Page 11 of Clever Deceit

I never wanted to stop feeling the security and warmth she gave me.

And I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. Because I wasn't sure I was good enough at loving to give her what she deserved.

And just as I had that thought—which wasn't, I hoped, the conclusion—I realized that the problem with having Lily so close to me was that her hair just wouldn't behave itself. Right now, for instance, it was lying across my face and making its way right up my nose.

The moment I had the thought, my body reacted like it had just been attacked. I twitched away from the tickling sensation, dislodging Lily in the process, and scooted sideways before I could stop myself. Lily came awake in a moment, all big eyes and messy hair, and jumped up as well, like she thought something was wrong.

“What happened?” she gasped, looking around. “What is it?”

When I saw her there looking so panicked, her hair sticking up and her face creased from sleeping, I started laughing. I couldn't help it. She looked so upset, and I'd jumped just because her hair had tickled my face when I wasn't expecting it.

It was ridiculous.

She glared at me. “Why are you laughing? Is it me? Was I drooling or something?”

This made me laugh even harder.

Lily's scowl deepened, and she picked up one of the pillows, holding it threateningly in my direction. “Are you laughing at me? Because I have a pillow here and I'm not afraid to use it.”

“Not you,” I wheezed, dropping to the bed. “Laughing at myself.”

“Why?”

“It was... It was your hair,” I gasped. “I was lying here thinking and suddenly your hair tried to crawl up my nose and I jerked and—and—”

I couldn't finish. The combination of the affection and love I felt for her, along with the relief of having slept and the safety of having her with me, was reacting like too much champagne in my belly. I felt lighter than I had in years, and it was bubbling out of me in laughter that was definitely unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

Lily watched me suspiciously for a moment, thinking, no doubt, that I'd lost my mind. And then she cracked a smile. And before long, she was laughing with me, dropping onto the bed and snorting at me being frightened of her hair and how it wasn't that bad after a nap—which sent us both off again, our laughter echoing through her mother's room in the house where I now lived.

***

LILY SHUT THE REFRIGERATOR door firmly. “Well, there's not much left in there. It's been ages since we've gone to the grocery store.”

I glanced from the pots and pans on the stove back toward her, thinking. We'd been planning to cook dinner and have a romantic evening at home, but that was going to be hard without groceries.

“Don't worry,” she said, catching my glance. “I'll run to the market and get something. I'll be back in half an hour.”

She walked toward me, looking like her mind had already left the house, but I stopped her. “No, I'll go. I don't want you going out there alone in the dark.”

“Warren, this is my hometown,” she scoffed. “I think I can handle it. Even in the dark.”

“And what are you going to do if you run into Tony McCarthy?” I asked. “Do I need to remind you that someone left a dead squirrel on your doorstep two days ago?”

She caught her lip in her teeth, and I watched as she remembered not only the squirrel but also the man we thought had put it there. No, we didn't have any proof that it had been Tony McCarthy, but I also didn't think either of us doubted it. She didn't have any other enemies in town, and no one but an enemy—or a psychotic ex-boyfriend-turned-stalker—would do something like that. People didn't exactly keep dead squirrels in their pockets so they could leave them as friendly gifts for the neighbors.

“You know I'm right,” I said quietly, reaching out to take the keys from her.

She held them back, though. “I also know that I'm not going to let him scare me into changing my life. I know I'm not going to stop living just because some asshole has a sick sense of humor. I'm not going to let him win, Warren.”

Okay, there was that.

“It's easy to stay home and hide, but I'm not going to show him any weakness, and I'm not giving in to his bullying,” she continued. “I don't want him thinking he scared me. I want him thinking that I don't give a single damn about him.”

There was also that.

“Fine,” I said, giving in. “But you're taking Silver with you.”

The dog bounded into the room as if she'd been waiting to hear her name, and Lily leaned down and scratched her ears.