Read Online Tiger Lily: Part Three by Amélie S. Duncan - Free Book Online

seconds later, I walked over and locked it.
    “Today was truly exhausting,” Jonas’s voice said behind me. “Maybe I’m getting too old for this.” He walked up and put his arms around me.
    I leaned back, savoring the feeling of being held by him. “You’re only thirty-six, but you could retire?”
    “I could, but that’s not the Crane way. We die at, on our way, or right after work. Even Paul. He goofs, but when it comes to his piano, he’s driven, passionate about it,” he said.
    I sighed heavily. “My father was passionate about his art and his ethics. My mother, her first graders and art program. But, well, unlike you, I ended up disappointing them over and over again. I didn’t succeed at music. I didn’t succeed as an anthropologist. I let Declan manipulate and hurt me many times.”
    He cuddled me. “You have plenty of time to get wherever you want to be, and from what you’ve shared about your parents, I think they would have been disappointed they couldn’t protect you, but I believe they would be proud of you.”
    When I didn’t respond, he added. “I’m here now and I’ll protect you.” He placed his arm around my shoulder and we walked over and sat down on the couch. He opened the pizza carton and steam rose up with the spicy aroma of the pie. “Ian claims this is the best pizza in New York, and that’s a tall order,” he said as we each placed slices on our plates.
    I took a bite and was an instant convert. “This is so delicious.”
    Jonas was halfway into his second slice before he gave his verdict. “It’s close.”
    Snobby New Yorker. I mused as I reached for my own second slice.
    “What are you watching?” Jonas said and made a face. He began flipping through channels without waiting for a response, finally giving up and leaving it on the news. We were both too engrossed in the food to care.
    The pizza went quickly, and so did the cheesecake, with two bites from me. Once we were done, we cleared off the table.
    “How about a bath and a read before bed?” Jonas asked as we left the kitchen.
    “Milk and cookies and I’ll agree,” I teased.
    “No cookies, but more rosewater custard if you want it,” he offered.
    I shook my head and groaned. “After all that? You’re kidding!”
    He shrugged, letting me know he wasn’t. Where does he put it? I wondered, watching him turn off the lights. His body, muscular and toned, showed no signs of his voracious appetite.
    I met him by the stairs and we walked up to the master bedroom and straight into the bathroom.
    “This will be a soak. So keep your hands to yourself, Ms. Salomé,” Jonas said in a light tone as he turned on the nozzle of the tub, dropping the contents of some of the jarred dispensers from along the back wall into the water.
    I had already started brushing my teeth and almost choked on my toothbrush.
    He walked over and joined me as he began to brush his own. I laughed at the ease of us together, despite all the chaos in my life. As soon as I finished, I told him how much I liked this…us living our lives together.
    His eyes glimmered. “Yes. I like that too,” he said. I gaped as I watched his skin cleaning and buffing routine, until he paused and opened a cabinet filled with all the things I had from the hotel spa, freeing me to go about my own ritual.
    Jonas turned off the water and I noticed a bit of foam on the surface and the smell of lavender. “A bubble bath?”
    He came up behind me and tugged up my shirt. I lifted my arms so he could continue to pull it over my head.
    His phone beeped just then, so he paused touching me and took it out of his pocket.
    “Get in. I’ll be right back.” He sighed and answered, “Hello?”
    I slid my sweatpants down my legs and removed them. My ears perked in hopes of hearing the caller’s voice, but he walked a few paces away before I could catch anything.
    I looked at him inquisitively, but his eyes shifted away from me as he padded to the door. “I’ll be right