by K. K. Allen
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.
“What are you doing here, Liam? You scared the hell out of me,” she hissed, her eyes furious at my surprise visit, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s been two days. A deal’s a deal.”
Her jaw dropped, then her hands moved to her hips. “We made plans for tomorrow, not tonight.”
“Well, I have a surprise tonight, so get dressed.”
Chelsea looked down—and so did I—at her headlights poking through a silk white tank. “Or we could stay here.” My gaze slipped down farther to find her in black panties that had me stepping back and shoving my hands into my pockets. “Bloody hell, you had to be wearing that?”
Her arm flew over her chest, and she glared up at me. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“What were you doing?”
It was a simple question, but by the silence that followed and the guilty look in her eyes, I knew exactly what she’d been doing. Now that I was studying her closely, I recognized a glow to her I’d only seen one time before—the night we’d shagged like animals for hours.
“Well then,” I said before clearing my throat. I wasn’t one to get uncomfortable around a lady, especially an attractive one, but the longer I stood in front of Chelsea, the dirtier my thoughts became. Surprisingly, that wasn’t what tonight was about. “I hope you were thinking of me at least.”
She let out a half groan, half scream before pulling me inside and shutting the door behind me. When she turned around, I got an eyeful of her bum, bare with just a slip of material between her cheeks.
“I’ll get dressed.”
Stifling my groan, I stepped behind her into her bedroom and hopped onto her bed. Leaning against the headboard, I rested my hands behind my head and bit my lip while I watched her peruse her closet. She reached for a blue sundress first then turned to me for approval.
I shook my head. “As much as I love you in those dresses, you’ll want to put on some long pants tonight.”
She narrowed her eyes then leaned down to open a drawer beneath her hanging clothes. I shifted against my tightening trousers, my bum hitting something hard when I moved. Glancing down, I found a pink U-shaped object made of silicone with gentle ridges across the top. I picked it up, running my thumb over one end of it before realizing what I was touching.
“Is this what I think it is?” I held up the device while Chelsea’s eyes shot up in surprise.
“Oh my God, put that down.” She charged for the bed, throwing her leggings to the side as she climbed toward me, her face heavily flushed with embarrassment.
I couldn’t stop laughing as my question was confirmed. I held the vibrator high in the air as she mounted me, her jubblies bouncing in her wild rush to grab for it.
“I hate you,” she growled as her hips bounced off my lap to reach for it again.
“You don’t hate me, love.” My free hand slid up her leg, around her body, and over her bum cheek. I pressed her down on my lap and moved my mouth to her neck, kissing her there before darting my tongue out for a taste. God, I’d missed her, her taste, her smell. Her entire essence wrapped around me like a warm winter blanket.
Her breathing was still heavy, but she stopped fighting as she moved against me, her knickers to my trousers. When a buzzing sound lit the air, she froze while I smiled wide. I’d found the power button on her vibrator and switched it on.
“How about I help you out with this before we leave?”
Chelsea sat back on my lap, her eyes glazed over and staring at my hand that held her special toy. I moved it closer, allowing her the chance to refuse my offer, but she didn’t move an inch. I aimed for her leg first, running it up her thigh and over her hip, then to her stomach. The moment the vibrator touched her belly button, her abs shook so hard I thought I might come from osmosis.
She sucked in a deep breath, her legs tightening around me. I ran the vibrations over her abs a little longer before working the device up beneath her top and over her breasts. Her eyes slammed shut, and she moaned as I circled her nipples slowly one at a time. I was having too much fun watching her as I teased her slowly. Willy, on the other hand, was not impressed. He twitched beneath her, aching each time she moved against him like she was trying to get herself off.
When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I pushed her top up to reveal her breasts. Her pretty pink nipples were swollen and hard and ripe enough to taste. My mouth covered one, and I moaned as I slipped the vibrator between Chelsea’s legs and settled on the fabric above her clit.
I pulled back to watch her eyes flutter closed as her knees quaked around me. Usually, when I gave, I had every expectation of receiving. Not this time. I found myself quite fascinated with the redheaded vixen as she lit up with my touch, moaning and quivering as she came.
Tossing the pink toy, I cupped Chelsea’s head and pulled her to my mouth, slamming her to me with my own desire swirling beneath my waistline. “Good heavens, woman,” I growled between kisses. “How am I supposed to walk after that?”
