French Kiss (Silver Cove Series Book 2) (18 page)

When he’d finally worked off most of the anger, he went in and showered off, then went to find Lilly before the dinner break.

He found her up in the attic. The room had turned out better than even he could have imagined. The floors shined with the new polyurethane coat.

“Aren’t you supposed to stay off this for a few days?” he asked from the doorway.

She turned and shook her head, smiling.

“They said twenty-four hours. It’s been close to thirty.” She waved him in. “Isn’t it perfect?” She spun around slowly. He could see that her knees bothered her, so he moved to her side and took her in his arms.

“I’ll wait until tomorrow to move the furniture in.” She smiled. “The bar will go over there.” She nodded towards the wall with the closet on it. “That way the wait staff can bring the food out through the closet.” He felt her shiver. “Then we’ll have tables lined up around the entire room and leave the middle open for dancing.” She sighed. “I can just imagine our first wedding party up here.” She glanced around the room dreamily.

“I think Sarah will be impressed with what you’ve done.”

She turned to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I hope so. I was watching you work outside.” Her eyes moved down to his chest. “All sweaty with your shirt off.” He watched her tongue slowly move over her bottom lip and felt himself grow hard with desire.

“And?” His eyes were glued to those sexy lips of hers.

“And I can’t believe how much it turned me on to watch you with a shovel.”

He smiled. “Not as much as it’s turning me on knowing you liked it.” His hands slowly made circles across her back as she pressed herself closer to him.

“I was thinking…” She bit her bottom lip and he released a low growl.

“About?” It came out as a whisper.

“Us on a hard wood surface.” She smiled and took his hand, then slowly started walking towards the door.

“Wait,” he stopped her. “What’s wrong with this surface?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I was thinking more like the desk in Sarah’s office.”

He felt his body begin to boil. Taking her hand, they quickly made their way towards the office. He pulled her in and pushed her up against the door, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss that shook him to the soles of his shoes.

His hands pulled and tugged her clothing off and she let out a soft cry as he tried to tug her slacks down her legs. He’d forgotten about her bruises and cuts.

Slowly, he dropped to his knees and gently removed her slacks, then kissed each knee.

“Adam.” She pulled on him until he was pushing against her again. “Don’t slow down,” she muttered then gasped when his fingers found her.

“No,” he growled, “this will be anything but slow.”

He was right—the speed matched that of his desire for her. His fingers were tangled in her hair, holding her mouth to his as he laid claim to her. Her body reacted with each touch, each nip of his teeth on her skin.

Only when he felt himself on the edge did he allow himself to slow down. His hands stilled against her skin, his lips covered hers as he enjoyed the taste of her.

“Come for me, Lilly,” he said against her lips. “I’ll follow you,” he promised.

“Adam, I…” She pushed herself tighter against him, her eyes closed tightly as his fingers found her softness, then she was exploding around him. She threw her head back and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. Moments later, he followed her and held onto her like his life depended on it.

T
he next two days were even more a blur to Lilith than before. It wasn’t that she was particularly busy, but she did spend a lot of time setting up the attic and organizing the bar area. She’d found everything she needed for the space in the boxes that had been stored in the attic.

She even found several large paintings that now hung in the space. She’d ordered the tablecloths and had to replace several tables and over a dozen chairs, which had been hard to find.

Already, she had a party booked for the space in two weeks. She’d had a photographer come and take pictures so she could update the resort’s website. After she surprised Sarah, of course.

Everything had fallen into place nicely.

She’d even stopped receiving the notes and was even more sure it had been Kaleen than before.

Less than two days after the Robinsons and Bauers left, she received a certified notice from the Bauer’s lawyer with a check attached.

She’d been shocked to see so many zeros. Adam had insisted she think about everything before signing the paperwork and cashing the check. She’d promised to wait until Sarah returned before making her decision.

Her knees had healed up nicely, but she still had bruises. She covered them up by wearing slacks, which bothered her since the weather had turned very warm after all that rain they had gotten.

The day before Sarah and Ben were set to return was the busiest day so far. She spent most of the day in the office, making sure everything was perfect. All of the invoices were scanned and filed and all of the orders were up-to-date.

Her evenings were filled with Adam. They had taken to spending their nights in her room, since it was almost double the size of his and the bigger shower had come in extra handy.

Every member of the staff knew they were together. They also knew about Rob and Heather, who seemed to have a rockier relationship since Rob was always complaining about how Heather was complaining. Still, they were very cute together when they were acting happy.

