Claudia D. Christian

Estimated reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

“How’s your head?”

“Good enough.” Whatever it was she expected him to say this wasn’t even close.

“Do you still feel nauseous?”

“No.” The urge to sidle back to the front of the house settled heavily upon her limbs. Pride kept her in place. Just barely.

“No sickness of any kind?”

Lily shook her head, chin tilted back in its usual defiant angle.

“Are you very, very sure?”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” Julian’s tone, even in cadence and dead without its usual passion, curled about her throat. “Hmm. I’m simply inquiring because something must be wrong with you, little girl.”

“I’m as fine as fine can be—all things considered.”

“No. You’re not.” Julian regarded her from a severe angle “You must’ve hit your head one too many times tonight for you to speak so freely. A lady would never admit she’d let anyone other than her lover see her without clothes. So let me ask again. Are you suffering from any unusual pains?”

Yes. You. You are what pains me. I can’t look at you anymore without hurting.

Lily almost clapped her hands over her treacherous mouth, afraid she had spoken out loud. She fell back on familiar anger. “Since have I ever claimed to be a lady? Besides, you don’t care!”

“I do care. I care very much.”

“Why?”

“You’d let complete strangers see what’s under there but you wouldn’t take your clothes off for me. Why?”

“Don’t…stop playing with me!”

“Don’t stop playing with you?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“I know exactly what you said. And no. I will not stop. I won’t stop until it pleases me. Right now it would please me for you to know this.” His words ended abruptly, sharp as the gravel shifting beneath her feet. Julian flashed behind Lily. One arm twined about her waist, lifting her without effort, while the other played with the torn hem of his shirt. “Lily?”

She tensed. Her answer came out as a whisper. “What?”

“Don’t ever, shall you ever, let anyone see anything above this knee.” He tapped the skin once. “Do you understand? Say you do, Lily.”

Fear and longing fueled with fatigue made a mess of her control. Her skin burned. His ghost touch titillated her. She wondered what he would do if she told him to go to hell.

“You’re afraid of me. You should be.”

“I’m not completely afraid of you, Douglas. It’s just that you confuse me.”

Julian laughed. It was rich with humor. Lily relaxed in his hold, unreasonably pleased to inspire such a reaction.

“Yes?”

“Yes what?”

“Do you understand?”

“Douglas, you know I can’t agree to that. To do that would be to say you own me.” Lily wiggled until he turned her around. She placed her palms on his shoulders with impersonal deliberation. “And you look like you’ve got more than your hands full already.”

“You forget I already own you.” Julian bounced her on his arm like an infant. “And it looks like I’m not the only one who’s jealous.”

“You don’t own me and why bother saying anything else about the rest? We both know the answer.”

“You admit it? I’m shocked.”

“Maybe I’m just too tired right now to fight.”

He brought her forward. The tip of his nose caressed hers. “Just remember I’ll be here for you when you’re too tired at the end, Lily.”

His declaration almost sounded romantic. Perhaps she shouldn’t complain. Maybe this was the best she was going to get in life.

Screw that. If I can’t get exactly what I want then I don’t want anything.

“You don’t let up. I’m not sure if I like this new side of you.”

“That’s too bad.” Julian jostled her again before setting Lily down. He guided her back to the porch, considerate of her heeled steps. When he reached out to ring the doorbell, Lily slapped her hand over his.

“What are you doing?”

“Why do you always ask me so many questions?”

“Because you do stupid shit that’s why.”

Julian sighed. He turned neatly on his heel and bent over her. “I’m going to deposit you with your mother. To do that I’m going to have to see her. I’m going to ring the doorbell so she’ll assume she has company and won’t be caught in a potentially embarrassing situation. Do you understand me now?”