Fix Them Up, page 17
It was like a pint of water had been thrown on Liam’s head. He stepped back, and subtly rearranged his boxers.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to –’ Liam ran his hands through his hair. ‘I swore to myself I wouldn’t go there, even when I wanted to. Then, I couldn’t deny it anymore. Not when you felt so good in my arms when we danced.’ His eyes followed my curves, lighting little fires across my hips and my legs. ‘So I told myself I would ask you out properly once I spoke to Yasmin.’
I gasped. ‘What – you. You want to ask me out?’
‘Yas and I agreed to give each other a heads-up when we started seeing someone seriously so we didn’t confuse Abigail. It’s not the kind of conversation I wanted to have over the phone. They were due back tomorrow. But then they came over this morning –’
‘Wait – Liam. What are you saying?’
Liam took the final step and closed the space between us. My hands couldn’t help but wrap themselves into his hoodie. It was softer than I expected, and my squirrel brain idly wondered if he had a thing for cashmere. I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes and ridiculously long, dark eyelashes. His eyes searched mine, then got caught on my lips.
‘I like you, Kat.’
‘You like me.’
‘I like you. I think I’ve liked you since you ran at me with a lamp.’ His lips twitched. ‘Or maybe since you called me a prick in the church car park. I liked you even more when you were determined to renovate a house all by yourself, with absolutely no experience.’ He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. ‘And I couldn’t resist helping you because when your beautiful face drops in disappointment, it’s like a punch to my stomach. I can’t stand it.’ Liam shook his head, like he still couldn’t quite believe it himself. ‘So yeah. I like you.’
‘No, you don’t.’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘I annoy you.’
‘You don’t annoy me.’
‘Liar! I’ve seen it on your face!’
Liam gave me a small smile. ‘I think you’re entertaining. Chaotic. Captivating. But you don’t annoy me. Usually.’
‘“Usually” implies I annoy you sometimes.’
‘You’re annoying me now.’
‘Prove it.’
‘Okay.’ He stepped back. ‘Well, I agreed to renovate your house, and I saved you from a collapsing tent.’
‘That was just to gloat.’ I crossed my arms.
Liam smiled. ‘That was a bonus. I fixed the lock on your house because I couldn’t stand the thought of you not being safe. I make you dinner every night because I refuse to let you starve. And ’cos a bag of crisps doesn’t count as dinner.’ He took a step forward, standing in front of me. ‘And there is the fact I can’t stop thinking about you all the fucking time. I can’t get you out of my head.’
Breath left my lungs at his words, but a bit of me couldn’t believe what he was saying.
‘But when I kissed you, you looked like you wanted the ground to swallow you up.’
Liam looked at me through dark eyelashes. ‘I didn’t want the ground to swallow me up. You were tipsy. And you’d had a rough day. You were grieving, and I didn’t want to… take advantage. Knowing you might not be in control of all your decisions. That you might regret it.’ Liam’s face tightened. ‘I’ve woken up and regretted things I’ve done before. It’s not a pleasant feeling.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said quietly.
‘It’s fine,’ he said, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger.
My eyes were laser-focused on his earnest face as he shared this with me. This was so new, so delicate. We were both walking on a tightrope, both scared to look down. His eyes met mine, then flickered to my mouth. I felt a swoop in my stomach.
He leaned in, whispering in my ear. ‘The kiss was everything, Kat. I haven’t felt this way about anyone. Ever. So I wanted to be careful. I wanted to do things properly. I’ve spent so much time fucking things up, and I can’t do that again. Not with you.’
His hand touched my elbow and traced it down to my palm tentatively. Exploring. Asking a question. I answered by touching him back. A flicker of relief on his face. It had taken a lot for him to confess.
His chest was heaving, his voice faltering.
Liam was nervous.
So, I made the first move.
I pushed up onto my toes and pressed my mouth against his.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The shock seemed to ripple through his body, briefly freezing him. His hands came up to my face and into my hair. The kiss started slowly and softly as if it was only supposed to be a short kiss, a stolen moment at midnight. My feet were between his, his hand holding a runaway curl at my cheek. His lips were firm and unrelenting against mine but not pushing further.
