Rory rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I do not. I am just glad that this night went smoothly for you. From hearing the few things Vivian has told me, I always thought he sounded like a bastard,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Guess I was wrong.”
“I guess,” I said. I still couldn’t shake this feeling that he was up to something, but I didn’t care about that now. “So, what do we do now?” I said, taking her other hand into mine so that we were face to face.
She looked up at me and smiled. “You are going to drive me home and kiss me good night like a good little boy,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“You are really going to make me suffer, aren’t you?” I laughed.
“I’m just trying to get you all excited for when we finally make love,” she teased.
“You really are a brat, you know that?” I groaned and followed her to my car. It took every ounce of self control I had to not pull over and ravage her on the way to her apartment. Once we got there, I stepped out of the driver’s seat and helped her out of the car. When we got to the front door, she was getting her keys out of her purse when I stopped her. “Rory?”
“Yes?” she asked, her big chestnut colored eyes on me.
“I just wanted to thank you again for coming with me tonight. I really don’t think I could have gotten through that without you.”
“It was my pleasure. Besides, that crème brulee made the night totally worth it,” she said, smiling.
I grinned and took a step closer to her. I reached up and touched her face. “You’re so beautiful,” I whispered, and I leaned my lips to hers. I could feel her smiling against my mouth as my tongue traced her bottom lip. She opened her sweet mouth to me and touched my tongue with hers. She melted into me as I pulled her closer, resting one hand on her back and the other in her hair. She gently nipped at my bottom lip, and I was on the verge of begging to come upstairs with her and throw all patience out the window when she pulled away.
“Good night, Liam,” she whispered, smiling mischievously.
I nodded and blew a breath out. “All right, all right. Good night,” I said, kissing her cheek. “Can I call you tomorrow? I have to check in at work tomorrow at some point, but can we maybe get together tomorrow night?”
She nodded and smiled. “Sure. That sounds great.” She looked at me for a moment, and something flashed in her eyes…it almost looked like fear. She shook her head and took a deep breath. “Okay, good night. For real this time,” she said, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. With a wave, I watched her walk into her apartment. As I walked back to my car, my cell phone ping. I had a text from Nick asking if I wanted to hang out at my apartment and watch a basketball game. Since I was free, I typed back that I’d pick up beer on the way home. As I got into my car, I looked up at Rory’s building one more time and drove away with the taste of her kiss on my tongue.
Chapter 9
Rory
One Month Later
“I know, I know, I’m late! I’m so sorry!” I called out to Samantha as I ran into the salon.
She smiled at me, her perfect white teeth glowing. “It’s okay, calm down. You are only ten minutes behind, relax. You don’t have a client until ten,” she said.
I sighed in relief. “That’s good. Thanks, girl,” I said, and I walked out onto the salon floor which was already getting busy. “Good morning everyone,” I called out.
Everyone said hello to me, and Brian, who was doing an eyebrow wax, raised a speculative eyebrow at me. “Late again, huh?”
I looked at him with a pointed glare. “Good morning to you too, Brian,” I said, walking over and putting my bag on the hook. “How was your night?”
“Not as good as yours, I’m sure,” he said, winking at me. “This is the third time you’ve been late this week. Aren’t you getting enough sleep?” he asked, a teasing tone in his voice.
I rolled my eyes at him, and then looked at Fiona. “Is there coffee in the break room?”
“Yeah, I just put on a fresh pot,” she said, smiling much like Brian was. I noticed Emily and Nicole exchange similar looks. Shaking my head, I turned and walked toward the break room. I knew what they were all thinking. I was obviously late because I’d been with a man and sex got a little crazy, making me late for work. And they were half right. Well, sort of. Liam and I had been dating for the past month, but we hadn’t slept together yet. The attraction was there…dear lord was it there. Liam and I were both sticking to our “waiting until its right” rule, but we’d been teasing the shit out of each other with it. I know that he was just trying to be patient and gentle with me physically and emotionally because of Mason’s death. However the passion that was burning between us was just under the surface and it was about to reach a fever pitch. I know he wanted to know in his mind that I was completely ready for us to take that next step. It had been so long since I’d been with anyone, and even though it took all I had to not ravage him, I appreciated him for that. Even though the physical attraction was definitely there, I had to really get beyond myself and my grief in order to have that kind of relationship again. I never thought I could until I met Liam.
