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Liam grinned, earning another tap on his nose. “So, you are considering it?”
Tess chewed on her lip, forcing him to shiver as she began stroking him under his pants. It seemed number five wouldn’t even wait until the movie finished playing.
“Maybe we could find a way to work something out,” Tess said, which allowed Liam to stand on the moon. However, she soon dragged him back to her couch—to the here and now. It was a good thing he did, as the gorgeous woman’s expression soon turned sour.
“Oh, fuck,” she hissed, sighing loudly. The languid motions of her hand came to a halt. “Anna. I forgot. Somehow, Ikeepforgetting—and I’m the one who introduced the two of you. I’m completely ruining any chance for you two to hit it off—and don’t try and act like I’m not.” She eyed him seriously. “I’m well aware at this point that we’re past one or two lustful acts, especially given what we’re now entertaining.”
Liam had been prepared to hear Anna’s name come up again eventually. He’d been preparing since he started walking back from delivering her to Avril outside the neighborhood. The conversation he and the Royce heiress had shared in Tess’s guestroom would also prove an immense aid.
“You’re not ruining anything,” Liam said, selecting his words carefully. He needed to walk a fine line, one where he could convince Tess that he and Anna were almost guaranteed to just end up as friends, but where hedidn’tbetray Anna by admitting that they’d all but agreed to that fact behind Tess and Avril’s backs almost a week ago. “Our talk yesterday put some things in perspective between us. With what she’s going through, we discussed where the future might take us—what she really needs. And well, it’s not a guy who’s looking to put his lips against her neck when they’re hanging out or watching a movie together. I know that might not be what you asked of me, but I think it’s really what she needs.
“To that end, the romantic side of our relationship is progressing at a pretty glacial pace. And I’m not comfortable trying to push it to go any faster unless Anna explicitly tells me that that’s what she wants, which might not ever happen. The last thing I want to do right now is give her even more reasons to cry.”
There’d barely been a speck of deceit in what he’d just said, and Tess sighed, though its timbre drastically differed from its predecessor. She shook her head, though one corner of her mouth tilted upward as she admired him proudly.
“Why couldn’t I have met you twenty years ago, hmm? I wouldn’t have to worry about anything but where we’d have our next date if you had.”
“Sorry,” he said. “But I’m here now, at least.”
“You’re right.” As suddenly as it’d stopped, Tess’s hand resumed its gentle stroking beneath his pants. “You’re right about quite a few things. You should be rewarded for your show of maturity, I think.”
“I feel, ah, the same way,” Liam replied, cock twitching as it refamiliarized itself with Tess’s silky fingertips.
“I still think we should have a few more discussions about things,” Tess said. “About Anna, about… us. I want to make sure we always remain on the same page.”
“Me too. Communication—just like we talked about.”
“Precisely. But not right now.” Tess licked her lips. “Right now, I want to feel you back inside my throat.”
She felt him twitch again, and an enticing look rooted itself in her eyes. She surged into motion by beginning to remove his pants, only for Liam to stop her with a single word.
“Wait.”
His cock lurched inside his pants, openly rebelling against him for keeping Tess’s sultry lips away, even if just for another minute or two. Obeying his requested delay, Tess raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“There’s one more thing I wanted to talk about tonight.”
“Oh?” Curiosity replaced lasciviousness within her dark, azure eyes. “What is it?”
“It’s about where I want to sleep tonight.”
Tess’s eyes widened. Dark as it was, he couldn’t fully read the emotions on display in her expression. “Did you have somewhere other than your bed in mind?”
“Yes.”Come on. Say it. You’ve said damn near everything else, so don’t wuss out at the finish line.“I, uh, I was hoping to spend the night here instead.”
As expected, his sudden request brought a long swathe of silence into Tess’s home.Tess’shome. And no one else’s home for a number of months.
If she’d refused his request, he would have understood. If she’d removed her hand from his cock and let him know that she was no longer in the mood for anything raunchy, he would have understood. Really, he’d understand any response she provided.
Perhaps, except, agreement.
“Okay, you can do that.”
His mood soared. “Really?!” He almost couldn’t believe his ears. “I mean, um, great!”
“With one unpleasant caveat, unfortunately. I’d like you to stay in the guestroom.”
His jubilance plummeted.
