Martha's Way: Need You Now Part 1

NEED YOU NOW.

Martha's Way.

Mika Jolie.

Dedication.

To my husband, thank you so much for all of your support and for taking over our happy chaos when I need to write. A toast to our lifetime of dating. You are my biggest fan and that makes you even s.e.xier than you already are. Je t'aime.

My wonderful group of writers WWLR You all ROCK!.

A special thanks to:.

Taylor Sullivan.

PM Carson.

Ann Cae Lisa Bell.

Kate DeHart.

Marianne Stark.

Nancy White.

and Jeanne King.

You continue to push me and make me better.

A big awesome hooray to my beta reader Bonnie Messinger. What can I say? You and I make a great team.

My twin Beneta Rolser, don't think I don't appreciate you...because I do. A whole lot!

Last but not least, to all the readers - without you this wouldn't be as much fun. Thank you so much for all you've helped me to accomplish.

Anyone else I may have missed. Fear not, there are more books to come.

Love you all!!!.

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Chapter One.

"s.e.x is the consolation you have when you can't have love."

Gabriel Garca Marquez.

At the age of twenty-eight there were things Lily should be immune to or come to expect, like colds and cheating boyfriends. Correction-cheating lovers. Really, she had no clear definition of what role Adam played in her life, and that was part of the problem. Of course, after she caught her fiance s.e.xting another woman, you'd think she'd be more guarded. Nope. Instead she went to Martha's Vineyard for a weekend. Hooked up with the s.e.xy Italian, gave him the benefit of the doubt and agreed to their long distance, no strings attached, no dating or exchanging any bodily fluid with anyone else relationship.

Ha! Once again, she found herself to be the b.u.t.t of the joke.

Lily fought back a sneeze, and the terrible need to close her heavy eyelids and drift into a sweet, mindless sleep. Except she already knew such sweet relief would be impossible to achieve for several reasons.

First reason, it appeared she'd managed to catch a cold in the middle of Septemberthe wonderful month when summer said its final farewell to autumn, when one could start saying goodbye to the stifling heat, welcome the cool, crisp air of fall, and go for long jogs against the backdrop of colorful leaves.

Nope. Not her.

Instead, she spent most of the day cuddling with her new BFFs-a box of tissues and antibiotics. How she managed to get out of bed and wiggle her way into her s.e.xy, come-get-me little black dress was still a mystery.

"We could have rescheduled," the strong, masculine voice said from across the table.

She flashed her date a smile and tried her best to show some interest, because the second reason for sleep deprivation was why she had agreed to this blind date. Adam Aquilani, the lethally gorgeous, unflappable Formula One racer, the reason behind her superhuman strength. She needed to forget him and say arrivederci to her lover for the past year.

"No, I'm okay. Just a little cold." In reality, she was b-o-r-e-d out of her brain and every muscle in her body ached. She needed her bed. She was angry at Adam. He needed to stop occupying all of her functioning brain cells. Just the knowledge that he possessed the ability to penetrate her thoughts during this hour was irritating.

She was done with him. Wasn't she?

Well, of course she was. She just needed to tell him. And she would do that first thing in the morning and interrupt his beauty sleep at wherever the h.e.l.l he was at the moment. Morocco. No, Italy. He should be there now with his parents for a few days before flying back to Boston. Possibly jet-lagged. She smiled as she considered his displeasure when she'd interrupt his sleep.

Yes, the time difference suited her just fine, although she would have preferred to catch him while he was in Morocco for his race. After a year of sleeping with him, she knew his days never started before nine in the morning, North America, Eastern Time zone, regardless of the continent.

She would call and tell him to go to h.e.l.l. That was sure to bruise his inflated ego. She'd bet her beloved 1997 SL320 convertible Benz that no female had ever given the great Adonis his walking papers. This would be a first. A sudden, grating sound interrupted her thoughts as her phone chirped inside her tiny green purse on the table. She glanced at the thin watch around her wrist; probably one of her overly protective brothers checking up on her. She decided to ignore the call. Time to show some interest in...oh...what was his name again? s.h.i.t! She couldn't remember her date's name. She just knew it wasn't Adam. And thank goodness for that. What's-his-name was s.e.xy in his own way, tall, dark, and handsome. As a matter of fact, he even resembled the dark, brooding Italian she was getting ready to dump.

Wait, could one dump a f.u.c.k buddy?

She needed to check the etiquette on that. But not now. She needed to focus and enjoy what's-his-name...Paul. There, she remembered.

She smiled in relief. Paul smiled back before ordering a bottle of wine. Okay, the wine would help.

