Tempt Me, page 17
And then…
The rings.
Yeah, he had held in what was bothering him. He wanted to tell her—hell, he’d walked away from her to figure out what he was going to say—but then she confronted him and told him to leave.
That had been more than a little unexpected and it threw him a bit.
Afterwards, he didn’t want to ruin their night because he’d been looking forward to it, but now…now all he could think about were the damn rings.
Why was she still wearing them and why didn’t he notice it until tonight?
Probably because they were just part of who she was and she’d been wearing them since he’d met her. Tonight, however, was the first time the significance of her wearing them really hit him.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, Liam let out a weary sigh because something had to give. They were living in this little bubble right now. While he was enjoying their bubble because it meant no one could give him grief or dole out advice – even though they kind of were – maybe it was time to just say what he felt and deal with whatever came next.
Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes and told himself he just needed a minute. Then he’d take Phoebe back into the house and he and Tessa would sit down and talk.
Really talk.
Only…the next time he opened his eyes, Tessa was staring down at him with amusement. “What’s going on?”
“You were asleep.”
Sitting up straight, he looked around. “No, I wasn’t. I just shut my eyes a minute ago.”
With a soft laugh, she held out her hand to him. “I was inside finishing the dishes and then cleaned up the kitchen and made cocoa from scratch and before I knew it, about twenty minutes had gone by. I called out to you but you didn’t respond and that’s when I came out here and found you sleeping.”
He accepted her hand and stood, but he still wasn’t fully convinced that he had fallen asleep. Phoebe was in her arms, and together they went back into the house. “So, um…”
“Give me just one minute,” she said before walking away and putting the dog in her bed. Then she came back, took his hand, led him to the bedroom, and gently pushed him onto the bed. “Stay right there.”
As if he were going to leave…
When she came back into the room five minutes later, she was carrying a tray with a plate of cookies, two mugs, and a warming carafe. “Tessa…”
With a serene smile, she placed the tray on her dresser before standing in front of him. “That’s for later,” she told him before she kicked off her shoes, peeled off her sweater and shimmied out of her jeans.
He wasn’t feeling tired anymore.
In nothing but hunter green satin, she looked sexy and festive and Liam’s hands twitched with the need to touch her.
So he did.
And he kept touching her until they were both naked and under the blankets. That’s when he stopped and simply looked at her face; her beautiful, flushed face.
The words were right there on the tip of his tongue. It was the perfect moment to tell her how he felt, but she must have taken his hesitation for something else because the next thing he knew, Tessa gave him a playful shove and she was straddling him.
She was breathtaking in that moment and, rather than steal her thunder, he gently grasped her hips and let her take the lead.
And it was everything.
By two the following afternoon, Liam’s tree was done.
He still didn’t see what the big deal was about the whole decorating thing, but maybe that was just him.
“You don’t have any other decorations?” Tessa asked as she looked around.
“No, why?”
“What about outside? Lights? A wreath? Maybe an inflatable snowman or something?”
Chuckling softly, he shook his head. “Haven’t we been over this? I’m not someone who’s into all that. It seems crazy to go through all that trouble for one day.”
“But it’s not just one day. It’s the season! Don’t you remember what it was like driving around town when you were younger and looking at all the decorations? I mean, every kid loves that!”
He shrugged. “I guess, but…not me. I suppose they’re fine to look at, but—again—it just seems like a lot of work for such a short amount of time. Besides, we both know you’re going to go overboard and anything I do is going to look ridiculous next to it, so…”
“Well, that’s just sad. It’s not a competition.”
Putting the last of the empty ornament boxes away, he turned to face her. “This is me, Tess. I have a tree because…well, because. The holidays just don’t excite me. They’re not that big of a deal. I’m glad to be home and all, and I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with my family, but…it’s just a day.”
Her eyes went wide before her expression turned to mild annoyance. He knew she wanted to argue more, but she kept it to herself.
“So are we ready to go over and tackle your house?” he asked, hoping that would cheer her up and take some of the focus off of himself.
She instantly smiled and Liam said a silent prayer of thanks for that. “Definitely! But…be prepared. I have a lot of stuff.”
“I figured that.”
“No…no, I don’t think you realize. Um…it normally takes me a week to get it all set up—inside and out. I don’t expect you to help with all of it because I’m sure it will make you crazy, but…”
“Tessa?”
“Hmm?”
“I am more than ready to help you with all of it. I’ll hang lights, get on ladders, inflate whatever needs to be inflated.” Stepping in close, he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, loving the way she melted against him. “Whatever you need me to do, then that’s what I’ll do.”
With a happy little hum, she got up on tiptoes and kissed him back. “Are we still talking about decorating, or…”
He loved how her mind worked. “Let’s just say that I’m looking forward to being rewarded for being a good boy today and helping with all of this.”
