“This afternoon. Gabriel wants me at the meeting with Yuri.”
“How long are you staying?”
Pulling me on top of him, our faces only inches apart, Liam buried one of his hands in my hair while the other sat low on my back, his fingertips grazing my butt. “Two nights. There’s a charity gala Mom insists we go to tomorrow.”
Scraping all my courage together, I leaned up on my elbows, looking down at him. “If you’re still serious about moving in together, we should start looking at houses in Chicago. I could always open another restaurant there.”
Liam stilled, his body going tight underneath me. “What did you say?”
“I mean, I was thinking if we moved to Chicago, I’d open a restaurant there. Vlad and Amara are more than capable of managing the restaurant here. And Vlad is definitely more than a sous-chef. He could start his own restaurant any time he wanted to.”
“You’d move to Chicago?” His voice was hoarse.
Putting a hand on his cheek, the need to feel him overwhelming, I nodded. “Your family and work are there. I know how important both are to you. It’s much easier for me to pack up my life. My parents will visit. And we wouldn’t be far. We can come back here as well. I mean, if you wanted me to come with you, of course.”
Licking my suddenly dry lips when he didn’t say anything, I continued rambling. “I thought when you mentioned buying a house for us, we’d have to make a decision on where we wanted to live.”
His body shook from the deep breath he took. “You’re everything to me.”
He looked up, his beautiful features causing a familiar warmth to spread in my chest. “I want you by my side, always. If you want to stay in San Francisco, we’ll make it work. But that you’d be willing to move to Chicago for me means everything. I know we still have a long way to go for you to fully trust me again, but there won’t be a day for the rest of our lives that you’ll ever feel like you don’t matter to me.”
Leaning down, I pressed my lips to his, swallowing any other words he might have spoken. “I love you.”
Our lips brushed against each other with every word.
“I love you too.”
Liam ran his hands under the sleep shirt I wore, pulling it up and over my head. He rolled us over, careful not to crush me under his weight. His mouth latched on to my bared breast, sucking, licking, and kissing first one, then the other. His fingers tweaked my nipple, making me moan.
I’d long since stopped trying to quieten the sounds I made whenever he touched me. My neighbors would have to deal with it, and so far, nobody in the apartment complex had complained.
Liam placed feather-light kisses along my neck, making me whimper with need. His gentle and slow movements betrayed his hard length pressing against my leg.
His mouth found mine again, and I opened for him, his lips warm on mine, his tongue demanding, leaving me burning bright.
He pulled away, my head lifting to follow him. “You make me so happy,” Liam whispered across my chest, his soft lips caressing my skin, blazing a scorching trail along my body.
He explored the curve of my hip, then ran his hand over my stomach, his mouth following where his hands trailed. “I’m going to be worthy of you.”
I sat up on my elbows, halting his movements. He looked up, his lips wet, his extraordinary toffee eyes holding a glint of wonder. I’d never tire of the way he looked at me. Or looking at him in return.
Needing to make sure he knew how much he meant to me, I put my hand on his cheek. “You’re already worthy of me. Yes, you hurt me, but you’ve already more than made it up to me. I’m willing to let the past stay where it belongs. This is us, making a life together.”
Crawling back up, he resembled a tiger on the prowl. “I don’t deserve you, but I’m keeping you anyway,” he growled, thenkissed me again, his body covering mine, nudging my entrance. My legs widened, eager to welcome him inside.
He buried his head in my neck. “Condom.”
Brushing my fingers through his short hair, I lowered my head next to his. “I’m on the pill. And I trust you. So if you want to—"
It was enough invitation for him to enter me in one powerful stroke. A sense of rightness, of being complete, filled me. He moved in and out with agonizing slowness, building me up with infinite care only to push me over the edge with a force that made me cry out.
Following me over, Liam held me tight, our bodies as close together as possible. “I’ve never wanted another person as much as I want you. Thank you for choosing me.”
Kissing the back of his head since his face was buried in my neck, I tightened my limbs around him. “The feeling goes both ways.”
Despite the pleasure I’d just experienced, tears sprang to my eyes, Liam’s words settling deep, covering me in a warm embrace.
Placing a kiss to my neck, he separated our bodies. “What do you want to do today?”