The next morning, Lilly stood on the front porch and watched the ferry arrive. She twisted her fingers enough that Adam reached up and took her hands in his.

“Stop, everything’s going to be fine,” he whispered to her.

“What if she doesn’t like—”

“Stop. They’re going to love it. Besides, from the sounds of it, you already have it booked up for several occasions.”

She smiled and relaxed. “Three.” She watched the couple walk slowly up the sidewalk, holding hands.

“They look happy,” he said, squeezing her hand lightly.

They did. Both of them were a little tanner than before. Ben’s hair had grown out a little during the trip to where it was borderline shaggy. Sarah looked amazing. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder flowered sundress and heeled sandals. Her hair was pulled in a braid off to the side and there was a bright pink flower above her left ear.

When they noticed her, Sarah dropped Ben’s hand and rushed to give her a hug.

“I missed you,” Sarah whispered.

“Me too.” A tear slid down her cheek. “Mrs. Rothschild.” She giggled. “So.” She leaned back and cleared her throat. “I have a late wedding gift for you.” She smiled.

“Lilith, you shouldn’t…”

She held up her hand, stopping her friend. “If you’ll follow me.” She turned to Ben who was shaking Adam’s hand. “Both of you.” He frowned slightly, but then took Sarah’s hand in his.

“Lead the way.” He motioned.

She walked in and stood aside in the hallway, which was filled with employees, who were all cheering and clapping.

“Welcome home,” everyone chortled at the same time.

“Thank you,” Sarah said once everything quieted down. “I’m sure we will have plenty of time to catch up with one another over the next few days, but until then… Get back to work,” she said playfully, as everyone laughed.

“Thank you.” She turned to Lilith.

“Oh, no. That wasn’t your surprise.” She smiled and took her friend’s hand, then led her up the main staircase and didn’t stop until they reached the attic doorway.

“What—?” Sarah started to say.

“Close your eyes.” Lilith waited until Sarah and Ben complied.

Lilith took Sarah’s hand and pulled her into the doorway. She didn’t stop until they stood in the middle of the room. Glancing around, she noticed that everything was perfect.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and waited.

First Sarah gasped, then Ben. Lilith watched as Sarah did several spins, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes grew wet with tears. “It’s just like I remember it.”

Lilith was taken back. “Remember?”

She turned to her. “Yes, when I was a child.” She watched her friend’s tears slide down her cheeks. “I remember dancing with my father up here. Before he got sick. Then…” Ben walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “Then, my father died and they moved all the storage up here.” She turned to Lilith. “You did all this?”

“Me and the extra money you found in the budget last month.” She smiled, then Sarah’s arms were around her, holding her tight.

“Thank you. It’s perfect.”

“It’s already booking out too,” Adam added from the doorway.

Sarah turned to him, then back to Lilith. “Really?”

She nodded and smiled. “Three events so far.”

“Sounds like you made a good choice making her manager,” Ben added.

“Temporary manager,” Lilith added.

Sarah looked at her and winced. “Actually…” She took her shoulders. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

***

“Manager!” Lilly said for the tenth time.

“Yes, I heard.” He chuckled. She stopped on the pathway leading to the employee quarters that evening.

“But, manager.” She stretched the word out and smiled over at him.

“Yes, I also remember her saying you had the next week off.” He smiled. “And, she was nice enough to allow me two more days since I spent two day’s building that.” He nodded towards the beautiful greenhouse he’d built with the help of Rodney and his grandson. “So, I was thinking…” He stopped under the light just outside the doorway. “What about spending some time on the mainland. I did promise you a boat trip.”

She wrapped her arms around him and smiled. “That sounds nice.”

The next morning, they set off on the ferry, both weighted down with a bag. They were surprised to see Jerry manning the helm.

“I thought you were going to be gone a lot longer?” Lilly said, rushing up the stairs to give the man a hug.

“Naw, just a few days to sign all the paperwork. The real long trip comes this fall. They want to set me up in an apartment for six months for filming.”

“Six months in LA?” Adam broke in, his arm going around Lilly’s shoulders.

“Yeah, it’s going to be tough being away from here so long.” Jerry looked out to the water and sighed. “She’s my mistress.”

Lilly smiled. “Still, six months while they make your book into a movie. Who are they going to get to play the lead?”

Adam leaned against the railing as the two of them went through a list of actors and characters for his movie. Some he knew, others he didn’t. When the ferry docked, they disembarked and he could feel Lilly’s nerves kick in.