She laughed, the sound airy in comparison to her moans a moment ago. “Did you really have plans for us, or was that just a ploy to get into my bed?”
I grinned and grabbed her by the bum, lifting her off my lap. “Come and find o
ut.”
26
Chelsea
We walked a few hundred feet down the sidewalk before I spotted it sitting there, all shiny black and chrome. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to make me get on that thing.” That was when I saw them—two helmets hanging off the handlebars, confirming my fears.
Liam chuckled when he saw my reaction and tugged on my hand, pulling me closer. “Oh, come on. I rented it for the rest of my visit. You have to ride with me.”
It wasn’t that I was afraid of motorcycles. I used to go dirt biking with my friends when I was in high school. I had just realized there was more to Liam that I didn’t know. “Do you even know how to drive this thing?”
“I got the motorcycle here, didn’t I?”
I supposed he had a point.
He plucked a black helmet from the handlebar and pushed it to my chest. “What’s the matter, Chelsea? Afraid of a little wind in your hair?”
“Hardly.” I grabbed the helmet and placed it over my head while I took in his outfit with a smirk—white shirt, zip-up hoodie, ripped black jeans. It was the same outfit he’d had on when I’d first spotted him at Spill the Tea, but it all made sense now. Liam looked like a walking, talking stereotype—the bad boy Brit with seemingly nothing to lose. And while this was the version of him I’d gotten to know well, the Liam from back in London—who the media was having a frenzy over—was someone completely different.
The question now was, Who’s the real Liam Colborn?
That question bothered me for the entire ride south. As I used Liam as my shield from the wind and rested my cheek against his back, I squeezed around his middle and tried to picture the Liam the world knew, the man who attended fancy dinners and dressed in tailored suits and styled his hair. My heart squeezed at the remote possibility that I was getting the phony version of him, that when he returned to London, he would continue to live the life he’d known before he’d escaped the camera’s eye.
I didn’t know where Liam was taking me, but I realized after the first few minutes of our ride that I didn’t really care. Whatever version of Liam I had my arms around was the version I wanted to keep in my mind. And while he was still here, it was the only version of him I wanted to think about.
We cruised south on I-95 for forty minutes until we reached North Kingstown and continued east to Aquidneck Island. Twenty minutes later, we reached Newport, a destination I’d always heard my friends rave about but I hadn’t visited until then. It was an area known for sailing and historic mansions that lined the coast.
We continued to cruise south a little more until we reached the end of Ocean Drive, where a beautiful white Victorian building sat overlooking the coast. Liam parked in the lot and gave me a sheepish grin over his shoulder. “There’s somewhere I want to take you, but we need to get our keys first.”
I let out a laugh, caught off guard but still exhilarated from the ride. “A room? Liam, you didn’t say anything about spending the night.”
His sheepish grin said it all. “I might have booked us a room.” Then his eyes widened, and his grin faded slightly. “But we can turn around and go home tonight if you’d rather. I figured it would be a long ride, and…”
His voice trailed off as I looked out over the coastline at the twinkling lights of boats sailing slowly in the peninsula. Island music played from the inn as lively voices chatted and gentle waves rolled in, crashing against the rocks. It was all the perfect soundtrack to a romantic night, but I couldn’t let myself believe that was what Liam had in store for us. My heart would never forgive me for it.
“No,” I finally said, daring a glance back at Liam. “We should stay.”
Something in his smile that followed was neither sheepish nor cocky. It was a look of relief, like he’d been banking on my response. I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling I would find out soon.
We got off the bike, and he took my hand, leading me to the front desk where the woman greeted us with drinks and two keys. Our room was lofty in size with a high ceiling, white wood-paneled walls, and a wall of windows with a French door that opened out onto a balcony. But Liam didn’t give me time to explore the room long. He set down a duffel bag I hadn’t even seen him carrying and pulled me straight back out of the room. “C’mon.”
Back downstairs, we crossed the dining area and wraparound porch where a live band played under strung-up white lights. Then he took me down a well-lit path, over rocks and sand, between tall grass, and onto an obscure path with dimmer lights.
“Where are you taking me?” I laughed.
For someone who lived across the pond, he sure seemed familiar with this area. I hid my curiosity as I held on tightly to Liam while he pulled me over rocky terrain until we left the path to where a lighthouse stood at the bottom of a set of stairs. I gasped. “Whoa. How did you know this was here?”
