Lily’s naked body and burrowed under it until her head was between Lily’s thighs. Lily closed her eyesand sighed. For the first time since Charlotte’s death, her mind was clear and empty, and she gave herselfover to pleasure. Her orgasm was beautiful and shattering, and tension drained from her eyes in the formof tears.
As Lily lay exhausted in Jack’s arms, she said, “Your turn.”
“Huh?”
“Your turn. You did me; now I do you.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. A lotta girls, I wear ’em out so bad, they pass right out.”
Lily smiled at Jack’s cockiness and slid on top of her. “Not this girl.” She pressed her lips to Jack’sand let her hands trail down her lean, muscular body.
As they lay holding each other, Jack said, “I wish you could stay the night. I’d make you breakfastagain.”
“Peaches and coffee?”
“Mm-hm.”
“I’d love to stay, but you know I can’t.”
Jack grinned. “Gosh, you don’t think your husband suspects you’re a dyke, do you?”
Lily laughed. “I’d better get dressed.” She rose and walked across the room to retrieve herunderwear. “How did my panties end up all the way over here?”
“Beats me.” Jack watched her dress. “Any chance we could maybe do this again?”
Lily buttoned her dress. “Well, I’m not in a position right now to make any promises, but yeah, Ithink maybe we could.”
Jack pulled on her underwear. “You know, don’t you, that I don’t just do this with any girl. I usedto, but I don’t do it anymore unless it means something.”
“I know.” Lily looked at Jack, vulnerable in her underwear. She felt like she should say somethingelse, but she couldn’t find the words.
Jack zipped up her coveralls. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Downstairs, they kissed good night in the same place where earlier kisses had begun their evening.
“Wait. Don’t go yet.” Jack disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. When she came back, she pressedsomething soft and round into Lily’s hand. “Eat it when you wake up in the morning, and think aboutme.”
In her car, in the dark, Lily stroked the soft skin of the peach and smiled.
CHAPTER 18
The hearing was tomorrow. Lily couldn’t sit still for a second. She paced around the house like acaged panther, rehearsing the lines she and Buzz Dobson had gone over, making sure her outfit for thenext day wasn’t wrinkled. She felt like an actress preparing for opening night of a play, except that if theplay bombed, her life and her daughter’s life would be permanently damaged.
Even Ben, who had been discounting all of Lily’s fears about the hearing, was showing signs of