Till There Was You by Lilliana Anderson, Wade Anderson Page A

her.
    “Belts on?” he checked, before stopping to stare at her face with great intensity.
    “What?” Lily asked, feeling blood rush to her cheeks under his scrutiny. “It’s on. Look.” She pulled the black sash across her chest to prove her point.
    “It’s, um...you’ve got a little...” Linc tapped his cheek as he looked at her, then pointed to the mirror for Lily to see what he could.
    “A little what?” Lily reached up and angled the mirror to reveal a streak of grease under one eye that she must have gotten from changing the tire on the way over. She made the mistake of trying to wipe it away with the same hand that probably smeared it there in the first place, only managing to add more grease and spread it further.
    “You’re making it worse.”
    “I know. Oh god. My hands are filthy.” She tried to clean them a little by grabbing a scrap of junk mail from the center console and wiping at her hands.
    “I had to change a flat on the way over here,” she explained, tossing the paper aside when it proved little help, deciding she had no other option but to clean them against the legs of her jeans.
    “Lily.”
    She glanced at Linc, his dark eyes watching her as she became flustered. She didn’t know why, but she hated that he was seeing her looking anything less than put together. It was what she always was—together. She could handle anything on her own.
    “I’m fine.” She forced a smile as she used the back of her hand to try to clear the smudge.
    “Lily.” A strong but gentle hand wrapped around hers, stopping her from her frantic cleaning. “Let me help you.”
    From his backpack, he pulled out a bottle of water and what appeared to be a neatly folded handkerchief. Who even owned handkerchiefs these days? she thought as he poured some water on the light blue fabric. He took a hold of her chin in one hand while using the other to wield the cloth and wipe the grease away. Her eyes fluttered closed as her skin ignited under his touch. She’d never felt this turned on and nervous at the same time around a man. She was normally so much more confident, but every piece of kindness this man showed turned her into a puddle of goo. She never knew what to expect from him.
    When he was done, he wiped his thumb across her now clean skin. “There,” he whispered, placing the items back in his bag.
    Her eyes snapped open at the withdrawal of his hand, making her feel a little self-conscious at how easily she melted into his touch, and under such innocent circumstances. She didn’t know whether it was him or the simple fact she hadn’t gotten laid in quite a long time. Either way, Lily couldn’t help but think what it would be like to have him touch her under more intimate conditions. The idea made her cheeks flame.
    Composing herself while she straightened the mirror, Lily put the truck in gear then headed back to town. While her mind raced a hundred miles a minute, she struggled to come up with something to say. Most of her thoughts were centered around the way it felt when his skin touched hers, coupled with the insinuation that he did indeed like her and it was in a way that pained him. There was so much confusion and tension swirling inside her. She wanted to ask him what was holding him back. She wanted to ask why he shut everyone out. She wanted to know how long he’d been noticing her—was it straight away, like it was for her?
    Her constant thought turned into an awkward, lip-biting silence until she finally calmed down enough to ask a question unlikely to cause him to shut like a steel trap.
    “Have you picked a name for your dog yet?”
    He slid a big, callused hand against the fabric of his jeans before he answered. “I was thinking of maybe going with Shade or Cerberus.”
    “Not Cerberus. You don’t want to be thinking about Hell every time you call him, do you?”
    Shrugging, Linc looked at his palm, keeping his eyes downcast as he studied the calluses he’d obviously built up