Free More Than Friends by Monique Devere

hands in her hair
and holding her head to make sure he had her full attention. “Because I don’t
care, Lily. I love you. I want to marry you, and I’m willing to wait—however
long it takes.”
    Lily dropped
her gaze, unable to give him what he was seeking—reassurance.
    “Isn’t it
time you admitted the truth?” he continued. “You used Mel as a ready excuse
when the fact is you’re petrified to be with me because you don’t trust me
enough not to hurt you.”
    It was Lily’s
turn to flinch, but Justin wasn’t done yet. “You accused me of being like Wayne,
and it was only once I had time to analyse the deeper accusation that I
understood why you were so reluctant to give us a chance.” His tone was gentle,
but his words cut deep into Lily’s heart. “Sure, you told yourself you couldn’t
betray Mel by having a relationship with her ex—and I think you actually
believed that—but the truth is you’re terrified of falling in love.”
    “That’s not
so. The only reason I haven’t fallen in love is because I haven’t met the right
man yet.”
    “I see.” He
released her.
    No! This was
all going wrong. She never meant for Justin to think she didn’t care about
him—that she didn’t love him. She clasped his hand between hers. “I don’t
mean—I mean. I don’t know what I mean. I just know I couldn’t survive if you
ever cheated on me.”
    “Why would I
do that?”
    “It’s what
men do. They cheat.”
    He drew his
hand from her grasp and cupped her face between his. “I just told you I love
you. You’re the only woman I’ve ever fallen in love with. I want to be with
you, Lil. Only you!” His mouth landed on hers with a kiss beyond words that
spoke to her heart and unlocked its chamber of trust. Justin loved her. This
amazing, patient, incredible man loved her. Tears overflowed her eyes and spilt
down her cheeks.
    He broke the
kiss; his own eyes looked a little misty. “Not all men cheat, Lily. Just the
ones you’ve dated until now. I’m not like that. Didn’t I prove so already? If I
were that type of man, I would’ve tried to get you into bed five seconds after
meeting you, because that is how soon I wanted you.” He pulled her into his
arms and held her like he was never going to let her go. Lily revelled in the
sensation of being loved so deeply that Justin was willing to wait for her,
irrespective of how long it took her, to find the guts to return his love.
    Except she
was so beyond head-over-heels in love with him already. “I love you, Justin,”
she whispered into his naked shoulder, then louder. “I love you!”
    He chuckled,
angled her face for a thorough kiss that left her breathless. “So, does this
make us more than friends?”
    She flipped
him onto his back and straddled him with a naughty smile. “Oh, we’re so much
more.”
    “Does that
mean you’ll move in with me?”
    “Are you
asking?” She scraped her nails lightly down the ridges of his stomach, liking
the way they flexed beneath her fingertips.
    “I’m asking
you to marry me and let’s live happy ever after.” He captured her wandering
hands and planted them on the bed either side of his head, allowing him
unhindered access to her body above him. His hands began some wandering of
their own. “Mrs. Elizabeth Knight. I like the sound of that.”
    Lily grinned.
“That’s Lily to you.” She dropped a kiss on his mouth before she snagged a
white lily from the vase on the nightstand. She sat up and lightly trailed the
flower along Justin’s hard stomach.
    He sucked in
a breath, stilling her hand. “Tell me again.”
    Lily held his
gaze. She wanted him to see her heart reflected in her eyes. “I love you,
Justin. I fell in love with you that day we collided on the stairs when I was
leaving to meet up with friends, and you were on your way up to see Mel. You
steadied me from falling but didn’t let me go for what seemed like ages, then
you smiled and said, ‘Hi, Lily, fancy bumping into you