Three Wishes (12 page)

“Oh Lily, you look lovely!” Laura was coming out of the drawing room no doubt heralded by Lily’s near-shout and thankfully broke the odd tense moment. She was followed by Nate and at the sight of him, Jeff’s residual sting faded away and Lily caught her breath.

It was the first time she’d seen him when he wasn’t wearing a suit, instead he was wearing a pair of faded jeans, a black, v-necked sweater and black boots.

And he looked absolutely beautiful.

“It’s going to be hard for her to get on your bike in that get-up.” Jeff’s voice had gone from glum and contentious to jovial and vaguely snotty.

“Bike?” Lily murmured, confused, her awe at the sight of Nate melting.

“You can take the Jag,” Victor offered.

“You rode here on a bike?” She stared at Nate, the very thought of Nate on a bike was preposterous. Romantic heroes didn’t pedal around on bikes. It was, of course, London where bicycles were likely the best and easiest transport but she just couldn’t credit it and she found it somewhat disappointing even though she knew that was not very nice.

“The car, unfortunately, was scheduled to go in for a service. We’ll take a taxi,” Nate explained.

“Bike?” Lily repeated, still at a loss.

Jeff pushed away from the wall.

“Yeah, his Ducati. Nate likes to go fast, live dangerously, that kind of thing.” This was said in a way that was cutting but it seemed there was jealousy underlying his tone.

“What’s a Ducati?” Lily turned to Victor, still bemused but Laura answered her.

“A motorcycle, my dear, and he shouldn’t ride it. It’s dangerous. I keep telling him he’s going to kill himself, racing around on a motorcycle and in that blasted sports car but does he listen to his mother? No, he most certainly does not.”

Her eyes flew to Nate with delight.

A motorcycle!

Lily completely dismissed the idea of a man like Nate, a man who looked like Nate, a man who acted like Nate, a man who rode a motorcycle (like Nate), listening to his mother ever.

All she could think about was his motorcycle.

Her father had a motorcycle; he used to take her out on it all the time because she’d beg him to do it. She loved it, loved being out in the open air. She loved the speed, the danger (though there was no real danger, Will was always very careful and never took chances, but she could pretend).

Therefore she cried excitedly, “I
love
motorcycles!”

She had been telling herself all day to be cool, calm and collected. To act the sophisticate, as she was sure Nate was used to, not to let on she was just a small town girl which she was sure would bore Nate to death.

But,
a motorcycle!

She had no idea that she looked exactly, enticingly, alluringly as excited as she sounded.

She turned shining eyes to Nate and asked, “Can we take your motorcycle?”

Nate, who she saw, and Jeff, who she did not see, were both staring at her, lost in her look of delight and abandoned desire.

Nate forced himself out of his daze first.

He walked towards her, a grin playing about his sensual lips.

“I’d say your skirt is not conducive to a ride on the bike.”

Without a hint of artifice or any idea of the reaction her words would cause, she waved her hand casually in front of her and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll pull it up.”

Victor cleared his throat.

Laura dropped her head and smiled at the floor.

Jeff’s (she did not see) mouth fell open and immediately (also Lily did not know) he decided silently that he hated Nate even more.

Nate’s eyes warmed in a way that made Lily’s belly do a funny flutter.

“Do you have an extra helmet?” she asked, doggedly pursuing her opportunity of a ride on his bike just as she doggedly ignored the strange flutter in her belly.

“I keep one here, yes,” his deep voice answered.

“That settles it,” she announced, clapped her hands in front of her and linked her fingers, staring up at him with glee.

“Lily.” His tone said he was going to refuse her and she leaned toward him.

“Nate, please? My Dad has a cycle,” she pronounced this “sickle” as many people in Indiana did the same, “he used to take me out all the time. I’m a good rider, you’ll see. I won’t be distracting at all. I promise.”

Her words were said in all innocence and amusement flickered in Nate’s eyes just as Jeff muttered, “That would be impossible.”

She turned to Jeff.

“No really,” she said on a huff, “I’m a very good passenger, Dad said so.” And she turned back to Nate.

He was watching her as if she was the most fascinating creature ever born.

Somehow at the same time, he also had an expression that clearly said he was going to say no.

“Please,” she begged on a whisper and Nate’s eyes flickered again and again her belly did a funny thing that felt just like a somersault.

“For God’s sake, Nathaniel, take her out on the bike,” Victor broke in, giving in in his usual manner as he’d been doing with his children since they were born.

“No!” Laura cut in. “Lily, you’re wearing
a skirt,
” she noted unnecessarily.

Lily just kept looking at Nate imploringly.

“You really want to ride, don’t you?” Nate asked softly.

She nodded her head happily, sensing rather than knowing she was going to get her way.

“We’ll ride,” Nate decided.

“Yay!” Lily shouted, clapping her hands in front of her, completely lost in her reaction and she would think later she likely looked like a childish fool, not realising how compelling her exuberance was.

“Fucking hell,” Jeff cursed not-so-under his breath.

“That’s enough, Jeffrey,” Victor clipped.

Lily ignored them, she wasn’t going to give Nate time to change his mind so she asked, “Where’s the helmet?”

“I’ll get it,” Laura, giving in with dignified but somewhat ill-grace, said.

“I’ll get my jacket,” Nate followed his mother and as she went toward the kitchen, he turned into the drawing room.

Victor extended his arm, a cheeky grin on his face. “And
I’ll
introduce you to the Ducati.”

“Okay,” Lily breathed, her eyes shining.

Victor took her to the bike which was a kind she’d never seen before (a
lot
nicer than the one her father owned), and she loved it the moment she clapped eyes on it.

