He placed my bag on his dresser. "Do you want to shower?"
"I"m okay."
"Do you mind if I shower?"
Not if I get to watch. "No."
"Okay." He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
I sighed in disappointment then opened his drawer to grab a t-shirt. When I pulled one out, I noticed the black box stuffed under his clothes. I knew what it was even though I"d never seen the lid open. It made my heart squeeze. If I hadn"t messed up so many times, I"d probably be wearing it right now.
With a deep sigh, I closed the drawer and turned away. I checked to make sure the bathroom door was still closed before I pulled off my clothes and put on his ridiculously big shirt. It fell to my knees and almost slipped off my shoulders. Then I crawled into bed, loving the scent of him on the sheets. It made me feel special knowing I was the only woman who slept in this bed, that I was the first to stay from night to morning. And no one else had been here since the day we met.
Liam turned off the shower then walked out with a towel around his waist. Beads of water dripped down his chest, and the lines of his chest and stomach made my lips part. He was as thick as a tree and as defined as the Grand Canyon. I knew Liam was primarily sought after because of his looks and it was hard not to feel just as l.u.s.tful toward him, especially when I saw the beauty on the inside at the same time.
He grabbed a pair of boxers then pulled them on under his towel. Then he tossed it on the floor. When he turned toward me, I averted my gaze quickly so he wouldn"t know I was blatantly staring at him, wishing he would drop the towel without the boxers on underneath.
It was only eight in the evening, so neither one of us were tired enough to sleep. But I wanted him to hold me, to feel him snuggle beside me. His large chest rose and fell with a constant cadence, making me relax. The quiet sighs he made in bed always kept me asleep. The silence that stretched between us always made me feel like we were the only people in the world.
He lifted the sheets then slipped inside, making his side of the bed dip slightly. The warmth that accompanied him seeped into the mattress, acting as a personal heater. When his leg touched mine, I shivered.
He hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. Then he gripped my thigh and pulled it over his hip, bringing us closer together. Due to limited clothing, I could feel his hard-on against my stomach. It was thick and long, just the way it used to be. I missed making love to him. It was so pa.s.sionate and gentle, full of love and trust. The commitment we had was always strengthened when we joined our bodies together. Since our conversations were minimal, it was the perfect art of communication for us. Just feeling each other and reacting to the goodness of the other. Thinking about it made me miss it like crazy.
Since he could read my mind, I knew he shared the same thought. The desire burned in his eyes while he looked at me, but he didn"t act on it. Instead, he stared into my eyes then moved his hand to my hip. His thumb caressed the skin gently. I knew it was his favorite place to touch.
"How was your day?" he whispered.
"It was good. Yours?"
"It"s better now." He pulled down the sheets then lifted up my shirt, revealing the black thong I was wearing. My heart skipped a beat at his sudden movement. Then he leaned down and kissed my hip, using his tongue while he did it. The kiss was long and slow. His finger dug into my skin. My hand immediately moved into the strands of his dark hair, my lips parting. Seeing the desire he held for me got me excited instantaneously. Then he pulled away and returned to my side, pulling the blankets back up. "The urge overwhelmed me." His hand returned to my hip and caressed it softly.
"Let it overwhelm you," I blurted. I can"t believe I just said that. The need I had for him was taking over the control center of my brain.
He stared at me intensely, his eyes hooded and dark. He must miss me as much as I miss him.
Going out on a limb, I cupped his face then gently brought my lips to his.
His mouth was immobile at first, but within a few seconds, his lips responded to mine. His kiss was gentle and loving, purposely feeling my lips with his mouth, treasuring every inch of them. His hand gripped my hip then pulled me hard against his chest, keeping the kiss going at the same time.
I breathed into his mouth, spinning so fast I couldn"t control myself. He tasted so good, felt so right. I loved him with my whole heart, and I silently confessed that truth with every move of my mouth. His breath filled my lungs, and he moaned quietly after every few kisses. His c.o.c.k got bigger and pressed against me hard, telling me how much he wanted me.
