One Love for Liv

by Marianne Arkins

  She hauled her two-ton bag into the lavatory and stripped to her skin, started the shower to get it nice and hot and settled on the toilet. Slowing down gave her time to think about the night before. What had she been thinking?

  She hadn’t been. That was the problem. She’d heard from friends about getting carried away, but had never experienced it first hand. She’d indulged in her share of necking, heavy petting, and had finally gone all the way in college because she felt like she should, but she’d never felt out of control. Until Mike.

  Business completed, she stepped into the shower and backed up to the spray, letting it beat on her tired muscles. When she was feeling relaxed, she opened her eyes and looked at the shower caddy in the corner. Lots of cheap foo-foo girl stuff there: fruity shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, a mesh poof. But it was the high-end shampoo and bright green deodorant soap that caught, and held, her attention. It had to be Geoff’s.

  How often did he stay here? How long had he been sleeping here with Daisy, and then meeting Liv for lunch or accompanying her to her father’s for Wednesday dinner? How long had he been living this lie? Could she live with the knowledge her fiancé had cheated on her only weeks away from their wedding?

  She sighed. Two days ago, she would have said yes. But lately she was so confused, as if two different people lived in her body. She thought about the shows where a character had a good angel and a bad angel on each shoulder. It was exactly how she felt right now.

  The problem was she didn’t know which one was the good angel and which was the bad. Should she stay with Geoff or leave him? Her father adored Geoff, talked about promoting him to Leigh Industries legal department head. Geoff specialized in corporate law, so it would be perfect.

  But would it be good for Liv? Why was her life feeling like an ill-fitting bra lately?

  She stepped out of the shower and reached into her bag, pulling out various toiletries. As a pink bottle landed in her hand, an evil thought occurred to her. She grinned at the hair removal cream and thought of Geoff’s thick, black hair—a point of pride for him because his father’s head looked a bit like a bowling ball.

  Liv tugged back the shower curtain and removed the bottle of men’s shampoo, happy to notice it was both half empty and strongly scented. She opened the cap and squeezed in about half a cup of her cream. After tightening the cap, she shook it violently then popped it open and smelled to discover if the cologne-scented shampoo still smelled the same. She decided if she didn’t know the cream was in there, she’d never guess.

  She considered giving the same treatment to Daisy’s hair care products, but opted for food coloring in the mouthwash instead. Nice, bright red teeth to match her hair should get the woman’s day off to a delightful start.

  Life was good. Even better, Liv had an entire Sunday to herself and her father didn’t know where she was. She decided a leisurely breakfast out somewhere with completely inappropriate food, followed by a regular movie—the kind without subtitles—and a shopping trip to some discount stores was in order.

  She was tugging on a snug pair of faded jeans when a soft knock came at the door. She wasn’t sure she’d really heard it until Booboo trotted over and sat at the threshold, staring up at the door handle. Snatching up a form-fitting sweater, she hurried over and peeked through the peephole.

  Mike was not part of her plans today, yet there he stood, cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in one hand, mysterious white paper bag in the other. How could she resist?

  She smoothed the sweater over her torso and wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her thighs. How should she act this morning? Like nothing had happened? Like everything had happened? Like it wasn’t going to happen again?

  Gently pushing Booboo over with the side of her bare foot, she opened the door and smiled a tiny, hesitant smile. She’d never had to greet someone she’d been so passionate with before. It was tremendously uncomfortable, especially when she wanted to be certain it would never happen again.

  So why was her heart pounding hard enough to break through her ribcage? Why were the butterflies having flying lessons in her stomach? Why could she think of nothing else but throwing herself at him and locking lips, touching his skin, pressing against his firm body?

  “Good morning.” Mike broke the awkward silence, stepping past her and into the apartment without an invitation.

  Liv dabbed at the sweat that dotted her upper lip and closed the door behind her, following Mike to the kitchen. “Morning. You’re up early.”

