was so benign, but somehow the sight of his pink tongue made her girly parts liquefy and her breath hitch.

He glanced over. “What?” he asked before replacing the spoon back in the pot.

Lily could feel her cheeks heat. “Nothing.” She let him take her hand in his own to start stirring again. “So, what do you think?”

He pecked a kiss on her lips. Sure, at the moment she needed to tend to the mess of a sauce, but her greedy body was telling her something entirely different. She spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she could press her lips against his mouth. At first he eased against her, wrapping her waist in his strong embrace. She thought she’d gotten the upper hand, and she pushed her tongue against the seam of his lips, coaxing him to open for her.

“My Lily Flower is feeling hot again?” he asked, then swatted her bottom.

She yelped and started to jump back against the stove. Adam quickly spun her around to keep her from getting burned. “Careful, baby. Come here.”

Lily felt every muscle in her body melt as he threaded his fingers through her long hair and massaged her scalp. As his other hand cupped her ass, she felt cradled in his hold. He was cherishing her, keeping her safe, and earning her trust. As timid as she’d felt when hugging Keith, afraid of his judgment when his hands would touch her ample curves, there was nothing but worship and love when she felt Adam’s hands slide across her backside.

He dipped his head to press a kiss on her forehead. “I won’t let you get hurt. Ever. Do you believe me?”

“Yes, Adam,” she whispered as she rubbed her cheek against his T-shirt-covered chest.

He slipped his fingertip under her chin, tilting her attention up at him. “Look at me, Lily Flower. Tell me again.”

“I believe you. I know that you’d never hurt me.”

Adam leaned down to softly kiss her lips. The warmth of his breath eased through her mouth, making her push against the hard planes of his body. The strength simmering under his clothes vibrated through her sensitive skin. She remembered the way he’d held her hair on the mattress with his knees. The sting of each pass of the belt still radiated through her senses. It was as if the blackness of her passion could be wielded by the sound of his voice. The lick of the leather was an afterthought compared to the lush timbre of his deep voice.

Adam ran his fingers through the loose hair framing her face. “You will submit to me, Lily. I will bring you every passion you desire, but I have only one request. You must give yourself over to me and trust that I’ll always know what’s best for you.”

Could she do that? The heat from his hands rested on her cheeks before his fingers did. It was more than a gesture. It was the promise of everything she’d ever wanted. Pain with pleasure, balanced by trust and honesty. She had to at least tell him the truth.

Lily rested her hands on top of Adam’s as his thumbs rubbed a gentle pattern back and forth on her reddening cheeks. “Adam,” she started, then stopped to start again. “Adam, I need what was given to me that night. I crave my pleasure in a way that lets me go. It’s one of the only freedoms where I can just be me. No judgment. No fear. I want that. No, I need it.”

Safety.
That’s what the core of her being knew when Adam cupped the back of her head and pressed it to his chest. He kissed the top of her head. “I can give you everything you need. I understand. What we shared on that bed was so precious to me. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Your trust and submission are things that will always bring me to my knees. So,” he said as he slipped his hand down to cup her ass, “did I get an A on the test?”

Lily leaned back to feel his firm grip massage her backside. If they didn’t break this up really fast, the dinner she’d worked so hard on was going to burn.
Wait. Let it go up in a fireball. This is heaven.
The sensual rhythm of his massaging hand on the globe of her ass was making her belly flutter and her thoughts drift back to the way he’d snapped the belt on her shoulder.
Heaven.

“Test? Ah, yes. You passed with an A plus, plus, plus.” Lily giggled and rose on her toes to press a kiss on his lips. The harder she pushed, the more his mouth opened. She gasped, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside her mouth. When he tilted his head one way, she naturally followed his lead. The sensation felt so right. The ultimate submission of her pleasure with unquestionable trust of the dom she’d always needed.

“Oh, shit!” Adam pulled Lily aside as he stepped over to the stove. “This meal is going to take a nosedive if we don’t cool this off. Rain check?”

Lily smiled, loving the way his lips tilted up in a naughty grin. “Definitely.”

Adam went back to preparing the vegetables while Lily tended to the pots on the stove. “You said your mom liked to cook? I’d love to taste something she’s made sometime. Does she live in New York? I don’t remember Nicholas talking much about her.”

The snap of the knife on the cutting board stopped. “She passed away when I was fourteen. Cancer.”

Lily spun around, almost tipping the pot of boiling water to the floor. “Oh, Adam, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself as tight as she could against his back.

He hugged her arms against his stomach. “She’s still with me. I can hear her voice sometimes. When I was overseas this last time, the platoon I was with was advancing on a village, and I heard her voice tell me not to go. It was a routine check, houses and stuff. I didn’t think much about it, but when my ears buzzed with her voice, I held back, and it was a miracle that I did. Two guys got shot up pretty bad. There was a sleeper cell of terrorists hiding in one of the houses. I got some good pictures after the scuffle, but I would’ve been injured if I’d been with the group that went into that house.”

Lily couldn’t imagine the sight. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades. How many times had she wandered through this big empty house and heard her grandma’s voice echoing off the walls? The comforting memories were a lifeboat when her world seemed so off-kilter. “Oh, Adam. She’s your angel.”

