The tension level between them had zipped from yellow to orange and was edging into the red zone. But he’d promised to be straight with Lily from now on. No secrets. So when he’d felt his heart shift as he’d seen her standing in a sunbeam, he’d told her the absolute truth. At that moment, he’d wanted her more than his next breath. After that, she’d treated him with wary respect, as if he might lose control at any moment. He wouldn’t, of course. But as they drove over to the Last Chance after all the chores were done, he noticed a flicker of excitement in her eyes whenever she glanced at him. The night before when he’d been forced to wear her robe, she’d looked at him with pure lust. He’d enjoyed that, even if he’d felt a little like a Chippendales stripper. Early this morning she’d taken pictures of him with her cell phone and he’d sensed the same motivation: she was admiring the packaging, not the man inside. He wouldn’t knock that because it was damned flattering, but a steady diet of it would be like eating only dessert all the time.