"So, Paul, you must enjoy working with children." Small talk always lightened awkward situations.

Her date's handsome face frowned a little, only to be replaced quickly with a smile. "Of course, they're fun."

See, she could do it. Her phone chirped again.

"Should you check to make sure all is well?"

Lily dismissed the suggestion with a slight wave. "That's one of my overly protective brothers."

Paul's face knitted in agreement. "Oh...how many are there?"

"Three," she answered as casually as possible. She didn't need to tell him her brothers had threatened to break the legs of her last boyfriend. Correction-ex-cheating sc.u.mbag fiance.

Paul choked on his water and flagged the waiter. It was obvious the thought of three protective brothers scared the guy a little bit. Lily didn't blame him. She wondered how Adam would react to her brothers. He'd most likely go toe-to-toe with them.

Did he even know she had siblings? She searched her mind and tried to remember if they ever talked about anything other than what are you wearing? Another round? Let's f.u.c.k.

Nope. Nothing.

She leaned forward and tried her best to appear more inviting. "They can be a bit much, but nice guys."

"I'm sure," he replied, his voice, deceptively calm.

"Tell me all about your life as a pediatrician," she quickly suggested, hoping to shift gears and focus back on handsome doctor Paul. Her friend responsible for this set up had told her he was reliable and a one-woman-at-a-time type of guy. Not the type who would be caught on camera kissing scantily-clad women with fake, perky b.r.e.a.s.t.s after a victory race.

"Actually, I'm a chiropractor," Paul corrected.

Oh. d.a.m.n. Her mistake. Embarra.s.sed, she fanned her warm cheeks. "I'm so sorry." She made a mental note to get all the facts straight next time she agreed to a blind date.

Her phone beeped again. d.a.m.n it! It wasn't like her brothers to bother her that much...unless something was actually wrong. "I'm sorry, but I need to check my messages. Something may be wrong." She offered the apology while reaching for her phone.

The text read- Liliana Her heart hitched. Oh Lord, only one man ever called her by her full name.

The second text read- Where are you? I've been trying to reach you for two days.

Her breath caught. She had been ignoring his calls and text messages the last two days. She needed to focus and figure out how to dump his a.s.s. Even the fact that her best friend, Minka, had defended him and advised her to give him a chance to explain had set her off. She couldn't blame her friend, though. Her mind was clouded and she was high on love. In about eight weeks, Minka was going to marry one of Adam's best friends. Except Jason had been a model fiance and never felt the need to kiss any other but his lovely soon-to-be wife. She couldn't say that about Adam Aquilani.

I'm imagining you naked in my bed.

Oh, G.o.d. The room became sweltering hot. She sat in the broiling heat Adam generated even miles away.

I'm h.o.r.n.y and I want to make you come. Phone s.e.x?

Her breath rose to her chest and that little spot between her thighs throbbed with need. She didn't need to read further. She knew the messages would get more explicit. That was Adam's way and somehow he had managed to entangle her in his dirty little games, including phone s.e.x.

As if the metallic device burned her skin, she dropped the phone in her purse and turned her attention to Paul.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, his eyes on her.

"Ummm, yes. Sorry about that."

"You look flushed."

Flushed was an understatement. More like completely turned on and would jump Adam if he were the one sitting across from her. Except it was good old pop-your-back Paul. And thank G.o.d for that.

"I'm okay." But her voice came out a little shaky, rough.

Paul continued to stare at her, confusion evident. Lily flashed him a perky smile, leaned toward him and tried to appear interested.

Her date smiled pleasantly as he reached for her hands. "Lily, there's someone else." It was more a statement than a question, his voice calm with no hint of anger.

d.a.m.n you, Adam!

Stricken with guilt, she pulled her gaze from his. It was one thing to want revenge on her lover, but it was another to bring an innocent party into her mess. "Yes," she confirmed in a soft whisper. It made her angry that someone could have such a hold on her even miles away. h.e.l.l, right now he was on another continent altogether. "No...I mean, kind of, but not really." d.a.m.n it, she was rambling. Lily let out a frustrated sigh and looked into Paul's friendly eyes. "He's not a boyfriend."

Paul chuckled, probably over how ridiculous she sounded. He released her hand and leaned back in his chair. "Well, whatever he is, he's pretty persistent. Is he going to show up here?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Oh, G.o.d no. He's in Italy."

Paul brows went up. "You're dating a man who lives in Italy? That's almost an impossible relationship unless he's some globe-hopping superstar."

She almost laughed in agreement but instead said, "We're not dating."