She snorted. “You do realize you’re about to get himintoyour system?”
Ha.
She sighed, then pulled me into a hug, my enormous bag banging into her body. “If you have any doubts, atanypoint, just say stop and go home.”
I nodded.
“And, Nik, thank you for tonight. It was perfect.”
It had been perfect. After I let go, I snaked through the crowd, bumping into Miles on my way out.
“Leaving so soon?”
I touched my abdomen and wrinkled my nose. “Stomachache.”
His gaze darted to my bare midriff. “I hope you feel better. But if you don’t, just call me and we can cancel our visit.”
Our . . .? Right! Bea. “I’m sure I’ll be feeling better by then. Meet you here at one? Two?”
“One’s good. I’ll swing by the compound to pick youup.”
“Or I can meet you here.”
“Let’s text tomorrow. Night, Nikki.” I was about to turn when he leaned in to give me a one-armed hug.
The second his body was off mine, I blustered off. Even though I wore neither coat nor stockings, I didn’t feel the cold wrapping around my exposed skin as I strode toward Liam’s black SUV, which idled by the curb.
After I’d climbed into the passenger seat and strapped myself in, I glanced over at Liam, found a scowl tormenting his mouth. “I know, I know . . . I took way more than my allotted five minutes.”
“Why do you smell like Bea’s brother again?” His rough tone made me bristle.
What exactly did he think? That I’d rubbed up against another man to piss him off? “I ran into him on my way out.” Because I couldn’t leave well enough alone, I added, “Will you require me to shower when we get back to your place?”
His eyelashes fluttered. “I’ll just have to replace his scent, although maybe I will have you shower.”
My annoyance expired as suddenly as it had appeared, replaced by such potent desire that his car probably smacked of it. His nostrils flared and then a corner of his mouth curled. Yeah. He could smell it.
I tugged at the seat belt vibrating over my pounding heart. “I’ve never done this before, by the way.”
“Had sex?”
“No,thatI’ve done. I meant the whole”—I twirled my hand in the air—“one-night thing.” I glanced his way, found his attention on the road that was growing progressively darker as we headed out of the heart of Beaver Creek. “Do you . . . do it a lot? Actually, don’t answer that. I’d rather not know.”
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
But then the silence got to me. “Will it make things weird tomorrow?”
His grip tightened around the steering wheel. “It doesn’t have to make anything weird, but if you—”
“I need to get you out of my system, Liam.” I repeated what I’d told Adalyn, because, well, because it was true.
His eyebrows jumped. “And you think having sex with me will accomplish that?”
“You were a dick to me tonight, and yet I’m sitting right here next to you, because all I can freaking think about is you. Lame, huh?” I rolled my head until my left cheek was pressed against the leather headrest. “Anyway, I’m hoping that tonight can destroy the pedestal I propped you on, so I can go back to viewing you as a pretty, normal—well, sort of normal—male.”
“Wow.” He sounded really offended.
“Are you mad I called you pretty andsort ofnormal?”
