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“Nope. Bec’s been to my house for dinner, but I’ve never been over here.”
He sighed. “She used to be sort of embarrassed about living in the brewery. Before she met Wyatt, back when the brewery was struggling. This place didn’t start out as an apartment—it was the office. She didn’t even have a real kitchen.”
Ruth gave him a rueful smile. “I remember. I’m the one who gave her the rice cooker after she told me how she was making dinner. She was trying to get by with a hot plate and a toaster oven.”
“That was nice of you. I didn’t know what to get her.” He frowned. “I’m not sure she would have taken anything from me then, anyway.”
“But you got through that,” Ruth said slowly. “You’re friends now.”
He nodded. “We’re friends now. Which is better than yelling at each other the way we used to.”
“Families. They’re like the ice in spring. One false step and you’re up to your ass in water.”
Liam threw back his head and laughed, giving her a great view of tanned throat and a faint brush of beard shadow.
Silence stretched between them for a moment. She had that edgy feeling again, only now it seemed to be localized in her belly. Maybe edgy wasn’t the right word. Maybe it was more like excited.
Which was probably not a good idea. Not for a hardworking, single mom. She took another sip of her ale before setting it on the table.
Liam set his glass next to hers, then ran his hand gently along her arm. She managed not to tremble under his fingers. Good grief, pull yourself together. You’re not a virgin.
“Thanks for being a friend to Bec when she needed one,” he said quietly. “She was alone here for a while.”
Ruth swallowed. “I needed one, too. I still do.”
She studied his face. His changeable eyes seemed to be more green than brown in the dim light of the floor lamp. Such a handsome guy. Probably way too handsome for me… But I’m here.
He leaned toward her slowly, so slowly that she had to fight the urge to grab hold of his shoulders and pull him close. His lips touched hers in a faint brush, the tip of his tongue slipping in to taste her.
She did take hold of his shoulders then, holding him steady while she turned her head to let him plunge deeper. He slid one arm around her waist, pulling her closer so that her breasts pressed against his shirt. Her fingers glided into his hair, letting the smooth strands slip across them like silk.
Heat gathered in her belly, and her hips moved against him, feeling the swell of his arousal. Should she slow this down?
He seemed to be thinking about the same thing, pulling back to look at her. “Is this okay? I don’t want to push you.”
She licked her lips. “Sure. But I’m not really… This isn’t something I do much.”
He drew back a little farther. “It’s all right. We won’t do anything you don’t want to.” He gave her a tentative smile, probably trying to gauge just how skittish she was feeling.
She took a deep breath, centering herself. “But that’s just the thing,” she said slowly. “I do want to. Do it, that is.”
Maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea. But she really did.
Liam’s teeth flashed white as he grinned. “Good. So do I.”
He cupped her face in his hands, leaning in to kiss her again, his tongue moving deep. She wrapped her arms around his neck, moving closer to him, letting her body touch his as heat spread from her center.
We’re going to do this. I’m going to do this. With Liam Dempsey, the best-looking man she’d been around in a long time. She sure hadn’t planned it when she’d left home tonight. Then again, planning could be way overrated.
…
Liam was doing his best to keep things slow and easy. He had a feeling Ruth was ready to bolt, no matter what she said. And he’d discovered he wanted to make it good for her, too.
He pushed her denim shirt back from her shoulders, sliding one hand under her T-shirt. Her bra unfastened in front, and he took her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb across the nipple as he watched her eyes widen slightly.
She bit her lower lip, and his arousal spiked another couple of degrees. “That feels really good.”
