single long step forward and tipping her chin upward with a forefinger, kissed her goodnight. His lips were warn and firm, with sure movements that at any other time for most women would have been pleasurable and the beginning to something further but Lily couldn’t spent any time exploring any feeling that might have come from it. Her only thought was that five minutes must surly be up and Jared always kept his word. She broke off the kiss and put a hand to his chest, stopping any further contact. “Call me tomorrow and with the details OK, it’s been a long night and I have to go in.” She pecked him on the cheek one last time and reentered the house. Jared was leaned up against the back of the sofa with his arms folded over his massive chest and his jaw tightly clenched. He was fully dressed again and wordlessly left the house. Lily knew better than to stop him, the vein that throbbed in his forehead stood out prominently. Jared got in his car and took off down the dirt driveway with tires squealing and grave flying several feet behind him. The only thing that had kept him from going out there and throwing Brian down the damn stairs was that he had given Lily his word that he would let her handle the situation but he had heard Brian extend the invitation and Lily accept it and almost growled out loud and the following seconds of silence was a test of his self control His hands clenched until his knuckles turned white and a strange red haze swam in front of his eyes, made even stranger by the blood rushing through his ears in a deafening roar. He left the house afraid of what he might do and it scared him a little to know that someone else, even Lily, had that kind of power over him. It also scared him that he could be driven to that level of violence. He would see her tomorrow when the anger fully subsided. Even now his foot lifted of the accelerator and his hand reached for his cell phone and hit the speed dial button that would connect him to Lily. “Hello?” “It’s me.” “I’m glad you called” she said softly. “I don’t like it when you’re mad at me Jared or when we fight. I wish you would have stayed and talked about it with me. “I needed a few minutes to cool down; if I had stayed it might have gotten ugly. Are you really going out with that yahoo?” He was annoyed all over again at the thought. “Yes, I owe it to myself and to Brian but I promise that nothing will happen.” “I know that.” He sounded strong and sure about his prediction. “You may be out with Brian but the second that he tries to kiss you all you’ll be able to think about is me and how it is between us. Chemistry like ours only happen with one person in a lifetime, if you’re lucky and once you’ve experienced it there’s no going back. I know there won’t be for me. “She was quiet on her end of the phone, knowing that he was right and hating him for it, he was spoiling her for any other man and it wasn’t fair. “And know what else Lily, you may not have realized it but you’re in love with me. Once you’ve admitted it to yourself, our relationship will continue the way it should be.” He chuckled at her loud gasp of outrage. “And Lily the next time we start making love, nothing is going to stop me. I don’t care who comes knocking.” He disconnected the phone and drove home the rest of the way singing with the radio and whole heartedly agreed with the lyrics that he did have that “Loving Feeling”.
Chapter 16
“Bella, have you seen Lily recently?” “Yes, she left here about fifteen minutes ago to go walking. You know how she is?” The cook/housekeeper picked up the tray of