I took a deep breath and turned into the building. Their room was on the first floor, and I only had to turn one corner before I was standing in front of their door.
This was it. I could still turn around and walk away right now, and Liam would never know. I could pretend that I’d gone straight back to my own room, and tomorrow morning, I would act as though Giff hadn’t told me anything.
Or I could knock at the door, knowing this was a turning point. If I went in and Liam did need me, if I could offer him any comfort … I would be committing to more than friendship. I knew I’d been kidding myself for a while anyway; we both knew the friendship pact was just a cover for what Liam wanted. For what, maybe, both of us wanted.
I lifted my hand and knocked.
I thought I heard a sound from within, but there was no answer. I swallowed and paused with my hand on the doorknob. If it were locked, I had my answer. I would go back to my room.
I turned it, and the door opened.
The room was dark; only the campus street lights let me see the outline of furniture. I stood for a minute, letting my eyes adjust as I scanned the room. I saw the two empty beds and desks with books and papers. Giff’s chair was pulled out, and a t-shirt hung over the back of it.
Liam wasn’t here. A wave that was a mix of disappointment and relief swept over me. I closed my eyes and berated myself: what had I expected? That I was going to come in and fix whatever might be wrong with him? I was an idiot.
I turned around and stumbled over something. Grabbing onto the bookcase was the only thing that kept me from landing on the floor next to … Liam.
He was sitting propped up against his bed, shadowed so that I hadn’t seen him before. His head lolled back against the side of the mattress. I knelt down alongside his legs, and my hand hit the cold of a glass bottle. I couldn’t see the label in the dark, but I had a pretty good idea of what it would say judging from the smell coming off him.
“Liam.” I touched his face, turned it to me. His eyes fluttered opened, staring at me unfocused. And then he groaned.
“Hey.” I trailed a finger down his jaw. “It’s me.”
“Ava?” His voice was rough.
“Yeah. I’m right here.”
His hand rose to cup my cheek. “I was dreaming of you.’
I smiled as warmth spread over me. “Really? What was I doing?”
“This.” He put a little pressure on the back of my neck and pulled me to his lips. His breath was heavy with the smell of whiskey, but I didn’t even pause. I opened my mouth, letting his tongue plunder me thoroughly. My breasts pressed into his chest, and I wriggled against him.
“God, Ava. My God, I want you.” He slid his free hand under my shirt between us, palming my breast. I gasped against his mouth.
“Liam.” I wanted, too. Good God, how I wanted. But I pulled back, leaning on his shoulders. “Hey. We need to talk.”
He groaned. “I had enough talk tonight. I just want you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me your parents were coming?”
He dropped his head back. “Giff?”
“Yeah.”
He blew out a breath. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to hide it. They’re … Ava, my parents are not like yours. The idea of letting them get in the middle of whatever it is we have … they’d make it ugly.”
I frowned. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Trust me, sweetheart. It’s worse.”
“Tell me about it.”
“No. I don’t want to talk about them. I want to be with you. Stay with me tonight, Ava. Let me make you feel good.”
I pressed my lips together and brushed the hair out of Liam’s eyes. “I’ll stay. But I want you to tell me what happened with your parents that made you come back and drink yourself to oblivion.”
He stretched his neck. “I’m not that drunk, Ava. Just slightly numb.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I settled alongside him, sitting on the floor with his arm over my shoulders. “Then you can talk.”
He sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm.” He ran his hand down my hair. “So you came over here after Giff told you about our dinner?”
“I was worried about you.”
“You’re a good friend.” He nuzzled my neck.
“I think we both know the friendship train jumped the track a long time ago. At least, I think it did.”
“Yeah. So where does that leave us?”
I smiled and laced my fingers into his. “We’ll figure it out. But first … tell me about tonight. Nice try on the distraction, though. You get an A for effort.”
“Thanks.” He swallowed and tightened his hold on my hand. “I told you my mom and dad aren’t like yours. But we used to be able to at least talk. They listened to me. Then a few months back, everything changed.”
“What happened? What made them change?”
He shook his head. “Not them. Me. I’m the one who’s different now.”
I frowned. “Okay. How? And why?”
He was quiet, and his arm snuggled me closer to him. “Ava, I’ve never talked to anyone about this. Not Giff. Not anyone.”
I felt the rebuff. “All right.” I started to push up and away. “I understand. I know you’re private—”
“No, you don’t understand.” He pulled me back. “I’m not saying I won’t tell you. Just that it’s hard.”
I sat back down, facing Liam on my knees. After a moment, I slid one leg over top of his so that I straddled his lap. His head jerked up to look at me.
“Watch me.” I leaned down to kiss the side of his neck. “I’m right here. I’m not leaving. You can tell me anything, and I’ll still be here.”
He ran his hands up my arms. “You … you amaze me.” He took a deep breath and looked into my eyes as he began to speak.
“Remember the night you asked me why I had broken up with Julia like I did? I said it was complicated, and it was. A lot more than I could tell anyone.” He traced one finger up to my shoulder, making me shiver.