It was Friday, and I could not wait to get this day over with. It was our one month anniversary today, and I had decided that tonight was the night that Liam and I were going to finally be together. He didn’t know that, so tonight was going to be fun all around. We weren’t doing anything major since we’d only been together for a month. He wanted us to go to dinner and then he said he had a surprise for me after. All he would tell me is that I didn’t have to dress fancy, and that to wear whatever I was comfortable in. I brought my change of clothes with me to the shop so that we could leave right after I was off. I didn’t know what it could be, but I didn’t care because one way or another this night was going to be memorable.
As I sipped my coffee, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw Fiona, Emily, and Nicole standing there staring at me, arms crossed and smiles on their faces. “Can I help you with something?” I asked, my eyebrow cocked. My coworkers had definitely noticed a change in me, and they were irritated that I wouldn’t tell them anything about Liam.
Nicole uncrossed here arms and waved them dramatically. “Seriously, Rory? Stop with the secretive stuff. Who is this guy that has you running late and looking all dreamy eyed?”
As I looked at their faces one by one, I knew the time was apparently now to fill them in. Even though we really didn’t hang out outside the salon, they had been there when Mason died and tried support me as much as I’d let anyone. I should be thanking God that they were still even talking to me after how much I flipped out. Because of that, I felt I owed them this much to let them in on my happiness now. “His name is Liam,” I said quietly, smiling.
They all squealed like teenagers, and Brian called out, “Wait! Don’t say anymore until I’m done!” His client giggled as well. I walked back out onto the salon floor and back to my station to sit and wait until he was done. It only took five minutes for him be finished, but judging from Emily, Nicole, and Fiona, it may as well have been a lifetime. Once Brian’s client had paid and was out the door, he came running back in and sat in the station next to me. “Okay, girl, spill!”
“Again, his name’s Liam and he’s a cop.” Deafening squeals were heard all around.
“A cop? That’s hot,” Emily said. “Where did you meet him?”
“Well, it’s actually kind of funny. I met him at Shadow the night Brody came into town. It turns out his mother has been a client of mine for a few years, and she’s been trying to get us together. She knew Marissa and I were taking Brody there, and suggested he go.”
Emily smiled. “Aw, that’s sweet. Who’s his mom?”
“Vivian Tanner,” I answered.
“You mean the mega rich lady that comes to you every six weeks like clockwork?” Nicole asked.
“That’s the one. I knew she’d get us to meet eventually, but the strange thing is that he and Brody were friends in colle
ge. They both went to Indiana University together. I mean, isn’t that crazy?”
“It’s not crazy. It sounds to me like it was fate,” Fiona said.
I smiled dreamily. Brian said, “So, when do we get to meet this guy?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I want to date him for a bit before you scare him off,” I joked.
At that moment, Samantha came walking onto the salon floor with wide eyes. “Uh, Rory? Your ten o’clock and ten thirty appointments are here,” she said.
“All right. Samantha, you okay?” I asked. I couldn’t tell if she looked scared or turned on.
“Y-yeah,” she said, looking to the other stylists, a smile spreading across her face, mouthing the words, “Oh my God!”
I was curious as to why she’d have this kind of reaction, so I quickly walked through the beaded curtain to see what client I would have that would have that effect on her, and immediately I knew. I smiled when I saw not only Liam standing there, but Nick as well, both in jeans and tight tee shirts. “Hey boys, what are you doing here?” I asked, hugging them each before returning back to Liam’s waiting arms. I heard the shuffle of quick footsteps as everyone came rushing up to the reception desk.
