I darted off the bed, keeping my gaze on the bed to make sure he didn’t peek. I pulled on my underwear and jeans first, and then hooked my bra. “It’s safe to look.”
Liam turned back, raising one eyebrow when he saw me. “So it’s okay for me to see you in just your bra?”
“Baby steps. For me, I mean. I’m comfortable with you seeing me like this.” I sat down on the edge of the bed. “And I wanted to give you something to remember all day. Just a little reminder.”
“That’s more than a little reminder. That’s something that’s going to make it impossible to sit through my classes today.”
I leaned over to drop a quick kiss on his mouth before I stood up. “You’re welcome.”
AS IT TURNED out, Julia had figured out where I was on her own. She had texted me twice, and then she’d called Giff, who had told her I was with Liam.
“If you’re going to spend the night with him, you need to tell me.” She sat on her bed, her arms crossed. “Because I was worried. I was this close to calling your mom.”
“That threat is losing power.” I stuck my tongue out at her as I dug for clean clothes. “I really am sorry. I … we got involved. And then we fell asleep and it was too late. It was complicated.”
“It always is, with Liam.”
I closed my dresser drawer. “Jules, Liam needs to talk to you about something, Will you hear him out, please? For me?”
She stared at me for a minute. “What does he want to talk about?”
“About the night of his birthday party.” When she rolled her eyes, I held up my hand. “Please, Julia. It’s important for all of us that he can tell you what happened. Okay?”
Finally Julia nodded. “I’ll listen. I’m not promising anything else.”
I crossed the room to give her a swift hug. “Thanks. That’s all I can ask.”
They met that afternoon at Beans. I stayed away on purpose, knowing that this had to be between the two of them only. Julia came back to the dorm by herself an hour later.
She met my eyes. “He told me. Everything, I mean.” She dropped onto her bed. “It makes me want to call my parents and thank them for not screwing me up like that. God, Ava. I knew they were kind of stiff and formal, but this is crazy.”
“Do you feel any better about the whole situation?”
She sighed. “I guess so. I mean, at least now I understand why he acted that way. He didn’t use it as an excuse. He told me he knew he fucked up—his words, not mine—and that he was sorry I was the one who took the brunt of it.”
I closed my eyes, nodding. “Good.”
“Ava.” When I looked up, Julia was looking at me with worry in her eyes. “Are you sure about this whole thing with Liam? I thought I was okay with it, and I am, really. But I’m not sure it’s the best thing for you. His parents are going to be a problem.”
“Why would they be?”
She shook her head. “It’s just how they are. Their circle of friends is small and tight. I was okay to date Liam, but just barely, I think. I don’t want you to be hurt. Maybe you should stop and think before you get too deeply involved.”
One corner of my mouth lifted in a half-smile. “I think it’s too late, Jules.”
SINCE I’D NEVER been in a romantic relationship in college—or ever, really—learning to adjust over the next few weeks was interesting. I’d seen how Liam had been with Julia, but if I’d expected the same thing with me, I’d have been very mistaken.
He texted me first thing every morning, and last thing before he went to sleep at night, even if we’d been together all day. We met for lunch on the days that our schedules allowed it, and we ate dinner together just about every night, unless the track team was traveling.
I went to all of his track meets, and if it was annoying to hear girls around me sighing over how sexy Liam Bailey was, knowing that after everything was over, it was me he’d meet at the fence for a searing kiss made it all better.
His parents hadn’t been back down to Birch since the night he’d told me everything, and Liam seemed to be relieved by that. We were getting ready for our weekend trip to Carl and Angela’s wedding, and I was pretty sure Liam was more nervous about it than I was.
My mother called me on the Tuesday before the wedding. I was walking back to the dorm after class, listening more than talking as she filled me in on everything that had been happening. All I had to do was make the appropriate listening noises every few minutes.
“Yeah, Ma. Uh-huh. Oh, really? Wow.” I dodged a guy who was heading in the opposite direction. “I’m sure. Yeah. Oh!”
