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The room was silent, everyone staring at Liam like he was washing his hands in the gravy instead of calmly cutting his food into oddly symmetrical cubes before eating them.
Freya took advantage of the diverted attention and stole a sausage from Gabriel’s plate and a dumpling from Jude’s.
The brothers didn’t notice. They were too busy staring at Liam, who ignored them, his attention on me. He pointed at my now-overflowing plate with his fork. “Aren’t you going to eat? You haven’t eaten anything since last night.”
Not sure what disturbed me more: him being concerned about my eating habits or knowing when my last meal had been. But since I was hungry, I grabbed my fork and dug in.
Seemingly satisfied, Liam turned back to his own food, and his brothers eventually did the same.
“You and I are going to talk,” Freya whispered next to me, causing my hand to snap up in surprise. The piece of broccoli I had on my fork flew across the table and landed on Liam’s cheek with a wet smack.
My breath faltered, and my whole body flushed what must have been a nice scarlet red. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how that happened.”
His response was drowned out by the roaring laughter around the table.
Maybe acting like a pathetic fool when it came to Liam was inevitable. I seemed to be unable to control my actions when I was close to him, my body aching to get closer, my head foggy from the desire that seemed to cloud my judgment—and movement.
8
Liam
With a groan, I stretched my arms up, the lack of sleep and long hours hunched over my computer catching up with me. The house was quiet, the only noise the occasional footsteps of the guards outside.
It was almost time to meet with Cian. When it came to Quinn, I wasn’t taking any chances. I knew I couldn’t hold her here forever. Not only would she go crazy confined to the house, but I couldn’t concentrate when I knew she was sleeping so close.
But while I might have given up on denying my feelings for her, I was still fighting the urge to act on them.
Freya had insisted on putting her on the same floor as us. And the only room available was the guest room next to mine. There was no way I’d get any sleep knowing she was next door.
A rap on the door forced thoughts of Quinn to the back of my mind. I had to focus. Cian was as ruthless as he was smart. This was not the time to get distracted.
Ernesto had been a great asset, feeding us information. And from what he’d been reporting, it was unlikely that the Irish were involved. But I wanted to talk to Cian myself, make sure my instincts were still as sharp as ever.
“Everything ready?” I asked Gabriel, who stood in the doorway.
“Of course.” He lifted his chin, something he liked to do when he was getting ready to deliver a lecture. For some reason, he seemed to think better of it and just nodded instead. “See you out there.”
My brothers knew me inside out. We were all close. Worked together. Spent most of our time together. There wasn’t much I could hide from them. And since I seemed to be drawn to Quinn unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, they would soon catch on.
A noise in the kitchen drew my attention. Drawing my gun, I advanced on silent feet. The guards wouldn’t come inside, and Quinn and Freya were sleeping. Gunner was staying at the house, unwilling to leave Freya. They’d be as safe as they could be while we went out.
Making my way into the kitchen, I stopped short when I saw the reason for the noise. Quinn was stretching up to reach a glass from one of the cabinets, the creamy skin of her back exposed, her tiny sleep shorts barely covering her delectable ass.
I holstered my gun, my feet carrying me closer until I was standing right behind her. Reaching up, I pulled a glass down, causing her to jump and knock her head into my jaw.
Groaning, I stepped back, holding out the glass.
Quinn took it, setting it on the counter before bending closer, inspecting my jaw. “I’m so sorry. You surprised me.” Her light touch set my skin on fire, my cock standing at attention. The damned thing seemed to be like a compass directed at Quinn, getting excited every time we got close.
Closing my eyes, I allowed myself a moment to savor her touch. Her sunshine and chocolate scent enveloped me, causing my heart to beat erratically. I’d never smelled anything better.
Her fingers traveled up my jaw, tracing the light stubble. A shudder racked my body, and her hands disappeared. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Again.”
I opened my eyes and realized how close we were standing. If I leaned down, our lips would meet. I wondered what she tasted like. The desire to find out took over all my senses until I’d clenched my fists so hard, I was sure the nails digging into my palms would draw blood.
“You didn’t hurt me.” My voice sounded foreign, my tone raspy and crackling with barely contained desire.
Neither of us moved, Quinn studying my face, her hungry eyes drinking me in. This would all be so much easier if she hated me.
