She pulls away from me slowly. “Sorry about your shirt,” she whispers.
I pull her chin up with my thumb and forefinger, so she’s looking me in the eye. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
She shakes her head. “I feel like such a baby. It was years ago, I should be able to talk about it.”
“Is there something in particular that upset you?” I ask softly as I hug her back to my chest and slowly rub my hand up and down her back.
“Not really, it’s just…” she sniffles.
“What, baby, what happened?”
“It’s just family dinners. I miss those, for the last eight years it’s just been Gran and me.”
I can’t get words to pass through the lump in my throat. My only reply is to pull her tighter. As I do, she in turn wraps her arms tight around my waist. After getting my emotions under control, I pull away from her and cup her face in my hands. I wipe her tears away with my thumbs. “You are amazing, you have so many people who love you, Aiden, his parents, Hailey. My parents adore you.” I swallow back my emotions. “You have me,” I whisper, never tearing my eyes from hers.
“Liam,” she murmurs.
Her plea sends me over the edge, and I slowly bring her face to mine as I lean down. I stare at her lips and then back to her eyes, letting her know my intent. I need to kiss her more than I need my next breath. I wait, as my intentions set in, I can see when understanding flashes across her face, she licks her lips. I lean a little closer, closing the space between us. Hesitating, giving her the opportunity to stop me.
She doesn’t.
When my lips touch hers, I feel the tremor in my hands, which are gently holding her close to me. She must have felt it too because she places her hands over mine as I continue to caress her cheeks while I kiss her. She opens her mouth, and I slip my tongue inside. The taste of her on my tongue causes me to release a deep moan, and as I do Allison slows the kiss and rests her forehead against my chest.
“Liam.”
“Mmm.” Again I’m at a loss for words. I have kissed my share of girls and not once did any of those kisses elicit this kind of reaction from me. I’ve never in my life felt this kind of connection with any other human being.
“What are we doing?”
I kiss her forehead before I pull back to look her in the eye. “I was kissing the most amazing girl I’ve ever met.” I need her to know she’s different from anyone else I’ve ever been with.
She blushes. “I want more, Liam. Not that I expect a proposal next week, but you’ve already made it clear you won’t make a commitment, so what are we doing?”
I shake my head and pull her back to my chest. “I don’t know, baby. All that I can tell you is that kiss was incomparable to anything I’ve ever felt. You wreck me, you know that?” I ask, searching her face for understanding.
“Well, since that was officially my first kiss, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but this feeling,” she grabs my hand and lays it over her heart, “this connection that makes my heart race is uncharted waters for me. I wish I could hold onto it and never let go,” she sighs, “but I need all of you, Liam. I don’t want to share you, and I can’t just be a fling. My heart can’t take it.” She brushes her hand across my cheek. “If you ever decide you can give me all of you, you know where to find me.” She lifts up on her tiptoes and gives me one last chaste kiss on the lips. “Thank you for listening…and for the kiss,” she says as she turns and walks out of the room.
I stand here, trying to regain control of my emotions while her words race through my mind.
Chapter 11
Allison
When I hear the knock on the door and then Liam’s voice, I cry harder. I’m so embarrassed I didn’t control my emotions in front of everyone. My parents have been gone for a long time. I should be able to tell people about them without turning into a blubbering idiot. I’m missing Gran, and to see Liam and Hailey so carefree with their parents, even Aiden, I lost it. I just need a minute to get myself under control. When I hear Liam’s whispered, “Please,” I find myself opening the door. As soon as he sees me, he steps into the room, shuts the door, and wraps me in his strong arms. I feel safe and content, that feeling isn’t one I have much experience with. I always feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Liam holds me tight as I attempt to explain my breakdown. After a few minutes, he tells me I’m amazing and I have Aiden and his parents, as well as Hailey and their parents. After a short pause, he also tells me I have him. That simple statement sends heat surging throughout my body. What I wouldn’t give to have this man be mine. To always know he’d be there to wrap me in his arms and cherish me, just like he’s doing at this exact moment, as if I’m the most important person in his life.
“Liam,” is all I’m able to get out, my mind is reeling. I want him to want me. I want to be enough for him. I want all of him. There’s no way I’ll settle for less.
The connection we have is unexplainable. I look into his eyes and the want I see there mirrors my own. He leans in closer, and I know he’s going to kiss me. I want him to kiss me, just this once. I’ll take his kiss as a token of what I can never have. Liam is a no commitment, sexy football god. I’m one of many women who swoons over him daily. As he leans in closer, I can feel his breath against my face. He hesitates, and I know he’s expecting me to stop him, but I don’t, I want this. I want my first kiss to be Liam, a reminder of this overwhelming chemistry flowing between us. I lick my lips and within seconds his lips touch mine. Liam has my face cupped gently in his hands. I feel him start to tremble. I place my hands over his as he deepens the kiss. I open my mouth, inviting him in, and he takes full advantage. Once his tongue slips in I hear him growl deep in his throat, and I know I need to stop this. I want him, and he is unattainable in my eyes, and we have to stop.
“Liam,” I breathe. “What are we doing?”
Liam kisses my forehead as he proceeds to tell me he’s ‘kissing the most amazing girl he has ever met’. I melt and right then I lose a piece of my heart to him. I know he can never be mine, but he has a part of me, which is crazy because we just met; all I know is he just does. I’m glad I’m still in his arms, or I would be a puddle of lust on the bathroom floor.
I can feel his chest rising and falling. I can feel the steady beat of his heart. I look up into his eyes, getting lost in a sea of deep blue emotions. He proceeds to tell me our kiss is basically the best kiss of his existence. My resolve is beginning to crumble. I’m so tempted to throw caution to the wind and have a fling with Liam. Instead, I put on my big girl panties and do the responsible thing. I tell him if he ever decides he can give me all of him, he knows where to find me. I give him one final quick kiss on the lips and leave him there in the bathroom.
I walk back into the kitchen and take my seat next to Hailey. She looks at me in question and I shrug my shoulders. She smiles at me, like she just discovered the cure for cancer. I pick up my fork and continue to eat. It’s Aiden who breaks the tension.
“Ash, you have got to taste Mrs. Mac’s dirt cake,” he says as he shovels in a humongous bite.