“Mmmhmm,” I murmured, not really paying attention. It was hard to focus on anything else when he was looking at me like that. Like I was the only thing he could see.
“I bet that man is skilled indevouringyour lady parts,” Peyton added, snickering.
“Mmmhmm,” I hummed again, not thinking about it, and they both gasped.
“You already banged him!” Peyton cried, way too loud. I finally dragged my gaze from Liam in time to see Rosa slapping a hand over our friend’s mouth. “Sorry,” Peyton said, her voice muffled behind Rosa’s hand. “But holy shit, Grace!”
“Keep your voice down,” I snapped, my eyes sweeping our general vicinity for anyone listening. The last thing I needed was for Andy to overhear this.
“I’ll be good, I promise,” Peyton said, pushing Rosa’s hand away. “But you’re going to need to share the details. All of them.”
I cast another glance in Liam’s direction. He was totally smirking at me. He probably knew exactly what we were talking about.
“You said you’ve been talking?” Rosa urged.
I didn’t really want to have this conversation with him standing right there, but I knew they would never drop it. So I turned away from him a little, hoping I wouldn’t be as distracted by the sight of his biceps bulging when he brought his beer bottle to his lips.
“His daughter is in my class,” I told them.
“How is this the first we’re hearing about this?” Peyton asked, looking outraged.
“Do I usually go over my class list with you?”
“Grace, we’re talking about the guy you’ve been crushing on since you were a teenager. I think you teaching his daughter is pretty relevant.”
“I guess I thought you might make a big deal out of it.” I gave her a pointed look. “Can’t imagine where I got that idea.”
She waved her hands dismissively. “I need details about the sexy times.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Let me guess—you kept him after class one day.”
Rosa pushed on her arm. “Ignore her. I want to hear this.”
“So that day at the botanical gardens…well. It was a nice day. And at the end of it, he kissed me.”
Peyton smacked my arm. “I told you Elliot was a good wingman!”
“He did keep Josie company while we were lip-locked,” I agreed with a smirk. “Anyhow, after that he started texting me. And then last Friday he came to the school and I had a flat tire. The grandparents had already picked up Josie so he offered to fix it. And then…” I trailed off.
“You paid him back by jumping his bones?”
I snorted. “Pretty much.”
Peyton clapped her hands together, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. “Yes! I told you that you needed a fling!”
My stomach sank a little at the word. A fling. That’s all this was, right? A little fling. Finally scratching an itch we’d both apparently had since we were teenagers.
You’re my dirty little secret.
I had no right to be upset by those words. He’d clearly been teasing. Besides, I was the one who had insisted a relationship would be too complicated because of our jobs. I couldn’t date a student’s parent. And the last thing he needed to do was piss off his team owner.
The two of us just couldn’t work as anything more than a fun time. I knew that. But it didn’t stop my entire body from tensing at his words.Dirty little secret.I had experience with that, didn’t I? Matt had wanted to keep me a secret, too. And that had ended really well for me.
Apparently, the turn of my thoughts was written clearly on my face. “What’s wrong?” Rosa asked.
Peyton looked horror struck. “Don’t tell me it was disappointing. He’s not one of those guys who doesn’t think he has to try because he’s attractive, is he?”
“It was not disappointing,” I told her. “Believe me. Liam O’Conner is definitely willing to put in the effort.” On and off the ice.
She looked relieved. “Oh, good.” She squinted at me. “Then why don’t you look happy about it?”