  “I could say the same for you. You sure seemed exhausted last night.”

  Last night. Just hearing those words out loud made her squirm. “I guess I was pretty out of it.” There. That should give him a hint of which way the wind blew today.

  He stopped unloading donuts and bagels out of the bag and looked at her, eyes piercing her to her soul. Then he shrugged and grinned. “If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  He held out the plate of goodies. “Help yourself. I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I pretty much got one of everything.”

  She hated that he was being so nice, so thoughtful. Geoff wouldn’t have bothered with breakfast, and her father would have selected what he believed should be her favorite flavor. Liv perused the selection, pointing at one with chocolate icing that looked like it had a hole in the side.

  “What’s that?”

  “Ahh…a good choice. Boston cream. Chocolate icing on top and custard cream in the middle. A favorite of donut eaters everywhere.”

  Liv picked it up. “I’m sold.” She took a big bite, licked the cream off her lip and gave a moan. “Oh my, no wonder these are so popular.” She glanced up at Mike who stood, transfixed, staring at her. “What?”

  He cleared his throat and shook his head as if he needed to clear it before responding. “Do you enjoy everything that way?”

  “What way?”

  “It’s like you go into sensual overload. You experience things completely: taste, touch, smell. Haven’t you had a donut before?”

  Liv looked down at the partly-eaten pastry in surprise, thinking back to her childhood, or even just to the week before. “You know, I can’t remember enjoying anything as much as I’m enjoying this donut.”

  “Not even last night?”

  Images and heat flashed through Liv’s brain and body. She was suddenly so weak, she almost dropped the donut. “Not even last night.”

  “Liar.”

  Liv lifted the donut to her lips and took a bite, trying to look thoughtful. “Nope, after careful consideration, I don’t think anything beats this donut in the enjoyment department.”

  Mike set down his coffee and circled the table, his gaze intent and never leaving Liv’s face. She backed away, dropping the donut on the floor in her haste to retreat.

  “Mike, what are you doing?”

  “You can’t throw a challenge like that down and not expect a response.” His steps were slow but deliberate as he herded her into the living room.

  “That wasn’t my intention,” Liv denied, but then second-guessed herself. Had she meant to? Was she trying to get him to kiss her again? Was her subconscious working against her?

  In an apartment this small there was nowhere to run, but she tried. Turning away from him, she dashed for the bathroom—the only place with a door and a lock. She almost made it through the opening when an arm looped around her waist and yanked her back. She yelped and struggled, but couldn’t keep a giggle from bubbling up in her throat.

  Mike carried her easily backward, finally dumping her onto the couch and dropping on top of her to hold her in place. All movement stopped for an eternal moment. Liv couldn’t even breathe, but only stared up at him.

  He pushed a bit of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear, the feel of his fingers making her shiver. As he bent his head closer, her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted slightly in anticipation.

  He pressed a kiss into her throat instead, against the pulse that pounded ther
e. His lips trailed up to her jaw and he nibbled gently along the bone to her chin. She gave a sigh and let her body melt into the cushions.

  His lashes brushed her skin when he rested his cheek on hers and she knew his gentleness had destroyed all her defenses. She moved then, a tilt of her hips, a brush of her fingertips against his back, and was rewarded by a moan she felt rather than heard.

  Blindly, her lips found his and she became the aggressor for the first time. The moment her lips touched his, she jammed both hands into his hair and held his head while she ravished his mouth with hers. Surprised she felt secure beneath him instead of crushed, she slipped both hands under his T-shirt and dug her nails into his back, arching up to get even closer.

  “Man, Liv, you’re going to kill me,” He gasped the words before diving in again, this time turning them sideways on the couch. One of his hands slipped under her sweater and Liv had a moment of panic—she needed to stop this crazy behavior—and she struggled to move away from Mike. Then his callused hand slipped upward across her ribcage and discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra. His thumb moved rhythmically across her hardened nipple and she gasped at the sensation, the thrill of it shooting straight between her legs. She felt hot there, and damp, and she didn’t understand but didn’t care.

