Maybe not, but it’s burned on my brain.
Lorien: And how did you get into my house?
Lorien: And my phone?
I don’t answer either of those. Given enough time, she’ll figure the first one out. The second, I’d just as soon she not consider. Making it harder on me doesn’t make it impossible. It just annoys me.
Lorien
At 5:45 exactly, there’s a knock on my back door, followed by Liam poking his head in. “You ready to go?”
He doesn’t know I’m hyper-punctual, but I am ready, sitting at the bar, wiping my hands over and over on a dish towel, trying to stop the sweat that slicks my palms.
I don’t deal with nerves normally, but first the nakedness, then dinner with his family, so my anxiety has decided to take up residence in my gut and claw around reminding me it wants to feed.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, crowding my space.
When did that start—the part where he stands too close? I don’t need to smell him. God. What is that scent? It’s earthy and woodsy and makes me want to bury my nose in his neck.
I slice my eyes to his and squint.
“Are you mad about today?”
Yes. And that’s a much better answer than how whatever cologne he’s wearing makes me want to lick him like a cake pop. I nod. Sure, let’s go with that.
“Let’s get this over with.” I hop off the stool and grab the plate of cookies I made.
They don’t look like my mom’s, but I’m sure they’ll be great. This recipe never fails.
He mutters something under his breath and I turn, putting a finger in his chest, his very hard chest, that’s warm and broad.
“Let’s get one thing straight. Today never happened. There was no naked anything. I didn’t see yours. You didn’t see mine. There’s no reason to make sexual innuendo or give me knowing looks. Got it?”
“I didn’t see yours. You didn’t see mine. Got it.” His beard twitches, and his eyes crinkle.
“Gah.” I’m out the back door and onto the stoop when I hear the whirl of the deadbolt.
“Was that a growl?” His voice is light and playful.
“It was not.” Take that.
He follows me until we’re almost to the gate and pulls it open for me to go first. We make it to his garage that’s open, and he holds open the passenger door for me, waiting for me to get settled and buckled before he rounds the hood to the driver’s side.
He presses a button on his phone as we make it to the alley, and his garage door begins its descent.
“That’s convenient.”
“I bought one for your garage. You were busy not replying to my texts and/or telling me to go away today, so maybe tomorrow.”
Aw, man. That would be awesome.
“No. You don’t get to blame me for this.” I turn and stare at his profile. I hold my gaze there long after I’m comfortable and until he finally breaks the silence.
“Do I have something on my face?”
“I wanted to look at you, really look at you, so that I got over my embarrassment before we get to Cian’s house. I don’t want to avoid you all night over something that wasn’t my fault.”
“Ah.” He nods. “Did it work?”
