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“To you it’s just a nipple. But I’m a man, West. To me it’s the fucking holy grail.”
“Don’t swear,” I tell him, but I start to laugh anyway because what’s the alternative? And the thing is, Liam Salinger is funny. Like laugh out loud make you all hot kind of funny.
He looks up and he’s grinning, too.
“Can we pretend this didn’t happen?” I ask him.
“Again?” He lifts a brow. “You’re asking me to do a lot of pretending.”
I pull my lip between my teeth. “I know. And I’m grateful for it.”
Charlie feels heavier in my arms, and I realize he’s gone to sleep.
“I’m going to put him in his crib,” I tell Liam. “And then I’ll clean myself up.”
“Good idea.” He watches silently as I carry Charlie over, making sure he’s still clean from spit up. When he’s laying quietly on his back I turn back toward Liam, and he’s still not wearing a shirt. I mean of course he isn’t.
It’s not like he carries a spare one around with him.
He turns the monitor back on as I grab the empty bottle, and go to walk out of the nursery. But before I can go anywhere Liam gently grabs my wrist, stopping my progress.
I look at him, surprised. “What?” I ask quietly, because neither of us want to wake Charlie up.
He opens his lips then shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter.” He lets go of my arm and it immediately feels cool.
I frown. “Yes it does. What is it?” I’m intrigued now.
He reaches out to cup my face, the unexpected move making my breath catch in my throat. Then he leans down so close that for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me.
But instead he runs his thumb over my jaw and presses his lips to my ear.
“I wish I’d made you come that night.”
Then he turns on his heel and walks out of the room, and I watch him, too stunned to reply.
* * *
LIAM
I walk back to the party twenty minutes later, having gone back to the bungalow to clean up and put a new shirt on. Ava and Myles are upstairs with Charlie, and I’m pretty sure my uncle duties are done for the night.
“Linc’s been bitching about you,” Eli says, handing me a beer. “What’ve you done to upset him now?”
“Nothing,” I tell my younger brother, taking the beer gratefully. Eli is the third brother in our family and a typical middle child. Out of all of us he’s the most talented, too. As a professional hockey player, he can do things on the ice that most of us can’t do on solid ground. “What time are you leaving?”
“Getting picked up at eight,” he says. He has a meeting tomorrow. A promotional opportunity that he would be crazy to miss so he’s not staying here tonight. “So you’re really gonna spend more time here in sleepyville, huh?” he asks, surveying the land in front of us. The party has thinned out. People have either moved inside, because the insects in the summer can be hungry little bastards, or they’ve gone home.
“I’m getting attached to the locusts,” I tell him. “Anyway, it’s not so different to Misty Lakes and you always enjoy being there.
Misty Lakes is our dad’s estate. He has a huge house there, and we’ve each built a cabin around the closest lake. Going there is like stepping back in time. I always feel like the kid I used to be as soon as we drive through the wrought iron gates.
It reminds me of when life was easier. When summers stretched forever. When I didn’t have a whole bunch of people relying on me to pay their wages or fill their investment portfolios.
“Yeah, I like Misty Lakes, but I also like to live a bit,” Eli says, lifting his beer to his mouth. “I thought you did, too. You’re gonna get bored here within a week.”
“I’ll be too busy making money to get bored,” I tell him.
He grins and punches me hard in the arm. “That’s ma boy.” He shakes his head. “I’m gonna miss seeing you go all Southern Gentleman while you’re here.”
