Lily's List (4 page)

“They’re going condo and upscale,” Mike
continued. “You interested in putting in a bid on the
landscaping?”

The mention of new business got his
attention, or at least most of it. “I’m interested. You can give me
the details over lunch and I’ll see about putting a proposal
together.”

“Good enough. They’re talking about plants in
the foyer and a rooftop garden as well as the landscaping around
the building.”

Carson followed Mike into the sub shop, his
mind already focusing on the project. “They’ll need someone to
upkeep the gardens as well.” That was a service that Granger
Gardens also provided, for a tidy fee.

“For sure.” Mike turned to the clerk at the
counter and ordered a roast beef sub. After he’d paid, Carson
placed an order for a pizza sub. The place was busy so their
conversation was curtailed while they waited for their orders. When
their sandwiches were ready, they carried them over to a corner
table.

As Mike continued to give more information
about the project, Carson forced himself to concentrate on the
details. He pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket, jotted
down notes and asked pertinent questions. This could be a very
lucrative job for his company, a challenge too. And Carson loved a
challenge.

But always in the back of his mind, teasing
his senses, were thoughts of Lily and what would happen when he
called her later tonight.

Chapter Three

Lily was a nervous wreck by the time nine
o’clock came. She’d managed to keep her attention on her work for
most of the day, and to be truthful, she’d gotten a heck of a lot
more done than she’d thought she would after Carson left. She
smiled ruefully. What she’d done was transfer all her pent-up
sexual energy onto the pages of her manuscript. Her poor
characters, Angie and Simon, were just as frustrated as she
was.

She paced back and forth across her bedroom
floor, her bare feet making no sound on the area rug. The sheets of
her bed were turned back invitingly. They were fresh too. She’d
changed them late this afternoon.

She’d also taken a long, hot bath using the
lavender bath salts that Ethan had given her for Mother’s Day. She
almost hadn’t used them. Somehow it had seemed wrong to use the
bath crystals her son had given her to prepare for an evening of
phone sex.

Lily heaved a sigh and rubbed her hands over
her arms. She was losing her mind if she was worried about such
things. In the end, she’d decided that Ethan would never know so
she didn’t need to feel guilty over it. She’d also shaved her legs
and slathered moisturizer all over her body. Which was ridiculous
when she thought about it. Nobody would see her. Still, it helped
her relax and made her feel better.

But that had been an hour ago.

Pausing by her dresser, she plucked her brush
up and gave her hair an absent swipe or two before tossing it back
down. She glanced in her mirror and sighed. She looked exactly like
what she was—an almost forty-year-old woman with the beginnings of
crow’s feet around her eyes, wearing a slightly faded nightshirt
and no makeup.

The nightshirt was her newest one, but it was
still about a year old. It didn’t have any holes or anything, but
it was faded from many washings. Her underwear and nightclothes
weren’t something she normally worried about.

She didn’t even have any sexy lingerie to
wear. Not that she would have worn it. She spun away from the
mirror in disgust. Of course she would have worn it. Hadn’t she
almost gone to the local mall to look for some? Maybe just a new
satin bra and panty set or a silk teddy. The only thing stopping
her was that she didn’t want to end up feeling totally ridiculous
if Carson didn’t call.

In the end, she’d opted for wearing no
underwear at all. That was better than wearing her plain white
cotton bikini panties with the stretched elastic at the waist. She
really needed to buy some new underwear.

Perching on the side of her bed, she
shivered. It was too early to go to bed, besides which, she wasn’t
tired at all. If anything, she was far too wound up to sleep.
Grabbing her terry-cloth robe, she tugged it on and belted it. The
bedside clock seemed to mock her as the number changed again. It
was now five minutes past nine.

“This is just stupid,” she muttered as she
stood and stalked to the closet for her slippers. She was through
with waiting. There was a tub of double fudge ice cream in her
freezer for emergencies, and if this didn’t qualify as an
emergency, she didn’t know what did.