The last exclamation was courtesy of the arm that gripped me around the waist, hauling me off the path.
“Hasn’t anyone ever warned you about big bad wolves, Red?” Liam’s voice tickled in my ear.
“No, Ma, sorry, that’s just—” I shot him a look and pointed at my phone. “I’m walking back from class. Go ahead. What about the flowers?”
“This big bad wolf has big bad plans for you.” Liam lifted my hair from the side of my neck where I wasn’t holding the phone and began kissing down my jaw. His tongue drew tantalizing designs on my skin. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.
“Yeah. No, I don’t blame you. Isn’t Angela’s family—ahhhh.”
Liam’s hands were inching up my ribs, teasing the undersides of my breasts. I made a face at him.
“No, Ma. It’s fine. Any time. Okay. Love to Daddy. Okay. Love you. Bye.” I hit the end button on my phone and turned to face Liam. “Geez—I was talking to my mother!”
“Mmmm-hmmm.” He kissed me, this time on the lips, nudging at my closed lips with his tongue.
“I was about to start moaning into the telephone. That would have been fun to explain.” I smoothed my fingers over his jaw. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”
“Just stalking any innocent young thing walking on the path.” He grabbed my ass and brought me close.
“Don’t you have a class right now?” I’d gotten to know his schedule pretty well.
“I do, but it was canceled.” He slung an arm over my shoulder as we began walking to the dorms.
“Cool. So what are you going to do this afternoon?”
“I was thinking of going for a run, and then taking my girlfriend out to dinner.”
I stopped abruptly in the path, looking up at him in mock indignation. “Wait a minute—you have a girlfriend? Then why were you kissing me?”
He winked. “My girlfriend is very understanding. She’s also really beautiful, so she knows I never look at anyone but her. She’s smart, she’s gorgeous, and she’s got a killer body.”
I felt my face pinking. “Seriously? She sounds like quite a package.”
“Oh, she is. She’s got it all. Sometimes I don’t know what she sees in a loser like me. I don’t deserve her.”
I stood on my toes. “Maybe she knows you’re intelligent, kind, funny and not bad looking. Maybe she wonders what she ever did to deserve you.”
“Not bad looking, huh? Is that the best you can do?”
“If I said anything else, your ego would be too inflated.” I threaded our hands together and began walking again. “So … do you want company on your run?”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean? You? I thought you didn’t run.”
“I don’t, but I’m willing to try. I even bought the necessary equipment. If you want me to come with you, I mean. If you want to be by yourself, I understand.”
He leaned over to kiss the top of my head. “I would never choose being alone over being with you.” He pulled out his phone to check the time. “I’ll meet you right outside your building in fifteen minutes. That enough time?”
“It should be. As long Julia is there to help me get into my running bra. The thing is like a torture device.”
“Well, if she’s not there, let me know. I’m always happy to help. Bras are my specialty.”
“Thanks. You’re so helpful.”
I dash
ed up the steps to my room and dropped my backpack into the closet. Julia was just getting ready to go to work.
“Hey, glad I saw you. I’m going to stay after with Jesse tonight. His mom is in town.” She rolled her eyes.
“Ewwww. Well, you have fun with that. I’m going for a run with Liam. Wish me luck.”
She laughed. “Good luck. Don’t break a leg or anything else vital.”
I pulled on running shorts and then tackled the sports bra. I managed to get it over my head and most of the way down by myself, and Julia gave it a final tug.
“I think you’re set now, but you’re probably going to need help to get it off.” She picked up her bag to leave.
I grinned. “If I play my cards right, that won’t be an issue.”
Julia covered her ears. “Yuck! TMI. My ears.”
“Yeah, whatever. Have fun tonight.”
I laced up my sneakers, picked up my sunglasses and locked the door behind me before I went down to meet Liam. He was standing by the bench, stretching his hamstrings.
He looked up as I approached, and his eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Look at you.”
