Chapter Twenty-Two

                                    

                                          
Lily blinked at the bright sunshine as she walked out of the Miami-Dade airport. To her left, Luther looked ready to fall down and kiss the ground. He didn't fly so well. Even liquor didn't help. Nikoli had laughed and told him he should have slept. Lily didn't think that was an option for the poor guy. Flying truly terrified him. She'd plugged in her headphones and watched a movie on her tablet and then opened a book she'd bought to bring with her. Nikoli had taken his own advice and slept the entire flight. She had a feeling he didn't like flying either, only he handled it better than Luther. 
                          
They waited for the bus that would take them to the car rental facility on the property, and once there, Nikoli rented a new Lexus. Lily would have taken the less expensive Ford Focus, but as Nikoli kept reminding her, he could afford it. Since she'd told him she knew who he was, he seemed almost irritated with her for not asking him for things, but she didn't want anything from him. Except for his love, and that was something she wasn't going to get.
                          
The hotel was expensive too. Lily cringed thinking about the room service bill Luther was sure to run up. He loved room service. He'd spent all day yesterday telling her about the wonderful room service the hotel offered. It was their favorite place to stay when in Miami. Nikoli reserved two rooms, one for them and one for Luther. The front desk clerk was overly helpful when he saw them, which made Lily realize they must have stayed here quite a bit over the years for the staff to know them. She shouldn't be surprised, though. They were into racing, and Miami was a racing city.
                          
Luther declined going out for lunch. He wanted to pass out. Poor fella looked like he needed it. Nikoli shook his head and carried their luggage down the hall, motioning for Lily to unlock the door. The room was gorgeous. There was a sitting room with a very comfortable-looking couch and a wall-mounted TV. A small fridge and sink were tucked into the corner next to the bathroom. Nikoli opened a set of double doors that led to the bedroom and dumped their luggage in front of the dresser that sported a TV sitting on it as well. The massive king-sized bed was covered in a lovely gray comforter. 
                          
"Do you like it, Lily Bells?" Nikoli asked, coming up behind her. He gave her a moment then wrapped his arms around her. 
                          
"It's beautiful," she said, turning her head to meet his wandering lips, and she sighed when his mouth finally landed on hers. His kiss was soft, gentle. It left her breathless. 
                          
"Want to try out the bed?" he whispered against her lips before pulling back and staring down at her.
                          
"Nice try." She leaned her head back against his chest. "Ellie is mine."
                          
"Not after this weekend," he promised. The determination in his voice sent a full body shiver though her. "What do you want to do first? Rest, grab a bite to eat, or go see your mom?"
                          
He hadn't forgotten that she wanted to see her family. They'd flown out early so he could take her, since they'd be busy tomorrow. She wasn't quite sure what time the race began. Nikoli said they'd text the time and location to him. 
                          
"Can we go see my mom?" she asked. "I called her last night to tell her we were coming. I'm sure she'll cook a massive meal that no one can finish."
                          
Nikoli laughed. Lily had grown up in the mountains, and she'd warned him they tended to try to feed people into complacency. 
                          
"Sure, baby. Go freshen up, and I'll go down and program the GPS with the address. Meet me down there when you're ready."
                          
He was being so sweet. This was the Nikoli she'd grown to love, not the person he was around everyone else, even Luther. She was going to miss him. Even though he hadn't said anything, she had a feeling this was their last weekend together. Call it intuition or instinct, but she knew she wasn't wrong.