“Well, Nick and I both needed our hair cut, and we heard around town about this hot little red head that worked here. I hear she’s the best,” Liam said to me, grinning. “You surprised?”
I smiled back and kissed him quickly on the lips. “I am. I missed you.”
Nick barked out a laugh. “Jesus, Rory, you just saw him an hour ago.” He then made a fake puking noise. “You two are so damn sweet it makes me sick.”
I flipped him off. “Love you too, asshole,” I said, and he laughed. At that moment, everyone came through the curtain with smiles on their faces. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Liam looked at the group and smiled at me, curiosity on his handsome face. “Well, I guess I have to introduce you to these idiots,” I said. His arm still around me, I said, “Guys, this is Fiona Taylor, Emily Phillips, Nicole Hiatt, Brian Torres, and Samantha Gilman. They all work with me, obviously.”
Liam nodded at them politely while Nick looked at my coworkers (with the exception of Brian) like he was staring at a buffet table full off food. I slapped him hard on his abs and said, “Don’t even think about it.”
Nick grinned playfully at me. “What?”
I turned back to the group and said, “Everyone, this dumbass here is Nick Ramirez, and this guy,” I stopped, placing my hand on his torso, “is Liam Tanner. Nick and Liam are partners at the precinct.”
Brian walked out to them first, his hand extended. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.” As they shook hands, Brian looked at me wide eyed and enthusiastic.
“You too,” Liam said, and he squeezed me tighter.
“We were all wondering when we’d get to meet the mystery man in Rory’s life,”’ Nicole said.
Liam looked down at me, amused. “Mystery man, huh? You haven’t told them about me yet?” he teased.
“No, I wanted you all to myself before I unleashed these heathens on you,” I joked. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. There was a collective “Aw” that came out of them. “Okay, enough everyone. These guys are clients too, and I need to get to work, so move!” I said, and everyone laughed as I shuffled them back through the beaded curtain. As we were about to walk through, I saw Nick’s eyes lingering on Samantha. I grabbed his tee shirt and pulled him forward, then slapped him on the back of the head.
He laughed at me. “What is it? She’s cute!”
“And she’s my coworker, Nick. She’s a great girl, and you’re not going to use her just to add another notch in your belt,” I said.
He sighed. “All right, fine. I’ll be a good boy. Halo is on, I promise,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, and he playfully shoved me as I led them to my station.
Thankfully, my day was pretty empty since I’d set aside that afternoon for walk in clients. Liam and Nick’s haircuts took longer than they should have because we talked and laughed with everyone in the salon. Samantha even spent her lunch break in the salon with us instead of going out like she usually does so she could openly ogle Nick. I know I told him to steer clear of her, but they way they were looking at each other clearly meant that that was a promise he wasn’t going to be able to keep. We usually shut the salon down from noon to one o’clock for lunch, and Liam and Nick happened to have that time free as well so we all had lunch there in our break room. Liam insisted on buying us all lunch, which made my heart melt a little bit more. He seemed to like everyone here, he loved Marissa like a sister, and Brody was already his friend. He fit so seamlessly into my life that it sometimes made me scared to think of what would happen if he ever knew the extent of my downward spiral after Mason died. I had not just gone crazy…I went completely bat shit crazy and lost a lot of people I cared about and that I thought had cared about me in the process. Marissa, Brody, and my crazy little group of coworkers were all I had in the world, and I was grateful that they stood behind me through all of it.
Before I realized it, lunch was over and it was time for Nick and Liam to leave. I gave Nick a hug and another warning glance as he mentally undressed Samantha one last time. Liam wrapped his arms around me in a sweet embrace, and pulled me into a steamy kiss. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he whispered into my ear.
“I can’t wait,” I breathed. Once I could focus my vision, I said, “So, are you going to at least give me a hint as to where we are going?”
