I freeze. Does she want me to follow? Was that an invitation?
“Liam,” she pokes her head back out, “come to bed.”
Chapter 10
Sophie
I wake with his arm draped over the curve of my hip, our pillow wall shoved to the floor at some point in the night. I’m the little spoon pressed into his sturdy chest, my ass squarely in his lap. But his breathing is long and steady with sleep, so I don’t move.
Not that I want to.
Despite waking up with the worst hangover I’ve ever had, yesterday was one of my favorite days I can remember in a long time. Talking with Liam was so easy, I didn’t feel like I had to put on an act around him. Plus, he’d now seen me throw up and didn’t run the other way; he just held my hair and handed me a cold washcloth. I think that makes us official friends. Like he’s no longer Cal’s best friend, he’s now mine too.
Except I was having more-than-friendly feelings towards him.
And maybe he was too?
I had thought he was about to kiss me when we got back from Bar None the other night. But we had both had too much to drink, and I didn’t want to do anything either of us would regret.
But now we’re both sober, and his hand is making slow, deliberate circles on the bare skin of my thigh. I don’t want him to stop, not even a little.
All day, the line between friends and more seemed to blur. During ourSurvivormarathon, I hadn’t meant to end up pressed against him like that, but each episode found me drifting closer until I was tucked into his side like I belonged there. When he reached out to tuck that curl behind my ear, his fingers lingered longer than necessary. I may or may not have intentionally left my sleep shorts on the bathroom floor after my shower, just to gauge his reaction. And the way he gripped that couch cushion, like he was having to physically restrain himself from taking me right there in the living room.
And I would have let him.
I feel him stir behind me, and I pretend to be asleep.
“Shit,” he mutters as he removes his hand from my body. I miss its weight. The bed shifts as Liam rolls to his back, trying to put a little distance between us. I open one eye to peek at the expanse of bed in front of me, meaning I’m clearly over the line on ‘his’ side of the bed. He has to be falling off the edge.
I roll over so I’m facing him. “Hey,” I say, my voice hoarse with sleep.
Liam tries to shift away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“No need to apologize. I think I am the bed hog here.” I scoot back, reluctant to move too far away from the cozy heat radiating from his body. “I think I stole the bed that first night, too.”
“Oh god, Soph, I am still so sorry about that night. I was drunk, and you were…” He rolls onto his side so he’s facing me and swallows, his voice deeper, “you were kinda in my lap.”
“I didn’t mind,” I say, my pulse ticking up. “I was surprised it was you, but…I liked it.”
Liam shifts under the covers, like he doesn’t want me to see that he needs to adjust himself.
I know Liam’s reputation. While he doesn’t post on social media, @therealliamblake is tagged with a different scantily clad woman every weekend. I know he doesn’t do the relationship thing. But maybe that’s better. I’m not looking for a relationship—after Marshall, who knows if I ever want a boyfriend again. But sex? I could go for that right now. Everything about Liam—his body, his hands, his cocky confidence, and the way he cares—makes me think he knows exactly what he’s doing in bed. And maybe that is what I need right now.
I know he still thinks of me as Cal’s little sister. But there’s heat behind his eyes, and his body clearly responds to mine. He might just need permission to view me as…more.
“Do you remember what you said?” I push down the nervous lump in my throat. “That first night?” Because I sure as hell do,let me touch you, baby. Let me make you come.
Liam sucks in a breath, but doesn’t move, and doesn’t break our stare.
Finally, he tips his head once in acknowledgement. “I remember what I said.”
“Do you think you can?”
“What are you asking me, Soph?” Liam asks, his voice low and gravelly.
“If you meant it.”
I can see the debate behind his eyes as he struggles to find the right words. “You’re Cal’s little sister,” he says finally, voice rough.
