“Where’s Nick?” Lily asked.
“He went to the bathroom,” Dani said. “You know I love a good party, but we’ve got a sales conference in the morning, so we’re gonna head out. This was so fun, though! Good luck on your interview!” She hugged Lily and whispered, “And let me know who you end up choosing, because if it isn’t Oliver, I want him to take me to London whenever he goes back to visit.”
Lily swatted Dani’s arm and she laughed. Dani hugged Oliver and then she, Hannah and Emily pushed their way to the exit.
Oliver checked the time on his Apple watch. “I should probably go too. My new running group meets at four a.m.”
“Oh, of course,” Lily said. But she was reluctant to leave without saying goodbye to Nick first.
Then Nick reappeared at her side.
“Where’d Dani and her friends go?” he asked.
“They left,” Lily said. “Oliver is leaving too.”
Nick glanced at Oliver, who was pulling up the Uber app on his phone. He turned his attention back to Lily. “What about you? Do you want to stay?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I do. But it’s cool if you’re ready to go too.”
“Nah, I’ll stay.”
Her lips spread into a grin. She couldn’t have helped it if she’d tried. “Okay.”
Nick looked at her, smiling too. Oliver cleared his throat.
“Um, so, Lily, I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked.
Lily blinked, tearing her gaze away from Nick. “Yeah. Thanks so much for coming.”
Oliver’s eyes darted between Lily and Nick. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead he said goodbye and told Lily he’d text her when he got home.
“So that’s the new coworker you were supposed to go out with?” Nick asked, watching as Oliver made his way to the exit.
Lily nodded, intrigued by the frown on Nick’s face. Was he jealous? Did it make her evil if she wanted him to be?
“He seems nice,” Nick said.
“He is very nice,” Lily agreed.
“Hmph,” Nick mumbled flatly.
Lily turned away, hiding her grin. He was jealous.
The DJ was still on his reggae kick, and the song changed to “Girls Dem Sugar” by Beenie Man and M?a. Lily hadn’t heard the song in years. She started moving her hips.
Nick watched her. “Do you want to dance?”
“Yes,” she said, heart quickening at his closeness.
Nick moved to stand behind her, his hands resting on her hips as she danced. She hadn’t been this close to him since that night at her parents’ house. Did he still think of it as much as she did? He pulled her against him and Lily continued to wind her waist. She was full-out grinding on him.
“Congrats on your interview,” he whispered in her ear. Lily shivered but tried not to show the effect he had on her. “How do you feel?”
“Excited,” she said. “Hopeful.”
But she didn’t know if she was talking about the interview or being with him.
She was enveloped by him and his embrace. There was no space between their bodies. She was beginning to sweat, and she felt Nick’s grip on her hips tighten. His lips were still at her ear. She felt his breath fanning across her neck and shoulder.
She turned around to face him, and he was right there. His mouth only inches from hers. Nick was staring at her lips. He licked his own and lowered his face closer. She should back away, put space between them. But she didn’t. Instead, she tipped her face up to meet his.
When Nick kissed her, she felt a jolt to her entire system. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d been waiting for the chance to kiss him again until his lips were pressed to hers. She turned fully, and Nick pulled her against him, his hands sliding down to rest at the small of her back. The kiss was urgent and sloppy as their tongues knocked into each other. She gripped Nick’s shoulders, wanting him closer and closer still.
Someone bumped into them, and they broke apart, gasping. They were hot and sweaty. Lily’s thin button-up was sticking to her skin. Nick grabbed her hand and led her outside. The fresh air hit them, and Lily turned to Nick and burst into giddy laughter. He smiled, pulling her toward him again. He pushed her up against the brick wall and kissed her.
Who was she fooling? Nick wasn’t just her friend, and she didn’t want him to be.
She gently eased away from Nick, her mouth swollen and raw. She looked directly into his eyes and said what she’d been wanting to say for over a month.
“I really like you, Nick,” she said plainly. “I don’t want to pretend that I don’t anymore.”
Nick’s hands were still at her waist. His gaze was glued to her face. She didn’t know what she expected his reaction to be, but she didn’t think he’d look so . . . nervous. Or afraid.
“Do you have feelings for me?” she asked.
“Yes,” he breathed. He stepped away from her, running his hands over his face. “You have no idea how much.”
“Then what’s the problem? I know you think you’re a bad person and you might hurt me, but I really don’t think you’re capable of doing that.”
Nick started to pace. Lily watched him, confused. His nervousness was giving her pause. He finally stilled in front of her.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he said quietly.
“What?” Her eyes searched his face. “Do you have a girlfriend or something?”
“No,” he said. Then, “It’s worse than that.”
Lily blinked. What could be worse than that? Was he a murderer? Was he married?
“Nick.” She grabbed his hand. “Just tell me.”
He looked at her, almost pleadingly. An infinity passed before he spoke again.
“Lily,” he said, “I’m Strick.”
17
“What . . . ?”
Lily’s voice was low, confused. She dropped Nick’s hand, and he felt the absence of her touch immediately.
“I’m Strick,” he repeated. His stomach was tying itself into miserable knots. He was going to throw up. “It was me. You were emailing with me.”
Lily stared at him, unblinking. She quickly shook her head, like she was trying to make sense of his words. “I was emailing with you?”
“Yes,” he said weakly.
“But . . . how is that possible? How did you have access to N.R. Strickland’s email?”
“I’m N.R. Strickland.”