  “Mike, I…I want…” She didn’t know what she wanted, but that didn’t seem to matter. Mike was doing everything right. It was as though he had a dozen hands; they were everywhere, touching, squeezing, caressing. His lips moved from her mouth to nibble on an ear and his soft breath into it sent goose bumps racing down her body. She rocked her hips against his, searching for something, some kind of release, and he reached between them to unsnap her jeans.

  The sound of the snap was like a bucket of icy water. What on earth was she doing here, like this, half naked with a man she barely knew? She was horrified. “Stop. Get off.” She pushed at him with the same hands that had caressed him a moment earlier.

  “What’s wrong?” Mike pushed himself up a bit and looked down at her through half-closed eyes, dark with arousal.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t like feeling so… so out of control.”

  He smiled and kissed her gently. “Too bad, because we’re not done yet.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Mike, we need to stop.”

  “Are you sure?” He lowered his head and kissed her again, pulling her against him by slipping one hand into the back of her jeans and cupping her butt.

  She arched against him, sensations flooding her body. Maybe they didn’t need to stop after all.

  “Well, well.”

  Liv froze at the sound of a strange woman’s voice and Mike’s hands slowly slipped out from inside her jeans. She felt his chest expand against hers as he took a deep breath of air.

  “Mike,” the voice continued, “don’t you have your own apartment to do this in? You have to use mine?”

  Chapter Ten

  Liv panicked. It was Daisy. Oh no, oh no…what if Geoff was with her? She pressed her face into Mike’s chest to hide and felt his chest jiggle with laughter.

  “Just paying you back for all your thumping, neighbor.” Mike sat up and Liv moved with him, keeping her face hidden in the folds of his shirt. “Speaking of which, where’s your boyfriend?”

  Liv tensed, waiting for the answer.

  “He had to go see someone. Business.”

  Liv almost laughed. It was always “business” with Geoff, even if it was golf. He thought using that particular word made him sound more important.

  “Too bad for you.” Mike was stroking Liv’s back in a rhythmic gesture that, on any other day, would have relaxed her more than a full-body massage. Now it just kept her already jangled nerves on edge.

  “Who’s your friend?” Daisy asked, and Liv shook her head frantically under Mike’s armpit.

  He seemed to get the message. “No one you’d know. Let’s get your things and go, cupcake.” He poked Liv in the ribs and she moved her face just enough to verify where Daisy was standing. The pathway to the door was clear.

  “Can you get my stuff? I’ll meet you at home,” she whispered. Then, taking a breath, she leaped to her feet and dashed out the door, hoping that between the speed, her new hair color and strange clothes, Daisy wouldn’t know who she was, assuming Geoff had spoken about her.

  She ran to Mike’s door and twisted the knob. It was locked. Oh no! What if Daisy peeked out the door? Liv looked frantically right and left and decided to go downstairs and hide until she heard Mike.

  She ran down the steps and stopped on the bottom one. She sank down, honestly surprised her quivering legs had held her that long. A draft of air cooled her stomach and she realized her jeans were still unsnapped and unzipped. It was a testament to how tight they were that they’d stayed up during her escape.

  She leaned back until she was flat, hands shaking as she fastened the pants and then tugged down her sweater. What had she done? If she had her purse, she’d just go and never come back. Mike wouldn’t know where to find her and she could leave all of her sins behind.

  Instead, she had to face Mike at least once more. Speaking of which, where on earth was he? He was sure taking his sweet time up there. She tapped her fingernails on the railing, making a loud metallic ring.

  In response, Spike came trotting up the walk. Liv jumped to her feet and stumbled up one step, uncertain of what her next move should be—run the risk of seeing Daisy and getting busted, or face down the mastiff. She scuttled up a few steps, hoping the dog wouldn’t follow, since she’d never seen him upstairs before.

