Relief filled me. “Just wanted to avoid my parents knowing wehung out.”
“Do you regret seducing me, Nicole?”
I rolled my eyes. “I hardly seduced you.”
Liam unhurriedly tugged up the bra strap, which had dipped off my shoulder. “Did you get me out of your system?”
Nope. He’d merely rooted himself deeper. For all my honesty, I went with a lie. “I did. I can finally move on.” I backed up, moving to the armchair at the foot of which lay my top. I picked it up and put it on, then grabbed the towel and folded it. Water bled from my hair onto my top, pasting the pink cotton to my skin.
I trudged toward the door and scooped up my handbag, then turned to tell Liam he didn’t need to escort me home, but instead of words, a muted gasp escaped my lips because Liam was right behind me, and I do mean,rightthere. The tip of my nose scraped across his stubbled chin. “Admit it. You’re part bobcat.”
He dipped his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little. “I’mallwolf.”
He reached around me, and I thought he might draw me to him and admit he wanted another night. But it wasn’t me he drew to him, it was the door. And not once during our five-minute walk home did he allude to a repeat performance.
In front of my new front door, he asked, “So, you live here with Nate?”
I frowned. Had I said Nate instead of Niall? It happened sometimes . . . that I confused my brothers. “No, with Niall. Nate lives on the hill.” I jutted my chin toward a third-tier cabin with an unbeatable view of the sparkly pond. “Have you never been to his place?”
“Never invited me.”
“Really?” I chewed on my bottom lip. “He used to live with Bea off the compound, so I don’t think he considers this place home.” Probably the reason why he hadn’t invited Liam for a visit. “Now that they split, though . . .”
“You really liked her?”
“I did. Still do. I’m secretly hoping they’ll get back together.”
Liam’s eyes roamed over the dark windows of Nate’s cabin. The drapes weren’t shut, probably because he was still at the bachelor party.
“Anyway”—I opened my unlocked door—“thanks for tonight.” Hugging my arms around my waist to fend off the cold, I waited for him to say something. Anything. Evengood nightorgood day, but he simply stared at me in silence.
Perhaps I should’ve askedhimif he regretted tonight, but I feared his answer too much. Between chattering teeth, I said, “I hope Alaska goes well.”
He nodded to my house. “Don’t want you to catch a cold.”
I guessed our evening tryst hadn’t miraculously made Liam trust me with pack business. The man was as opaque as they came, and a couple hours entwined and disrobed hadn’t made him any clearer to read. What had I been expecting? That a skin-to-skin would lead to a heart-to-heart? I still didn’t regret tonight, but I did regret the limitations of one-night stands. For all my talk about having more, I craved a deeper connection, a lover who not only penetrated my body but also my heart and soul.
Heart thudding in disappointment, I stepped inside and was about to shut the door when he called out, “Wait.”
Hope threaded through my disappointment. Was I about to get an invitation for a redo, or a front-door kiss? I’d even take a lingering stare.
Instead, I got a roll of black fabric. “I promised you my underwear. It’s clean. Didn’t think you’d want the ones I wore tonight.”
I closed my fingers around the soft material. “I’m still down a dare. I had to speak to a random person on the phone for five minutes.”
He patted the pockets of his sweats. “Left my cell phone back at the cabin, so can’t help you out there, but knowing Niall, he’ll probably have many interesting contacts in his phone.” He backed up. “Anyway, see you around.”
Around?
The threads of my hope snagged on that one word and ripped.
Chapter 28
Imanaged a few hours of sleep before my phone trilled with the alarm I’d set to meet up with Miles. After slapping cold water over my face, I dressed warmly and climbed the hill toward the compound entrance where a forest-green Land Rover idled beside the front gate.
Since Bea’s brother was on the phone, I whispered a quickhiand strapped myself in. He flashed me a smile, then spun the car around and raced down the slick drive. His tires were wrapped in chains, so I tried not to worry about his speed. I reasoned that Miles was born and raised in these parts. Driving on snow and ice was as much part of his DNA as his South Korean heritage. Still, asking him to ease up on the gas pedal was on the tip of my tongue.
Especially when we passed the area where Grant and I had crashed. The tree, like my knee, bore the mark of our accident. I looked away from it, clutching my thighs which had begun to tremble.