“Rewarded, hmm? Then we better get started,” she said with a teasing glint in her eyes before leading him out the door.
They had taken most of her decorations down from her attic earlier before going to his house, and Liam was surprised when she told him there was more out in her shed.
“Do you want me to bring them to the front yard?”
She seemed to consider it for a moment. “Actually, I know you’ll think I’m silly, but I need to write up a plan. Give me five minutes to take Phoebe out and…”
“I can take her out if you want to start the list,” he offered, even though he didn’t think a list was necessary.
“No, but thank you. I need a few minutes to get it all organized in my head. Why don’t you see if there're anymore cookies in the freezer and then we’ll get started?”
Liam watched as she picked up the dog and walked out the back door. After a quick look in the freezer, he found a bag of sugar cookies and pulled them out. It was kind of cute how she always seemed to have a batch on hand and he was happy to benefit from it.
Her phone was on the island next to where he put the cookies, and it dinged with a reminder. Curiosity had him looking over and in bold letters it said, “Chat with Trevor.”
“What?” he whispered before the screen went blank. Two minutes later, the reminder appeared again and something like dread sank to his stomach like a dead weight.
The rings.
The reminder.
But really, what stuck the most was the chatting part. How was she chatting with him?
Then he looked around and wondered if there was an urn or something that he hadn’t noticed before, or maybe Trevor was buried nearby and she went to the cemetery? Or…
“Okay,” Tessa said a little breathlessly as she walked in the door. “I think I’ve got it all worked out. Are you ready?”
Honestly? He wasn’t so sure anymore.
But when he saw how excited she looked, the only thing he could do was smile and say, “Let’s do this!”
Icicle lights hung outside? Check.
Inflatable snow globe in center of the yard? Check.
Front porch decorated with wreath, lanterns, and Welcome Santa sign? Check.
Tomorrow she’d pick up the poinsettias she ordered from the florist, but for now, the exterior of the house was done!
Inside, she found Liam putting the last of the lights on the tree.
And there were a lot of them.
“Oh, look at how bright and twinkly it is!” she exclaimed as soon as she shut the front door. “Oh, Liam, it’s amazing! Thank you!”
He smiled but kept on working.
Walking over to the TV, she turned it on and went to the channel that played holiday music so it would be more festive while they finished decorating. Sam Smith was crooning “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and Tessa couldn’t help but smile because right now this was everything she loved about the holiday—the trees, the music, the decorating! This was seriously the best time of year.
“Trevor always did the lights and I never realized how big of a job it was until I had to do it myself. If you weren’t here right now, stringing the lights would probably take me all day!” Her face actually hurt from smiling, but it was all just so much better than she imagined. The tree was eight feet tall and fortunately her ceiling was nine feet, so she was still going to be able to put her angel on top. Liam had opted for a star on top of his, but she liked her angel.
When he stepped away from the tree, he studied it without looking at her. “There’s still one more set that we can add if you want it, but I think this looks good.”
He was right, and as much as she wanted to say go ahead with the last set, maybe it would be a bit of overkill. “No, this is perfect. Thank you!”
Walking over, Tessa hugged him and loved when his arms wrapped around her. “So, can we check tree lights off the list?”
She knew he was teasing, but she loved being able to cross tasks off the list once they were done. Already they had accomplished so much and if they kept going at this pace, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind they’d get it all done today.
That sort of thing hadn’t happened since before Trevor got sick.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you check it off while I start opening all the ornament cases,” she told him with one last quick kiss.
“I’m going to grab something to drink,” he said as he headed to the kitchen. “You want something?”
“If you could grab me a bottle of water, that would be great! Thanks!”
The ornaments were her actual favorite part of the entire process. She’d been collecting them for years and so many of them held a deep, emotional meaning to her. When she and Liam shopped yesterday, she purchased one of those mega Christmas ball packs because she knew she would just be using it for filler since the tree was so much bigger than her previous ones.
Now that she knew she could fit such a large tree in the house—and hopefully had someone who was interested in spending more than just this holiday with her—she could start adding to her collection again.
And maybe have them be ornaments that matter to them rather than just to her.
Glancing over at Liam, she saw him staring intensely at the tree.
“What are you thinking right now?” she asked lightly.
“That you maybe didn’t buy enough ornaments yesterday.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I already have a ton. The ones from yesterday were just filler.” Opening up the first case, her heart kicked hard in her chest for a moment. There were two right on top that were from the last trip she and Trevor took together.
She must have been staring at it for longer than she thought because Liam called her name as if he’d said it more than once.
“I’m sorry. What?” she asked, looking up at him.
“You just seemed a little lost in thought. Are you alright?”
Coming to her feet, she nodded. Picking up an ornament, she held it up to him. “Trevor and I bought this when we went on that hot-air balloon ride.” Since the ornament was a miniature hot-air balloon, it was probably self-explanatory. “Anyway, I opened the case and saw it and just…” Then she shook her head. “Sorry.”
