Page 59 of Pressure Point

“Thank you. I just feel…I don’t even know what the word is. Worn out, I guess. And I’ll probably feel that way until I know exactly what those scans say.”

As soon as she said it, she knew that was the only way to put it. Both her body and her mind were tired. Her limbs felt heavy, and the idea of never moving off this couch was sounding better and better.

“C’mere,” Liam said, reaching for her. When he pulled her onto his lap, he twisted so he was lying propped up by the arm of the couch, her flat against his chest. She settled against him, using one of his pecs as a pillow. The steady thump thump of his heartbeat relaxed her, as if it were the calm, soothing music played at a spa to help lure you into a trance. It was exactly what she needed.

That, and something else.

“Liam,” she whispered, lifting her head to look at him.

“Yes, love?”

“Kiss me.”

* * *

Liam did not need to be asked twice. Kissing Avery was always something he was ready and willing to do.

Moving his hands to her waist, he slid her up his chest, enjoying the feel of her body moving against his. She was so light and delicate in his arms, which was such a contrast to the force that she was out in the world. He knew she saw herself as meek and clumsy, but he saw the exact opposite. She let out a soft sigh just as he tilted his head, their lips a whisper away from each other. The sound made his heart skip a beat, the knowledge that she wanted this just as much as he did taking over his already addled brain. When he finally pressed his lips to hers, moving them slowly, he let out his own groan of appreciation. Her sweet taste was intoxicating. Something he would very gladly get lost in for the rest of time.

She kissed him like she wasn’t in any kind of a hurry. Like she had all night just to lie here like this, doing nothing more than hold him hostage with her mouth. And he liked it. Feeling like this was completely new to him, but something he had longed for. There was no agenda, no timeline. If all they did was spend the next few hours kissing, Liam was more than okay with that. All he wanted was to be close to her, to feel her heartbeat mingle with his.

“I like kissing you,” she whispered, pulling back from him. She licked her lips, her eyes not quite meeting his.

“I like kissing you.”

Liam watched as her cheeks turned a subtle shade of pink, another sigh escaping from her. Biting back a laugh, since he didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her after her comment earlier, he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tight. She responded by burrowing into his chest just as she had moments before. He had no idea what they were doing, but anything that was going to keep her close to him was alright by him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, not turning to look at him.

“For?”

“This. For letting me just be. For knowing that I was upset even though I didn’t want to admit it. For being a safe place.”

Liam’s heart leapt again, and he wondered if she could feel what she was doing to him. Because it wasn’t just his dick responding to her, but all of him. More than anything, he just wanted her to feel comfortable. Comfortable to be herself, to let her emotions show. Words not required. Just the knowledge that she was, well…safe.

“Do you feel that way about me?”

“What?” he asked, caught off guard by her question. Had she said something else? Did he miss it? He’d been lost in his own head for a moment, but he was pretty sure she hadn’t said anything. Or at least he hoped she hadn’t.

“That I’m safe. Like you can just be yourself.”

She shifted on his chest, folding her arms across his pecs and resting her chin on them. Her beautiful emerald eyes stared straight up at him, a look of wonder in them. A warm feeling spread through him, one he couldn’t name, as he tried to put into words exactly what he felt about her. There was so much to say, and yet he knew that if he let it all out he’d overwhelm her. He also wasn’t exactly sure where they stood. Sure, she’d just told him she liked kissing him, but was that because she had deeper feelings? Or had she just discovered that she enjoyed kissing?

For as much as he’d told himself that he wasn’t going to let himself develop feelings for her, he’d also known it was a lie. He liked everything about her. From her quirky mannerisms, to her rambling when she was nervous, right down to those little moans when she took a bite of food that she loved. He liked it all. Way more than anyone who was just a friend should.

He also really wanted to tell her this but knew that was a bad idea. He didn’t want to see her face when he said it. When she told him that she didn’t return those feelings. That she was still interested in Dash. So he kept his response simple.

“I have never felt more myself than when I am with you.”

It was the truth. She made him feel alive. More so than anyone had ever done. There had been an excitement early on with Orla, but it was nothing compared to the way Avery made him feel. She made him feel like he mattered. Like he wasn’t second-rate.

A sweet smile pulled at the corner of her lips, reaching toward her eyes, which had lit up like a Christmas tree. That warm feeling spread through him again, and he tried to push it away. But the longer he looked at her, the stronger it became. And along with it came the urge to kiss the smile right off of her.

Bending his head down, he pressed his lips to her forehead, holding them there for a moment. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about the gesture, but it felt significantly more intimate than a regular kiss. It communicated so much more. Everything he couldn’t put into actual words. Like that he respected her, wanted to protect her, and just how much he cared about her. Which was a whole hell of a lot.

Avery relaxed into him, her body melting into his underneath his touch. It didn’t take long though before she found his mouth again with hers, resuming those unhurried kisses. Each one was just as amazing as the last—maybe even better. Like each kiss was a new secret she was sharing with him, something that only he got to know about her.

When they finally broke apart, their lips swollen and tender from their tango, Avery settled right back on his chest, as if she’d simply looked at him to ask what time it was. The air around them felt calm and soothing. If Liam hadn’t known any better, he would have thought they were in their own little bubble, protected from the world around them. But, no, it was just his couch. Although, spending his evenings on said couch with Avery had quickly become his favorite thing to do.