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Tess smiled again, and some of the desolation a simple phone call had wrought dissipated from within the igloo. Unfortunately, Anna would have to brave her father’s coldness alone, but he was sure he wasn’t alone in considering what he might do for her once she returned.
A few minutes passed. And then another few. He and Tess commonly glanced toward the opening in the igloo, hoping to see Anna returning. She didn’t.
“Should one of us go look for her?” Liam asked quietly.
“No,” Tess said, frowning at the igloo’s opening. “We’ll give her a little longer.”
A little longer passed. The only thing creeping back into the igloo was silence. Unsure of what—if any—conversation topic might vanquish it, Liam finished the last bits of the sandwich on his plate, and then he knew no other activity than twiddling his thumbs.
“Liam.”
Tess’s voice, calmed of the simmering anger Arnold Royce’s phone call had inspired, washed over him. Immediately, his gaze moved from his slow-moving thumbs to the angelically beautiful woman.
“Yes?”
“I think it would be a good idea if we used this time to discuss this morning.”
Until now, the igloo had kept him warm. No longer. Liam’s blood cooled, and he prepared for the worst. Especially given what they’d just discussed regarding Anna, he couldn’t help but feel as if Tess was about to announce that what they’d done was a mistake, that it would ruin things between all of them if Anna were to find out what they were getting up to. Inwardly, his pessimism cast off his recently obtained confidence and reclaimed its throne.
“What about it?” he asked, despising the meekness trembling in his voice.
“I feel that it would be best if we set some… ground rules.”
Ground rules? His pessimism found its seat a little less comfortable than it remembered.
Nodding slowly, wary that things were still about to slide back several steps, he said, “Okay. What did you have in mind?”
“We chatted about these things before, but we were both rather… charged with lust when we did so. I would like us to both be candid about what we want from the other person while we are”—her cheeks turned slightly rosy—“intimate together.”
The confidence that had been cast down moments ago twitched with a semblance of life.
“I agree that that’s a good idea,” Liam said, knowing there wasn’t any other response he could feasibly offer. If anything, hedidthink it was a good idea. At the very least, he could get a proper definition for their newfound relationship. And with that information, he could see how far from where he wanted their intimacy to end up that they now stood.
“I’ll go first,” Tess said, glancing through the igloo’s opening to ensure Anna wasn’t making an ill-timed return. “Before anything else, in case it was not abundantly clear, I do want you to know that I don’t regret this morning. I know you had to depart hastily, so I don’t want that worry to exist in your mind if it does.”
She waited for him to nod before continuing.
“Furthermore, I don’t think it will come as a surprise if I admit that it has been quite some time—several years, in fact—since I was last physically intimate with someone. I’ve certainly never been in a relationship where the age differences were this vast.” She swallowed, clearly still working through some things in her mind.
“A week ago, I would never have allowed myself to consider such a thing. A relationship like this comes with numerous hurdles, from power imbalances to differences in our priorities in life. I regularly teach classes of young men and women your age about all these things. It may just be that your interest for our relationship is solely physical, which another woman in my situation might say is for the best. However, I know myself, and I know that I’m not emotionally built to be a… booty call. Especially not after the marriage I only recently extricated myself from.”
Her blush deepened, and she took a deep breath. “That said, and while I know I might very well be a wretched person for what I am suggesting here, I am interested in attempting to make something work between us. For that to work, I need us to communicate clearly and often, so we can build enough stability that if things do not work out for us… romantically, we can still maintain our friendship.” One more deep breath followed. “For this to go anywhere, Liam, I need your promise about that most of all. That we will communicate.”
Emotions crowded Liam’s mind to the breaking point. They all vied for control, clamoring to spread throughout the rest of his body before the others could. Relief, exultation, anxiousness—he didn’t know which to let sprint through him first. Because of it, he ended up in a state of stupefaction, which brought a long silence to the igloo. Tess allowed him to take all the time he needed.
This was it. This was his chance. Not just to touch and hold her. But to share so much of what he’d wanted to share with her for years. This was it.
Now, he just needed to figure out how he would share everything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Where They Begin
Liam knew she at least partially understood how long he’d pined for her. Whether she knew just how strongly he’d desired her over those years remained uncertain. So, should he share that, even lead with it? Was this finally the time for him to announce his love for her? After all, she’d just told him it wasn’t solely a physical connection she wanted to build with him. But just what did that mean? It might mean everything he hoped it would, or he might be overjudging what she meant.
“Could I get a bit of clarification about what you’re looking for, beyond just the, uh, physical stuff?” he asked, hoping to arm himself with better intelligence before he finalized his battle plans. Certainly before he decided to lay his heart out in front of her.
Tess nodded. “It means avoiding situations like this morning, where we get together, fulfill some carnal needs, then separate immediately after that.” She lifted a hand. “Now, I know this morning’s circumstances necessitated that, and I can imagine you’d have at least liked to stay around long enough for me to return some of the satisfaction you gave to me to you, but I don’t want that to be the norm. Aftercare and conversation are things I know I need if I’m to… engage in acts like the ones we’ve gotten ourselves into the past two days. I don’t want to just feel like an outlet for your lust… or feel like I’m making you one for mine.”
