I watch Liam walk away through the front door’s peephole, sighing when he finally disappears from my sight. I wanted so badly to tell him to come inside, that we could reset the rest of the night we’d originally planned, since I’d still have the whole house to myself, but I couldn’t get the words out in time.
Sipping the coffee he bought for me, I head upstairs to my room and sit on my bed. I stare at my wall of Knowledge Bowl awards and think about what I should do for the rest of the night.
Before I can decide between Netflix and a book, my phone buzzes with a text message from Kelsey.
Kelsey: Did you guys have sex yet? When are you going to call me and give the details? :- )
I stare at her message, now realizing that she didn’t receive any of my texts about the dinner with Liam tonight. She has no idea what happened, but instead of texting her, I click on her name and hit “call.’
“Okay, so did it hurt?” She answers on the first ring. “Or was he really gentle? Oh, oh, oh, and most importantly, is it anything like it is in the movies?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I say. “We had a slight change of plans since I changed my mind.”
“What happened?”
I sigh and give her a recap of what happened over dinner. I honestly expect her to say, “Good decision,” or “Yeah, great move,” but she clucks her teeth and groans. “God, Mariah. Seriously?”
“What do you mean, seriously?” I notice Liam walking into his bedroom from my window. “He needs to know he was wrong.”
“He offered to tell Zach about the two of you weeks ago,” she says. “I mean, granted, I totally think waiting until after the championship game is the better move, but it’s not like he’s the one who’s hell-bent on keeping your relationship a secret. A huge part of you is, though.”
“That’s not true, Kels ...”
“It is and you know it.” She pops her gum in my ear. “And you also know I’ll always be on your side no matter what, but since you two got together, Liam has gone above and beyond to make sure you’re happy. How many guys at BH do you know who would write daily locker notes to their girlfriend, text her all day, talk to her on the phone all night, and take her on dates after every game. Games he actually plays in?”
“Well ...” I try to get a word in, but she doesn’t let me.
“No, no, no. How many guys would show up to their girlfriend’s job, just to help so she can leave early? Hell, I’m your best friend and a part of me does it from time to time, just so I can get paid ... He stayed with you at Dawson’s two nights in a row last week, just to help because you messed up a batter order. Like, he was only there so he could get to be around you ...”
I’m silent for a long time, soaking in her words. “You think I’ve been selfish?”
“No.” She laughs. “Just a little naive and close-minded. I honestly think Zach’s double date invitation caught Liam off guard, too. Regardless of you guy’s crazy history, I don’t think he would intentionally hurt you like that — especially not with time alone with you on the line. And I definitely don’t think you’ll have too many more opportunities to have the house to yourself, with your mom out of town and Zach out being a super man-whore, so.... You could at least spend your night together. That doesn’t mean sex, but why end a perfectly good night over a misunderstanding?”
I look over at Liam and see that he’s staring at me. “Where was all this wisdom two days ago in our Reasoning and Logic class?”
“You mean on that exam?” She laughs. “My wisdom only works in the real world, not in school settings. Anyway, call me tomorrow and tell me what you decided to do. I’m cutting you off so you won’t blame a never-ending phone call with me for not making up your mind.”
“No, wait! I need to —”
She ends the call before I can say another word. Then she sends me some texts.
Kelsey: I think the two of you, even when you’ve been enemies, were always meant to be together ...Call him. Now. O_o
Kelsey: Delete that last text, just in case he actually does something stupid soon. That way, I can turn on the hate for him, if need be :- )
I laugh and notice that Liam is still staring at me through his window. I give him a short wave and he waves right back. Heading Kelsey’s advice, I scroll down to his name and hit call.
“Hello, Mariah.” He answers on the first ring, still keeping his eyes on me.
“Liam ...”
Silence.
“Did you call to say goodnight?”
“No, I ...” I clear my throat. “I was calling to see if we could just forget the whole double date mishap completely and pick up with the plans we made to hang out tonight.
A slow smile spreads across his face. “Sure. What do you want to do? Go back out?”
“No, ummm.” I can feel my cheeks heating. “I was wondering if you could come over.”
“Sure.” He smiles again. “I’ll be over in five.”
I end the call and draw my blinds shut so he won’t see me looking at myself in the mirror. I’m still wearing the same outfit I wore earlier — a lacy black top and pair of navy blue leggings. I contemplate switching into something else, but the doorbell rings seconds later.
I head downstairs to open the door, surprised to see Liam dressed in a simple white T-shirt and grey lounge pants. That, and he’s carrying a huge pink box with a silver bow.
I reach out to grab the gift, but he holds it up high.
“You can’t open it until after I leave.”
“So, why don’t you just bring it back over after you leave?” I’m beyond curious now and reach for it again, but he holds it up even higher. Then he leans down and kisses me on the forehead.
“After I leave,” he whispers.
“Okay ...” I let him inside and shut the door.
The two of us stand staring at each other, and I have no idea what to say. Days ago, when we planned our night together, we’d mentioned watching movies over a delivered pizza and a cheesecake, but those places are closed now. We didn’t mention sex, but I think that was implied.
