“In the cabinet.” He pointed behind him.
Carefully straddling one of his legs, I reached above him and suddenly became aware of how little I had on. Everyone was running around in their swimsuits, so it wasn’t like I was in the minority, but the thin white fabric covering my breasts left little to the imagination without a bra. And my red bikini bottoms were halfway up my ass.
His breath danced along the skin between the edge of my tank top and my swimsuit, and I quickly pulled away, wetting the washcloth in the sink.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked, his tone both equal measure of mocking and curiosity.
No.“I’ve practiced on some silicone pads and some chickens in class,” I began, readying my needle and nylon thread. “But I’ve never done this on live tissue, no.”
He stared at me as my hands shook. I hoped that was all he could see shaking because it felt like my entire body was vibrating in anticipation.
“Don’t you go and fuck up his beautiful face, Avery!” Danny peeked his head in. “That’s how we sell albums!”
“Piss off, Danny boy.” Liam laughed, kicking the door shut.
He removed the towel when I asked him to, and my stomach lurched somewhere I hadn’t known it could go.
The diagonal cut along his brow was deep but not terribly long. Three, maybe four stitches should be good. But the more I thought about making them, the more light-headed I became.
“I can clean it if you want?” he offered, his voice filling the small space.
I shook my head and leaned in, working to clear away the crimson threatening to rid my face of all color. “Did that guy out by the pool do this? What’s his name, Wes?”
Liam’s deep chuckle bounced off the tiles surrounding us. “No. Wesley knows better than to fight me. If he wasn’t one of Nikko’s friends, I wouldn’t allow him over here. But, tonight, he had a couple of extra friends with him. I had it covered until they surprised me with a beer bottle.”
“Jesus,” I gasped, looking over the rest of his face. The only other scrapes I saw were on his knuckles.
“It’s cool. Danny had my back.” He flashed a smug grin. “Those guys are probably still out cold on the lawn.”
That smile was distracting. So was the fact that his line of vision had two full breasts staring right back at him. The smile he was fighting to suppress and the hint of heat in his stare made it clear just how aware he was of his position.
My nipples responded to the attention, making my cheeks—and the rest of my body—flush. “Is that another band rule?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“Having each other’s backs? Absolutely.”
“No. Defending one another from being hit on by losers.”
He looked up at me and swallowed, the prominent notch of his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Not exactly.”
A long silence passed between us as I placed my hands on either side of the cut.
“I’m surprised you cared,” I muttered as I dug the first stitch through his skin. Liam didn’t even flinch, but I couldn’t help myself from wincing. “Does it hurt?”
He shrugged. “I pierced that eyebrow a couple of times in high school, so I don’t feel much.”
“Do you have any other piercings?”
His eyes snapped up to the edge of his brow as I threaded the needle through, a smile pulling at his lips in a way that told me he knew exactly which parts of him I was curious about. Parts of him I was picturing with glistening metal. He didn’t answer me.
More silence.
I forced myself to take a few steady breaths before I punched the needle through his skin again, but my stomach still churned.
I needed more distraction. Conversation? Music? Maybe he could take his shirt off and—
“I’ve been meaning to get you alone actually.”
Oh?Not as good as removing his shirt, but he had my interest.