Placing it on the tree, Tessa stepped back and smiled before reaching for the next one.
“This one I got when Trevor and I swam with the dolphins.” Again, it was a dolphin with a Santa hat on it, so it was self-explanatory. Hanging it on another branch, she began going through the case, explaining where she got each ornament and why she loved it. Not all of them had to do with Trevor, but a lot of them did. When she noticed that Liam hadn’t moved from his spot, she paused. “Everything okay?”
All he did was nod and picked up another case. “Should I start with this one?”
“Um…”
Raking a hand through his hair, he looked at her.
“I kind of have a system.”
He let out a long breath. “Of course you do.”
And this time, it didn’t sound like he was teasing; he was clearly annoyed.
“Most people have a system, Liam,” she said defensively. “I know that this case has my favorite ornaments and I like them to be showcased in the front of the tree. Then the next one has…”
“How about you handle the ornaments, then? Is there something else I can do? Anything else that requires a ladder or something to be hung or put back in the attic?”
Looking around, she motioned to a box in front of the fireplace. “There’s lighted garland in there that gets hung on the mantle and then the stockings, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“I’m on it.” He moved across the room without another word.
They worked silently through multiple Christmas songs and Tessa was so enthralled with hanging her ornaments that she could almost forget about how grouchy Liam was being.
“How’s this?” he asked flatly.
Turning, she looked at the mantle and wanted to smile, but the look on his face stopped her. Putting down the ornament she was about to hang, she knew something was up. “Okay, out with it.”
“Excuse me?”
Nodding, she repeated herself. “Out with it. If you don’t want to be here, then go. I thought you’d be able to unclench a bit and have fun, but obviously that’s not happening.”
“Kind of hard to have fun when I’m the third wheel,” he murmured.
“Third…? Um, what?”
Taking a step toward her, he nodded. “I feel like a third wheel here, Tessa!”
“I don’t know what that even means,” she replied, thoroughly confused. “It’s just the two of us here.”
“Is it? Because it’s more like three—me, you, and Trevor.” Pausing, he raked a hand through his hair again until it was in total disarray. “I feel like I shouldn’t be here!” he yelled after a moment.
“That’s crazy,” she said, reaching for his hand, hoping to calm him down. “Of course you should be here. I want you here!”
“For what? To hang lights? Reach all the hard-to-reach places with the ladder? Because other than that, me being here is just awkward.”
A twinge of panic crept up her spine.
“Liam, where is all this coming from? I don’t understand what’s happening right now.”
Now he started to pace and she couldn’t keep up with everything he was saying—it ranged from not being able to help with the ornaments to all the stories about her and Trevor and then the incident at the tree lot yesterday.
“That was all a misunderstanding yesterday,” she interrupted. “Savannah made an assumption and I cleared it up. It wasn’t a big deal. I thought we were over that and moved on.” And honestly, she couldn’t understand why he was getting so upset.
“How could we move on?” he demanded. “We never even talked about it!”
“Then we can talk about it right now like two adults,” she said, still trying to be the voice of reason. “It didn’t have to come to all of…you know…this.”
“That’s just it, Tessa, it shouldn’t have had to come to this! We’re sleeping together and you’re still wearing those rings!”
“Okay, again, can we please just calm down and talk about this? We can sit down and forget about decorating for now. I really don’t see what the big deal is…”
“I just said what the big deal is!” Liam's voice grew louder and louder with each word. “Why are you still wearing them? I mean…I don’t get it! We’re involved…we’re…we’re…”
“We’re sleeping together,” she tartly reminded him. “Yeah, I got that.”
He arched a dark brow at her. “And…?”
“And what? It seemed to me like this was all part of some big plan of yours to help ease me back out into the dating world! You and I never talked about this being anything serious! From where I’m standing, it shouldn’t matter if I’m wearing Trevor’s rings, since you’re clearly not interested in dating me seriously!”
“Where the hell did you get that idea?” he snapped and then seemed to realize what he was saying. “Okay, fine. That’s how it all started, but I thought you realized it stopped being like that a long time ago!”
“How would I know, huh? The one time you took me out, it was to your parents’ pub and it was weird as hell!”
“It wasn’t that weird and we’ve done other things, Tessa,” he tried to reason.
“Seriously? Other than the Christmas tree lot, ornament shopping, getting takeout, and eating dinner at each other’s houses, what exactly have we done? Where have we gone?” And before he could he try to answer, she barreled on. “Nowhere. We don’t talk about relationships and we don’t talk about feelings unless it’s you telling me that something I’m feeling is wrong or ridiculous, so…”
His expression was thunderous, but fortunately, he didn’t argue.
And she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
Then neither of them were talking, and that definitely didn’t seem like a good thing.
