Page 30 of Keeping Lilith
She hadn’t even been inside the house yet, but from the second he offered it to her, she’d been eager to see where he lived, although part of her had been cautious to take her time before deciding. But then she’d fallen asleep and had dreamed. Oh, the dreams she’d had. Ones where she and Julian were laughing together on a back porch. Where she and Julian were working in the garden. Dreams where she and Julian were kissing, and he was looking at her as if she was the most precious thing on earth.
The second her eyes had popped open, she’d wanted to make those dreams come true. This complete one-eighty turnaround in terms of her attitude to Julian should scare her. After all, her track record in making the right decision wasn’t all that good.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t hope. Hope had been such a sparse emotion for her during her life. There wasjust something about those dreams that gave her the courage to chase them. To believe that her subconscious mind wasn’t tricking her, but showing her what her life would be like if she took this step.
“If at any time you want to come back, call. Irish and I will welcome you back with open arms.”
Lilith reached across and grasped Cass’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I know, and thank you for being a true friend to me. I haven’t had any in my life. I also know that if you believed I was making a mistake, you wouldn’t have driven me over here.”
Cass smiled. “You’d be right. Julian is a good guy, even with his past.” She paused as if trying to form her thoughts carefully. “I realize the Julian you knew wasn’t a nice person, but I’ve worked with him for a while now. The man I work with is compassionate and dedicated to his job. He makes sure that we have all the information necessary to ensure the takedowns happen safely, and he always does more than he should to ensure that the victims of the raids are looked after. He’s one of the good ones.”
In the short time Lilith been in Julian’s presence again, spending time with him had stripped away her biases from her previous encounters with him. She'd been able to see that he had changed and was trying to be better, do better. How could she condemn that?
Every time they’d been together, he had done nothing to suggest it was a façade he was portraying to those around him. He’d been genuine with her, and he’d backed down whenever she’d felt uncomfortable or believed he was taking over. Not once had he laughed at her. Scoffed at her reaction or demeaned her.
“I can see the difference between the man I knew and the one I see now. There are shadows in his eyes that weren’t there before.”
Cass nodded. “Yes, he has demons, but maybe you’re the one who can help him slay them.”
“Maybe,” she murmured as she looked at the house, noticing that the garden was overgrown and needed some TLC. But what drew her attention was the man standing on the front porch, not making a move to come toward them. He was waiting. Waiting to see what she would do.
To some, it might seem like it was a power play on Julian’s behalf, but the truth was clear to Lilith. By not coming to the car, he was letting her decide if she wanted to get out of it, or if she preferred to ask Cass to reverse the car and drive her back to the house where she’d stayed for the last couple of weeks.
Lilith opened the door and got out. Her gaze connected with Julian’s, and his shoulders shifted down a fraction, as though releasing tension. She’d been right—he had been waiting for her to make her own decision. Her admiration for him clicked up a notch.
A slow smile spread across his face with every step she took toward him, and when she paused at the bottom step, Julian came down them to meet her. “Hey, you made it.”
“I did.” Lilith placed her hand on his chest, his heart thudding beneath her palm. “I’m ready for a tour.”
In the background, the engine revved, and Lilith turned. Cass waved as she drove away. “I guess she figured I’m happy being here,” Lilith said with a laugh.
“I guess so. Come on, let’s get this tour started.” Julian held out his arm, and Lilith slipped her hand from his chest and pressed her palm against his. Immediately, warmth settled through her, and the sense of rightness she’d woken with strengthened.
Julian’s foyer had high ceilings, and a hall table to the left held junk mail and a bowl containing keys and sunglasses. Her sunglasses could fit nicely next to his.
“Welcome to my house. This door here leads to my office.” He pointed to a closed door. “I’d open it and show you, but it’s a bit of a mess at the moment. I need to tidy it up. Opposite is the living room.”
A comfortable-looking, light beige leather couch sat across from a large television mounted on the wall with a built-in, electric fireplace beneath it. A fluffy gray blanket was bundled into one corner of the couch, and the room looked comfortable and lived in.
“My bedroom is here.” He indicated to the room as they passed, which contained a large bed with a dark blue comforter.
They walked into the kitchen, and her eyes widened in surprise. “This is amazing,” she gushed, as she took in the large island bench with four stools neatly beneath the white countertop. The appliances were all stainless steel and gleamed beneath the natural light coming from the skylight in the roof.
“You should’ve seen it when I purchased the place. The previous owners, because they couldn’t afford the mortgage, had sold off all the appliances, as well as some of the cabinets. It was one of the reasons I got the house for a bargain. No one wanted to deal with the cost of having to renovate a kitchen and replace all the appliances.”
“You did an amazing job. It looks fantastic.” The kitchen opened up to a small eating area and another sitting space. French doors led out to a patio with a grill and some comfortable seating for people to chat while the meat cooked.
“Thanks. I did the floor myself, but I had some help from a designer with the kitchen.”
“Why don’t you use this sitting area as your main relaxing area?” He hadn’t installed a television, but there was plenty of wall space if he wanted to.
“I thought about it. I wouldn’t mind watching some TV while I cook, but I also like the separation I’ve created. Here peoplecan talk and mingle if they want to and not sit in front of a screen and ignore each other.”
A sudden shaft of jealousy hit Lilith at the thought of Julian having women over and cooking them a special meal. His attention fully on his task and them. “Do you entertain a lot?”
She tried to keep her question light, but even she could hear the hint of envy in it.
Julian leaned back against the counter, studying, and she stood still, trying to keep her face free from the emotions she was experiencing.