He grinned and shook his head. “If I did, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” With one last quick kiss, he said, “I’ll see you at five.”
“Bye,” I said, and I felt myself start to drool as I watched him walk out the front doors. Every muscle south of my belly button clenched anticipation of tonight, and I had to fan myself with my hand.
Samantha walked over to me from behind the desk. “Good God, Rory. He is so gorgeous!” she said. “He seems so nice too.”
“He is, Samantha. He’s freaking perfect,” I said, giggling.
“So, what’s up with his friend?” she asked me. “Is he single?”
Oh boy. “Yeah, Nick’s single, but he’s not a monogamous guy by any means. I love him like a brother, but I’d steer clear if I were you.”
She just shrugged. “Maybe he just hasn’t met the right girl yet.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said, and gave her a wave as I headed back onto the salon floor ready to be bombarded by more compliments and questions about Liam.
Four hours later, Liam was right on time to pick me up, and I was already dressed and ready for our date. He told me to pick something that I was comfortable in and that I normally would wear to go out. I went with my signature look and wore a pair of tight skinny jeans, black peep toe boots, and a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club shirt that I had cut and tied to fit even more snug. I wore my hair in a messy bun with little curls hanging down my neck, and I had changed my gauges to my hot pink ones with the black stars in the middle. When I walked out of the salon, he was waiting there by his car, looking drool worthy in black jeans and a gray Henley. “You look so fucking hot,” he said, pulling me into a kiss.
I boldly pressed him against the door of his car and devoured his mouth. “You do too,” I growled.
“So, are you hungry?” he asked me.
“Hungry for you,” I whispered to him, and he smiled.
“No time for teasing right now, babe. We need to go eat if we are going to make it there on time,” he said, and I shoved off him and walked to the passenger side with him behind me.
“Make it where on time?” I asked as he opened the door. He just shook his head and I sighed. I slid into the car and admitted defeat. I was happy that he was surprising me with something, but I couldn’t wait to get through his surprise so I could give him one of my own later tonight.
Dinner was one of the best I’d had in a while. He took me to this tiny little burger joint that I’d never
been to, and their bacon cheeseburger was hands down the most amazing sandwich I’d ever had. Once we had dinner and he paid the check, we were on our way to this mystery location. As we were driving, I said, “Okay, Liam, this is killing me. Will you please tell me where we are going?”
He sighed. “Well, I was going to wait until we got there, but you are just not going to let it go until we make it, so here you go,” he said, reaching into his sun visor and handing me a rectangular piece of paper. Confused, I took the piece of paper and when I looked at it, my face lit up.
“Oh my god, you’re taking me to see Bad Blooded Rebel?” I squealed. I was a metal fan, and Bad Blooded Rebel was my absolute favorite band. I wasn’t able to get tickets in time and I thought that I was just going to miss it. But, once again, Liam surprises me and probably used his police connections to get me tickets. “Liam, you are fucking awesome!” I yelled.
He laughed and reached a hand to my cheek. “I knew you’d be excited,” he said, and we pulled into a parking garage just outside the venue. I could barely sit in my seat as he paid for a parking pass and found a place for his car. I immediately jumped out as soon as he turned off the ignition and ran around to the driver’s side of the car. Pinning him to the door, I shoved against him and planted my mouth on his. I shoved my tongue into his mouth, clicking my tongue ring on his teeth in the process. We hardcore made out for a few minutes before he pulled away. “Rory, if you keep doing that to me with your tongue, we won’t make it inside to see the show,” he said, breathless, his voice full of carnal intent.
Still seeing stars, I said, “Okay, sorry. You’re right, let’s go,” I squealed. I placed my hand in his as we walked out of the garage and toward the venue. If I hadn’t been sure about us sleeping together before, I was definitely sure now. Liam Tanner was the sweetest, sexiest guy alive and I never felt luckier in that moment to have met him.
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