Page 14 of A Violet Obsession

If I hadn’t heard her say my sister’s name, I wouldn’t have believed this was the same awkward little girl.

The mass of ringlets is still partially hiding her face, but I can see the soft round of her cheek and full pink lips. The blue dress she’s wearing does little to hide her lush body. The deep square neckline, and long skirt and sleeves should make it modest, but the expanse of skin curving high above the neckline is anything but.

Lily?

Heat stirs low in my gut, and I shut it down immediately. Emma’s voice rings in my head—you were practically her big brother, too.

Whatever my body is doing right now, it’s not remotely familial.

“I wish you hadn’t,” Lily murmurs into the phone. “I haven’t even seen him in—” She pauses. “No!” Her cheeks flush pink, and for a second I’m distracted by the throaty sound she makes, and the bob in the slender line of her throat when she swallows. “I can’t believe you brought that up. I was fourteen. You didn’t⁠—”

Her eyes spring open, and I’m hit with the most stunning eyes I’ve ever seen. Deep moss green irises, ringed with auburn lashes, stare up at me. She sucks in a sharp breath that lifts her chest in a way I have no business noticing.

Get your eyes off her tits, asshole.

I drag my gaze back to hers just as she chokes out, “Um. I think Finn’s here.”

I know I’ve changed since the last time she saw me, but holy fuck, Lily is almost unrecognizable. She’s stunning.

Her cheeks flush deeper, and she blinks rapidly, still staring up at me, her lips parted in a perfect O that immediately has my brain careening off course.

My hands flex at my sides as I fight to get my body under control. Her gaze drops to my fists, and a crease of worry crosses her forehead.

Shit. I’m scaring her.

I force my fingers to relax. “Been a long time, Butterfly.”

The nickname pops out without thinking… And it has absolutely nothing to do with the purple tattoo at the top of her left breast, rising and falling with her quickened breathing.

Sure, it doesn’t.

“Where are your glasses?” She blurts out, and then flushes so deeply the scattering of cinnamon freckles across her nose disappears in the wash of red.

“I guess neither of us is what the other was expecting.”

Though Lily blushing feels familiar. The poor girl always looked like she had a sunburn whenever I saw her. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “I got LASIK after boot camp. Still wear them when I’m working. Can I sit?”

I gesture at the chair, and when she nods, I slide into the seat across from her. When my knee touches hers beneath the table, I know I should pull back. I’m too tall for the little table, but I leave my leg pressed against hers. Her breathing picks up, and the red of her embarrassment shifts to something warmer.

A different kind of flush.

Fascinating.

Cut it out. One pretty girl and you’ve already forgotten why you’re here.

The reminder hits like ice water. I made that mistake once before. I won’t make it again.

“Emma said you’re trouble. That you’re in trouble,” I quickly correct when she winces.

Lily’s face morphs into a placid expression, but the sweet smile that rises to her lips doesn’t reach her eyes, and if I hadn’t been watching so closely, I would have missed the tiny muscle flex when her jaw tightens.

“You know, Emma. She’s a drama llama. Everything’s fine.”

Her expression shifts again, and I realize, to my surprise, that I missed that she’s observing me as closely as I’m watching her.

Her head tilts, and those green eyes track over me with an attention that makes the back of my neck prickle.

“Emma said you work in cybersecurity?”