“You’re under our roof, Liam. Have some respect,” Phil interrupts, shocking me—and Liam, if his raised eyebrows are anything to go by.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” Phil and Kate say in unison.
Liam casts a disappointed look over at me but I smile brightly. “Lead the way,” I say as happily as possible, rising from my chair. Liam squeezes my hand before he releases me. He looks seriously unimpressed by the situation.
“There are fresh towels in the en suite and a hair dryer in the drawer over there,” Kate says. It feels like she’s just shown me into a hotel room. I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled the drawer out beside the bed and pointed to a bible any moment.
She eventually leaves me to sort myself out, and I waste no time in stripping out of my clothes and jumping in the shower.
“This is bullshit,” rumbles in my ear and I squeal in fright as Liam’s warm body presses up against mine. I pray that the sound of the running water is enough to cover my fright. “We’re not kids,” he mutters as his hands start wandering and my heart rate begins to pick up pace.
“It’s their house, and it’s only one night. I’m sure we can cope.” I refrain from pointing out that he’s managed to stay away from me for the past week.
“If I knew this would be the rule, I’d have asked Dean to stay at his place.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just enjo—” His fingers find my clit and my word ends on a gasp before he skilfully teases me to orgasm. His hand presses over my mouth when he feels me about to fall over the edge, and I cry out into his skin as pleasure washes through me.
“It’s kinda hot knowing we’re breaking the rules, don’t you think?” he asks, lifting me and pressing my back into the tiles.
“We’re not horny teenagers,” I gasp as he slides into me.
“No, we’re horny adults.” He laughs against the skin of my neck and it vibrates through my entire body.
“We need to get ready,” I say breathlessly once he drops me back to my feet. “And we need to not get caught. We’ve only been here two hours and we’ve already broken your parents’ rules.”
“There’s just something about being told you can’t do something.”
“You’re a nightmare.”
“I’m your nightmare.”
“Ugh, get out of here so I can get ready in peace, pest!”
He reluctantly leaves, but not until I physically pry his hands off me. But he’s right, I can’t deny that it’s a massive turn on, knowing we’re not allowed to be doing anything. I do feel awful about disrespecting his parents’ wishes, though.
“You look beautiful, Liv,” Kate says when I walk into their living room a little later. I’m wearing a simple magenta wrap dress and I pulled my hair into a messy fishtail once I discovered I had no way of straightening it.
I glance over to Liam just as he turns his head. His eyes start at mine but they soon drop to take in the little bit of cleavage I’m showing, and then down to my legs. I watch his eyes almost bug out of his head when he sees what I have on my feet. Our favourite shoes. I know it’s mean to tease him, especially now we have to spend the night apart, but I can’t help a little laugh falling from my lips at the look on his face.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he whispers when he comes over and kisses me on the cheek. “You look beautiful, too beautiful to share you with others.” The dark promise in his eyes has my insides clenching with lust. He looks gorgeous with his messy hair still damp around the edges, the scruff on his face, and the white shirt and dark jeans that fit him like a second skin. I could think of much better things to be doing than going out with his family right now, that’s for sure.
Liam’s brother’s house is only a short drive from his parents’, so we’re welcomed inside in no time. I never would have guessed that Liam and Dean are brothers if his parents didn’t tell me, because they are opposites in every way. Where Liam’s dark, quiet and brooding, Dean is fair, brash and loud. He’s not unlike BJ, and it makes me wonder if that’s what drew Liam to his boisterous best friend all those years ago.
“Come in, come in,” Dean says, making a show of waving his family inside—that is, until his eyes land on me. “Whoa, wait a goddamn minute,” he announces, much to his mum’s annoyance. “Liam, have you been holding out on me, bro? Who is this beauty?”
Glancing at Liam, who’s a little ahead of me, I don’t miss the slight redness to his cheeks. “Dean, this is Liv, my girlfriend. Liv, this is Dean, my highly irritating and obnoxious big brother.”
