mean,” Lily stammered. “I just wasn’t feeling well.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, gorgeous.” Jake threw an arm around Lily’s shoulder as if they were old
friends and leaned down, whispering loudly as he winked, “I know he’s a terrible dancer. Did he step on
your feet? You can tell me.”
Lily laughed, and Eric realized that was the second time today he’d heard her do that. He liked her
laugh. It was sexy and had a melodic tone to it. Just like her, it was real .
“No, he didn’t. Eric’s a good dancer,” Lily defended, and even though they were all just kidding
around, her statement made him want to puff out his chest and beat on it like Tarzan.
Jake shook his head and pulled her even closer. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“Stop it. Be nice,” Lily chuckled as she playfully swatted Jake’s arm and pulled away from him.
Shadow must have taken her movement as a defensive one because he jumped between Lily and Jake,
barking at his brother as he sat in front of Lily protectively.
“Whoa, Shadow. We were just playing,” Jake assured the dog and began to move closer to Lily again.
Shadow barked once more, this time sounding like he meant business. Lily’s eyes widened with
amusement and her mouth opened in surprise as she once again began to laugh.
Jake threw up his hands in surrender. “Damn, Shadow. I see how it is.”
“Oh, is that my good boy protecting me?” Lily asked in a voice he’d heard women talk to babies in as
she scratched behind Shadow’s ear.
Shadow barked in answer to her question as he flopped down in front of her and rolled over on his
back so she could scratch his belly.
“Aww, you want your belly rubbed?” Lily bent over and gave Shadow a good rub on his belly.
“Lucky dog,” Jake said under his breath.
No kidding .
Eric grabbed the rest of her bags from the Jeep, and Lily got up quickly to help him.
“I’ve got it,” he assured her, closing the hatch. He started towards the door but was momentarily
stopped in his tracks by the golden flecks he saw shimmering in her eyes.
“Thanks.” A small smile spread across her face, and Eric noticed a faint pink blush rise up on her
cheeks.
“So, Lily,” Jake interrupted, always needing to be the center of attention, “how do like Hope Falls?”
“I love it.” Lily’s face lit up as they all three walked into her house. “It’s cold, but I love it.”
“Where are you from?” Jake continued his inquisition as Eric set the last of the grocery bags down.
“I moved from Sacramento.” Lily turned as she began putting away her groceries.
“Is that where you grew up?” Jake asked as he pulled up and sat on one of the barstools beside the
breakfast bar.
“Uhh, no,” Lily answered as she reached up, going on her tiptoes to the put away cereal in the top
cabinet. The movement not only showcased her perfectly shaped ass, it had the added bonus of pulling her
shirt up so that the tiniest bit of skin peeked out. Eric felt himself growing hard just from that innocent gesture.
“So where are you from? Originally, I mean.” Jake clarified his question as he propped his feet up on
the stool beside him, making himself at home.
“Here and there. I moved around a lot,” she answered vaguely as she made her way around the kitchen.
Watching her put away groceries reminded Eric of the one and only ballet he had ever been to. When
Nikki was about eight, she had gone through a short window of time in which she had wanted to be a
ballerina. She had actually been cast in the Nutcracker, which ran in San Francisco. The whole family had
gone to see her on opening night.
Eric hadn’t been that excited about it. Spending a Friday night at the ballet was not a good time for a
fifteen-year-old boy. But to this day he did remember how the dancer’s movements were so graceful and
their bodies looked like pieces of art to him.
That was exactly what watching Lily put her food away looked like
“You don’t have to lie to me, gorgeous.” Jake threw an arm around Lily’s shoulder as if they were old
friends and leaned down, whispering loudly as he winked, “I know he’s a terrible dancer. Did he step on
your feet? You can tell me.”
Lily laughed, and Eric realized that was the second time today he’d heard her do that. He liked her
laugh. It was sexy and had a melodic tone to it. Just like her, it was real .
“No, he didn’t. Eric’s a good dancer,” Lily defended, and even though they were all just kidding
around, her statement made him want to puff out his chest and beat on it like Tarzan.
Jake shook his head and pulled her even closer. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“Stop it. Be nice,” Lily chuckled as she playfully swatted Jake’s arm and pulled away from him.
Shadow must have taken her movement as a defensive one because he jumped between Lily and Jake,
barking at his brother as he sat in front of Lily protectively.
“Whoa, Shadow. We were just playing,” Jake assured the dog and began to move closer to Lily again.
Shadow barked once more, this time sounding like he meant business. Lily’s eyes widened with
amusement and her mouth opened in surprise as she once again began to laugh.
Jake threw up his hands in surrender. “Damn, Shadow. I see how it is.”
“Oh, is that my good boy protecting me?” Lily asked in a voice he’d heard women talk to babies in as
she scratched behind Shadow’s ear.
Shadow barked in answer to her question as he flopped down in front of her and rolled over on his
back so she could scratch his belly.
“Aww, you want your belly rubbed?” Lily bent over and gave Shadow a good rub on his belly.
“Lucky dog,” Jake said under his breath.
No kidding .
Eric grabbed the rest of her bags from the Jeep, and Lily got up quickly to help him.
“I’ve got it,” he assured her, closing the hatch. He started towards the door but was momentarily
stopped in his tracks by the golden flecks he saw shimmering in her eyes.
“Thanks.” A small smile spread across her face, and Eric noticed a faint pink blush rise up on her
cheeks.
“So, Lily,” Jake interrupted, always needing to be the center of attention, “how do like Hope Falls?”
“I love it.” Lily’s face lit up as they all three walked into her house. “It’s cold, but I love it.”
“Where are you from?” Jake continued his inquisition as Eric set the last of the grocery bags down.
“I moved from Sacramento.” Lily turned as she began putting away her groceries.
“Is that where you grew up?” Jake asked as he pulled up and sat on one of the barstools beside the
breakfast bar.
“Uhh, no,” Lily answered as she reached up, going on her tiptoes to the put away cereal in the top
cabinet. The movement not only showcased her perfectly shaped ass, it had the added bonus of pulling her
shirt up so that the tiniest bit of skin peeked out. Eric felt himself growing hard just from that innocent gesture.
“So where are you from? Originally, I mean.” Jake clarified his question as he propped his feet up on
the stool beside him, making himself at home.
“Here and there. I moved around a lot,” she answered vaguely as she made her way around the kitchen.
Watching her put away groceries reminded Eric of the one and only ballet he had ever been to. When
Nikki was about eight, she had gone through a short window of time in which she had wanted to be a
ballerina. She had actually been cast in the Nutcracker, which ran in San Francisco. The whole family had
gone to see her on opening night.
Eric hadn’t been that excited about it. Spending a Friday night at the ballet was not a good time for a
fifteen-year-old boy. But to this day he did remember how the dancer’s movements were so graceful and
their bodies looked like pieces of art to him.
That was exactly what watching Lily put her food away looked like
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