Me: It’s more than just hooking up.
Me: I think
There are several seconds before she answers
Hannah: That’s big news. I’m happy for you.
The door opens, and Liev enters holding our food bags. “Intercepted the guy in the hallway.”
Me: Gotta go. Talk soon.
My phone buzzes a few minutes later with her thumbs-up response.
Fortunately,besides the king-sized bed, the room comes with a small table and two chairs. We eat straight from the containers, knees brushing now and then without either of us pulling away. It feels strangely easy. When the food is gone, neither of us makes a move to stand right away. Eventually, we drift to the bed, claiming opposite sides. I point the remote at the TV and start flipping through the stations with the volume low.
I stare at the TV, aware of the heat of Liev on the other side of the mattress. Aware and a little annoyed at how far he’s keeping himself from me. He types on his phone for several minutes, and then finally sets it on the bedside table. I turn off the television and will myself to make a move.
Drop the towel, Sera.
“Tired?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“Head still bothering you?”
“A little.”
Okaaay. This is awkward.
I stare at the ceiling.
Fuck it.
“Why haven’t you made a move since the other night?”
As he turns toward me, the mattress shifts, and he lifts an eyebrow. “Let’s see… There was Brady’s phone call, then next night you got hit in the face, and last night you clearly had a headache… I didn’t think it was the right time.”
“That’s it?”
His dark brows pinch together. “What are you asking?”
My courage fails me, and I move to pull away, but he catches my wrist, holding me still.
“As much as I wish I could, I can’t read your mind, Seraphina. I need you to tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”
“I thought maybe with all the stuff I told you, and then freaking out the other morning, you might have changed your mind.”
Liev’s mouth tightens into a flat line, and a muscle ticks noticeably in his jaw, illuminated by the dim glow of the bedside lamp. He draws a slow, controlled breath through his nose, nostrils flaring, like he’s trying not to explode.
“I know I’m a lot of work,” I rush on. “And I come with so much shit, so I would totally understand if?—”
His mouth seals over mine, stealing the rest of my sentence.
The kiss is sudden but deliberate. His lips are firm and warm, and he tastes like mint toothpaste. He releases my wrist, and the only point of contact now is where his mouth is slowly destroying me. His tongue slides against mine in languid strokes. Every coaxing movement makes liquid heat pool low in my belly, melting my tension and worry away.
He pulls back, our unsteady breaths mingling. His lips glisten in the low light.
“If you are asking whether I want you,” he says in a gravelly voice. “The answer should be obvious. If it’s not, then I’m doing somethingverywrong.”
