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It was difficult to be angry after he put his neck out for me. After seeing just how much he cared, even if I never gave him any reason to. I had spent so long sitting in my hatred for him that I never stopped to understand who he was after all that time. I didn’t care to notice his good qualities and preferred to pick apart his flaws instead.
Liam seemed to get lost in thought, and he let go of a bitter huff. “That guy’s lucky I had enough reason left in me.”
Curious about what he meant, my brows came together. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and looked down at the floor. “After I saw him handling you like that, I was ready to rip his throat out. I thought about ending him right there, but I stopped myself from getting out of control.”
Something about those words put me in a sort of trance. Not his almost willingness to end a man’s life, but how quickly he considered my safety. How he was prepared to do something drastic just to help me.
It seemed he cared about me more than he let on before.
The thought made me squirm, yet I couldn’t deny how it disarmed me. How I didn’t hate the idea of him wanting to protect me.
Gazing at him, hoping to get a better read of his features, I swallowed thickly the moment I recognized that combination of emotions. The regret, along with determination and desire. The same glaze his eyes had the night we spent together at the Roadbar.
Something about it stirred those old feelings within me, and I let my defenses fall. A part of me wanted to return to that time when I had been blissfully ignorant of what was to come.
“It means a lot that you stepped in. I don’t blame you for wanting to hurt him,” I murmured, unsure of how to move forward with the conversation. “At that moment, I did too.”
“But you’re safe now, and that’s what matters the most,” Liam added, keeping me on track.
I nodded, knowing he was right. Still, with his eyes on me and a lightness in my chest from how protective he had been, I felt faced with a decision.
After it was all said and done, I could show him the door or let him stay and see where things could go between us. I was certain those instincts didn’t come from just anywhere, and there had to be a reason why his protective side had been triggered beyond wanting to help.
Something got the better of him when he found me, which required self-restraint to stop him from killing the assailant, even if he had already been subdued.
That fact, paired with that longing in his eyes, was enough to let me know I wasn’t the only one feeling curious again.
“Thanks to you,” I hummed, placing my coffee mug on the counter. Facing Liam, there was no ignoring how magnetized I felt to him, and something in me didn’t want to resist it either.
As his eyes settled on me, that tension became more apparent, and there was nothing left to stop me from leaning in.
Standing on my toes, I reached up and pressed my lips against his just as he swooped in and met me halfway. His hand settled on my waist, pulling me into him as we both melted into the embrace.
That familiar sensation filled me, bringing me back to the heated exchange we had after our night at the Roadbar. Those memories came flooding back, and I found myself wanting him all over again.
Our mouths collided at once, not leaving any room for a sweet or plain sensual kiss. Instead, we gripped one another tightly, as if we had fallen into step with that previous intimacy, like picking up where we had left off.
Placing a hand against his chest, I leaned into Liam, finding myself more eager than I ever had been. It felt like a lifetime had passed since we last slept together, and I didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity.
As the kiss deepened, Liam hesitated, pulling back just enough to look down at me. “Are you sure?”
Wanting the opportunity to forget about everything else, I nodded feverishly.
Accepting my answer, he quickly pecked my lips, then murmured, “If you need to stop at any point, tell me.”
Too impatient, I reconnected our lips and took in just how perfect they felt against mine. I had kissed my fair share of people, but nobody did it like Liam.
He had a way of knowing exactly what I wanted, and every movement and caress was filled with intent. Everything from his kiss, to the way he held me like he’d never let anything harm me, to the absolute concentration he delivered—it was all incredible.
Before long, he had my knees buckling, beyond desperate to feel more of him. To receive the affection I wanted more than anything.
When I rubbed up against him, Liam bit back a growl before he wrapped his fingers around the back of my thighs and hoisted me up.
Caught by surprise, I gripped his shoulders as I landed softly on the countertop, and he wasted no time painting my neck with sloppy kisses.
They weren’t perfect, but it seemed to show just how eager we both were, unable to wait another moment.
