I try to find the words, but they get stuck somewhere in my throat along with my objection to him continuing to hold onto me like this.
His green eyes stay locked on mine, searching them for something, and the heat blazing there ignites a fire deep in my core that spreads out through my body and sears right between my legs.
Pure, unadulterated want shines in his gaze.
I recognize it because I feel it, too.
He tips his head closer. Slowly. As if he isn’t sure what he’s doing or if he should be doing it, and I can’t muster up any words to stop him when I want to feel his lips on mine. I want to know what he tastes like. I want to know if he kisses with the same intensity that he looks at me.
When his lips meet mine, my eyes drift closed and the world around us evaporates in an instant.
Liam’s hold tightens, and he drags me more fully against him, his hard body and strong arms supporting me completely with my toes barely even touching the floor. His mouth moves over mine hungrily, like he’s been starving, dying to do this forever and now that he finally has the chance, if he stops, it might actually kill him.
And God, can he kiss.
It’s all-consuming. A complete consumption of my mouth, my breath, my will.
I collapse into him, allowing him to hold me up.
To sustain me.
With this strength.
His passion.
Every flick of his tongue across my lips and along my own coils me tighter and makes that blazing heat sear through me hotter. The longer we kiss, the harder it becomes to even process what’s happening.
I’m lost in Liam McBride, and I don’t want to be found.
The sound of the front door opening and heavy boots on the wooden floor finally breaks us apart and shatters the spell, and I glance behind me to see Sheriff Briggs walking in, scanning the place.
Shit.
I quickly turn my head, hiding behind my hair, and kneel down to busy myself in one of the nearby boxes.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Somehow, I’ve managed to avoid a direct conversation with the man since I arrived here on the mountain, keeping to the back room or kitchen and busying myself at tables when he’s stopped into the diner over the past week.
What the hell is he doing here now?
Every muscle in my body primes to move in case I have to quickly.
“Liam, I thought I saw you come in here…” Footsteps thump in our direction, but I keep trying to look busy rather than peeking to see how close the sheriff has come to where I kneel and Liam stands beside me. “The place is looking good.”
Liam clears his throat. “Hey, Tony. Yeah, things are really starting to come together.”
“Is Willow around?”
“No, she took Niall home. It’s just me and Lucky.”
Fuck…
“Oh, hello, there.”
I peek over my shoulder, trying to keep most of my face concealed behind my hair, and offer him a smile that I hope looks genuine to a man whose literal career it is to find criminals and see through people’s shit. “Hi.”
“Well, I was popping in to say hello to Willow, and I wanted to talk to you about something, Liam, if you have a minute.”
