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Someone get me some ice, for the love of God.
If Nora wasn’t sat right there, I’m pretty sure that would be the end of table manners for us both.How does everything he says and does affect me this way?
“Liam Taylor. Behave,” Nora scolds.
I cringe with laughter and Liam just laughs. “Sorry, Nor. I don’t know what came over me.” He winks that heart stopping wink before he adds, “Seriously though, I will help you guys. No strings attached. I can even rope in my mate Grayson, too.”
“Thank you. We were hoping you could volunteer at one of our activity days. We haven’t put dates to them yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do,” Nora says, clearing the plates from the table.
Liam locks his gaze with mine again. “I’m in, whatever, wherever.”
My insides turn to mush, liquified in a nano-second as I try desperately not to overthink if what he meant had a double meaning.
We all drink the remainder of the wine at the breakfast bar and I quickly discover that watching Liam talk about anything is my new favourite pastime. He’s so… confident. The set in his jaw, the cock of his head, the broadness of his shoulders. Liam was always confident growing up, but something about him now is more direct, but he still has this softness about him that makes you want to cuddle into him andthatis a very dangerous combination for me after a few glasses of wine.
“Okay, I need sleep. It’s…” Nora checks the clock behind her that reads 10:30 pm. “Fuck, it’s not even that late and I’m exhausted. I don’t even care. I need sleep.”
I give her a wide-eyed look and she stares directly at Liam and says, “If you can try and not make her scream too loudly tonight, that would be great. I don’t need to hear you both going at it, because it just reminds me how sad my own love life is right now.” Nora's eyes twinkle with amusement as she pats Liam’s back and gives us both the peace sign as she walks out of the kitchen.
My mouth hits the floor and Liam is the one who places his finger underneath it to close it with a low laugh that vibrates throughout the now quiet room. It’s the kind of quiet that's suggestive and waiting like a loaded weapon. The air feels simultaneously heavy and too thin as I try to fill my lungs discreetly.
Liam stands from his chair and with one hand effortlessly twirls my bar stool, so I’m facing him. He edges between my legs, nudging them apart with his thighs as he leans in closer, his hands surrounding my body like a cage, flexing and gripping the worktop behind me. His scent suffocates me in the most intoxicating way and I find myself searching for it, needing it more than I need actual air. He smells like summertime; the warm, soft summer evenings where your hair is messy and your eyes are sparkling because you’ve spent all day in the sunshine. I smile as I let it wash over me, coating my skin in him… only him.
One thing I know for certain right now is that I don’t trust my body. She betrays me all the time by blushing and pulsing whenever he is near. Like right this second, I’m trying to keep things PG, but I can already feel the heat prickles sneaking up my neck, threatening to make my body burst into flames.
The look in Liam’s eyes is deep, dark, and full of want as he gazes down at me.
“I really want to kiss you.” He pauses, his eyes locked on my mouth, his thighs flexing between my own as his hot breath drifts over my lips. “But I have to go home and pack because I have a client meeting in Chicago for the next few days and if I start kissing you…” He inhales sharply. “I won’t be able to stop.” He lifts his hand and runs his thumb over my bottom lip, making the disappointment I’m feeling that much harder.
“Chicago?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t notice the wobble in my voice.
“Yeah, one of our new clients is based there and he couldn't make a meeting yesterday, so I offered to fly out instead. I want to move things internationally in the future, so it seems like a good idea to show that the company is willing to do more for our clients, too.” His hand now firmly cupping my face.
“Yeah, that makes sense.” I swallow thickly, watching the way his lips move as he talks.
I want to ask him when I’ll see him again and if we’re going to talk whilst he is away, but I already know that makes me sound needy.
“You should probably get going then…” He doesn’t move, so I continue, “You should’ve said. I wouldn’t have minded changing tonight if it didn’t make sense for you with work.” I brush my hair out of my face, and he takes the opportunity to place his hand on my opposite cheek, staring at me with his eyes still full of desire, but I see an inner battle there too.Maybe he’s just as affected by me as I am by him.
“Can we talk when I’m away? I want to talk to you again and see you when I’m home. The trip is only a few days.”
“I’d like that,” I whisper on an exhale. His eyes flare with excitement and I catch another glimpse of that teenage boy I fell desperately in love with all those years ago. I barely hesitate as I whisper, “Kiss me.” Within a fraction of a second, he pulls me towards his lips, his hands in my hair gripping the back of my neck.
He’s so close to me as he leans in slowly, slow enough that it would look like he’s not going to kiss me at all, making my nerve endings scream for him. My pulse threatens to burst right out of my neck, and his eyes flicker to the thumping underneath where his fingertips rest. He strokes the skin, and I watch as a small smile lifts the side of his mouth. His eyes soften, showing tiny, faint lines wrinkling the edges.
My fingers ache as I realise I’m gripping his t-shirt so fiercely that I feel like I might float away without him. As if he reads my mind, he moves impossibly closer, erasing the tiny sliver of a gap left between us. His head lowers a fraction, as our lips touch for the briefest of moments, sending a zing across my lower lip. My body betrays me yet again, as a tiny mewl of pleasure escapes my lips. I open my eyes to find him watching me, his eyes stormy and lustful, before he drops his gaze to my lips again. I absent mindedly flick my tongue over my lower lip, while he stays waiting for me to give him access to my mouth.
I tip my chin towards him, granting him access as he lowers his lips to mine again. This time there is no tentative, fleeting kiss. This time it’s purposeful and demanding. His lips are still the softest things I’ve ever felt, like a blanket, wrapping me tightly in its embrace. He slides his tongue and tastes my mouth like he’s been starved and suddenly found the only thing that will fulfil his appetite. My heart falters as he moves his hands to my lower back and pushes us together, kissing me deeply that my toes curl with want.
I remember so much about Liam, memories have been hitting me all night, but right in this moment, with him being so close to me again. I couldn’t even tell you my own name.
The room around us has disappeared. I’m not sure how long we kiss for; it might’ve been minutes. It felt like eternity because the last time I felt this way was the first time Liam kissed me ten years ago.
“I really don’t want to go to Chicago right now,” he whispers against my lips.
My sated eyes open. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get back,” I say with a playful sigh.
“It’s only a few days, I suppose, and you know what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that…” I brush his lips with mine, lightly, like a feather, and he inhales sharply.
