Catching Liam (Good Girls Don't)
Page 22
Liam wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me to the bed without leaving me. We lay in near-silence, the only noise our quick shallow breath. Although I was sure the rapid beat of my heart vibrated in the air around us.
The stillness of the dark left room for thoughts of tomorrow and the months ahead. I tried to push them away, to ignore the burning ache that consumed me at the thought of the end of next semester. There would be no celebrating for me then, but, I argued to myself, that was months away. I was sure to fuck things up before then.
“What’s wrong, chicken?” Liam asked in a whisper. I realized then that my entire body was tense, rigid with self-doubt and fear.
“I was thinking about next semester,” I said in a quiet voice.
“You were thinking about me leaving?” he guessed. He brought his hand to rest over my heart, and I thought it might collapse under the weight of our uncertain future. I would always love Liam, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe the old platitude that it was better to have loved and lost. Still, I would never ask for a do-over. He was a permanent piece of my life, etched irrevocably into my heart. From now on, there would be a Before Liam and someday there might be an After Liam, but I realized then that I hoped there wouldn’t be.
“How do you feel about Scotland?” he asked me.
I laughed joylessly at the suggestion. “I barely convinced Tara to let me stay at Olympic State. It might kill her if I cross the Atlantic Ocean.”
“I think you would like Scotland,” he continued, ignoring my response. “We have months left before we have to make a decision.”
My breath hitched at his last statement. “Before we have to make a decision?”
“We. As in you and I. Together. I know you want this to work as much as I do, and the only way it will is if we discuss things. My student visa says I’m going back to Scotland in May, but that’s a piece of paper, chicken.” His arms tightened around my waist as he spoke, as though he was waiting for someone to try to rip us apart.
“The U.S. government might think differently,” I said, but even though I knew there were complicated decisions ahead of us, I felt safe and reassured in his embrace.
“People have fallen in love on different continents before,” he said in a soft voice. “That’s how we became a global community.”
“But —”
“We have time to figure things out, and I promise we will. You aren’t getting rid of me so easily, Jillian Nichols,” he promised and I relaxed into his arms. “Not when I finally caught you.”
It was silly to be worrying about this now when we were together, so I rolled over to face him. Minutes—maybe hours—passed as we looked into each other’s eyes. We didn’t need to speak to understand how far we’d come over the last few months. The “we” he spoke of was a fixed point in time that would define us both for as far ahead as I could see. And while part of me wanted to reject that and spare myself the chance of future heartache, I knew I was as much a part of him as he was of me.
Liam’s brought his lips to mine to seal the unspoken vow flickering between us. Our limbs tangling together, our breathing slowed until we were dependent on each other for the air we needed to survive. No matter what happened in the coming months, it was worth it for this one moment. His kiss ravaged me, rendering me incapable of any thought, except one.
He had finally caught me indeed.
acknowledgements
A number of people offered encouragement, advice and enthusiasm while I was working on this project. I am especially grateful to Laurelin Paige, Tamara Mataya, Lucy Stark and Melanie Harlow, who are absolute naturals at this writing gig. Thank you to Bethany Taylor, copy editor extraordinaire, for being a fan of Liam from the start.
To J. Lynn, Chelsea Cameron, Lyla Payne and Alessandra Thomas for words of wisdom in this new endeavor. I’ve learned so much from all of you!
Thanks to the fabulous Giselle, who is the best publicist a girl could ask for. And a huge thank you to Mollie Glick, my always patient agent. Thanks for going out on a limb with me.
And, of course, I would have never written a word if it weren’t for my husband, Mr. Hot Stuff himself. Thank you for putting up with me through the craziness that was this book. I can’t promise not to put you through it again, but I’ll try to be gentler in the future.
Lastly, thank you for reading this book, for taking a chance. You make writing through the long hours worth the stress and weight gain and craziness. I can’t wait to share more stories with you. Our adventures are only beginning.
Thank you for reading Catching Liam! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book:
1. Help other people find this book by writing a review.
2. Sign up for my new releases e-mail by contacting me at sophiableustories@gmail.com, so you can find out about the next book as soon as it’s available.
3. Come like my https://www.facebook.com/SophiaBleuBooks page.
4. Join the Kilt Checkers fan club and request swag to show your Scottish boy love.
about the author
Sophia Bleu is a New Adult author who writes about life and love and all the sexiness in between. In real life, she’s likely catching a plane, chasing kids, or cuddling with the love of her life—all 6 ft 3 inches of hotness that he is. Life is pretty good. Connect with her at her website or on twitter (@Sophia_Bleu).
Table of Contents
title page
prologue
chapter one
chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
chapter five
chapter six
chapter seven
chapter eight
chapter nine
chapter ten
chapter eleven
chapter twelve
chapter thirteen
chapter fourteen
chapter fifteen
chapter sixteen
chapter seventeen
chapter eighteen
chapter nineteen
chapter twenty
chapter twenty-one
chapter twenty-two
chapter twenty-three
chapter twenty-four
chapter twenty-five
chapter twenty-six
chapter twenty-seven
chapter twenty-eight
chapter twenty-nine
acknowledgements
about the author
coming soon