It wasn’t just his wife’s memory that broke the dam. It was everything — his lonely struggle to be a good father, the constant press of responsibility weighing on his shoulders, his relentless drive on the ice to stay on top of his game even as his body aged and betrayed him. Life without Kate had been an exhausting slog, one he endured only for his daughters’ sake, knowing they deserved far better than his empty husk of a soul could provide.
Until Sunny.
The vibrant nanny had breathed new life into his dark recesses and seemed to reignite the spirits of his daughters with her infectious optimism.
And now, pressed against the delicate curves of her body, he was overcome by the scent of her. The warm, feminine fragrance of coconut and honeysuckle enveloped his senses, conjuring fresh blooms and sultry summer evenings. It was light and sweet, different from Kate’s preferred lavender, but equally potent in rousing long-neglected cravings in him.
As the sobs slowly subsided into shuddering breaths, Liam became hyper-aware of Sunny’s closeness. How soft her flesh was pressed against his heaving chest with each exhalation. How one of her hands had drifted to his wide back, tracing soothing circles.
He should pull away. She was his employee, a woman almost a decade his junior. But Liam couldn’t summon the willpower to break the connection, not now that she was this close to him. Not now that he had her in his arms. Finally.
Then Sunny tilted her face up, eyes glistening with shared sadness and… something else. Something heated and questioning as her gaze caught on his parted lips.
Liam froze, reason warring with the primal urge rapidly heating his core when confronted with her dewy beauty this close up.
It was Sunny who decided for them both, stretching up on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against his in a gossamer caress. A broken groan escaped Liam at the first electrifying brush of her full lips — an unexpected shock lancing through his brittle defenses.
This was reckless, inappropriate, everything his muddled brain railed against. Yet Liam craved that searing jolt of feeling, the blazing reminder that he was still a living, breathing man beneath the emotional deadweight he carried.
Reason was shattered.
With a low growl of surrender, his arms banded around Sunny’s trim waist, hauling her against his rigid frame as he leaned down and brushed his lips lightly against hers. She whimpered into the hungry exchange. He deepened his kiss, pressing his lips against hers.
Lost.
They were both utterly lost to the primal cravings, to the blistering heat consuming them as they kissed. Liam cupped his large hands around her back and lifted her into the air as if she weighed nothing, then gently placed her on the plush couch, laying her down.
Sunny
Warmth. That was Sunny’s first coherent thought as Liam lowered her onto the plush cushions of the den’s oversized couch. His body hovered above hers, solid and protective, radiating heat that seemed to envelop her completely. The dim glow from the hallway light cast half his face in shadow, but his eyes — those piercing blue depths — shone with an intensity that made her breath catch.
Time seemed suspended as they gazed at each other, the only sound their ragged breathing and the distant hum of the house settling around them. Sunny could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, could feel the weight of this moment — this threshold they were about to cross.
This is madness, a distant part of her mind whispered.He’s your employer. The father of the children in your care.
But that voice was drowned out by the thundering of her pulse as Liam’s calloused hands slipped beneath the hem of her camisole, his rough fingertips creating delicious friction against her smooth skin. Every rational thought scattered like leaves in a storm.
They had been moving toward this moment for weeks — perhaps since that first charged interview, when his piercing blue eyes had assessed her with such intensity. Now all those stolen glances, those accidental brushes of hands, those lingering moments in doorways had culminated in this collision.
“Sunny,” Liam breathed against her neck, the sound of her name on his lips sending shivers down her spine. “Tell me to stop.”
His words contradicted his actions, as his mouth traced a scorching path along her collarbone. But Sunny understood what he was asking — for absolution, for permission, for her to take responsibility for a decision they both knew would complicate everything.
Instead of answering with words, Sunny reached up to trace the stubbled line of his jaw with trembling fingers. His skin was rough beneath her touch. She let her hand drift to the nape of his neck, fingers threading through the short hairs there, and gently guided his face toward hers.
Their lips met again, this time with deliberate slowness. A soft exploration rather than the desperate clash of moments before. Liam tasted faintly of coffee and something uniquely him. She breathed him in, the scent of his cologne mingling with the natural warmth of his skin, creating an intoxicating blend.
Liam braced himself on his forearms, careful not to crush her beneath his weight. The gesture was tender, considerate. This man, with all his gruffness and strength, was handling her as if she were something precious.
His lips left hers to blaze a trail along her jawline, pausing at the sensitive spot just below her ear. Sunny gasped as he pressed a lingering kiss there, her back arching slightly off the couch. The sound that escaped her seemed to embolden him; his hands became more exploratory, sliding along her sides with reverent caution.
“Liam,” she breathed, her voice barely audible in the quiet room.
He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers. The vulnerability she saw there nearly undid her — this powerful man, laid bare before her, all his defenses down. In that moment, she wasn’t looking at her employer or hockey star Liam Anderson. She was seeing just Liam, a man wounded by loss and yearning for connection.
Sunny reached up, cupping his face in her palms “I want to tell you to stop,” she whispered. “But I can’t.”
Something shifted in his expression — relief, desire, gratitude all mingled together. He lowered his forehead to hers, their breaths intermingling in the narrow space between them.