“Now, now,” Dean complains, but I don’t hear most of his argument because my reaction to Liam calling me his girlfriend distracts me. My heart races and butterflies flutter in my belly. I hadn’t really thought about what we were, but hearing that word fall from his lips makes me realise how badly I actually needed the reassurance. I know he told me he loved me last night, and that means more, but knowing I’m someone to him, not just a friend, kind of blows me away.
“Well, Liv, come on in, mi casa es su casa.”
Liam allows me to pass him to make my way into the house, but Dean intercepts him, placing his hand on my lower back and leaning in. “I think you’re with the wrong brother, darlin’. When you’re ready to upgrade, you let me know.”
Liam growls behind us before Dean is forcefully shoved away from me.
“Hey, that’s no way to treat your brother,” Dean sulks. His bottom lip sticks out and his eyes lower, I can’t help but think he looks like a sad puppy.
“And that’s no way to talk to my girl.” There are those tingles again.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise you were in love and shit,” Dean says, his hands up in surrender while Kate once again chastises him for his language.
“Yeah, we’re in love and shit, so back the fuck off, bro,” Liam spits, getting in Dean’s face.
“Sorry…I’m sorry,” he stutters, looking to their parents for support, but both Phil and Kate just roll their eyes at him and walk farther into the house.
“It smells good, son, but please tell me you haven’t cooked,” Phil says from the kitchen, making Liam laugh and the tension between him and Dean to dissipate.
“Oh yeah, I cooked totally from scratch.”
“Oh Christ,” Liam mutters next to me, confirming my suspicion that Dean can’t cook like Liam and his dad can. It makes me wonder why we’re here and not in a restaurant.
“All by myself, I opened the webpage, chose the dishes and picked up the phone to order. I even answered the door and paid when some guy came to deliver it.”
Everyone seems to breathe a sigh of relief at his announcement before Dean pulls the takeaway bags from the oven and Kate starts faffing around getting plates.
Turns out he’s ordered enough Indian food to feed half the street. The table is full, and my stomach grumbles as we all start to fill our plates.
I’m just about to have my first mouthful when there’s a loud bang from the front door and the sound of heels clicks against the wooden floor.
“Where’s the birthday boy?” a female voice sings. “I’ve got a special present for you.”
Everyone around the table stops moving. Shit, I’m pretty sure Dean and his parents stop breathing. The next few seconds happen so fast that I almost think I’m dreaming. A stunning blonde strolls into the room, her eyes immediately land on Dean and she opens the coat she’s wearing and flashes everyone in the room with her fire engine red, lace baby doll. “Happy birthday, big boy,” she announces, but it’s not until Phil drops his fork that she realises the birthday boy has company. “Oh fuck!”
“Everyone this is Frankie. Frankie, this is…everyone.”
Her smile doesn’t falter as she looks at each of us and says hello. I’m seriously envious of her confidence, because if I made an entrance like that, I’d want the ground to swallow me up.
“You didn’t say you were coming,” Dean says, his voice a little tight.
“It was meant to be
a surprise. Telling you would have kind of ruined it, don’t you think?”
Liam’s shoulders shake as he tries to hold his amusement in, but the moment his eyes meet mine he can’t hold it anymore and barks out a laugh. “And you lot thought me having a girlfriend was the shock of the day.”
“Would you like some dinner, love?” Kate asks politely, although she still looks a little shell-shocked.
“Sure, I’d love to,” Frankie says, a sweet smile plastered on her face. Dean, on the other hand, looks about ready to puke.
“Did you want to…change first?” he asks.
“I didn’t bring anything. I was planning on going home before we all went out later.”
“Come with me,” he says, grabbing her forearm and dragging her out of the room.
The four of us are silent as we listen to the two of them climb the stairs. “Well, that was unexpected,” Phil says, and we all burst out laughing.