And I wanted further.
So, I ran my hands into his hair and pulled gently.
Liam listened, answering my demands. He pushed me up onto the kitchen worktop, standing between my legs. My chest flush against his. Then, he deepened the kiss, all tongues and teeth.
‘Since I first saw you in this kitchen, I’ve wanted to press you up against this counter,’ Liam said, kissing down my neck. ‘Every day since, I wanted to taste you. See if you taste as sweet as you look.’
I made a noise that came out like a half moan, half complaint that he’d moved further from my lips. I was eating up these confessions like my life depended on it. Liam gently bit my neck, and a soft hum came from his throat. I pulled him closer again, drawing his lips to mine, where I wanted them. When his tongue brushed mine, I groaned.
He was good at this. Really good.
He touched, kissed, and pressed in all the right places. His arms roamed but kept me locked in on the counter. I was panting, wanting – no, needing – more from him.
‘What do you want, Red?’ Liam said, panting lightly. I glanced down and saw that he was impressively hard in his boxers.
‘I want that,’ I said, leaning over to caress him, but Liam’s hand touched my wrist. He brought it up to his lips, kissing the sensitive part of my wrist.
‘Not yet.’ He grinned. ‘It’s my turn first,’ he said, kissing down my arm. ‘I’ve imagined these hands wrapped around my cock more times than I want to admit.’
I gave a surprised exhale at his words. ‘Dirty.’
‘You have no idea.’ He leaned forward, bringing his lips back to my neck, my collarbone. I guided his hands up to my breasts, and he caressed my nipples, and then he pinched, making me gasp.
‘I could get off to that noise,’ he said, his eyes meeting mine, molten. I began to unbutton my pyjama top, slowly, watching Liam’s face track every movement. His eyes tracked my breasts covered by my lace T-shirt bra. I knew he could see my nipples through the material by the way his eyes melted like chocolate. His hands trailed my waist, coming up and up, grazing over my nipples, making me squirm, needing more. I clasped my legs together, desperate. Liam watched the movement, a small smile on his lips.
‘Can I?’ he asked, and I nodded.
Liam pulled down my bra and pinched and teased. Then, he lowered his head and took my nipple into his mouth, making me arch.
‘Beautiful,’ he murmured into my skin, ‘so fucking beautiful.’
‘Liam –’
One of his hands made its way up my thigh, under my shorts, but lingered there. Waiting. Teasing.
‘Please,’ I panted, the cold of Liam’s kitchen counter burned under my thighs.
‘What do you need?’ he asked, gently biting, inciting a gasp from me. ‘I want to hear it.’
‘Touch me. Please.’
Liam hummed in appreciation, as if he liked those words on my lips. He pulled my shorts down in one quick movement. He was just how I imagined. Confident. Maybe a little cocky.
‘Kat.’ Liam’s voice was a warning.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you aware you aren’t wearing anything under these shorts?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you walked into my kitchen like this?’ Liam’s head half collapsed onto my chest, giving me a sharp bite under my breast. A punishment. A reward. I wasn’t sure which.
‘I wasn’t expecting this to happen,’ I said, my voice low.
‘You’re a tease,’ he murmured as he dropped a kiss on my thigh. He kept kissing his way up to my left hip. Then my right. Kept his hands and his mouth away from where I wanted him so badly.
‘Liam,’ I murmured, followed by a noise I’d never heard from my mouth before.
Liam chuckled, happy to take his time. He planted a kiss on me right above my clit, and I gasped. My hands went to his hair, pulling. Unconsciously, I opened my legs further and splayed on his counter.
‘So responsive,’ Liam said, lowering his mouth to plant another closed-mouth kiss on me. I moaned and glanced down to see Liam pressing himself into the counter like he was as desperate as me. Liam brought up his hands and ran his thumb across my clit, circling slowly, painfully.
‘Yes,’ I murmured. ‘More.’
Liam sped up slightly and kissed my thigh again. He kept at the pace until I was panting, my pleasure spiralling up my spine.
