“Okay, I think society will be safe for now.” Standing back up, he walked over to the desk where Chiara was still perched on the top, her feet dangling over the front.
“My hero,” she fake swooned when he stepped up to her. Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him down against her lips. Placing his hands on top of the desk on either side of her, he moaned when her tongue slid inside his mouth.
They were battling for control of the kiss when he heard a large crack under them. Quickly, he pulled her against him just as the desk leg broke off, flipping the desk onto its back. Chiara wrapped her legs around his waist as they both turned to look at the desk.
“You know you have a couch, right?” a voice said from the doorway.
Chiara jumped at the sound, still holding on to Liam. In an effort not to drop her on her butt, his knees hit the floor before pitching forward on top of her. Luckily, he had managed to get his hand under her head before it cracked open on the old wood.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he said, quickly pushing back up on his knees to help her up. He was concerned she was hurt, but the laughter that erupted from her quickly allayed his fears. She sat up, her legs spread on either side of his knees with tears in her eyes from laughter.
“I’m going to give that dismount a nine for technique,” the voice from the door said.
“The Russian judge gives it a two,” another voice chimed in.
Liam stood up, helping Chi off the floor. She looked over at the desk before bursting into another round of laughter.
“I’m just going to grab the trash and go,” Liam said, looking around the room. “Oh, I’ll get the mouse too.” Picking up the sack with the remains of their lunch, he grabbed the edges of the trash can, scooting it toward the door.
At the door, he found two college-aged girls with grins on their faces. “Excuse me.” They both stepped to the side to let him by.
“Chi, I’ll call you.” She nodded at him brushing the dust off her perfectly sculpted ass. Blowing out a groan, he bent over, pushing the can out the door.
“Really, Miss Scalletti? Even the chair would be better suited than that ancient desk.” He heard both girls laugh as she closed her door.
Now, what did he do? He had a sack of trash, a mouse in a can, and a bright red face. He couldn’t remember blushing this much since high school.
Setting the trash down, he debated for a minute how to get the mouse down the stairs. Finally throwing caution to the wind, he flipped the can over and grabbed the mouse before it could escape. It sank its blood-dripping fangs into the fleshy part of his hand between his thumb and index finger.
“Fuck me,” he shouted, slinging it into the righted trash can.
There was another burst of hysterical laughter that erupted on the other side of the door. Yeah, that had been stupid, but it got the job done. Staring at it for a moment inside the can, he decided it didn’t look like it had rabies.
After turning the mouse loose outside, probably to return to the exact same spot, he handed the can to the confused receptionist. He jumped in the Ramcharger and headed across town.
“How the hell did you get bit by a mouse?” Ronan asked when Liam arrived at his house a few minutes later. He met his brother at the door with his hand still slightly bloody. The truth was, it barely even made a scratch, but it had hurt bad enough at the time. It should be worth at least a little sympathy from his twin.
Reaching between them, Aubrey grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him toward the kitchen. Soon his hand was under the water, being scrubbed by her with a bar of soap.
“Oww,” he said in feigned indignation.
“Hush. You’re the one that stuck your hand in a mouse’s mouth. I have to get the diseases off it,” Aubrey said.
“I didn’t stick my hand in its mouth. I was trying to free it, and it bit me.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. Toweling it dry, she poured peroxide over it, making him swear. She bandaged it and released him. It was possible the bite now hurt worse than when it first happened. Ronan watched the entire show with mild interest.
“Thank you, gorgeous,” Liam said, pulling Aubrey in for a kiss on the cheek. She had been a cheerleader through high school, but one of the sweet, kind ones, not the stuck-up, entitled ones.
He had given Ro absolute hell after catching him staring at her as she changed her books out of her locker. It had taken Ro most of the rest of the year to get up the nerve to ask her out. They had been inseparable since then, even attending college in the same state so they could be together on the weekends.
“Come on, let me show you the studio, wuss,” Ronan said, grabbing two beers out of the refrigerator.
“So, what is going on?” Ro asked when they were both settled in the studio. Liam on the old loveseat and Ronan at his table.
“What? What are you talking about? Nothing,” Liam stammered, looking anywhere but at his twin. When he finally did land on Ronan, he was greeted with a smirk.
“Seriously, who do you think you’re talking to?” Ronan asked. “I know everything there is to know about you. We’re damn near the same person. So, what have you done? Why would you be freeing a mouse?”
