“Tell me how you want it, sweetheart.” His fingers slid against her, slow, coaxing. “Soft and slow? Or hard and fast?”
Cassidy whimpered, her back arching. “I just want you. All of you.”
Liam’s control nearly cracked, but he held on because this was Cassidy. And she deserved more than just release. She deserved to be seen.
He reached into the drawer beneath the counter where he kept emergency first-aid and seasonal extras, finding the small foil square he had stashed months ago.
Cassidy watched as he rolled the condom on, her pupils dilated with desire.
And when he stepped between her legs, hands firm on her thighs, Liam looked into her eyes. “Are you ready?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes. Liam, please.”
He entered her slowly, shuddering as she took him in. Every inch felt like a promise—one he wasn’t afraid to accept anymore.
Liam held still once he was fully inside her, his forehead pressed to hers. “You feel like home,” he whispered.
She kissed him, sweet and deep.
He started to move: long, slow strokes that dragged soft sounds from her lips. The counter beneath her creaked faintly with each thrust, but neither of them noticed. It was just the sound of connection, of something real being built between them.
Her legs wrapped around him tighter, pulling him closer.
Liam could feel her getting closer. The way her breaths came faster. The way her body clenched around him, already fluttering with anticipation.
“You’re doing so good,” he whispered, his voice thick. He slid one hand between her legs, his thumb circling gently. “Let go for me. Let me feel you fall apart.”
Her hands gripped his shoulders, nails biting into his skin as the pressure inside her coiled tighter and tighter.
Liam held her through it, slowing only slightly as he watched her come undone in his arms. “That’s it,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful like this.”
He didn’t last much longer. The feel of her still pulsing around him, the sound of her voice, the way she held him so tight—he couldn’t hold back.
“Cassidy,” he groaned, burying himself deep one last time as he came, his whole body tensing as pleasure surged through him. His forehead dropped to her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her like he never wanted to let go.
For a long moment, they just breathed.
She ran her fingers gently through his hair, still catching her breath. Liam kissed her collarbone, then her neck, then finally her lips.
He was quiet for a beat, then smiled and brushed her damp hair from her face. “You know, the first day I met you, I pictured this.”
“This?” she asked, motioning to the counter.
He nodded, still a little breathless. “Yeah. Right here.”
“Oh really. What about now?”
“Now?” He grinned. “Now I want every surface. Every damn one.”
She laughed. “That sounds like a challenge.”
FIFTY-ONE
CASSIDY
Saturday, December 20th
The next morning, Cassidy found herself replaying the night before. She would have loved nothing more than to explore all the different surfaces Liam had hinted at, but she hadn’t been able to ignore Julian and Miles, especially with them only in town for one night. She’d even tried to convince them to stay longer, though she understood why they couldn’t. Owning a business meant every day off was a sacrifice.