I think ...
Hey ... Want to take my virginity now? Hey ... We’re here by ourselves. Just me, you, and my virginity ... Hey, um —
“Did you eat anything at the diner?” Liam cuts through my thoughts. “I didn’t see you order anything after the bread.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Okay, hold on a second.” He leaves my house, taking that suspicious pink box with him and he returns minutes later with a large grocery bag.
Grabbing my hand, he leads me into my kitchen and pulls out a bar stool for me. He unloads the grocery bag with things from his own house — revealing pasta noodles, chicken breasts, and lots of vegetables. Without saying a word to me, he makes his way around the room, locating everything he needs to make dinner with ease.
“Can I ask you something personal?” I say, as he drops the noodles into a pot.
“Anything.”
“How many of your former girlfriends have you cooked dinner for?”
“Zero.”
“How many of your former girlfriends have you helped on their part-time jobs?”
He looks confused. “Zero.”
“Okay ... And how many of your former girlfriends have you slept with?”
“Three,” he says, and as if he can read my mind, he adds. “No, Ashley Jordan wasn’t one of them. I never slept with her.”
I look down at my hands, thinking of things I should ask next, but Liam is suddenly at my side —tilting my chin up with his fingertips.
“I’ve done more with you than I have with anyone else, and I plan to keep it that way.” He kisses me. “And as a matter of fact, I’ve never loved any of my girlfriends until you. Like a lot, sure, but it was never like this.” He kisses me again and returns to the other side of the kitchen to finish dinner.
I sit still and stare at him, unable to say another word because my mind is still processing the “I’ve never l
oved any of my girlfriends until you” line. It’s not until he slides a plate of food in front of me that I come to my senses again.
We eat our food in utter silence, and I resist the urge to tell him that this is probably the best pasta I’ve ever had in my life. Then again, I’m sure he gets the memo, since I manage to eat seconds and thirds.
When I can’t force myself to take another bite, I clear my throat and look into his eyes. It’s time for me to actually say what’s been on my mind since he got here.
“So ...” I can barely here my own voice. “Since it’s just going to be the three of us tonight —”
“Mariah, what are you talking about? There is no three. It’s just me and you ...”
“And my virginity ...”
He tries to hold back a laugh, but it comes out anyway. “We don’t have to have sex. You know that, and I’m not going to pressure you into it.” He picks up my plate and cleans up the kitchen, dropping the subject completely. “You mentioned wanting to binge watch a Netflix series last week. Do you still want to do that?”
“Yeah.” I stand and he follows me up to my room. I hit the lamp light and thank God I kept it spotless all this week, just in case he came over.
Smiling, Liam pulls me into his lap on the bed and grabs the remote — setting my TV on a show I mentioned to him three weeks ago. A show I nearly forgot all about.
Kissing the back of my neck, he whispers, “Are you comfortable?”
I don’t answer. I just nod. I can’t concentrate on the show at all.
In between inhaling the sweet, intoxicating scent of his cologne, feeling him strumming his fingers against my waist, and sighing each time he presses his lips against my skin, I highly doubt I’ll be able to be coherent for the rest of the night.
“You’re not laughing at any of the good parts ...” he whispers into my ear, planting another kiss on my neck right after. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head and slowly turn around, pressing my lips against his. It catches him completely off guard, as he struggles to keep me balanced in his lap, as he begins to run his fingers through my hair.
I press my hand against his chest, slowly trailing it down to his zipper, but he grabs my hand before I can take things any further.
“What are you doing?” he whispers against my mouth.
“Trying to get you to sleep with me ...” I say. “Is it working?”
“No.” His lips curve into a smile and he kisses me so deeply that I completely lose my train of thought.
He grabs my hips and rolls me over so I’m on my back and he’s bent over me. “Are you sure?” He looks into my eyes. “I can wait.”
“I don’t want to wait anymore.”
He stares at me for a long time, looking as if he’s gauging if I’m telling the truth or not. “Hold your hands up,” he says softly and I oblige — letting him slowly pull my shirt off. He unfastens my pants and tugs them off, shaking his head when he sees the panties I’m wearing.
“I hate Liam?” He looks up at me.
“I made these in art class two years ago when I hated you. I thought they’d be appropriate.”
“They’re definitely not appropriate.” He traces the letters with his fingers before taking off his shirt and revealing his sexy six pack abs.
I watch in awe as he takes off everything but his boxers, as he climbs in bed next to me and kisses my lips. He trails kisses down my neck, my stomach, and my thighs — making me tremble all over.
Entwining my hands with his, he kisses his way back up to my mouth and whispers, “You’re so fucking beautiful, Ryah ...”
“Thank you ...” I’m still trembling for some reason. “Am I supposed to say something nice about you back? Is that how this goes?”
“No.” He looks amused. “It’s implied.” He leans over the bed and pulls a condom out of his pocket, but instead of putting it on, he puts it on my nightstand and resumes kissing me all over.
This time, he unsnaps my bra and trails his tongue against my nipples and against my breasts. He takes his time kissing my stomach and my thighs, and by the time he’s kissing my mouth again, I’m not trembling so much anymore.