I glanced down. “What? Don’t I look like a runner?”
He smiled. “You look perfect. Come on. I’ll take it slow on you today. We don’t have to go that far.”
We took off down the brick path. I was surprised at how well the bra worked; nothing bounced on me at all. It was oddly freeing. Maybe I could be a runner after all.
We circled the campus twice before Liam began to slow down. He wasn’t even out of breath, but I was panting.
“You did great.” He pulled me over to a wooden bench that was set back in the trees. I collapsed onto it.
“Yeah, I think I slowed you down. You’re incredible.” I ranged my eyes over his smooth back, tight rear end and his toned legs. Thinking of how his arms looked when he held himself above me made wish we were some place much more private.
“You didn’t slow me down. It was fun. Nice to have someone to enjoy the run with.” He took my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips. “Thank you.”
I leaned to rest my head on his shoulder. “No, thank you.”
We sat in the quiet, enjoying the chirping of the birds and cool of the air over our sweaty bodies.
“Ava, can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can.”
He fiddled with the lace of his shoe. “Are you a virgin?”
The bottom fell out of my stomach. I figured this would come up, but I hadn’t expected it now. I swallowed over a lump in my throat.
“No, I’m not.”
I felt his start of surprise. “I thought you didn’t date. I mean, you always said—”
“I know.” I bit my lip. “It happened in high school.”
“Was it your boyfriend? You never mentioned having one.”
“No, I didn’t. Not really.” I released a breath. “After Antonia got pregnant and had Frankie, everything in my family was kind of … messed up. I mean, everyone was so preoccupied with her and what was going on, I fell under the radar. Except that every now and then, my mom would pull me aside and tell me that I had to let Antonia be a lesson to me, that if a good girl like her could get in trouble, it could happen to anyone. And since she wasn’t going to be able to go to college like they’d planned, now all the expectation fell on me.”
“Whew.” Liam smoothed my hair away from my face. “That’s rough.”
“Yeah, only they didn’t mean anything by it. They were doing the best they could under the circumstances. So anyway, one night when Frankie was seven months old, I went to a party. I was sick of being home with Antonia and the baby, helping with everything, working at the restaurant, doing homework … it just felt like I had no life. So I went to the party, and I met this guy I’d been flirting with in math. He was cute, and he was nice, and he paid attention to me. One thing led to another, and we ended up in one of the bedrooms upstairs.”
“Bastard.”
I shook my head. “No, Liam, he didn’t force me. If I had stopped us at any time, he’d have been fine. I knew what I was doing. But then after, I came downstairs, and my friends said they’d been looking for me. My mom had called, and I needed to get home right away.” I closed my eyes, remembering. “Antonia had run out to get diapers, and she was hit head-on by a drunk driver. She died instantly.”
Liam pulled me into him. He held my face in his hands and used his thumbs to wipe away tears I hadn’t known I’d been crying.
“I’m so sorry, Ava.”
I sniffed. “So the next day, I made a decision. I felt like … what happened to Antonia was punishment. I mean, I know God doesn’t work that way. No one would’ve ever taught me that. But I made a promise to Antonia that I’d stick to the path. I’d work hard, and I’d go to college and get the big job and I wouldn’t let any boy or anything else get in the way.”
“And so was born the plan.”
“Yep.” I nodded. “That was it. And it was working out just fine, until you came along.” I bumped him with my shoulder.
“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Ava, you know, I don’t want to take you off your path. But I’d like to think we can walk our paths together.” He grimaced. “That sounded corny.”
“It did, but I happen to love it.” I kissed his cheek. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I still have panic attacks about easing up. About having a life, instead of just having a plan. But I can’t imagine being without you.”
Liam lifted me so that I lay across his lap, with my head resting on his shoulder. “You know the nice thing about running together? We’re both sweaty. So I can kiss you and touch you without worrying that I’m being gross.”
