“Then why does Lucas show up every time I approach a guy?”
“Because he’s following orders.”
“You just said my brothers—”
“Not your brothers’ orders.”
I frowned, but then my brow smoothed. “You think Liam’s behind this whole thing? He’s not even interested!”
She raised an eyebrow. “Honey, he’s interested.”
“Did you miss our conversations about him turning me down?”
“Didn’t miss a word of our multiple conversations on the subject, but I’m guessing he either turned you down because he thought it was best not to get involved with his Beta’s sister or he’s changed his mind.”
I pulled my wrists out of her grasp. “Well, now,I’vechanged my mind.” I was breathing as hard as the afternoon Adalyn and I had come across a black bear cub and heard her mother snuffle in nearby bushes. “And I’m going to make sure he understands it.” I pulled my kiss card out of my deck and flapped it in midair.
“Um, Nik . . .?”
“Don’t try to stop me.”
“I’m not, but . . .” Her eyes rose to a spot over my head.
I wheeled around. “I swear I’ll rip you a new one if you don’t—” I lost my train of thought when I realized it wasn’t Lucas.
If I don’t what? Sit back and watch while you play your little game?
I notched up my chin. “My brothers didn’t put you up to this, did they?”
Liam’s throat was so veined his carotids looked about to detonate. “Adalyn, can you give us some space?”
“Only if Nikki wants space.”
Best. Friend. Ever.
“It’s way safer if she stays. For your sake. In case the overwhelming urge to rake my claws across a certain tender part of your anatomy overtakes me.” I shot him a tart smile that made his pupils shrink.
“Nothing tender about that part of my anatomy.”
Heat curled low in my belly. Because of the combo of alcohol and annoyance. “Good for you. Now, butt out.” I flicked his chest with my card.
He plucked it from my fingers and read it, then flicked it over his shoulder.
“Hey. What the hell’s gotten into you?”
“Consider it accomplished.”
I crossed my arms. “That would be cheating, and I don’t cheat.”
He took a step forward, and cupped the back of my head at the same time as his lips crashed down on mine. I gasped, caught unawares by Liam’s kiss. My heart pulsed out an explosion, followed by a series of sharpbeats, and my arms fell from their knot.
I gripped his black T-shirt, meaning to push him away, but I neither pushed nor pulled, just held on for dear life as his mouth parted mine. A voice inside my head told me to stop whatever this was but a louder one yelled at me not to move a single muscle. Well, besides my tongue. Were tongues muscles?
As I pondered facial anatomy, Liam wound an arm around my waist and raked my body into his, which snapped my mind right ontohisanatomy. I must’ve moaned because I could feel the shape of his mouth changing, curving.
Shit shit shit.
I finally regained my wits and shoved him, which just made my body dip backward since his was a freaking monolith, impossible to move. It had the desired effect though—our lips came apart like two strips of Velcro.