“We had dinner together one night, my parents, Giff and Julia. My dad talked about all the events coming up that I was expected to attend, and he told Julia that he hoped she’d come along on one of them. A big one. And it shouldn’t have mattered, but something hit me. My father was talking like he expected Julia to be around for a while, and that made me panic.
“I started to think about what I wanted, and I realized it wasn’t Julia. I know that sounds bad, but for the first time, I was seeing things more clearly. So I went to talk to my father. I drove up to the house on a Thursday afternoon, just to let him know I was planning to tell Julia I thought we should break up. I wanted his advice. Maybe his approval. His car was in the driveway, and I called for him when I walked in, but I didn’t see him in his library or office. I thought I heard a sound upstairs, so I went to check.” He swallowed, hard. “He was there. But he wasn’t alone. He was in bed with a woman I’d never seen before.”
“Oh, Liam,” I breathed. “God. I’m sorry.”
He went on as though I hadn’t spoken. “I went out, but he had seen me. I drove back to school, and I went for a run. Just to get away. And he was in my room when I got back. He’d sent Giff away, told him we needed to have a private conversation. I told him I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say, and my father told me it was time I understood the facts of life.”
There was derision in his voice. I rocked forward and held his face, stroked down his cheeks. They were wet.
“He wanted me to know that he loved my mother. In his way. That they were comfortable, and she was a good political wife. He said he’d never do anything to embarrass her, and that I had to understand there were …” He closed his eyes. “Girls you married and girls you fucked. Julia, according to him, was one of the marrying kind. She would be a good asset to me.
“I told him it didn’t matter, I w
as about to break up with her, and he told me that would be stupid. He said if she wasn’t giving me what I needed, I could always get it elsewhere.”
Everything was beginning to fall into place. “That was right before your birthday, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t plan to do it that way. But the night of the party, it felt like the walls were closing in. Like … if I didn’t make a change, and fast, I was going to be stuck in my father’s life. The idea of that made me sick, and it made me do something terrible to someone who didn’t deserve it.”
Liam’s jaw clenched, and he stared over my shoulder. “So that’s the truth. And since that night, everything with my parents has been … strained. I can’t look at my mother without seeing my father in bed with that woman. And I don’t want to hear anything my father says. I haven’t been home since Christmas, and I tell them I’m busy whenever they come down. They surprised me tonight. I didn’t know they were going to be here when I saw you this afternoon. I got back after track practice, and they were here. I roped Giff into going to dinner with us.”
He reached up to frame my face in his hands. “You have to believe, it wasn’t that I didn’t want them to know about you. About us. It just wasn’t the time.”
I studied his blue eyes. He was watching me, gauging my reaction. I leaned forward and touched my lips to his, joining our mouths in a promise of understanding.
“Okay.”
Liam raised his eyes to me. “Okay?”
“Yes. I get it. I understand. And I don’t want to be someone who makes your relationship with your parents more …” I smiled. “Complicated. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“You wouldn’t. You don’t complicate anything, Ava. When I’m with you, everything feels so much clearer and simpler.”
“I feel the same way.” I laid down flat, with my ear on his chest so I could hear the beating of his heart. “I thought you were bringing all kinds of mess to my life, screwing up my perfect plan. But now …” I turned my head so that my chin rested on his sternum. “The plan feels kind of empty if you’re not part of it.”
Liam moved his hands to my sides and pulled me up along his body until my face was even with his. “Does this mean the friendship rules are off the table?”
I nodded. “Not that you ever paid any attention to them, anyway.”
“But now I can do this without worrying about having to feel guilty or making explanations later.”
He pressed my mouth into his, and if I’d thought he’d kissed me with passion before, I was wrong. So, so wrong. Now he branded me, claiming me with his lips and tongue and teeth. His mouth opened and coaxed mine to do the same, as he swallowed the hum of satisfaction and need that came from my throat.
The tip of his tongue ran over the inside of my lips, and I shivered. And then he plunged deep within my mouth, tangling and stroking. His hands rubbed slow circles up and down my sides, coming closer and closer to the sides of my breasts each time.
I sat up, bringing my knees up along his hips and settling my center more fully over the straining I felt through his khakis. Liam sucked in a deep breath as I rocked, and he brought his hands down to grip my ass.
“You feel good,” I whispered, leaning my hands on his chest.
“God, you have no idea.” He moved his hands to my boobs, cupping them through my shirt. His thumbs stroked my nipples, and even through two layers, I thought I was going to burst into flames. I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head.
Liam’s eyes widened as he took me in. “You are so fucking beautiful, Ava.” His hands came up to trace over the lace of my bra. “Let me make you feel good.”
He slipped his fingers under the cup and eased it down and then leaned forward, capturing my nipple in his mouth. He sucked hard and then caught it between his teeth. His tongue joined in, pressing the tip to the roof of his mouth. I moaned and felt his lips move into a smile.
“Is that a good moan?”
I hissed in a breath. “It’s a for-the-love-of-God-don’t-stop moan.”
“Not planning on it.” He caught the stiff peak between his teeth again, and at the same time his hand found the other nipple, pinching it through the lace between finger and thumb. I arched forward and clutched at his back, holding us together.