He started out with a light kiss, just a gentle caress of my lips with his. I dug my fingers in his shoulders, needing more, and he obliged, opening his mouth and licking at the insides of my lips. I moaned, and he hiked me closer, sliding his hand under my tank top to where my breasts usually were.
“God, what is this?”
“I told you, it’s a running bra.” I spoke against his mouth. “It keeps everything flat. No jiggling. I may start wearing it all the time now, so I don’t have to worry about bouncing around.”
“Ah, no.” Liam shook his head. “I like the jiggle. I love your breasts. Matter of fact, I love every inch of your body.” He laid one hand along my cheek and looked down into my eyes, serious all at once. “I would like to take you up to my room and show you just how much.”
I understood what he was saying, what he was asking me. It was a point of no turning back, although, if I were to be honest, I’d passed that point long ago.
“Yes.” I breathed the word. “Yes, please.”
I WAS STRANGELY calm as Liam locked the door behind us. He seemed to have enough nerves for us both.
“You’re sure Giff isn’t coming back?” I had to ask one more time as I toed off my sneakers and tucked my socks into them.
“Positive. He’s staying at Jeff’s.” Liam was doing the same with his shoes.
“Okay.” I smiled into his eyes and grabbed the hem of my tank, pulling it over my head.
“Ava, if you’re not sure about this, you know we don’t have to do it.”
“Liam.” I laid my hand on his arm. “I’m sure.” I reached for his shirt, running my hands underneath to trace his abs. “Take this off, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stripped it over his head, tossed it into a basket by the wall and stepped toward me. “Better?”
“Any time you have your shirt off, it’s all good.” I ran my hands over his muscled torso. Being free to touch him any time I wanted was one of my favorite perks of being Liam’s girlfriend.
“Funny, I feel the same about you.” He wrapped his arms around me and walked me backwards until my knees bumped into the bed. I sank down, and Liam knelt in front of me.
Taking my face between his hands, he began kissing me, starting at my eyes and moving down to the corner of my mou
th. Before he moved to cover my lips, he paused.
“The first time I touched my lips to yours, I realized I hadn’t been alive until that minute. I’d been existing.” He angled his head and slanted his mouth, nudging mine open. I made a small mewling noise, and he lowered me back onto the mattress. He stroked my mouth with his tongue, and then sucked mine into his mouth. When he broke the connection, I was dizzy with want.
“I think it’s time to get rid of this.” He traced a finger over the running bra, and then worked on easing the straps down my arms. Frowning when it stuck, he pulled a little harder.
“I told you it’s not easy,” I giggled.
“It won’t defeat me.” He abandoned the straps and instead, tugged down the cup. My boob sprang free, pushed upward by the elastic. Liam grinned.
“I take it back, I think I like this thing.” He dipped his head to lick the sensitive areole, teasing all around the pink nub until I was breathless again.
“What is it? Tell me what you want.”
I moaned and tried to move his head into the right place.
“Use your words. What do you need, Ava?”
I gritted my teeth. “I want you to—to suck my nipple.”
Liam smiled against my breast and immediately complied. I moaned again, this time in satisfaction. He swirled his tongue around the peak, worried it between his teeth and sucked it gently. His hand moved to the other side, slipping under the edge and freeing it as well.
Pleasure coursed through me as he lavished attention on my breasts. I ran my hands down his back and then slid my fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts to feel the smooth skin of his ass. He growled, deep in his throat, and looked up at me.
With a smile I could only call promising, he began kissing down my ribs, across my stomach, stopping to dip his tongue into my navel. When he reached my running shorts, he grasped them with both hands and pulled down, baring me completely.
It was the first time we’d been together in daylight, and part of me wanted to push him away, hide myself. The other part of me was too busy groaning in utter ecstasy. I decided to go with her, and I parted my legs as Liam lowered his face between them. He opened me with his fingers and ran one finger down my seam. I gasped and arched my back.
Just Desserts (Perfect Dish Romances Book 2) Page 16
