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“What?”
“We’re both already hurt. This between us soothes the pain, but everything is temporary. I understand.”
He strokes across my cheek and places his fingers on my lips. “Maybe I’m overthinking this.”
“Yes, you probably are. But don’t stop if you’re worried that you’ll hurt me. Someone else already did, and nothing you could do to me would come close to that hurt.”
Liam’s eyes soften and he hugs me to his chest, squashing the air from my lungs. “Cerys...”
I wriggle from his grasp. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”
With both hands, Liam holds my cheeks. “I don’t feel sorry for you—I’m in awe of you. In awe that you’re not a complete mess. That you’re so strong for Ella.”
I swallow. He doesn’t know what I keep buried. “You only see the edge of me. Please, Liam, don’t talk about this. Kiss me again.” For a moment, I don’t think he will; that Liam meant what he said. I move my mouth close to his. “Please.”
Liam groans and closes his mouth on mine, fingers disappearing under my shirt. When he touches my skin, he inhales sharply and shifts against me. My nipples harden as I push myself against his chest, heat pooling between my legs as he digs his fingers into my waist and kisses me with a desperate passion I share.
The front door clicks open and we spring apart like teenagers caught by parents. Liam bites his lip and smirks at me. “You’re a fucking awesome kisser.”
I lick the taste of him from my lips unsure whether he’s teasing, and straighten my clothes. Louise talks drunkenly to Goldie in the hallway.
Liam moves closer. “I’m going to bed,” he whispers, “but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.” He kisses my nose before heading out of the kitchen. The kettle boiled minutes ago but I no longer want a drink, or to get a grilling from Louise.
I creep upstairs after Liam and pause outside the door where Ella sleeps. His room is beside ours. For a minute, I battle against continuing into Liam’s room. The thought of sleeping in someone’s arms—Liam’s arms—rather than with a four year old who kicks me in the night is a fantasy I can’t visit tonight. A lot has been knocked out of me in the last couple of weeks, but self-respect isn’t one of them.
I walk into the room where my daughter sleeps.