Thankfully, the rest of the meal is much less eventful, even with Dean sitting at the end of the table looking very uncomfortable.
“Thank you for the meal, son. We’re going to head off so you can enjoy your night,” Phil announces once we’ve cleared the table. “It’s obvious you have plans. You guys ready?” he asks, turning to Liam and me.
“Oh, are you not coming out with us? We’re meeting Bax and Erin in town in about an hour.” Dean says turning to Liam.
“Uh…not sure. What do you want to do?” He looks at me, expecting me to make a decision.
“It’s up to you. But don’t you two need some alone time?” I ask, flicking a look to Frankie, who’s now wearing one of Dean’s hoodies with her stockings sticking out the bottom.
“Nah, she can wait until later. She’s always more fun when she’s worked up.”
“I’ll be in the car,” Kate announces. She gives Dean a kiss on the cheek and tells him to behave, which only makes him laugh before she walks out of the house.
“You go, we’ll sort ourselves out,” Liam says to his dad, and we all watch as he follows his wife.
The second the front door shuts, Dean turns to Frankie. “Get upstairs, right now.”
“Uh, Dean you can’t—” Liam starts but he gets cut off.
“We’ll literally be ten minutes. Call a cab, yeah?”
He drags Frankie from the room before Liam has a chance to answer and we’re forced to listen to whatever he does to her that makes her chant his name over and over.
“My ears,” Liam complains, covering them with his hands.
Leaning into him, I find his lips and set about distracting him.
* * *
An hour later, we’ve had a pit stop at Frankie’s place so she could change into something a little more suitable, although when she reappeared in a black micro dress that wasn’t much bigger than her baby doll, I did wonder why she bothered.
“Liv, this is Bax, Dean’s best mate, and his fiancée, Erin,” Liam says as we join them in a pub in the city.
“Hey, man. Long time, no see,” Bax says to Liam with a wink.
“I know right! Hey Erin, how’s it going?” The two of them have a whispered conversation and I feel like I’m missing something, but Dean soon appears with a tray of shots and an orange juice for pregnant Erin. All previous conversations stop in favour of getting the night started.
It’s not long before I feel like I’m part of the group, mostly thanks to Erin who starts chatting to me when the guys find themselves heading down memory lane.
“Come on, let’s dance.” Frankie says, pulling at Dean’s arm.
Liam’s hand slides into mine and he pulls me along with the others towards the dance floor. The second he comes to a stop, he gives my hand a tug and I crash against his chest.
“You having fun?”
“Yeah, I really am. Your friends are great.”
“They’re Dean’s, really, but they’re good guys. You and Erin seemed to be getting on well.”
“Yeah, she’s—” My words are cut off when Liam pulls me tighter against him and I feel his hardness pressing into my stomach. While he might have got me off while we were fooling around on his brother’s sofa earlier, he wasn’t so lucky, and it seems he’s still suffering.
“I can’t fucking believe we’re meant to be sleeping in separate beds tonight,” he groans in my ear. The roughness of his voice has my core throbbing.
“I’m sure you could sneak in.” My hands slide up his chest and tangle in his hair as his lips press against mine.
I vaguely hear Dean shout, “Wahoo, little brother’s getting lucky tonight.” Liam’s hand leaves me for a second and I open my eyes just in time to see him flip Dean off, much to his amusement. “You need any advice, you can always ask the master.”
Liam deepens the kiss and his brother and everyone else around us fade away until it’s just the two of us on this dance floor. Just us, the music, and his hands and mouth on me.
Chapter Eighteen
Liam
I was nervous about Liv meeting my family, but I didn’t need to be. From the second we arrived, she fit right in, like she’s always been by my side. She even seemed to get along with Dean from the get go, which is impressive because he can be a bit of a prick when he wants to be. But as we wave goodbye to my parents the next afternoon, I can’t believe I was originally planning to come here without her. It was stupid. I was ready to start my life with her by my side, but I second-guessed bringing her home. I tell myself that it was more about not wanting to share her with others than anything else, but if I’m honest with myself, I know I was just nervous about my parents accepting how quickly our relationship has developed.