“I guess you could say that.” He laced their fingers together, and she felt the warm sensation of his lips pressing against the inside of her hand. “Come on. Let’s get your pasta in the water. We’re never going to eat at this rate.”

Lily hugged Adam with her whole body and willed herself to finally let go. She turned to the stove and started carefully putting the strips of pasta into the steaming pot. “I hate that you have to go back to that horrible place again. It scares me to death.” She gave the pasta a quick stir.

Adam took the bowl on the counter and started piling the contents for the salad inside. “This will be my last trip over there. I’ve got enough prints for my book, and it’s time for me to start working on getting that put together. I want to demonstrate the cycle of the war. I think this is going to be a really great piece to document history.”

Lily grabbed two plates out of the cabinet. “I understand that,” she said as she carried the plates and silverware over to the kitchen table. “But I don’t want you to risk your life to get the ultimate picture. I’m scared, Adam.”

He set the bowl of salad on the table next to the garlic bread and pulled her over into his arms. “I know, baby. I don’t want to go either, but I owe it to the guys. I want their stories told. I want the
true
side of war to be put out there for everyone to see. It’s not like in the movies or what the news splashes all over the TV. This is real. Real blood. Real lives being lost and heroes being made. I know it’s hard to understand, but I need you to be here for me. Can I trust you to be here for me when I get back?”

Lily knew she’d wait. She’d wait an eternity if she had to. This felt right when everything else felt so unsure. Tony had his own life to manage, and she knew the stress was getting to him. He had been quiet lately. He had never been one to snuggle up in a blanket and share life stories, but at least he always had a smile for her. She’d spent the last several months in an anxious silence wondering if his next visit would be the last.

Adam must have felt her body tense. He leaned away and smoothed his hand down the side of her hair. The comforting touch chased away the thoughts of Tony. She nuzzled her cheek in the palm of his hand. If he didn’t come back from overseas, what would she do? Her chest clenched with the realization that he’d be in extreme danger. The thought of him lying hurt somewhere, leaving her for good? She wiped her tear-soaked cheek against his fingers.

“I’ve grown strong over the last year, Adam. I have. But I don’t know if I can handle you never coming back.”

Adam wrapped his arms around her waist and ducked down so she could look up into his eyes. “Hey,” he said and gently ran his thumb over her damp cheek. “I’ll be back. I promise. I
won’t
leave you, baby. You’re my oasis in the desert. Now, no more talk about war. Let’s eat before everything gets cold.”

Lily knew this would be her first real test. Tony’s lessons and training would come full circle as she tried to navigate through the days and nights, waiting for Adam to call or send word that he was healthy and coming home. She sat down at the table and tried to hide her shaking hands by fixing their plates.

“You don’t have to do that, Lily. I can fend for myself.”

She piled the pasta and sauce on the white plate. “I know that. I like to please you and serve you. It’s one of my simple pleasures. Do you mind?”

Adam took the plate from her trembling hands and set it on the table. The smooth skin of his one hand encasing her palm was such a contrast to the rough texture of the fingers caressing her cheek. He leaned over and gently skimmed his lips over her mouth. Instantly, her body reacted and relaxed in the chair.

“You may serve me any time, Lily Flower,” he whispered. “If it pleases you, then it pleases me.”

She opened her mouth, hoping to coax his tongue inside, but instead he leaned back and grabbed the fork next to his plate. He was teasing her, and more than anything, sending her libido into the outer stratosphere. There would be playtime later. This was about feeling close to a man who would protect her, fulfill her needs, and help her to grow even stronger in her independence. Lily twirled her fork in the pasta and took a healthy bite.

This was where she belonged. The sense of security that Tony would talk about when they were on a walk or playing out in the yard was here in her kitchen. With this man, she could accomplish anything. She could write, be an award-winning chef—hell, she could even climb a mountain as long as he was by her side. Maybe it was time to realize that she was a woman of worth. Keith had been wrong. Lily sat up a bit straighter in the chair. She was worth love, and no one had the right to take that away from her.

“You better come home to me, Adam. It’s taken me a long time to feel this.” She motioned between the two of them. “You have no right to take this away. There’s nothing so important to take you out of my life. Promise me. Promise me you’ll come back.”

Lily felt the heat from the well of tears teetering on the verge of falling. The last thing she wanted was to appear weak. She had to be strong, like Tony had taught her. This moment, this very second of time was the truth in her training. She was strong. The trying moments that lay ahead were going to be the test of that strength.

“Baby,” Adam said as he pushed back from the table and motioned for Lily to sit on his lap. “Come here.”

Lily got up and sat on Adam’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Promise me, Adam. You have to come home.” The steady rhythm of his big hand rubbing up and down her back seemed to give her tears permission to fall. Her wet cheeks soaked his T-shirt.

“God, do you even realize how precious you are? I promise, Lily Flower. I will come home to you. I will always come to you.”

Lily relaxed against his body and welcomed the warmth of his embrace. The commitment in his voice was going to have to be enough to carry her through the tough days ahead. She would recall this time, this conversation, and remember the promise he made. She was counting on his promise. “Don’t take this away. Don’t let anything take you away from me.”