Nate joined them moments later.

Jeff had disappeared.

“Wear this,” Nate said, shaking out a black, leather jacket.

“Oh no, you wear it,” Lily replied, finding herself shy at the thought of donning a piece of his clothing.

“Lily, something happens, the leather is at least a modicum of protection. Lord knows, the rest of you won’t be protected,” Nate explained, amusement and annoyance struggling for control of his voice.

“Are you going to crash?” she asked, tilting her head.

“No,” he replied, a grin twitching his beautiful lips. Amusement was winning, she was pleased to note.

“Have you ever crashed before?”

His dark eyes moved to his father and Victor chuckled.

“Just put the coat on, Lily,” Nate ordered in a tone not-to-be-disobeyed.

She ignored it. “You
have
crashed.”

Nate didn’t answer. Victor’s chuckle turned into soft laughter.

“I’ll wear the jacket,” she decided prudently.

“Good idea,” Nate muttered, opening it for her and she turned her back to him and put her arms through the sleeves.

It swam on her but she didn’t care. Something about having it on felt nice. He turned her around with his hands at her shoulders and she felt them there like they’d stay there (or like she wanted them to stay there) for the rest of her life. Then they were gone and she was facing him again. He surprised her by zipping it smartly up all the way to her chin.

She immediately regretted allowing herself to be pushed into wearing the jacket.

Now she
really
looked like a Pink Lady, wearing a huge leather motorcycle jacket.

Her regret melted as she lifted her eyes to Nate’s. He was looking down at her wearing his jacket and even Lily with no experience whatsoever realised the look in his eye was something intensely possessive, untamed and very, very dangerous but in a
good
way.

She gulped.

“Here’s the helmet.” Laura had arrived on the scene.

With great spirit, deciding instead to focus on her unexpected treat, she took the helmet from Laura, giving her a throwaway smile. Lily pulled back her hair and expertly donned the helmet while Nate pulled on his own and threw his muscled leg over the bike and Lily noticed, not-at-all-distractedly, how his jeans tightened against the muscles of his thigh when he did this.

His visor was down and he turned his head to her. She didn’t hesitate just in case he changed his mind at the last moment. While he watched, Lily wriggled her skirt up, shaking her hips and bouncing on alternately bent knees. When she had it up to her hips, enough to straddle the motorcycle, she slung her leg around the bike and settled into position behind Nate. She gave a jaunty wave to Laura and Victor and without even thinking she wrapped her arms around Nate’s waist just like she’d do with her Dad.

“I’m ready!” she shouted and her voice both ricocheted around in her helmet and was muted by it.

Nate gave a short nod, started the bike with practised movements, movements that never affected her when her Dad did it but seemed, somehow,
impossibly
male when Nate did.

Then they took off.

And her arms, wrapped loosely around his waist, tightened. Because Nate didn’t ride like Will did. Nate rode fast and Nate rode hard.

As they rode her tightened arms tightened even further until she was pressed against his back, the tops of her thighs pressed under the bottoms of his and her nether-regions were pressed against his backside.

She didn’t care. She gloried in it.

She was riding with Nate and that was all that mattered.

She rested her chin on his shoulder and she loved every minute of it.

They arrived at where they were going and Nate stopped the bike and settled it on its stand as Lily hopped off and wriggled her skirt back down. When she straightened her body, Nate was also off the bike. She could tell he was watching her through his dark visor and his hands were lifted to take off his helmet. She tore off her own helmet, shaking her head to clear her hair from her face.

“That was great!” she cried, still lost in the thrill of the ride. She had no idea her smile was shining on her face and her eyes were bright and carefree.

And then something happened that she would never have guessed, never have planned for, never have dreamed, not even wished for and never would have known would ever, in a million years, happen.

With his helmet dangling from the fingers of one of his hands, Nate’s other arm snaked out, hooked around her waist and pulled her forward with a controlled violence that stole her breath.

She slammed against the wall of his body.

Then his mouth came down on hers.

Hard.

At this, she made a little surprised sound which came from the back of her throat.

As she felt his body heat seep through the leather, her breasts crushed pleasantly against his hard chest, she relaxed into him. Her lips relaxed, her hands lifted to rest on his shoulders and she pressed herself against him as her belly did somersault after somersault after…

His head came up just as abruptly as it went down.

It was the first time she’d ever been kissed and she couldn’t breathe.

“After dinner, we’re going back to my flat,” Nate stated in a voice that caused shivers to go down her spine and all along her skin.

She didn’t even think to refuse him, she simply nodded mutely.

He tugged the helmet out of her hand and, both helmets in one of his, her hand held firmly in his other, he guided her to the restaurant.

And finally, on a great whoosh, she let out her breath.

* * * * *

“Let’s walk.”

Lily was standing out on the sidewalk gazing up at Nate.

The sun was still lighting the sky and even after all her years there, she couldn’t get used to the long summer days in England.

They’d had a lovely, delicious dinner with her doing most of the talking. Nate didn’t say much and anyway, she was nervous,
very
nervous mainly because of the idea of going back to his flat after dinner but also because of the way he kept looking at her.

“To the flat?” Nate asked, looking down at her, his handsome face relaxed, a smile playing about his lips.

“No, just a walk. I feel the need to stretch my legs.” She used the words Sarah often said after a meal and she tugged at his hand, a strong, long-fingered hand that was holding hers. She’d already noticed his hands, powerfully veined and well-formed with tapered fingers. Lily rather liked his hands but then again, Lily rather liked everything about him. “Come on,” she urged.