Then he slipped his tongue into my mouth, lightly playing with mine. I moaned louder than I meant to as the kiss became more heated. When I felt myself being rolled to my back, I knew the heated moment just went to a new level. He separated my legs then moved between them, his c.o.c.k pressed against my center through his boxers and my thong.
My legs squeezed his hips and I ran my fingers through his hair, wanting more than he could give. I loved feeling the physical and spiritual connection to him. The quiet sounds of our moving lips filled his bedroom, and I found myself wanting all of him even more. Finding the courage through my need for him, my hand left his hair and moved to the brim of his boxers, slowly pulling them down. I wanted to feel him inside me, to feel his soul touch mine.
Liam grabbed my hand and steadied it while he broke our kiss. His face was still pressed to mine, and we both breathed heavily. The rejection circulated through my veins. I knew it was too soon to be intimate, but I couldn"t help it. I wanted all of him all the time.
He took a few more breaths before he looked me in the eye. "It"s not that I don"t want to..."
"Then what?"
"I"m just not ready," he whispered. "But I want to keep kissing you."
I was disappointed that was all I was getting from him, but I understood his reservations. "Okay."
"But I"m struggling to stay in control," he confessed. "I need your help."
"Just kissing-I got it."
"Thank you." His mouth moved back against mine and he gave me the same heated kiss as before.
My ankles locked around his waist and I pulled him closer to me. Our bodies were touching and we couldn"t get any closer. My fingers glided through his hair as the pa.s.sion took over. Our tongues danced together, lighting on fire with every touch. Liam moaned while he caressed my hip, loving the sensual kissing as much as I did. I wanted more than he was willing to give, and I could take advantage of him if I wanted to. Making love to him so many times showed me what he liked and didn"t like. But I would never do that to him. If he needed time, I"d give it to him. Because I"d give anything to be with this man.
Chapter Seven.
Liam I couldn"t stay away from Keira anymore, so I just gave into my heart"s desire. We still had a long way to go, but we were taking it slow and making progress. After she came to my fight, I knew something had changed within her. And when she didn"t a.s.sume I was sleeping with Theresa I knew she was proving she really did trust me. She still hadn"t asked how I knew Theresa or what I was doing with her. And that meant the world to me.
When I was heading to Keira"s calculus cla.s.s, that c.u.n.t approached me.
"Liam." Adrianna caught up to me and stood in front of me.
Keira"s cla.s.s was going to get out soon and I wanted to make sure that guy knew Keira was taken. It was childish and lame, but I didn"t care. She was mine and I wanted the entire cla.s.s to know. s.h.i.t, I wanted the world to know. "Get the f.u.c.k away from me." I sidestepped her but she jumped in front of me.
"I"m sorry, okay? I wanted to say I was sorry."
Sorry? "I didn"t know you even knew that word."
The sadness was in her eyes. "I don"t want you to hate me..."
"Too late." I stepped around her again.
She stood in my way, blocking my path. "When I said I loved you, I really meant it. I still think you and I make more sense than you and Keira do."
"How do you figure?" I snapped. "There"s no one in the world who is more perfect for me."
"Which is why you"ve broken up twice?"
My eyes narrowed. "Because of you."
"I understand what you"ve been through. I can help you."
No one would ever understand me but Keira. "Get out of my way or I will move you." I wasn"t bluffing.
"I don"t want to lose you entirely." The plea was in her eyes. "I"ll be nice to both you and Keira as long as you don"t take your friendship away. Please. That"s all I"m asking."
"We were never friends to begin with."
"Please," she begged. "If I apologize to Keira, will you give me another chance?"
"I"ll never give you another chance," I said firmly. "I can"t even stand to look at you."
"Will you tolerate me? When I"m hanging out with the guys, will you not walk away?"
"I doubt they want to hang out with you anymore either, especially Scotty."
She sighed in irritation. "Where"s your compa.s.sion? I said I was sorry and I wouldn"t interfere with your relationship anymore. I"m just asking you to tolerate me, not be my best friend."
"Where was your compa.s.sion when I lost Keira for two months?"
She didn"t have a reb.u.t.tal for that. "Liam, come on."