She was halfway down the stairs when the
phone rang. It seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet house. Lily
halted, uncertain what to do. Then she scolded herself. “Just
because the phone is ringing doesn’t mean that it’s Carson. He
probably changed his mind. It’s probably Annabelle or Emma.” She
hadn’t talked to either of her two best friends in a few days. They
all had busy lives but tried to keep in touch on a regular basis,
even having lunch together every week or so. “Or maybe Ethan.” She
kept up a running commentary as she hurried back into her bedroom
and grabbed her phone off the bedside table.

“Hello.” She was slightly breathless, her
heart pounding in anticipation.

“Hi.” Carson’s deep voice came across the
phone line. Lily sat down hard on the side of her bed.

“I wasn’t sure you’d actually call,” she
blurted out. Her stomach was in knots waiting for him to say
something else.

The silence on the other end grew until
finally he spoke. “This is your decision, Lily. If you want, we can
pretend I called to get Ethan’s address. Or”—he paused and Lily
gripped her phone tighter—“we can relax and enjoy our conversation
and wherever it leads.”

“I’m not sure what to do.” God, could she
sound any more pathetic? “I mean, I know how this works, in theory.
But I’ve never actually done it.”

“Me neither. Why don’t we both take a deep
breath and try to relax?” She could hear rustling in the
background.

“Where are you?” Curiosity compelled her to
ask. She fiddled with the belt of her robe.

“I’m lying on my bed. Where are you?”

Visions of Carson reclining against his
pillows made her swallow. She wondered what he was wearing or if he
was wearing anything at all. She kicked off her slippers and curled
her legs beneath her. “Bedroom.”

He made a deep, rumbling sound that made her
smile. “I thought about you all day.”

“Really?” Beginning to relax, she transferred
the phone to her other ear and stretched out on top of her
comforter.

“Yeah, really. Made it hard to work at
times.” She could hear the self-deprecating humor in his tone, and
it made her smile.

“I noticed you had a bit of a problem when
you left here today.” Her breasts grew heavy as she remembered the
large bulge in the front of his jeans.

“I’ve still got that problem.” His voice was
little more than a husky whisper and set all her nerve endings
tingling. “What are you wearing?”

She wanted to tell him that she was wearing
some fabulously sexy nightgown or a slinky teddy, but she knew she
wouldn’t. Lily couldn’t lie to save her life and she’d only trip
herself up if she made something up. “My old terry-cloth bathrobe
and a cotton nightshirt.” She traced her finger over one of the
yellow roses printed on her comforter.

“I’ll bet you look all cozy and soft.”

She laughed. He’d surprised her with his
reply. “I’m warm and comfortable. How about you? What are you
wearing?” She was dying to know.

“Boxers. Navy blue boxers.”

Lily pressed her thighs together as the image
of Carson wearing nothing but a pair of boxers fired her
imagination. His legs were long and muscled. Maybe his hand was
resting on his belly, emphasizing the six-pack abs. His other hand
would be tucked behind his head as he relaxed.

Ignoring the dampness between her legs, she
allowed her mind to wander. She followed the line of his arm back
down to his stomach. His chest was magnificent. Wide and muscular,
she could stare at it all day. He had flat brown nipples with a
light dusting of hair between them. The thatch of hair then
narrowed and the thin band arrowed down his abdomen, disappearing
into the band of his boxers.

“Are you still there?” Carson’s voice shook
her out of her fantasy.

“Yes.” She gulped in a mouthful of air. “I’m
still here.”

“What were you thinking? Your breathing got
heavier.”

“I was thinking about you lying there wearing
nothing but a pair of boxers.” She was starting to sweat and tugged
at the tie on her robe until it gave way. Peeling back one of the
sides, she flapped it back and forth, hoping the slight breeze
would cool her off.

“Hmm, I was imagining you without the
robe.”

Her hand stilled and she stared down at the
plain white terry-cloth. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” She could hear the mounting
tension in his voice and it thrilled her.

“I’m taking it off.” Tucking the phone
between her shoulder and her ear, she removed her robe and tossed
it to the end of the bed.

“What about your nightshirt?” Was it her
imagination or was his voice getting deeper?

“I’ll take off mine if you’ll take off
yours.” She heard a swish of fabric in the background.