  Her ploy worked, right up until she heard both Daisy and Mike’s voices and two sets of footsteps coming down the corridor upstairs.

  There was no option. She leaped to the bottom step just as Mike peered down over the railing. Worried Daisy was beside him, she grabbed the dog and buried her face in his meaty neck, deciding death by dog bite was preferable to humiliation.

  “What are you doing?” Mike was clearly shocked and she heard him run down the stairs and saw his boots stop next to Spike. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Just get her out of here, okay?”

  “Who?”

  “Daisy.” Liv exhaled sharply. “I don’t want her to see me.”

  “Why?”

  “Can we get into this later, please? Because, by the smell, I can guess this dog doesn’t bathe on a regular basis.”

  He didn’t respond for a moment, just stared at her. Liv knew he was a little disturbed by her odd behavior. She admitted to acting a bit out of character, but couldn’t imagine how she would possibly explain this to Geoff, let alone her father.

  Finally, Mike conceded. “Hey, Dase, why don’t you just leave that stuff by my door? Looks like Spike’s due for his monthly bath, so we’ll be bringing him up in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks for watching Booboo, whoever you are, and have a wonderful rest of the day,” Daisy called over the railing and Liv heaved a huge sigh of relief when the woman’s footsteps retreated and a door slammed shut.

  Mike squatted down and peeled Liv’s arms from around Spike’s neck. “You want to tell me what’s going on here?”

  “I know her. Sort of.”

  “What?”

  “Well, it turns out I might know her boyfriend.” Liv was pleased she wasn’t lying. Yet. She hoped Mike was able to accept a short, obscure explanation because that’s all she was planning to offer him before she grabbed her keys and made yet another escape.

  Mike gave Liv’s arm a tug and she had little choice but to sit beside him on the step. Right beside him. So close the heat from his body burned into her thigh, and she started to feel that familiar heaviness in her gut. The same heaviness she’d felt only moments before on the sofa. Oh brother, she had it bad.

  “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you’d be hanging out with.”

  Liv’s lips twitched, but she managed to keep the ironic look off her face. “You’d be surprised. Look, Mike, I need
to get going. I have an appointment later today, and I need to go home and get cleaned up.”

  “Dinner tonight?” He ran a finger along her jaw bone.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Tomorrow?” He wrapped a bit of her hair around his finger, caressing the nape of her neck as he twirled it around and around.

  She shook her head. Swallowed. Determined to be strong.

  “Are you giving me the brush-off, Liv?” He grabbed her chin and turned her face to his.

  Her heart broke a little at his little-boy-lost expression. “I can’t see you again. I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you make me feel things I shouldn’t feel.”

  “There’s no law against what we did, Liv. Or against what I want to do with you.”

  She bowed her head and decided she had no other choice but to admit at least part of the truth. “I’m engaged, Mike. I’m going to marry another man in less than a month.”

  Mike jumped to his feet as if she’d shocked him with a Taser. “What the hell?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it, sister. I don’t poach. Ever.” He curled his lip like he’d just taken a bite from an apple and found half a worm.

  “I’ll get my things.”

  “I think that’s best.”

  “Your door’s locked.”

  “I’ll get it.” He ran up the stairs. A moment later he was back. “You’re all set.” He turned his back and stood, stiff and proud.

  Liv dragged her feet upstairs to collect her purse and bag, feeling like someone had beaten her up. Why did it hurt so bad that Mike hated her? She should be glad she’d severed their relationship so thoroughly. Now she knew he’d never touch her again.

  Never kiss her again. Never make her cry out in pleasure.

  A warm tear crept over her lower eyelid, followed closely by another and another, until a waterfall poured out. She couldn’t see, her eyes blurred from tears and pain, so she stumbled blindly toward the stairs. Grabbing the handrail, she stepped carefully down, wanting to leave immediately, if not sooner, and unwilling to wait for the storm to pass.