Grabbing my hands and placing them on his boxers, he silently commands me to push them down. I swallow when I get them halfway down and see his hardened cock. I rub my hand against it and he stills for a second before covering my hand with his.
“Like this.” He locks his eyes on mine as he moves my hand up and down his thick length. His breathing slows after a while and he gently pushes my hand away and puts on the condom.
As he runs his hands between my legs, I gasp when I realize how wet I am right now. I notice him asking, “Are you sure?” with his eyes again and I manage to whisper, “Yes ...”
He kisses me one more time and guides his cock toward my entrance. The second he enters me, all I feel is pain.
I look up at the ceiling, feeling tears forming in my eyes as he slowly slides deeper, but then he stops.
“What are you doing?” I look up at him. “Don’t stop.”
“I’m hurting you,” he says. “And you’re crying.”
“No, it’s just ... It does hurt a lot, but I think it’s supposed to for my first time. That’s what every girl says ...”
He gives me a blank stare, and looks as if he’s about to pull out of me completely anyway, but I grab his hands.
“I don’t want you to stop,” I say. “I want my first time to be with you, no matter what.” I wait for him to say something, but he simply squeezes my hands and pushes his cock inside of me a little further.
Then more.
When he’s all the way inside of me, his eyes meet mine and he kisses my mouth. He takes his time, moving in and out of me, kissing my tears away as the initial pain slowly gives way to pleasure. I dig my nails into his back as he reaches between my thighs and caresses my clit with his fingers.
I’m not sure why my pussy begins throbbing against his hand, but I don’t want him to stop. I never want him to stop ...
His mouth covers mine as I begin to moan and my legs shake against my will. I suddenly feel a rush of tremors up and down my spine, and I try to control them, but it’s no use. I shut my eyes and feel my entire body go limp, and then I feel Liam collapsing on top of me before I pass out.
I’m not sure how long we lay there like that, but the next time I open my eyes, Liam is holding me against his chest and staring at me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing a water bottle and handing it to me.
“I’m fine.” I take a few sips of the water. “What time is it?”
“Three thirty.”
“What? How long did I pass out?”
“A couple hours.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Is Zach here?”
“He won’t be back until around ten. He texted me not too long ago ... He asked me to check on you.”
“Did you tell him we had sex?”
“I’ll never tell him we had sex.” He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Telling him about our relationship will be enough, don’t you think?”
“Yeah ...”
He brushes a few strands of hair out of my face. “Do you want me to make you something else to eat? Or attempt to watch whatever we were watching before?”
I shake my head and blush. He looks ten times sexier right now than he did a few hours ago, for some reason.
“Ryah?” He looks at me. “What do you want to do?”
“Promise not to judge me when I tell you?”
“Promise.”
“I want to have sex for the second time ...”
22
Liam
“Okay, who’s the girl?” Zach tosses a towel at me in the locker room a few weeks later.
“What are you talking about?”
“The girl you’re dating,” he says. “Who is she, and do I know her?”
“Um ...” I think of a way to evade his question. We
have three more games before the playoffs and I’m sure Mariah would lose it if I told him about us any sooner than she wanted.
“Actually,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Don’t tell me. Just promise you’ll let me meet the mystery girl soon so I can thank her myself.”
“For what?”
“For whatever effect she’s clearly having on your game.” He picks up his duffle bag. “Since that night you told me about her at the diner, you’ve been way more productive on the court than usual. Especially tonight.”
“I haven’t really noticed.” I shrug. Every game we’ve played since then has literally been a blowout.
“You scored thirty points today.”
“So did you.”
“Not in the first half alone ... You scored forty in yesterday’s game, even though you looked like you were in a zone for most of it.” He starts to head out. “Call me superstitious or whatever, but do yourself, me, and the team a favor: Try not to break up with your secret girlfriend until after we win the championship game.”
I can definitely guarantee that ...
23
Liam
Mariah leans against my chest on a bench in Cove Park, attempting to convince me that she’s not exhausted, but I can see it in her eyes. I can’t count how many times we’ve had sex over the past few weeks, but her sex drive is just as high as mine. It’s so high, that I feel like we’ve bene slightly careless some days because sex with her is beyond addictive.
I’ve snuck into her bedroom every other night, she’s snuck into mine on weekends, and after games and practices, we’ve had to find random places to meet, so we won’t get caught.
“Did you open that pink box I gave you yet?” I ask.
“Not yet.” She frowns. “Your card on top came with directions you failed to mention at first. I’m not supposed to open it until I have a bad day, and I haven’t had one yet.”
“Good.” I run my fingers through her hair. “Just checking.”
“I’m really not that exhausted anymore,” she says, stifling a yawn. “We can walk the trail now.”
“We’ll walk it in an hour.”
“Okay.” She shuts her eyes and whispers. “Is it normal to have sex three times in the same day? Like, I hate to ask you if you’ve ever done that with someone else, but —”
Mr. Popular: A Falling For My Brother's Best Friend Romance Page 15