If anything would scare away a man who only wanted to be a casual partner, it would be the truth. I inhaled a deep breath and looked back up to find his throat bobbing while he gazed over my shoulder in a daze.
When he finally met my eyes again, he shrugged, his expression completely nonchalant. “Fine. No more Willy for you. But we can hang out again, right? Like before?”
I laughed at his reference to his penis before settling into a smile. “Is that possible after what you did to my Sally last night?”
His eyes widened in mock surprise. “Of course it’s possible. We’ll just hang out without all the touchy-feely stuff.”
He was so calm about never touching me again. It irked me more than I wanted to admit. “I mean, I guess we can still hang out.” An internal battle raged inside of me, and I was desperately trying to stay strong.
“Really?” His grin was too irresistible to ignore.
My insides practically purred as I stared back at him, cursing myself for falling for his charm.
“So, tonight? There’s somewhere I want to go, and I want you to come with me.” His hopeful smile tugged at my heart.
“I’m working all day. I’ll probably be tired.” I swallowed. It took every ounce of strength to not jump on his offer. “Where do you want to go, anyway?”
Liam bit his bottom lip and pushed off the counter. “You’ll find out tonight.”
Panic shot through me like a cannon. “I didn’t agree to come.”
He winked. “You didn’t disagree either.”
“Liam,” I scolded. He wasn’t listening to me at all.
He sighed, a smile still playing on his lips. “An innocent night out, that’s all I’m asking for. Just consider it.” Then he walked off, leaving me to ponder his request while tending to Elizabeth and Eleanor for the rest of the day.
I joined the girls at the table, but their attention span for coloring was just about at its limit, so we cleaned up and went to their room for a tea party in their pink tent. During tea, Elizabeth decided all the stuffed animals and dolls should join in on the fun. Meanwhile, Eleanor pulled me over to her closet to help her try on princess dresses. The girls and their imaginations always astounded me. Hours passed, and we’d done nothing but play pretend games and speak in funny voices, giggling throughout the day.
“Chessy, help.” Elizabeth bounced over, her white puffy dress on upside down, and I laughed before helping her put it on the right way.
“Chessy, I want a dwess too.” Eleanor’s jealous eyes were wide on her sister as she left her tea party to look in her closet.
“How about this pretty blue one?” I pulled the dress out of the closet and turned to look at the three-year-old, whose face was scrunched up in disapproval.
“No, not dat one.”
I put it back and tapped my lips, trying to play along with her wardrobe selection, then I gasped. Plucking a yellow dress from the closet, I turned back to Eleanor and squatted to her level.
Her eyes were almost as big as her head, and she clapped with glee. “Yes.”
I helped her put it on over her clothes then took pictures of her and her sister to send to Simon and Bridget.
When it was time to make dinner, the girls insisted on keeping the dresses on and taking the tea party downstairs. So, we made homemade pizza with princess dresses on and teacups in front of two of our stuffed dinner guests, who the girls managed to entertain the entire time.
Brendan and Liam, who had been playing video games in Liam’s room, walked in at just the right time. The kitchen was a mess. Flour and pizza sauce was everywhere, in the girls’ hair, on their clothes, and all over the counter. Laughing, I picked them up from their stools and set them down in front of Brendan. “Do you mind getting them cleaned up for dinner? I’m going to pop the pizzas in, then we can eat in twenty minutes.”
“Sure thing,” Brendan said with a grin, then he looked down at the girls and laughed. “I hope that sauce comes out.”
I made a face, hoping the exact same thing. “I’ll throw them in the wash to try to salvage them.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, lifting the girls into his arms. “I’ll do it.”
And with that, the three of them made their way up the stairs, leaving a snickering Liam behind.
I swiveled around, narrowing my eyes in a glare as I walked over to put the pizzas in the oven. “What’s so funny?”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the stove, then he pointed at my breasts. “You’ve got a little something on you.”
I looked down to find the black fabric over my chest covered with flour in the shapes of my breasts. “Geez,” I hissed before grabbing a cloth from the counter and swiping at it until it looked clean. “Thanks for the warning.”
Liam was grinning, his eyes still focused on the spot I’d just cleaned, when I smacked him with the towel, forcing his eyes back on mine. “My face is up here.”
His perfect smile rested on his face. “Did you decide on tonight?”
“What?” I felt flustered. Had I thought about taking Liam up on his offer to go somewhere tonight? All damn day. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t let Liam distract me. “I need to get some writing done tonight.” The moment the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I hated the disappointment that flashed in his eyes. “But—” I started again. “I have a day off two days from now, if you want to do something then.”
His face lit up at my suggestion. “Really?”
“Can you handle waiting that long?” I teased.
Liam’s eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. “I think I can manage.” Then he extended a hand between us, gesturing for me to take it.
I mustered up as much confidence as I could, then I slipped my hand in his. I couldn’t ignore the current between us, and by the way Liam’s gorgeous green eyes glowed back into mine, I knew he could feel it too.
“Two days, Miss Banks, then you’re all mine.”
Even words that should have sounded innocent made me warm all over. Why did I feel like Liam already had zero intentions of keeping things in the friend zone? And why did that simple thought thrill me to my core?
25
Liam
Two days felt a hell of a lot longer than I’d initially imagined. What started out as a casual test of will turned into complete and utter agony as I caught glimpses of Chelsea while she played with the girls, heard her soft laughter from down the hall, or stepped outside to the sound of water splashing from the pool and knew she was there, wearing that hideous bathing suit of hers.
Somehow I did it. I managed to steer clear of my sassy redhead while waiting two whole days to take her out. As friends. I had to keep reminding myself about that last bit. And while she’d mentioned getting together tomorrow, I planned to surprise her tonight, long after her shift ended.
After parking the rented motorcycle down the street instead of in the Hogues’ driveway, I tried to keep as quiet as possible. I sneaked in through the pool gate and knocked on Chelsea’s side door until she opened. A light flicked on, then an eye peeked through the blinds before I heard a click on the other side of the door. It opened to a pissed-off Chelsea.