Liam beamed proudly as he extended an arm to the large structure at the edge of the cliff. It wasn’t tall and towering over us as I’d expect of a lighthouse, but it was still dominant in structure, with its rotating light calling attention to the jutting coastline.
“My family and I came here every year when I was little. It was Blake’s favorite place in the whole world.”
A fluttering erupted in my chest when I realized he’d brought me all the way here to revisit one of his childhood memories. He easily could have come alone. Liam didn’t strike me as the type of person who needed the company, but for whatever reason, he’d wanted me there, and I was glad I’d come.
He led me off the path and onto a set of large rocks, where he sat and helped me down.
“My brother was obsessed with boats and used to love watching them sail by at all hours of the day. I always thought he’d move here when he got older, maybe when he retired, or maybe before that. Maybe he’s here now.”
My throat tightened, and I reached for Liam’s hand. He was silent for a while longer, and I could sense something weighing heavy on his mind, so I waited.
Then he looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and he sucked in a deep breath. “Truth is, I didn’t want to come back here alone, especially not today.”
When he looked at me, a sad smile on his face, my heart tightened in my chest. “Why not today?”
“It’s the anniversary of his death. I can’t believe it’s been seventeen years.”
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Hearing him talk about his late brother was hard enough, but for him to bring me here on the anniversary of his death, I didn’t know how to take that or what to say. A flood of emotions washed over me, and I really didn’t know how to make sense of anything. All I could do was inch closer to him and squeeze his hand.
“Well, then I’m glad you brought me.”
“You are?” He let out a laugh, his eyes still rimmed with red. “When I tried to get you to hang out with me the other night, I was just going to take you to this arcade I’d heard about. I was planning to get you embarrassingly drunk and drag you into a karaoke booth and make you sing Journey songs with me. When you wanted to wait a couple of days…”
He shrugged instead of finishing his sentence, and I realized it was all meant to be just as it had turned out.
“You know,” Liam started quietly. “Even though this is hard, I haven’t felt this right in quite a while.” He put a fist to his heart and knocked on it before flattening it against his chest. “No one tells you what to do when someone you love dies. It’s almost as if everyone expects you to grieve then just carry on with it, but this feeling.” He rubbed his chest again, shaking his head. “The loss. The emptiness. It’s an aching void that doesn’t ever fucking go away.”
Looping my arm around Liam’s, I scooted closer to him, holding him tightly to me while he rested his head on mine. I didn’t know what to say. Everything that came to mind felt insignificant compared to what he must have felt at that moment. So, I continued to hold onto him, just wanting Liam to know I was there. And I would continue to be there for as long as he let me.
27
Liam
Chelsea and I took showers separately when we got back to our room. She had to call her parents, so I went first, then she slipped in after me. While I debated climbing in there again, this time with her, a better idea popped into my head.
As Chelsea stepped out of the bathroom in her fluffy white bathrobe, her hair still wet from the shower, her gaze immediately fell to the tray of fresh strawberries, cheesecake, and champagne sitting on the bed. I handed her a bubbly glass, and she accepted it with a surprised smile.
“What is this?”
I leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, instantly getting a whiff of her sweet after-shower fragrance. “For you.” I pulled back, hooking my pointer finger through the belt loop of her robe. “I know it’s late, but I wanted to thank you for handling my little surprise like a champ.”
Her eyes batted down to the champagne in her hand then back up to me. “You don’t have to thank me, Liam. I’m glad you brought me. But…” She let the word linger as she stole a look at the cheesecake. “I definitely won’t let that cheesecake go to waste.”
I pulled her down onto the bed while I grabbed a forkful of dessert. Placing it against her lips, I watched her mouth part as her long lashes fluttered down so it looked like they were resting on her cheeks. “Oh my God, that’s heaven,” she moaned in the midst of her mouth being full.
Chuckling, I put the fork down and took a long pull of my champagne, trying to drown my oncoming excitement. We still had a bottle of champagne to go through and a tray filled with dessert. It was too soon to start feeling randy.
When Chelsea took my still half-full glass from me and climbed onto my lap, my proper intentions started to fizzle out. Her robe was parted enough for me to see her bare legs wrapped around my robed hips. Then she reached to the side to grab the fork and scooped up another piece of cream cheese.