“Ava.” He rained kisses between my breasts, up to my neck. “I’m going to make you come. I’m going to touch you everywhere. But I’m not going to make love to you tonight. When we do … I want it to be … untouched by anything else. Not because I’m mad about my parents. Or anything else. Just you. Just me. Okay?”
I blinked back tears that took me by surprise. “Thank you.”
He darted his tongue into my ear, sucked the lobe into his mouth. “For what? I haven’t done anything yet.”
“For being the most wonderful man I’ve ever met. For caring about me. For protecting me.” I turned my head to meet his mouth, pouring everything I felt into our kiss.
“Always.” Liam reached behind my back to unhook my bra. The straps slid down my arms and he tossed it to the side. His mouth feasted on me as I held his head and rubbed the throbbing need at my center to the bulge below me.
He slid his hands down the front of my pants, his fingers skimming over the top of my panties. My position kept him from reaching me, and he growled.
“Lift up.” I obeyed without hesitation, and Liam worked the button and zipper on my pants. Between the two of us, we wiggled them down, and I kicked them off. Liam wasted no time in bringing his fingers between my legs, running them over my inner thighs and then finally, finally touching me over the cloth of my underwear.
I rocked closer, moaning in short bursts. Pleasure was building, and everything in my world was centered on his fingers as they stroked me.
“You’re so hot, baby. I want to see you come, and I want to hear you say my name when you do.”
“God—Liam—”
He pushed the material out of the way, and his fingers slid inside me. I gripped his shirt, holding myself up on his chest, staring into the blue eyes that threatened to set me ablaze.
“Come on, Ava. Let it go. Look at me. Let me watch you.” His thumb moved up to press against the small bundle of nerves that craved his touch and I shot straight up, his name the only word on my lips and the only thought in my head.
“Liam!”
Every inch of my body sizzled with a bolt of pleasure, so deep and so intense that I didn’t think I could breathe. I arched backward, my eyes closing in spite of myself.
I fell forward, collapsing on Liam. “My God. Oh, my God. Liam.”
His hand rubbed over my back. “I’m right here.” He tilted my chin up to touch my lips with his. “I’ll always be right here.”
WE FELL ASLEEP there on the floor. At some point, Liam lifted me with him to his bed, and when I woke, I was tucked with my back against his front. His arms circled me, and my head was below his chin.
I blinked slowly against the light streaming in from the windows. I couldn’t tell what time it was, but I was pretty certain I’d already slept through one class. My phone was in my bag, somewhere on the floor along with my clothes. I could have wiggled loose and retrieved it, but the thought of moving right now was not appealing.
“Waking up with you is the second-best thing I’ve ever experienced.” Liam’s voice was low and husky in my ear. I smiled and nestled closer.
“Only second-best? What’s the first?”
“Watching you come while I touch you. Hearing you say my name when you fall apart.”
I sighed, my eyes drifting shut again. “Yeah, that was way up there on my list, too.”
“I think we’re going to be late for class this morning.”
“Do you care?”
He laughed, pulled me tighter. “No, but I thought you might be freaking out about it.”
I shrugged. “Nah. I don’t ever miss, so I figure I’ve built up a pretty good credibility account with my professors. One day isn
’t going to kill me.” A small pang of panic grabbed at my heart, but I tamped it down.
“I like that way of thinking.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Liam … about last night.”
“Yeah?” I felt his arms tense, and I ran my fingers over his hands to relax him,
“No, not that part of last night. I don’t have regrets. I mean … what you told me about your parents. You need to tell Julia. You need to explain things to her.”
He blew out a sigh. “Why? It’s over. It’s done, and I’ve apologized and we’ve both moved on. Why should I drag the whole thing back up now?”
“Because Julia needs to know. You apologized, yes, but you never explained. It will make a difference to her.” I turned in his arms so I could look into his eyes. “And to us. I don’t want what you and I have to get in between my friendship with Jules. She’s important to me.”
Liam smoothed his thumb over my cheekbone, his eyes studying me. “You have the most beautiful skin, you know that? It’s like what Giff calls you … peaches and cream. I always wondered if it were the same all over your body. It is.”
I felt a blush creep over my cheeks. “Thanks, but you’re not going to distract me. Will you talk to her?”
He closed his eyes. “Okay. If it’s important to you, I will.”
“Thank you.” I kissed his chin. “Now as much as I want to stay right here with you, I better get moving. Speaking of Julia, she’s probably freaking out that I didn’t come home last night.” I started to sit up and then paused. “Turn over.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“Because I’m naked. I need to get my clothes.”
He laughed as his arm snaked around to grab me again. “Ava, I don’t want to point out the obvious, but I’ve seen you naked now. I saw you last night, sitting on me naked. And I slept with you all night, naked.”
“I know, but now it’s daylight, and it’s morning, and I’m going to have to bend over to get my stuff. I’m not ready for that yet. Call me a prude, but it’s how I am.”
Still laughing, Liam rolled over so that his back faced me. “All right. Tell me when it’s safe to open my eyes.”
Just Desserts (Perfect Dish Romances Book 2) Page 15