I’d never even mentioned a girl’s name to them before and here I was introducing them to a woman I haven’t really known that long but that I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with.
“You okay?” I ask, looking over to where Liv’s sat with her head resting back.
“Yeah, just tired,” she admits, and although I can’t see it, I know her cheeks are flushed right now.
From the looks on my parents’ faces this morning, I’m pretty sure they knew that we didn’t stick to their rules about Liv sleeping in the guest room. We were both pretty drunk by the time the taxi pulled up outside their house, so I’ve no idea if we managed to be quiet. Hell, it was worth it, and I’m sure they’ll get over it. They were young once; as much as I don’t want to think about it, I’m sure they were just as bad when they first got together.
Liv dozes in and out of sleep as I drive us home. I can’t keep the smile off my face as I think about how well she fits into my life. I knew the moment I saw her that she was the one I’d been waiting for, and with every day that passes, I’m only more convinced that she really is the one for me, the other half of my soul.
“Hey, sleepyhead. We’re home,” I say, placing my palm on her thigh.
“I know. I’m awake.” Her voice, rough with sleep, gives her away.
“Your eyes were shut.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t know we were home.”
“Right. Come on,” I say, killing the engine and getting out.
“My car,” Liv says, sounding confused. “When did…what?”
“I arranged for Dec and BJ to pick it up for you.”
“Aw, thank you,” she says, looping her arms around my neck and pressing her lips to mine.
“Anything for you.”
“Ugh, put her down,” BJ calls from the window, and Liv breaks our kiss.
“Come for a walk with me?” I ask. Liv’s brows knit together but she takes my hand and follows my lead.
We walk along the sand with the sea lapping at our feet in silence for the longest time, just soaking up the last of the afternoon sun and enjoying each other’s company.
“Are you okay? Your hands are shaking.”
Stopping, I spin Liv so she’s stood in front of me. I stare down at her, her blue eyes shining bright in the low sun and I feel like I can see my ent
ire future mapped out in them. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted and so much more than I deserve.
Pulling the little velvet pouch from my pocket that Erin slipped me yesterday, I drop down on to one knee on the damp sand.
Her gasp of shock fills my ears, and when I look up, her eyes are filled with tears while my heart pounds erratically in my chest.
“Liv, you stole my breath the first second I saw you, and I knew from that moment that I didn’t want to live my life without you in it. I knew you were the one I was waiting for. Will you do me the greatest honour of agreeing to be by my side for the rest of our lives and be my wife?”
Tears drop from her eyes and her hands visibly tremble as she holds them over her mouth.
“Liam, I…” She lets out a little laugh, and I start to panic that I’ve fucked this up. I know it’s soon; I know everyone’s going to think I’m crazy. But it’s true what they say: when you know, you know, and Liv and me are meant to be. Our fate was sealed the day I first looked at her at Nicole’s birthday.
“Yes,” she whispers so quietly I think I’ve imagined it.
“What?”
“Yes, Liam. YES!” she screams and launches herself at me the second I go to stand. We both fall back into the shallow sea water covering the sand. She kisses me as the tide comes in around us, but I couldn’t give a fuck. The rising sea, a fucking earthquake, nothing could drag me away from my girl right now.
She’s breathless when she pulls back and straddles my waist. Glancing at the water surrounding us, she lets out a laugh. “What the fuck just happened?”
“You just agreed to become Mrs Liam Harris.”
“Oh my god,” she giggles as I pull the ring from its bag. “When did you get that?”
“I designed it and had Erin make it for me. She gave it to me last night.”
“You did what?”
Grabbing her hand, I slide it up her finger as she watches. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. But I love you more.”
* * *
Falling For Liam (Falling Book 9) Page 18