“I’m naked.” Those two words had her heart
pounding and her sex throbbing. “Are you?”

She tried to speak, but nothing came out on
the first attempt. “Hang on.” Laying the phone on her pillow, she
grabbed the hem of her nightshirt and pulled it over her head. The
fabric grazed her nipples, making them pucker even tighter. She
moaned, unable to hold it in. Her entire body was over-sensitized,
ripe and ready. All the sexual feelings she’d suppressed throughout
the day came roaring back.

She clung to her last covering, unable to
make herself release it. Once she did, there was no going back. Not
for her. If she dropped the nightshirt, she wasn’t going to stop
until she orgasmed. Her feminine muscles spasmed as if to encourage
her.

Taking a deep breath, she let the nightshirt
go and watched as the pale lilac fabric drifted to the mattress
beside her. Resolved, she shoved it the rest of the way off the bed
and grabbed her phone. Carson was calling her name. “I’m here.” She
sounded breathless.

“Good.” There was relief in his voice. “I
thought I lost you there for a minute.”

“It took me a while to . . . you
know.” Even though she was alone in her room, it had been harder
than she’d thought to let go of her clothing. The action was real.
Carson might not be here, but he knew she was naked. They both
were.

God, this was crazy, but she didn’t want to
stop.

“I know.” His voice was low and gentle and
she could hear the understanding in his tone. He really did seem to
appreciate how difficult this was for her. That made her feel
slightly better.

“I think we should get on with this before I
chicken out.” Already goose bumps were running up her thighs and
arms, partly from arousal and partly from the cool air touching her
naked flesh.

“Touch yourself.” His blunt words made her
freeze in place.

This so wasn’t a good idea. Once she did
this, there was no going back. She and Carson would have a shared
sexual experience. “Where?” Lily briefly closed her eyes and forced
herself to breathe slowly.

“Anywhere you want. Everywhere. Pretend it’s
my hand that’s touching you, Lily. I wish it was my hand cupping
your breast.” Her hand automatically went to her breast and she
gasped. “That’s it.” His voice was low and rough with arousal. She
found it very sexy. “Are you doing what I asked?”

“Yes,” she groaned. She’d touched her breasts
many times over the years, but it had never felt this intense, this
erotic.

“Rub your thumb over your nipple. I’ll bet
it’s already puckered into a tight little bud, isn’t it?”

She moved her legs restlessly against the
comforter. “It is.” She watched, enthralled as her thumb rotated
slowly around and over her nipple.

“What color is it? Dusky pink or deep red or
maybe mauve.” Cream trickled from between her thighs. His graphic
commands and questions were turning her on, and she had some of her
own.

“Dusky pink,” she managed to get out. “I want
you to wrap your hand around your cock.” If she could write the
word in her books, she could darn well say it out loud, even if it
was a first for her.

Carson groaned. “I wish it was your soft hand
gripping me. My hands are callused and rough.”

Lily almost swallowed her tongue as she
imagined it was Carson cupping her breasts, skimming his fingers
down her torso and grazing her hips on the journey to her sex. Her
hand followed where her imagination led and she suddenly realized
her fingers were poised just above her pubic hair.

Startled, her entire body jerked and she
almost lost the phone. She grabbed it and placed it close to her
ear, jamming another pillow into place to keep it secure and free
up her other hand.

“Lily?”

“I’m here. I was just fixing the phone so I
wouldn’t lose it.”

“I’ve got you on speaker phone.” His low
chuckle made her inner muscles clench. “I knew I’d want both hands
free. I’m stroking my hand up and down my cock, all the while
wishing it was yours. What are you doing?”

She tried to picture what he’d look like. His
erection was substantial. That much she knew from this morning in
her kitchen. But just how long and thick was a mystery. She wanted
to run her fingers over the deep blue veins that ran the length of
him. She wanted to place her lips on the darker bulbous head and
taste him. He’d be salty and warm and musky. She licked her lips,
able to imagine his taste. The crisp hair of his groin would tickle
her cheek as she licked a path from the base to the tip.