"I think you"re up to something."
"I"m not," she said with a sigh.
I couldn"t tell if she was telling the truth or not, but regardless of what happened, I would never trust her again. Nothing she said or did would change that fact, and I would never let Keira be around her either. She couldn"t fool me anymore.
Adrianna"s eyes coated with tears then they fell. Then she started to sob. "I made a mistake and I"m sorry, okay? What more do you want me to say?"
I hated it when girls cried...it wasn"t my thing. I stared at her, unsure what to do. Somehow, she made me feel like an a.s.s. Her tears were scratching my eardrums, giving me a headache. "Okay. Fine. I"ll tolerate you."
She sniffed then wiped her tears away. "Really?"
"But you owe my girlfriend an apology."
"Of course." She nodded then tried to fix her mascara.
"Let"s go." I walked with her but kept five feet in between us. When I approached Keira"s cla.s.sroom, I didn"t want Keira to get the wrong impression. We waited until the cla.s.s was over and watched the students file out.
When I spotted Keira I stepped toward her. "Hey."
A smile lit up her face. "Hi."
Her admirer came out behind her. One glance at me and he took off in the opposite direction.
Good thinking.
She moved into my chest and hugged me, her face pressed against me. "What a nice surprise."
"I missed you."
She pulled away, a playful look in her eyes. "Or you just wanted Ryder to see you."
"Or that." She caught me.
Keira didn"t seem to mind. "Whatever the reason, I love seeing your face."
Her words made me melt. I wasn"t sure how she did it. Every time a girl fed me lines, I thought they were cheesy and annoying. But with Keira, they came from the heart. And I fell for her all over again.
My hands moved to her hips, and I thought about the intense make out session we had. When my mind was in the gutter, I thought about doing things I shouldn"t. While I loved Keira, I wasn"t ready to give my entire self to her. I just wasn"t ready. But that didn"t mean I didn"t love kissing every inch of her body, tasting her skin and all her sweetness.
Keira spotted Adrianna just a few feet away. The smile left her face, and her eyes smoldered in hatred. "Can"t we catch a break?"
"Actually, she wants to apologize to you."
She looked at me like I was crazy. "Adrianna?"
I shrugged. "That"s what she claims. Just let her apologize and let"s move on."
"Why? Are you guys friends again?" The irritation was in her eyes. I knew she strongly disliked Adrianna. That feeling was mutual. "No. But she won"t leave me alone until I agree to tolerate her."
"And what does that entail?" She didn"t like this one bit.
"I"m not sure. I guess not threatening her anymore."
Keira shook her head. "I"d let everything go if her apology was sincere, but I"m having a hard time believing there is an ounce of remorse within her."
"We share the same sentiments."
She studied Adrianna and watched her approach us.
Adrianna looked Keira in the eye. "I know you hate me and I don"t blame you. And I certainly don"t think an apology is going to change that. That"s fine. But I am sorry for everything. I ripped you guys apart and that was wrong. I said unforgiving things that I shouldn"t have spoken of. I did a lot of mean things...I just want you to know I"m sorry and I won"t bother either one of you anymore."
Keira didn"t seem convinced. "Apologizing to me won"t get you closer to Liam. He"s mine, and he"s off limits."
I liked the sound of that.
"I respect your relationship with him. However, I hope to gain a friendship someday."
"I"ll accept your apology once I believe your sincerity. Until then, don"t expect anything from me." Keira was aggressive and territorial. She wouldn"t be played for a fool.
"I understand." Adrianna stood there awkwardly before she turned away. "I guess I"ll see you around..."
Neither one of us said bye. I watched her go, waiting until she was out of earshot. When I turned back to Keira, the disdain was gone from her face. She looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
"Lunch?"
"Yeah."
And just like that, Adrianna was forgotten.
Keira asked me to train her again. I didn"t mind. It was something I wanted for her. But I was timid around her. I"d seen her run from me so many times. I couldn"t bare it if she ran again. What if I raised a fist and she a.s.sumed the worst? What if she panicked? We"d come a long way and it would be shame to lose all that time.