He shifts closer, and when he speaks next, the lilt in his voice is unmistakable. “You don’t flirt much, do you?”
“No,” I breathe. “I was in a relationship for three years. We broke up when I moved here. I don’t really know how.”
“You’re doing grand.” Liam’s eyes bore into mine, warm enough to pool heat low in my stomach.
His face inches closer until I feel the warmth of his breath against my cheek. He isn’t cocky now. Not teasing. Something in his eyes looks almost shy. Careful.
“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met,” he murmurs. “I’m glad I came over here.”
I exhale shakily. “Me too. I’ve wanted to talk to you for weeks.”
“So let’s talk.”
The whole party blurs at the edges. The noise, the lights, the cold wind pushing in every time the door opens. All of it fades.
There’s only him.
The way he patiently gives me all the time I need to choose the next moment.
The pull between us is unmistakable, undeniable. For the first time in my life, wanting a man doesn’t feel like a secret I need to hide.
Tonight feels like a beginning.
A terrifying, beautiful beginning.
I think he might be into me too.
Whatever this is.
Whatever it could be.
ten
Liam
A Few Weeks Later
Itstartswithadare.
Linus O’Donnell leans against the fridge, cup in hand, claiming the air around him. I met him at party a couple months ago. We’ve been hovering around each other ever since. Haven’t fucked yet, which is a first for me, but I kinda like where this is going.
No matter where we run into each other, we always seem to gravitate into conversation and low-level flirting.
I know he’s into me, which is why I haven’t gone there. Everything in my entire being tells me this could be something real. Not a body for the night.
Not anothersecret.
The problem is, Linus is a relationship guy, and I don’t do commitment. No time for it. Padraig has practically been married off to Stevie, since he was sixteen. It’s stupid. We have our whole lives ahead of us.
Besides, I can’t tie myself to any one person.
Music’s where my heart is. Fireball’s become the piece of me I salvaged from the wreckage of my family. It’s kept me alive. Gave me somewhere to put the rage, the hurt. Even with the Felicity drama, I’d be nothing but scars and silence without it.
Linus is unexpected. Unsettling. I haven’t figured him out yet, but he’s under my skin. Sharp eyes. Calm voice. Broad shoulders, thick forearms. His beard is neat and tidy. Fuck me, he’s handsome with full lips I like to imagine around my cock.
I want to fuck him. This much, I know. Whether there’s more to it? I’m not sure.
Linus watches me as my mind cycles through all the reasons this is a bad idea. He doesn’t say much. He observes. Listens. Dissects situations internally before offering his thoughts. When he does speak, his Dublin accent is smooth and low. Confident. His laugh is joyous. Free. It stirs something I haven’t let myself name.
