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She fiddled with the edge of his pullover and then traced the gold earring in his left ear. God, he really did look like a hot pirate. “You mean where I did my best not to coo like a turtledove whenever I got asked how I felt about Veritas immortalizing me? Liam, that part is so not fun. I don’t like misleading people.”
He fitted her wineglass back in her hand. “I had a similar moment when Linc told me not to discuss my interactions with Veritas with anyone.”
She tilted her head toward the ceiling. “Oh, God! And he’s like your stepfather.”
“Not officially,” he answered, picking up his wine. “But my mum loves him, and yesterday he pretty much told me that because I’m hers, that makes me his.”
“Ah… That’s really sweet. Do you feel guilty? Because I’d hate it if I’m making you act against your values.”
He cupped her nape so she’d look at him. “Taylor, I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. I was meant to help you. We’re partners. Even if we’re both in unfamiliar territory.”
“Because you never keep things from friends and family, and this is the first time I’ve ever been the subject of my own street art.” She laid her forehead against his chest. “We’re a pair, but I’m glad you’re my partner. Liam, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with.”
His hands massaged the tense muscles in her neck. “Glad we’re on the same page. By the way, I put my stuff in the second bedroom. Unless you want me to be on the couch closest to the front door.”
Electricity seemed to jolt her skin. “Maybe I want you in my bed.”
“We’re not ready for that yet.”
She had to see his face then, so she looked up. “You still don’t have the day pinned down after our talk this morning?”
His mouth curved, which made her trace his gorgeous lips. “We’re ready when you know for sure you love me and I’m your soulmate. Because I don’t think I can make love to you any other way. Once we make love, I’m yours. Body, soul, and spirit. I want you to be the same way. I need you to be.”
Longing swamped her, catching her by the throat. “All right.” She blew out a hungry breath. “That’s fair. You should have what you need—we both should. Only…you see us together. In your images.”
He nodded slowly.
“That means that I come to all that body, soul, and spirit stuff.” The sound of her heartbeat was suddenly loud in her ears. “Any idea where they sell Kool-Aid in town so I can speed this process up?”
His laughter soothed her and she found herself grinning back at him. “I’ll look for that at SuperValu when I go shopping next.”
“You go shopping too?” she asked, leaning up and kissing his mouth. “You reallyarethe perfect partner.”
He nibbled at her mouth. “But I don’t iron or hand-wash. And I really don’t like to dust. Just so you know.”
Wow, were they already discussing domestic duties? “What about vacuuming?”
“I can do it. But with us both working, we should probably hire someone to clean. Kathleen found a great person after she and Ellie concluded Declan and Brady were slobs. Completely true.”
Right. His roommates at the haunted Summercrest Manor. “But not you?”
“With three sons and a mud-caked farmer, my mother made sure we all knew to clean up after ourselves. I’m pretty housetrained. Brady’s mom is a bit of a mother hen. She’d make you a cup of tea and butter a slice of bread for you as soon as you came through her door. My mum would yell, ‘Make sure and take your filthy boots off by the door.’”
Good for Bets. “I might have noticed those boots when I got home. It made me all girly on the inside.”
He kissed her cheek. “Come on. Dinner is just about ready. Why don’t you pick a movie?”
Right. Because Wilt had called this the safe house for the moment. “No bike rides, huh? Because I probably couldn’t handle everyone’s energy at the pub again tonight.”
His green eyes narrowed for a moment before his face relaxed. “No, I think we stay home for the moment. One, Malcolm is going to strike back. Two, you’re the kind of person who needs to recoup her energy after going at one hundred and ten percent. And three—and this is a big one for me since I love my friends and family—I want to be alone with you.”
Suddenly she was worried about speaking complete gibberish, drowning in emotion at his words. “I want to be alone with you too,” she answered finally. “And thanks for understanding my energy, as you say. Some people get charged by others. I get drained. But not by you.”
His mouth tipped up to the right. “While we’re on this subject… I like most people’s energy, which is why I moved into Summercrest, although you know I love my meditation too. But with you, I’m finding I don’t miss being around so many people. Taylor, your energy fills me in a way I’ve never known.”
She swallowed thickly. “Okay. Any more gooey talk and I might start stammering. What movie do you want to watch?”
Their eyes met and held, and her heart thumped loud in her chest before he said, “Something like we watched the other night works.”