“Hey, she’s going to love you.” He took her hand and pulled it up to his lips to kiss.

“I’ve never meet someone’s family before,” she said, causing his eyebrows to shoot up. “Other than Sarah’s.”

He chuckled. “If you can handle Crystal, then my mémère will be easy.” He tugged on her arm until they stopped in front of the car.

“Grand-mère, this is Lilly. Lilly, my gran, Sonya.”

Lilly held out a hand to shake, but then his mémère surprised even him by walking over and wrapping her arms around Lilly.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard lots about you from Crystal.” She winked at her. “I take one of her yoga classes, silver sneakers.” She smiled, her chin rising slightly. “I’m the oldest one in the class.” She leaned closer and whispered. “And the most limber one too.”

“Gran,” he warned, rolling his eyes. “Remember, not in front of me,” he said in French.

“English, boy. It’s rude to speak a different language in front of our guest.” She slapped his arm playfully. “Why don’t you put those bags in the trunk while I walk with Lilly.” She turned to Lilly. “I thought we’d walk over to Ed’s for some pizza. Then we can head to the docks for our evening boat trip.” Sonya wrapped her arms through Lilly’s as they started walking and talking.

Adam piled the bags in the trunk and followed them two blocks to Ed’s.

He’d never laughed so hard having lunch with Mémère before. Even though she managed to embarrass him more than he’d ever been, he enjoyed every minute of it.

After they ate pizza, he was surprised to learn that Mémère had packed his favorite dishes for the next day and a half in a large basket and cooler.

“Mémère, how did you get all of this in the trunk?” he asked as he was unloading it from the car at the docks.

“I asked the neighbor boy to help.” She patted him on his cheek. “Adam worries about me too much.” She took Lilly’s arm and started walking towards his boat.

“This is yours?” Lilly asked when they stopped in front of his 36-foot boat.

“Sure, I had big plans for her.” He smiled and tossed his bag over and then set the cooler and basket down. Next, he held out his hand to help Mémère in first, then Lilly. “Welcome aboard.” He kissed them both.

“It’s for luck,” Mémère said, smiling. “My père used to do the same.” She walked over and sat down. “Come, sit. Adam will get everything ready.”

Lilly looked around the boat as she made her way to sit on the soft bench.

“I’m impressed,” she told him once she sat down.

“What? Did you think it would be smaller?”

“Well, yes.” She laughed. “For some reason, when you mentioned you had been stuck out in a storm... I guess I pictured the boat from
Gilligan’s Island
.” She laughed.

“From?” He turned to her and frowned. “What is…
Gilligan’s Island
?”

She laughed and shook her head. “A classic show that we are going to seriously have to catch you up on.”

He took the next few minutes getting the food and supplies downstairs. Just as they were about to leave, mémère stood up and sighed. “Well, this is where I leave you two.”

“Leave?” Adam frowned. “But you’re coming with us.”

“No.” She patted him on the cheek. “This is a trip for you two.” She leaned close. “I’ve packed a little something special for you in my bag.” She winked. “Go, have fun, be young.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Besides, I don’t want to miss any of my yoga classes.” She turned to Lilly. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you. I know we’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another soon.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Lilly asked.

“Oui.” She smiled. “Aller avec le vent,” she said, then he helped her out.

“Sorry, once she makes up her mind about something…” He sighed as he watched her walk back to her car alone.

“I think it’s charming that she set this up so we can have the time to ourselves.” Lilly leaned back and rested against the seat.

“You think that’s what she had planned all along?” He turned to her. “To not go?”

“Why not.” She shrugged.

He thought about it as he untethered the boat, then sat down and turned the boat engine over. “Well, I was going to stick close, because of…” He glanced back as the car pulled out of the parking lot. “But, if you’re up for it, there’s this secluded beach a little further down the coast.”

She waved her arm. “You’re the captain.”

He chuckled and pulled out of the docks slowly. When they hit the open water, he gunned it and a smile spread on Lilly’s lips. She’d tied her hair back, but still, strands of it found their way loose. He motioned for her to join him up in the copilot seat. She held onto the back of the seat and made her way forward to sit next to him.

“Would you like to take the helm?” he asked. She quickly smiled and nodded. He moved over and let her take the wheel, then stood beside her as she leaned her head back and laughed.

“I love the wind.” She laughed, throwing her head back and smiling over at him.

He knew at that exact moment that he would do anything to please her just like this for the rest of his life.