We make it to the beach house just after ten in the morning. The house is breathtaking. There’s really nothing outlandish that stands out, except for the view. I stand at the double glass doors and stare out at the ocean. I feel Liam as he drapes his arms around me, his front to my back. He kisses my temple.
“This view is spectacular,” I tell him.
I feel him nod. “It really is. This place belonged to my grandparents. They gave it to my parents for their tenth wedding anniversary. We’ve spent so much time here it really is our second home.”
I lean back against his chest, just enjoying being here with him. He’s all mine for the next twenty-four hours, and I’m ecstatic. “So, the water is too cold to really swim, what did you have planned for us?” I ask him.
Liam turns me, so I’m facing him, still locked tight in his arms. “Honestly, I just want to spend time with you, no interruptions. Anything else you decide you want to do is just a bonus,” he says as he leans in for a kiss.
I smile against his lips. “I don’t want to leave this house until we have to.”
Liam smiles in return. “Well, then, I’m glad we stopped at the store on our way in.” He hugs me tight. I love Liam’s hugs.
We agree to unpack our supplies, and then prepare lunch. We decide on spaghetti and meatballs, that way there’ll be plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight as well. Liam turns on the radio, and we begin cooking together. We don’t talk a lot, we don’t need to. Just being with one another, sharing the simple task of preparing a meal, we’re both smiling from ear to ear. Liam continues to find little ways to touch me. His hand on my back while he reaches above me in the cabinet. A kiss on the temple while offering vegetables from the salad he’s making. He even swats me on the ass when I’m bent over, looking in the refrigerator. I can’t help but think about how it would be if we lived together. Sharing duties, making dinner, beginning and ending our days together indefinitely. In my mind, I can see the life we’d build together, and I want that, I want him. I just wish I had the nerve to tell him, my fears of pushing him away prevent me from pouring my heart out to him.
We eat lunch on the deck, enjoying the view of the ocean. Liam suggests we take a walk on the beach. As soon as we have our mess in the kitchen cleaned up and the leftovers packed away, Liam grabs me by the hand and leads me down to the water’s edge. The sun’s starting to set by the time we start our journey back to the beach house. We walk hand in hand, talking about anything and everything for hours. Liam expresses his fear of the NFL, and I open up to him about my fear of being truly and utterly alone in the world.
Liam stops and pulls me close to him, gently cupping my face in his strong hands. “Allie, you aren’t alone. There are so many people in this world who love you.” He pauses, gauging my reaction. “I love you,” he whispers right before he merges his lips with mine in the most passionate kiss of my life. I can feel his emotions in every touch of his lips, every swipe of his tongue. Holy Shit! He loves me! I throw my arms around his neck and deepen our kiss. I need to taste his lips. This amazing man loves me and has told me for the first time when he knows I need to hear it the most. The moment is perfect, and I want to embed every single detail to my memory. I never want to forget this feeling.
Liam slowly ends our kiss as he rests his forehead to mine. We’re both breathing heavy. After taking a minute to catch my breath, I place one hand over his heart while the other gently caresses his cheek. “I love you too, Liam. So much.” I’m looking into his beautiful blue eyes and watch as they soften at my words.
A huge smile breaks out on his face as he picks me up and spins me in circles. We’re both smiling and laughing when he finally places me back on my feet. I shiver from the cold night air that’s setting in. Liam rubs his hands up and down my arms. “Let’s get you back to the house, beautiful girl.”
Back at the house, I heat up the leftovers while Liam builds us a fire. We settle on the floor at the coffee table to eat our dinner. I watch Liam eat and, hell, even that’s sexy. I know I want to be with him, and now that I know he loves me, the want has increased tenfold. Liam has one hand on my thigh while he eats with the other, and the sensations of him rubbing circles there is driving me insane. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s only increasing my need to seduce him.
After dinner we sit by the fire. I’m sitting in between Liam’s legs, my back to his front. We’re enjoying a glass of wine and just being in the moment. Liam hugs me tight in his arms. “I meant what I said, Allison.” I turn my head to look at him. He runs his finger down the side of my face. “I love you with everything in me. I never thought I could feel this way. You make life better, you make me better. I can’t imagine my life without you in it now.” He kisses my temple.
Oh, my. I can’t form words. There’s a huge lump in my throat, and I’m fighting back tears, tears of joy. I wish there was a way I could show him how much he means to me. How much happiness he brings to my life. I was lost before Liam, and now I know exactly where I am. Anywhere he is, my heart and soul are there as well. I get up on my knees, still between his legs, and brace my hands on his cheeks. “Liam, you are my heart. I’ve been so afraid to tell you, because I thought it would push you away.” I lean in close to his lips, never breaking eye contact. “I love you.” Then I kiss him. I try to show him how much he means to me through touch, with the caress of our tongues.
Liam pulls away and smiles softly. “Why don’t you head up to shower and call Gran while I clean up, then we can curl up in bed and watch a movie?” I nod in agreement, kiss him quickly, and head off toward the shower.
Chapter 26
Liam
I watch Allison skip off to the shower and take a deep breath. She loves me. I was waiting for the right moment this weekend to tell her how much I love her, but when she started talking about being afraid of always being alone, I couldn’t hold it in. As long as I breathe, she’ll never be alone. This girl means everything to me, and I’ll spend each day of forever showing her just how much.
I make quick work of loading the dishwasher and cleaning up the kitchen. I race off to the bedroom to find my girl sitting on the bed with a towel around her body and one twisted around her head with the phone to her ear. She’s smiling as she listens to whatever it is her gran’s telling her. I have yet to meet her gran, but I can tell she’s an awesome lady. I kiss her on the cheek and tell her to tell Gran hello as I head for the shower, giving them time to finish their conversation.
I hurry through my shower, only taking the time to slide into a pair of boxer briefs when I’m done, not wanting to waste one minute of time being away from her. She’s still talking to Gran. I don’t want to interrupt her; I know how much Allison misses her. I slide in behind her on the bed and remove the towel from her head. I grab the brush that’s lying beside her and gently begin brushing her hair. I see her shoulders relax at my touch.
She finishes her call with the promise to Gran that we’ll both be there next weekend for a visit. I tell Allison to pick out a DVD as I slip my t-shirt over her head, and then make my way to the kitchen to make us some popcorn.