“I wasn’t looking.”
She glanced at Liam, who was desperately trying to act as if he wasn’t paying attention to any of the adult shenanigans, but his eyes slid away from hers a second too late. A blush stained his ruddy red cheeks as he flopped onto the sofa and reached for the television remote.
Mackenzie helped her get the salad prepared, and about a bottle of wine later, they had eaten, cleaned up the plates, and stowed the leftovers in the fridge. Mackenzie suggest a boat ride, which was the only thing that brought Liam to life, and the three of them had a leisurely tour of Crystal Lake.
They stopped in at the Edwardses’—Steven was fishing off the end of his dock and Marnie brought down coffee. They also stopped at the far end of the lake and Mackenzie explained Jake’s vision for the development. She heard the excitement in his voice, saw it in the way he moved his hands when he talked.
She liked this relaxed Mackenzie. Maybe a little too much.
They slid past Pot-a-hock Island and Lily’s entire body was near eruption status from the heat building inside her as she thought of that first kiss. Her fingers found her lips, and when she glanced up at Mac, his eyes had darkened and she knew that he was thinking about the same thing.
They didn’t speak much once Mackenzie turned the boat back toward his cottage, though his hand found the small of her back, or the crook of her neck, more than once, and by the time they got back to the boathouse, her body was thrumming with pent-up sexual need.
Liam’s face was flush with a healthy glow that had nothing to do with his sunburn—it was obvious he’d enjoyed himself. He hopped off the boat and went about securing it as if he were a pro, but when he couldn’t quite get the knot done properly, Mackenzie showed him how.
Lily stood back, watching the two of them, and after a few moments, she had to look away. Mackenzie had said family and kids weren’t for him, but, sweet Jesus, it sure looked good on him.
She wondered then, what it was exactly that shaped a person—and she wondered if a person could ever change.
“You can call your mother after you brush your teeth. And then it’s bed, Liam.”
The boys had followed her up to the cottage, and Lily leaned against the kitchen counter as Liam made a face.
“But it’s not that late.” Liam pouted. “It’s barely dark.”
“It’s late enough, and we’re up early tomorrow. Don’t forget we told O’Malley that we’d meet him at the driving range six thirty sharp. We need to be outta here by six.”
Liam tugged long bangs from his face. “We’re really going?” He seemed surprised and she could tell that it didn’t sit well with Mackenzie.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Mackenzie asked, standing a little straighter as he faced his nephew.
Liam started fidgeting with the end of his T-shirt. He shrugged. “Dad says stuff like that all the time, but it’s not like we ever do anything.”
Mackenzie strode toward the boy and ruffled his hair. “Well, maybe your dad forgets or he gets busy.”
“He’s lame,” Liam muttered.
“Yeah,” Mackenzie said. “He is. But I guess we can all be lame sometimes, right?”
Liam shrugged. “I guess.”
He gave him a gentle shove. “Bedtime. Lily and I are just going to, uh, watch some television for a bit.”
Liam gave Lily a small wave, and before he had disappeared in his room, two big strong arms slid around her. Mac pulled her in nice and close, and Lily nestled against his chest. With her head tucked under his chin, she felt his breath and heard his heart.
“Do you like playing games, Lily?”
She was content to stay where she was for the rest of the night. It felt that good.
“Huh?” Cuddling closer, she closed her eyes.
“I want to play a game with you.”
She could feel his heart beating faster, and it mimicked what was going on inside Lily. That sexual frustration from before rose up and suddenly all sorts of things were going off.
“A game?” she managed to say.
She felt him nod. “Yep, but I gotta tell you, Boston, I’ve never lost this game.”