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It’s weird how much I like that. How much I liked him telling me I was a good girl and that I was perfect. I know they’re all lines he uses to make a woman feel good. But they worked on me.
Is that sad?
The honest truth is I’m too wrung out to care, in the best of ways. “Kiss me,” I whisper, and his smile is so winning it hurts. Then he presses his mouth softly against mine as he strokes my hair. “So damn beautiful,” he murmurs.
And yeah, that works. I taste myself and it isn’t terrible. I like that he likes it.
I like that he likes me. Even if it’s just as a friend. And tomorrow I’ll think it through but tonight I just need to sleep.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he says, noticing my flickering eyes.
“Too tired to get in the car,” I mutter. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
He chuckles. “You can sleep in my bed.”
Before I can protest – and let’s face it, I wasn’t really going to protestthatmuch – he slides his hand beneath me and lifts me into his arms. My body rushes through the air and for a moment it feels like I’m on a rollercoaster ride, but then I wrap my arms around him and I’m safe.
Safe.
That isn’t a word I’d use to describe Liam Salinger. Dangerous, yes. Edgy, for sure. But never safe.
He carries me down the hallway to his bedroom, kicking open the door and laying me on his white comforter. And before I can say anything, he pulls the zipper on my skirt down, peeling it away from my body and folding it neatly. I lift my hips so he can slide my panties down, too, and then I’m naked before him, spread out on his comforter.
His eyes rake over me as he adjusts himself, and I realize that only one of us got pleasure tonight. Concerned, I reach for him. “Let me help you with that…”
My fingers curl around the outline of him. He’s hard as steel and my heart races. But then he puts his hand over mine, pausing for a moment before he pulls them both away.
“You’re exhausted,” he tells me. “And I’m okay. Whatever guys have told you about blue balls, they’re lying. It doesn’t hurt, it does go away, and it won’t affect our fertility.”
I laugh because I heard all of those growing up. He walks over to his closet and pulls it open, grabbing a t-shirt that he carries over to me. “It’ll swamp you, but it’s soft and comfortable,” he tells me. “I have a spare toothbrush if you want it.”
“I should…”
“I’ll grab it and bring it out here.”
And that’s what he does. He makes me comfortable, then gets me clean, and then pulls the covers down and encourages me to nestle into his mattress. When my head hits the pillow he presses his lips against my brow and kisses me softly.
“Sleep,” he urges. “I’m just gonna take a shower then I’ll join you.”
I nod. “Don’t be long.” But before he even makes it to the bathroom my eyes have already closed.
* * *
LIAM
Bright rays of sunshine penetrate my sleep, piercing my eyelids and making me groan. I try to fight it for a moment, way too comfortable in my slumber, but the sun wins out and finally I open my eyes.
Then I remember last night and I reach for Sophie.
But she’s not there.
Turning onto my side, I frown as I inspect her side of the bed. There’s still a dent in the pillow but the covers are neatly tucked over the mattress in a way only Sophie could have made it.
“You in the bathroom?” I call out. No reply comes back. I groan and climb out of bed, running my hands over my messed up hair. I cross the floor in three strides, but the light in the bathroom is out.
Where the hell is she?
The bungalow isn’t big and it takes me less than a minute to realize that she isn’t here. The clothes I stripped off of her are all gone.
