“Okay, shhh.”Liam pulled me into his arms, his solid warmth dragging me back from the edge of hysteria.“Breathe,” he murmured.“It’ll be okay.It was an idea.No one is forcing you to move.”
I tried to focus on slowing my breathing, but all I could think about was the crush of Liam’s arms around me, the press of his hard chest, and the comforting warmth of his scent, woody and earthy and altogetherhim.
Oh, mama.It should be illegal for a man to smell this good.
I breathed deeply for a few moments before allowing myself to relax into the kind of hug I hadn’t experienced in, well,ever.Then I turned my face and sniffed his shirt.For research purposes, of course.
Jesus.Did he have to smell so delicious?
Before I could take another sneaky sniff, he pulled back and held me at arm’s length.“Better?”he asked, flashing a crooked smile.
“Sure.”I stepped away, already missing the heat of his body.“Thanks.”
I tried to get back to work, but the scent of Liam clinging to my shirt made it damn near impossible to concentrate on sorting my purchases.The only thing in my brain was how I could get him to wrap me in his arms again?Which was ridiculous.This was Liam Bishop.The negligent grandson.Pull yourself together, girl.
Suddenly, I wanted him to go.He was way too distracting.I’d never be able to concentrate on anything while he stood there just …smelling amazingaround me.
“Well, thanks for all your help,” I blurted, gesturing to the door.“I have to get downstairs and close the store properly.I’ll walk you out.”
Liam’s eyes slid to the boxes still strewn across the floor, his brows drawing together.“You sure?There’s still a lot to put away here.I don’t mind helping.”
“Yup.Absolutely sure,” I said, grabbing the box of new pens in one hand and the sleeve of Liam’s jacket in the other.“It’ll give me something to do when I get back from visiting Nana later.Let’s go.”
Then, as if having a mild freakout over my attraction to Liam weren’t enough stress for me to be dealing with, my phone rang as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
Thatphone.The parent phone.
Ugh.Why couldn’t they leave me alone?
I dropped Liam’s arm and rushed over, yanking the drawer open in time to see that it was, in fact, my parents calling.I snorted a hysterical laugh, ripped open the box of pens, and dumped them in the drawer, burying the phone.
If I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t answer it.Right?
I slammed the drawer shut and spun to face Liam, slapping on my bestnothing to see heresmile.“Okay.Well, thanks again.Bye-bye now.”
He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but closed it immediately.With a shaking head and a wagging finger, he shot me one last wink and walked out the door.
He was so weird.But in asuper hot, not actually weirdway that made my stomach flip.
Oh.
Crap.
I couldn’t be developing a crush on Liam Bishop as a person.It was one thing to admire his physical form, but to actually like him?That would be inexcusable.
seventeen
was it her parole officer?
Liam
Ithadbeennearly24 hours, and I still hadn’t figured out exactly what had happened with Maya yesterday.
That was … weird.
After what I thought had been an amazing day, Maya freaked out and shoved me out the door.We were hugging one second, and she was dragging me to the door the next.
She must have noticed my dick got hard while I was hugging her.That had to be why she panicked and kicked me out.It’s not like I could have stopped myself.After watching Kai kiss her cheek, and the subsequent burning jealousy in my gut, of course my body reacted to having her in my arms.It’s no wonder she was all worked up.We didn’t exactly have the type of relationship where she would welcome my erection pressed against her.
