Without a Hitch(79)

“Me?”

“Yes, you, lover. Doesn’t anyone ever ask what you want? Why is it always such a surprise to you?” She laughs until she turns to face me and reads my expression.

“I’m sure they do,” I say to deflect.

Her mouth drops open, and she rolls over to sit up. My gaze follows her body but snags on the table to her side. Room service delivered a plethora of snack items Tilly had requested, and there, on the tray, are my Skittles. All sorted into neat little piles. I can’t take my eyes off them. Did she do that? For me? My brain seizes, trying to remember if anyone has ever done that before.

“Nova?” she asks gently.

“Is my baby sister who I love dearly and have always catered to,” I reply on autopilot. My head darts between Tilly and the food tray, but I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about Nova. She’s as protective of me as…fucket. She’s as protective as Tilly is.

“I can tell she loves you very much.”

I nod, still lost in my own thoughts. “Did you do this?” I finger one of the brightly colored candies and watch it spin on the hard surface.

“You were getting our drinks.” She shrugs like that explains everything.

“And you sorted the candies?”

“I guess. It’s how you had them on the plane. And I noticed they were already in candy bowls here too, so I figured it was a big deal to you. I was only trying to help.”

“To clarify, you did it for me?” My voice sounds strange, and I don’t fault Tilly for appearing uneasy.

“Yes.” She sounds calm, but her hands are clasped so tightly in front of her that I can tell I’m freaking her out.

“I…” Pausing to stare at the tray, I rake a hand through my sea-tousled hair. “That was very thoughtful, Till. Thank you. It’s such an odd habit. My sister is the only one that pushes me on it, but no one has ever just accepted it.”

Relief shows on her face as she smiles and walks to me. She doesn’t stop until her arms encircle my waist and her head rests on my chest. My arms wrap around her, anchoring her body to mine.

“It’s not about accepting a quirk, Lochlan. It’s about accepting you as you are. A stiff, rigid, candy-sorting, pain in the ass with a heart so big, even if he forgets to let people see it.”

I squeeze her a little more tightly. “Is that how you see me?”

She lifts her head so her chin rests on my heart. “I think there are many layers to you, lover. I think some of them have been burned so badly that after the scars healed, you forgot to undo the bandages to let the light in again. Have you always liked things, er, so particular?”

Feeling a lengthy chat coming on, I guide her back to her favorite spot on Earth. Well, the safer version anyway. Together, we gingerly climb into the hammock and lie side by side. A low rumble of approval floats through me as she nuzzles her head on my chest.

“I’ve preferred suits for as long as I can remember. Schedules. Lists. Rules. But no, this level of me-isms is relatively new, I suppose.” She doesn’t say anything, but she drags her fingers through my chest hair in an oddly soothing rhythm. “I have an ex. It ended badly, but before it did, well? It was a slow progression of awful, is the best way to describe it. We got together when I first took over the hotels. There were a lot of demands on me. On my time, my energy. She became demanding too, in her own way, but I didn’t see it.”

“Blinded by love? Lover, I’m shocked!” She’s teasing, but she has no idea how right she is. “I’m sorry,” she says when I don’t continue. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about her.”

Tilly’s gaze goes wide with hurt, and I hate myself for doing it, but she recovers so quickly my head spins. “Then tell me about you? What happened with you?”

“Why do you want to know all the gory details?”

Her expression is so open, so honest, I look away for fear I’ll be the one to break her. But she surprises me yet again with her response. “Because, Lochlan, it’s the gory details that are the bedrock of our souls. They make us who we are, who we want to be. It’s in pain that we find our worth.

You’re capable of love. Of giving and receiving it, if that’s what you want. Forgetting and forgiving old hurts are two very different things. I forgive my parents for being unavailable to me, but I don’t forget the pain they caused. I learn from it and keep it from happening again.”

“You’re very wise, Tilly Camden.”

Her teasing smile lights my body on fire. “I know. If only you’d listen to me.”

I’m listening, my sweet Pepper. Trust me, I’m listening.





C HAPTE R 30

TILLY

“F ishing? For real? On a boat?” My foot taps out an excited beat as Lochlan watches on with a mixture of fear and sheer pleasure in his expression.

“Yes, Tilly. But John Ross and his wife are coming too. He seemed…eager when I told him our plans for the day.” He frowns like he’s unsure of something.

“Well, there’s no quicker way to smoke out a rat than being stuck out on the ocean with no way home.”

Lochlan’s unexpected laughter fills the cab of the Uber. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?”