Okay, there were definitely perks to being Dominic’s little sister.
A shadow fell across the table. Lil looked up and her breath caught in her throat.
Jake.
“Please forgive my boldness, but when I saw you I had to come over and introduce myself. Jake Walton.” He held out a hand in greeting.
She shook it, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
What was he playing at?
“Lillian Dartley.”
He put a hand on the back of the chair across from her. “Is this seat taken?”
“What if I said yes?”
He didn’t smile. “I would come back every day until you said it wasn’t.”
She gulped. Her voice was a bit of a croak as she said, “Please. Sit.”
He sat and leaned back in the chair. “So, you work here?”
“Yes.” Then, because she didn’t know what else to say, she said, “This is my second week.”
“You like it?”
“It’s okay.” Getting more interesting by the minute. “Everyone is very nice.”
“I miss you.” He reached across the table and took her hand lightly. “You and Colby.”
Lil’s hand shook in his. “What is this, Jake? What are you doing here?”
He turned her hand over in his and curled his fingers through hers. “You were right. We have things we need to figure out, but we shouldn’t do it alone. I want to hear about your first week at work, to see the paintings you bring home from your art class. I want to be there when Colby takes her first step. I’m not going to settle for less than everything.”
Tears welled in Lil’s eyes. She wanted so badly to believe, but she couldn’t.
He asked, “Do you think your boss would let you take an extended lunch?”
“I think he’d be fired if he didn’t,” Lil said with a rueful smile. Working for Dominic’s company wasn’t exactly like getting a job on her own merit. There was a price to pay for being associated with such a powerful man, but Lil was becoming more comfortable with it each day. Life could be much worse. Curiosity got the best of her. “Why?”
“I have a surprise for you.”
Instead of heading out the front door, Jake led her to the elevator and pressed the button for the roof. There in the middle of the landing pad was a luxury helicopter with a huge red ribbon on the side of it. Lil had seen helicopters before, but none like this. It was longer than most and had two distinct sections, a front area for the pilot and a passenger area that looked as comfortable and private as a limousine. Lil cupped her eyes and peeked into one of the round windows. Jake opened the door to the passenger compartment and said, “You can look closer than that, it’s yours.”
Lil looked at the six ivory, leather seats that flanked a lushly-carpeted, center aisle and turned back to Jake. “You got me a helicopter?”
Jake shrugged. “I heard you hate flowers. The interior is completely soundproof so you don’t have to worry about headphones for Colby.”
“This is crazy.”
“No, this is how we start over.” He handed her a card. “Call this number and a pilot will be here in about thirty minutes. Boston to New York takes about an hour and a half, but you’ll never fight traffic. Colby’s car seat will clip right in.”
“So you want me to come down to New York more often?”
“If you want to. Or I’ll come up here. I know how to be your lover. I’m working on the rest of your list.”
Best-friend?
Hero?
He’s serious.
Oh, God, he’s serious.
“I have one other surprise,” he said.
Lil wasn’t sure she could take another one, her heart was already beating double-time in her chest. “I’ve hired a real estate agent and he compiled a list of lofts available in both Boston and New York.”
A loft? Had Jake decided that instead of marrying her he would stash her somewhere convenient? “I don’t think-”
Jake pulled her against him and tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. “Let me do this for you. I know you want to do everything yourself, but it will just be a large empty space. You’re the one who will have to hone your craft and fill it with artwork.”
“What are you saying?” Then she understood and gasped, afraid to believe she had heard him correctly. “You’re looking for an art studio for me?”
“If you want one.”
“If I want one?” She laughed and cried at the same time. Somehow this man saw past what she said and knew her heart. She wasn’t walking away this time. “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll accept the helicopter? Okay, you’ll let me buy you a studio?”
“Okay, I’ll marry you,” she said simply.
He swayed a bit on his feet then crushed her to him.
She added, “I do love the helicopter, but what really got me was…”
“My charm?” he asked with a tint of humor.
She shook her head with a smile. “Not quite.”
He gave her a playful squeeze. “My persistence?”
She laughed up at him. “It took you long enough to show up here.”
He smile back at her, knowing that she would eventually tell him what he was waiting to hear.
Lil looked him in the eye and said, “What got me was how well you know me. Not the me I pretend to be or the one I was convinced I had to be-just me. Somehow you sorted through all the crap I said and heard what I needed.”
Jake shook his head and said, “I hate when Dominic is right.”
That piqued Lil’s curiosity. “About what?”
Jake leaned down and kissed her until she forgot what they were discussing.
Until her only thought was that dreams really do come true.
When he finally rested his forehead on hers and their ragged breathing began to calm, he said, “I know you’re looking for a hero, Lil, but you’ve already earned that title. Our server is clean and ready to go online, issue free.”
Even though the topic meant downshifting a bit emotionally, Lil know it needed to be discussed before they could move forward. “I’m so glad. Jeremy had the solution?”
“He had a large piece of the puzzle. My parents worked the rest out. However, his insight was invaluable as far as debugging the system in time to meet our deadline.”
Lil absently played with the hair just behind one of his ears. “Speaking of you parents-are they staying for the wedding?”
“I have no idea. For now, they are staying with the Andrades. It’s going to take us a while to put the past behind us, but they seem to sincerely want to be part of my life.”
“You should have Dominic invite them, Jake. They’re family.”
He smiled down at her. “Is this what I’m signing on for-a lifetime of you telling me what to do?”
“Absolutely,” she said without missing a beat.
He sobered suddenly and said, “I love you, Lil.”
She kissed his lips softly. “And I love you, Jake.”
“Do you want to go back to work now?”
Lil rubbed herself playfully against him. “Surprisingly, not as much as I thought I would.”
Within moments she was grateful that Jake had invested in a large and remarkably private helicopter interior. He whipped open the door and laid her across the off-white carpeted flooring.
With precision, he undressed himself and then her. Then his hands slowed as they explored her, worshipped her, guided her to a place where coherent thought was no longer possible. Although the passion remained strong between them, this time there was no need to rush. Knowing that they had the rest of their lives added a depth to their lovemaking. Each touch meant more. Each kiss lingered longer so they could savor it.