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He wanted her too much. His Talia—a woman who knew her own mind. He found that more tempting than anything and he couldn’t resist her. More to the point, he didn’t want to.
‘I can’t offer you more than this,’ he muttered.
‘I know.’ Talia ran her hand down his chest slowly and deliberately. ‘Maybe in a different life. Or a different time.’
Or if he had been a different man. But he didn’t voice that one.
‘You’re sure?’ he ground out.
‘That I want you?’ She sounded breathless and incredulous all at once. ‘Liam, I’m sure.’
Liam couldn’t hold back a low growl. It was a pale echo of the howling that he felt inside but audible all the same. He sank back down on the bed, discarding his towel and her bedsheet in one efficient movement.
And then he flipped on his back, lifted his Talia into the air and settled her on top of him.
She looked magnificent. More vibrant and full of life than he’d ever seen her before, and he stilled, drinking her in. If this was one of the last images he was ever going to have with her then he wanted to remember it in every last, stunning detail.
Something shifted inside him. A jolt and a start, as if his long-dead heart had just kicked back into life. But he pretended he didn’t care about that. He wasn’t going to overthink it any more. She was offering him tonight and he would move heaven and earth to take her up on it. Even if it was all he could give her.
By this time tomorrow he would be gone. He could deal with the fallout then.
* * *
If she was going to give herself to him one more time, Talia told herself ferociously as Liam settled her over him and stared at her as though she was the most precious thing in the world, she was going to make it count.
Really count.
She basked in the way he gazed at her—as if she was infinitely precious to him—and then revelled in the way he let his hands wander over her, smoothing his way and setting every inch of her skin alight in the process. She decided he knew just how badly he was driving her crazy when he trailed his tongue over her bare flesh and straight past her aching, straining nipples.
He skimmed his fingers down the sides of her torso, snaking over her belly and splaying his hands across her skin as he tested her and teased her. But none of that was anything compared to the way he gazed at her.
Three years ago, she’d loved the way he’d studied her, his eyes so green as they’d glittered with undisguised hunger. Even greed. He’d always made her feel so very beautiful and desired. But now...?
Now there was a different edge to his gaze. Desire, yes; but also something else. Something deeper. Something that made her feel not just wanted but needed. Adored. He made her feel precious.
He made her think she could see a future.
This is just about living in the moment, she thought in a panic, shaking such dangerous notions from her head and forcing herself back to the present. And it was almost a blessing when he lowered his head to take one nipple, lace bra included, into his mouth, as all other distractions fell away.
He lavished attention on one breast, his hand cupping her gently while his tongue drew whorls and patterns over her nipple. Abrading her skin and heightening her sensitivity. Once he was satisfied with one side, Liam shifted to the other, until she was shivering with pleasure, her breathing harsh and fast as she begged him for more.
Instead, he walked his hand down her body, over the swell of her stomach and beyond until he was circling around her sex, making it thrum with longing. Instinctively, Talia raised her hips, wanting more contact, more friction.
‘Patience,’ he murmured, still tracing his lazy shapes around her but never touching where she needed him most. ‘All in good time.’
She groaned, resisting the urge to roll her hips again, knowing he would only punish her by prolonging the wait. That deliciously wicked streak that she’d always loved. Reaching her hands out, she slid them through his hair instead, as if that might somehow ground her when he finally ended this exquisite torture.
‘Better,’ he muttered, letting his knuckles graze over her.
If he continued like this then she feared she was going to come apart with him barely even touching her.
And then, finally, he twisted his wrist around and cupped her, her molten heat spilling out over his palm.
‘So beautiful.’ Dipping his head, he kissed her again. ‘So perfect.’
Then before she could move, or even register what he was doing, he was sliding his fingers into her slick centre. Talia groaned, rolling her hips again and needing more contact as he played with her, almost sending her mindless with need.
She could feel that fire building already, racing her to the edge far faster than she was prepared for, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Liam was all she’d dreamed of this past week, replaying their weekend together over and over again, thinking that was all she would ever have. And now they were back here, and she didn’t think she could hold on much longer.
