A Favorite Scene from "Lily"

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

I’m doing something a bit different the next couple of Mondays by sharing favorite scenes from at least the first two books in the series Lily and Elizabeth.

We’ll see how it goes and maybe I’m make this a regular feature!

This is part of the chapter New Year’s Eve. Lily attends Jackson’s annual New Year’s Eve party to make sure his mother, Eleanor, doesn’t overdo. Jackson lured Lily under the mistletoe for an intoxicating kiss before the guests arrive.

The evening progressed with Jackson bringing friends over to introduce or reintroduce to Eleanor and he included Lily each time. A few of his friend asked her to dance and, at El-eanor’s insistence, she had. She was dancing a second time with Daniel, a slow number and with the number of people dancing, they were inching their way along, when she heard him curse.

“What’s wrong?” Lily strained to look around her but with the crush she could see nothing.

“I know for a fact, she wasn’t invited.” Daniel’s look was solemn, his tone serious.

And then through an opening of bodies Lily saw who he was referencing. Susannah had arrived and was now draped over Jackson. At least she’d describe it as draped. Was his arm around her? She couldn’t tell. Between the crowd of people and the ever-changing view as they moved slowly around the dance floor, she caught glimpses, bits and pieces but that was all.

A flash of heat blazed through her and for a moment she was under the mistletoe, locked in his embrace, her body melding with his. She stumbled, lurched against Daniel’s chest, and stepped on his feet.

“Don’t, Lily,” Daniel’s quiet voice was barely heard above the music and chatter. He squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing going on there. He hasn’t seen her since Thanksgiving. And I know for a fact, she wasn’t invited.”

Lily glanced over her shoulder at Jackson and Susannah. She saw Susannah’s arm around him, saw her reach up and kiss him. She couldn’t see if his arm was around her and she couldn’t tell if he kissed her back. Her stomach lurched and tightness crept through her body. All along she’d known she wasn’t Jackson Montgomery’s type. She gave herself a mental kick, reminding herself of her history of being drawn to men who were wrong for her.

However, as she and Daniel danced, her eyes seemed to move of their own accord, capturing vignettes of Susannah and Jackson. As the dance ended, she closed her eyes and immediately, on a visceral level, his lips were on hers, his arms encircled her body; their cocoon of heated energy swirled through her.

She opened her eyes and looked into Daniel’s concerned face. As he escorted her to Eleanor’s side he leaned toward her and whispered, “Don’t pay any attention to what’s going on over there.” He gestured with his head in the direction of Susannah’s loud, brittle laughter. “She doesn’t stand a chance against a class act like you.” He kissed her cheek and bent down to do the same to Eleanor.

“I’m the luckiest guy here with you two gorgeous gals for company.” He proved that he meant it because he lounged against the window and kept up a running chatter to distract the two women from the scene across the room. Every few minutes, Susannah’s shrill laughter pierced the air. After one particularly discordant sound, he leaned down toward Eleanor and pitched his voice low. “She’s been drinking. I’m going to see what I can do avert disaster.”

Lily and Eleanor had front row seats before the large flat screen television as the clock began striking midnight.

“One minute to go.” Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I love seeing the old year out and the New Year in.” She leaned over and confided to Lily, “every year I feel the power of turning away from the old and embracing the new.”

Suddenly their view of the screen was blocked. Jackson stood before them. Bending over he put his hand on the outside arm of Lily’s chair effectively blocking her from getting up. As the countdown continued he leaned closer to Eleanor, looking at her with such tenderness, saying softly that he was so glad she was with him here in Fremont. As the clock started to strike twelve, he kissed Eleanor on each cheek. His eyes shifted to Lily, his gazed heated and he straightened. While the clock still chimed, he wrapped his hands around hers and pulled her into his arms.

“And, I’m very glad you’re a part of my life,” he whispered as he bent to kiss her. This time it was soft and brief. Leaning back while not letting her go, he looked deeply into her eyes and then lowered his head for a kiss that was no longer soft and brief but hard and long.

Lily found herself clinging to Jackson’s broad shoulders, felt his strong arms holding her tightly, pulling her closer until there was nothing between them except fire burning deep inside. She clung to him and as he deepened the kiss, passion’s flame leapt within.

“Really, Jackson! How could you!” the shrill voice shrieked. “You bitch! You think you can get him by being nice to his Mommy? Well, I’ve got news for you!”

Jackson fought his way up from the drugging impact of Lily’s kiss. He turned, effectively blocking Lily from Susannah’s sight.

“Get out of my house, Susannah. Now,” he growled in an ice-tinged voice. When she just stood there, mouth open, star-ing at him, he pointed toward the door. “Now,” his frost-laden voice matched his frigid glare.

“You can’t mean that, Jackson. Surely you don’t mean you want me to leave.” Susannah tossed her head, her long burgundy-red hair swirling around her, an expression of disbelief etched on her features and mirrored in her leaf- green eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

She moved toward Jackson, a look of seduction on her face, her hips tilted at a suggestive angle, her voice a husky whisper. “Remember how it is between us, Jack-son? You know how much I can please you.”

“I want you out of my house, Susannah, now.” Jackson’s finger stabbed toward the door, his voice a dangerously low growl. “Now!” His jaw clenched as he visibly held back seething anger.

Daniel stepped forward, took Susannah by the arm and turned her toward the door. “Come on, Susannah. Let’s get out of here. We can find someplace else to party, someplace that’s not so stuffy.” He looked over his shoulder at Jackson and mouthed, “You owe me,” as he led a stunned and uncharacteristically silent Susannah out of the house.

Jackson turned and gathered Lily in his arms. “I’m so sorry, so sorry,” he whispered as he caressed her back and rained soft kisses in her hair. “She crashed, Lily. If I’d ever thought anything like this would’ve happened, I’d have kicked her out when she first showed up.”

“I’m all right, Jackson,” Lily murmured. His large hands ranged up and down her back leaving warmth and flickers of heat behind. “Really, I’m all right.”

And, those words were true, she was all right. So lost in their kiss it had taken a minute before she realized what was happening. Staring at his broad shoulders, hearing the steely determination in his voice as he ordered Susannah out of his house was truly a surreal experience. It had always been her job to protect, to put her body between danger and the vulnerable.

Safe and frightened. The strange mix of emotions churned through her. In that moment when he’d first taken her in his arms, she had felt safe, safer than she had for almost two decades — truly safe, and — it frightened her.

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© Excerpt from Lily 2014 - Judith Ashley