‘Kat,’ Liam asked through the haze, ‘can I taste you?’
‘Yes.’
Liam slurred something like ‘thank god’ and lowered his mouth to me, swiping his tongue with precision. He hummed approvingly as he pushed his finger inside me, making me pull harder at his hair. I came, my hips rose off the counter, and I tried to hold back the moan, with little success.
It was white-hot and blissful.
Liam held me through it, murmuring words I couldn’t comprehend, then gently kissed my throat, cheeks, and eyelids. Once my heart rate slowed, I sat up. Liam’s gaze flickered over my face, taking me in. His chest was rising and falling, and I could see his pulse race in his throat. I reached for him, but he held my arms again.
‘You know you’ve ruined my kitchen. I won’t be able to look at this counter without remembering you spread out on it.’
He grinned. He looked so happy. Devastatingly happy. His gaze darted around my face like he was trying to memorise this moment.
Like I meant something to him.
My high dissipated.
I didn’t want to lead him on. This had been amazing, but I was leaving. And something told me that Liam was not a ‘casual’ kind of guy.
I grabbed my shorts, shoving them on.
‘Are you okay?’ Liam asked, his face full of concern. ‘Did I hurt you?’
‘No, no.’ I reached up and touched the stubble on his handsome face. ‘That was amazing. Honestly, amazing. I just –’ My smile dropped.
Liam’s smile faltered.
I exhaled. ‘I like you, too – a lot. But I don’t want to lead you on, Liam. My plan is the same. I am moving back home, back to London. I have to. I have people relying on me at work. My mum and Graham…’ I trailed off, hoping he got the picture.
‘Right,’ he said, glancing away.
‘But we could keep things casual,’ I suggested.
‘Casual,’ he repeated. ‘You want to keep it casual.’
‘Well, yes,’ I offered meekly. I’d dealt my cards now; I couldn’t take them back.
Liam exhaled, running his hand through his hair again.
His eyebrows pinched.
‘Hey,’ I said, pulling him closer by the arm. ‘We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. If it’s not what you want –’
‘I’ve done “just sex” before, Kat. It’s not my style anymore.’
Disappointment flooded my chest.
‘I understand.’ I nodded. ‘It’s not something you’re comfortable with. I get it.’
I met Liam’s eyes. I could see the deliberation in them. He ran his hand through his hair. His eyes flickered across my face. Then, he gave a frustrated groan, moved and started pacing the kitchen.
‘Why can’t I say no to you?’ he murmured, then walked back to me, pinching my chin between his thumb and forefinger. ‘I have some conditions. We can keep things casual, like you want. But we’re exclusive. No dating anyone else while you’re here.’
‘That kind of feels like the opposite –’
‘And you let me take you on one date.’
‘Liam, both of those things are literally the opposite of casual.’
‘One date, Kat.’ He smirked. ‘I’m not asking you to marry me. Come on.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘You are so pushy.’
‘Are you going to be able to stop?’ Liam asked, caressing my jaw, running a thumb across my lower lip. ‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stop, even if I wanted to.’
My breathing became uneven. I could practically feel my eyes dilate. I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face with my lips. I wanted to push him away and pull him back at the same time. Liam was right. We’d started something with momentum, something inevitable. How were we going to keep our hands off each other?
People were going to know.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘I agree to your terms.’
Liam’s lips lifted. ‘Do we need it notarised?’ He went to turn away. ‘I can get a solicitor on the phone –’
‘Stop it.’ I laughed. ‘Don’t be a dick.’
‘I think you like the look of my dick, actually. From the way you were ogling it, about’ – he checked his watch – ‘five minutes ago.’
My stupid eyes couldn’t help but flicker down.
‘Make that five seconds.’ He laughed, kissing my jaw and neck. It was distracting, so distracting.
‘I was thinking…’ I sighed and leaned my neck to the side. ‘We should keep this… discreet.’
Liam pulled back, frowning. ‘Why?’
‘Well’ – I laughed – ‘for one, everyone is taking bets. On us. Becoming a couple.’
