“Yes.”
“Good.”
He followed me to the living room, and we sat close together on the sofa.
“My family liked you. Very much. And they adored Lucy.”
“They were pretty amazing,” I replied. “Are they always that open?”
“Open?” he repeated.
“Well, you bring a stranger and her daughter they’ve never heard about to brunch, announce we’re together, and none of them batted an eye. Or is that something you do a lot?” I asked, partially teasing, partially serious.
He shook his head and turned to face me fully. He slid his hands along my leg, gripping my knees lightly, his thumbs stroking over the skin.
“First off, no, I have never taken anyone home. Not since university. Second, they have heard about you. From Ronan. From me. I’m close to my parents and immediate family. I’ve talked about you and Lucy this past while, not hiding anything. You’ll figure out pretty fast, I’m an open book. When I feel something, I show it. If I’m upset, I’ll tell you why. If I’m happy, I’ll share the cause.” His hands tightened on my skin. “If I care, I will tell you.”
“Were you always so, ah, expressive?”
He shook his head. “No, I was pretty uptight when I was younger. I held myself back a lot. There was a girl I liked in university. We met first year, and I was interested in her. But I was Mr. Cool and played the field. But there was something there, and finally, I got my head out of my ass and asked her out. We were great together, and I began to care about her. Really care. But I was young and stupid, and I didn’t tell her.”
“What happened?”
“She went home for winter break.” He paused, swallowing. “She died in a skiing accident.”
“Oh, Liam,” I whispered.
“She knew I liked her, but not how much. She went home to Alberta, and I never saw her again. I was gonna tell her when she got back. I even bought her a special present. I always regretted not saying the words. Not telling her how important she was to me. She died not knowing how much I cared.”
For a moment, he was silent, then he cleared his throat. “I swore I would never let that happen again. From then on, I became really open. I hugged my friends. Told my family I loved them. Started to talk about things.” He met my eyes. “I decided if I ever loved someone, I would let them know. Say the words. Prove it with actions. Make them certain they were important.”
He slid his hands up, covering mine on my lap. “You are important, Paige. I know it sounds crazy and it’s only been a short time, but I’m crazy about you. And Lucy. I don’t want to scare you, but I meant what I said earlier. I’m all in, Sweet Pea. Completely and totally all in.”
Then his mouth was on mine.
He kissed the way he did everything. With passion and feeling. He cupped my face, his callused fingers gentle on my skin as he showed me how he was feeling. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer. With a low groan, he tugged me on his lap, the kiss becoming harder. Deeper. More consuming. I had never felt like this about a man. Never wanted someone as much as I wanted him. I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted to feel his skin on mine, taste him all over.
“Stay,” I pleaded against his lips.
He didn’t respond, but stood, taking me with him. He carried me to my bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He set me on my feet, looking down at me, his breathing harsh, his eyes dark with desire. “Do you need to check on Lucy or do anything else?”
“I-I should peek in on her.”
“Do it now, because once I start with you, I’m not going to be able to stop.”
He opened the door, and I sidled past him, feeling the strength in his body. The thickness of him that proved how much he wanted me.
I looked back at him. “You better be naked when I get back.”
“You better brace yourself,” he replied, lowering his hand to his zipper.
I hurried down the hall, checking on Lucy. I already knew she was fine. Once she was out, she rarely ever woke up, and she slept soundly. I peeked in on Evan. He was asleep, one arm flung out. His headphones were on, so I knew he was good for the night as well.
Then I stopped in the bathroom and gave myself a few moments to calm down and get ready.
I pulled off my clothes, splashed some water on my overheated skin, and tugged on my robe, wishing it were a pretty, sexy silk one instead of a well-worn, no-longer-fuzzy-in-patches one.
Then I decided it probably didn’t matter. I had a feeling once I went back into my bedroom, it would disappear pretty fast.
I took a deep breath and headed down the hall to where Liam was waiting.
Chapter Six
Liam
She was beautiful and nervous as she stepped into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Her hair gleamed under the lights, the glints of red shimmering in the dark tresses. Her eyes were wide with worry and desire, and her fingers clenched and unclenched on the belt of her worn robe.
She needed a new one. New furniture. A more comfortable bed. I was barely going to fit on this double, but for now, I would make it work. I didn’t care how sore my back and legs would be tomorrow. I wanted her too much to care. And soon, I would make sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable, too.
I stood, wearing only my black boxers. My desire was evident, the bulge thick and aching, tenting the front. Her eyes widened farther as I approached, offering her my hand. She came to me willingly and sighed as I settled my mouth on hers. I loved the little sound of contentment she made every time our lips touched. I stepped back, taking her with me until my legs hit the mattress. Breaking our kiss, I sat down, looking up at her as I slid my hands to the knot at her waist.
“Can I?” I asked.
Her breathing stuttered.
“Talk to me.”
“I’m-I’m not perfect, Liam. I have stretch marks from Lucy. I’m not—”
I cut her off. “You’re beautiful.”
I untied the knot and reached up, pushing the robe off her shoulders. It fell to the floor with a low thump, and I caught my breath. Her skin was creamy and smooth. Her breasts full with deep rosy-colored nipples that begged for my mouth. She was curvy with a sweet indentation at her waist that flared to full hips. Her legs were slender, and I wanted them wrapped around me.
Now.
I kissed her stomach, ghosting my lips over the tiny silvery lines that feathered along her hips. I slid my hands around her, spreading them wide on her back as I used my mouth to relay how lovely she was to me. I whispered words of adoration to her skin, following a path to her heavy breasts, taking a nipple into my mouth and sucking. Her head fell back as I paid equal attention to the other side, then ran my mouth down, going lower, burying my face and nuzzling into the heat between her legs. She whimpered as I worshiped her with my mouth for the next moments, then pulled her down on top of me on the mattress. Our mouths met as our hands explored each other, discovering and learning. She was ticklish under her ribs. She loved having her nipples sucked and nibbled. She shuddered as my fingers explored her cleft, running along the slit to her ass and back. I groaned at the scrape of her teeth on my neck, the feel of her hand stroking me. She pulled off my boxers, and my cock sprang free, hot, heavy, and already leaking for her.