Checking the hall again, I turn off the light in the bathroom and head for the stairs, making a right at the top and counting the doors as I go. Waters has a sweet pad in Bridgeport. When I get to the right room, I look over my shoulder to make sure no one else is around before I turn the knob.

“Psst.”

I turn and find Lily peeking out of the room on the opposite side of the hall. Oops. At the same time, I hear footsteps. I rush past the stairs, and she grabs my shirt and hauls me inside, closing the door with a quiet click. Then she stealthily turns the lock. I hit the lights.

“What are you doing? I can’t see anything!” she whispers.

“Someone was coming up the stairs,” I whisper back.

“Oh.” Her hands move over my chest. “Who was it?”

“Don’t know. I didn’t wait to find out.”

“Sunny might be looking for me,” she mutters as she finds the hem of my shirt and pulls it free from my pants.

“Is that li—”

She mashes her hand over my face and almost sticks her finger up my nose. I lick her palm and feel her nails tickling their way up my ribs. I grasp her forearm before she can reach my nipples, so she rubs her damp palm over my face instead. I grab that hand as well, so now she has none free. Clasping them together behind her back, I drop my chin and bonk the top of her head.

“Ow!” she whispers and proceeds to bite me through my shirt.

In the fifteen seconds or so that the lights have been off, I’ve grown accustomed to the darkness. Across the room I can make out a set of doors that look like they lead to a closet, and another door I assume is a bathroom. I spin Lily around, let go of her hands, clamp one of mine over her mouth to stop her from ruining my plans, and wrap my other arm around her waist.

She makes angry noises that might be words as I carry her across the room. I shoulder open the door. The slippery tile under my feet tells me I’ve guessed right and am indeed inside a bathroom. She bites my palm, but I don’t set her down until I’ve got the door closed, and we’re once again submerged in darkness.

“What the hell?” She smacks the wall until she finds the light switch, blinding us both. “Was that necessary?”

“You said Sunny might come looking for you. I’m solving problems. You’d think you’d be grateful, but you gotta go and bite the shit out of my hand.” I hold my hand up so she can see the teeth marks she’s left behind. I’m smiling, though, even if I sound annoyed.

I’m not gonna lie. I think it’s kinda hot. I’ve got a serious hard-on right now.

Her cheeks flush and she ducks her head. It takes all of three seconds for her feistiness to come back. “What’s with you and always turning off lights?”

I hit them again and lift her onto the vanity. “It sets the mood.”

“And here I thought it was so you could pretend I was a supermodel while we make out,” she replies.

I flip the lights back on.

She puts her hands up to cover her eyes. “Knock it off!”

I pry them away from her face. “Look at me.” I don’t mean for it to come out sounding more like an order than a request, but I want Lily to know, with absolute certainty, that I’m seriously stoked about what’s going down here.

“I was just j—”

“You were just what?” I edge my way between her knees.

“Joking.” She’s barely audible.

“I should hope so.” I release her hands and cup the back of her head. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Lily.”

She blinks like she’s been tasered. I lean in and put my mouth on hers. For once it’s not a full-on war of the tongues the second our lips connect. Her soft, warm fingers clamp around my wrists, and she makes a small, plaintive noise when I nip at her bottom lip. We make out like that—kissing, me rubbing up on her—for a long while. Every so often I open my eyes and look at our reflection in the mirror.

Lily’s dark hair is cut in a bob, so I can see the nape of her slender neck and the arch of her shoulder blades highlighted by the deep V at the back of her dress. It’s so low I don’t think she can possibly be wearing a bra.

She puts a hand on my chest and pushes, breaking our mouths apart. “You kiss with your eyes open!”

“No, I don’t.”

“You just were.”

“Well, doesn’t that mean you kiss with your eyes open, too?”

“You seemed distracted. I was checking to make sure you weren’t bored or something.”

“Bored?”

“Well, I don’t know!” She waves her hand around. “Now I’m self-conscious knowing you’re watching me while we’re kissing.”

I laugh. “I wasn’t watching you. Well, not your face.” I gesture to the mirror behind us.

She glances over her shoulder. “You were watching yourself? Nice ego.”

“Actually,” I trail a finger from the nape of her neck down the ridges of her spine to the zipper. “I was thinking there can’t possibly be a bra under this dress.”

“Oh.”

“And I’d really like to find out if I’m right.” She sits up straight as I drag the zipper down and shivers as my fingertips brush her skin. “Looks like I am.” I kiss the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, pulling the wide strap over her shoulder. Lily’s skin pebbles, and I feel the warmth of her exhale on my cheek. She tilts her head to the side, so I close my mouth over the warm skin and add a little suction. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough that she knows I could.