Liam stilled. ‘Who is everyone?’
‘According to Lydia, the whole town. Or at least every member of the club. Apparently, standing up in front of everyone in that meeting was a declaration of love –’ I snorted, but Liam didn’t crack a smile.
‘I’ll make them stop.’ Liam’s lips were straight, and I missed his playful teasing. I took his hand, weaving his fingers through mine and watched as the touch softened his shoulders.
‘It’s not the bets. They can have their fun. I don’t want to leave the town a pariah. People will side with you, their golden boy, not some random woman.’
‘I don’t care about people.’
‘I do –’ I said quickly. Too quickly. ‘I want to be able to come back to visit. Lydia and my aunt and uncle. I don’t want to burn bridges here.’ I bit my lip. ‘So if you think this will make that impossible—’
Liam pulled me into him, my face pressed into his hard chest. His arms came around me, warm and heavy.
‘You’re always going to be welcome here, no matter what. It doesn’t matter about me. This is your home, too.’
‘Thanks,’ I murmured into his chest, squished.
Liam let me go and tucked my hair behind my ear.
‘But even if it wasn’t about that, Liam’ – I winced – ‘I don’t do long-term. So keeping this casual—’
‘I get it,’ Liam interrupted, his lips pressed together. His eyes burned with intensity.
‘Pinkie swear?’ I raised my eyes to his.
He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘This again.’ Liam’s pinkie wrapped around mine. ‘I’d pinkie swear my life away to you, apparently.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Are you my dad’s girlfriend?’ Abigail asked as she slurped her cereal at Liam’s kitchen island, her black Adidas trainers swinging from the barstool.
I sputtered into my coffee, dread settling in my stomach. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? No, Abigail, but your dad and I have a no-strings-attached relationship where he blows my back out and cooks me dinner.
‘It’s fine if you are,’ Abigail said, smiling. ‘Mum has a finance.’
‘A fiancée?’
‘Yeah, that one. Kirsty is really cool. She climbs rocks, and she’s a woman. Some people at school think that’s weird, but I tell them what Dad told me to say.’ She puffed out her chest. ‘Fuck off.’
I gave a stuttered laugh. ‘Your dad told you to tell other kids to fuck off.’
Abigail nodded, her dark hair the exact colour of Liam’s moving around her shoulders. ‘Yep. Dad says they are bigamists.’
‘Bigots.’
‘Exactly.’ She nodded solemnly. She shifted in her seat, impatient. ‘So, are you his girlfriend? Because if you are, I need to invite you to my next football match. We’re playing Heath Prep. They think they are so much better than us.’ Abigail rolled her eyes. ‘Snobs.’
I swear, this girl was ten going on twenty-five.
‘Abs, are you ready to go?’ Liam strode into the kitchen, his eyes flickered down my blue jeans and jumper, warming his dark irises. I was relieved to see him, not only because he was wearing a fitted green T-shirt that showed the outline of the chest I had yet to see naked but also so that I could yeet myself out of this conversation about girlfriends.
‘Yep. I was just asking Kat if she would come to my football match now she’s your girlfriend, and you know Kirsty always comes too –’
Liam winced. ‘Abs –’
‘I’ll come.’
‘Are you sure?’ Liam asked. His eyes widened as if to say, You don’t have to.
I turned to Abigail, her face bright and beaming. Who the hell could turn that face down?
‘Are you going to win?’ I asked, giving Abi a conspiratorial grin.
Abigail grinned back. ‘Duh. I’m the best goalie. Dad taught me when I was five.’
‘Then, I’ll be there.’
Liam’s face flickered with surprise, shepherding me to the door with a hand at my lower back. Abigail ran to the car, her book bag swinging from her hands.
He leaned in. ‘You look beautiful, by the way. Those jeans –’ His voice lowered.
‘Dad!’ Abigail shouted, making us jump. ‘Hurry, we’re going to be late!’
I laughed as Liam’s eyes closed in a wince at Abigail’s piercing voice. We all piled into Liam’s van and dropped off Abigail at school first. She jumped out of the van, giving a wave.
