When I finally pull away, I briefly meet his eyes and murmur my thanks. He lightly catches and holds my hand as we head for the house, only releasing it when I unlock the door. We remove our coats and boots in silence, and then he follows me through the dark house to the kitchen, where I put away the leftovers Mae sent.
“Can I get you anything?” I ask.
Liam shakes his head. He advances slowly, giving me time to move away or hold a hand up to halt his progress. I don’t do either, even though part of my brain is screaming at me to flee. I back up until my butt hits the counter behind me, and Liam cages me in with his arms. Between the proximity of his body, the subtle scent of his cologne, and the barest hint of a smile flirting around his lips, my brain short circuits.
He keeps his eyes on mine as he leans in. I let out an embarrassingly needy whimper when his lips brush my neck. I can feel him smile against my skin before his mouth returns, pressing harder and moving up toward my ear. I grip his shoulders and tilt my head, reveling in the sensations of his lips and tongue paired with the scrape of his stubble across my sensitive skin. With my eyes tightly closed, I say, “We need to set some ground rules here.”
Liam pauses, his face still buried in my neck. “That’s it, talk sexy to me.”
I laugh and smack his shoulder. “I’m serious.”
He lifts his head to meet my eyes. “So am I.”
His deep voice sends shivers racing across my skin. He leans in to press his lips to mine, and it takes all my willpower to pull back before things go further. Our eyes lock and hold, and Liam nods, easing back to give me a bit more space without completely releasing his grip on me. “Ground rules.”
“I’m only in Honeywell for a few more weeks,” I say. “As much as this place is growing on me, and as much as everyone seems to think Honeywell has this magical pull that will change my mind, I’m not staying. Ican’t. My life, my home, and my career are in Toronto. My job takes me all over Ontario and sometimes further, often for weeks or even months at a time. So if we do take things further, you need to be okay with that.”
My heart does a nosedive into my stomach when Liam squeezes my waist and takes a step away. He doesn’t go far, just a few steps back until his hips hit the counter across from me. For a second, I almost regret saying anything, but I had to. Sex is one thing, but feelings make things messy.
“I never thought I’d be one for casual sex,” I say, my voice wavering. I can’t believe I’m telling him this. I should probably shut up and let him take me to bed since that’s clearly what we both want. “My one foray into love and commitment blew up in my face, and I have the battered heart and bruised ego to show for it. If we can both accept that this is temporary and can agree to no entanglements, we can go forward.”
Liam bobs his head slowly, eyes on the floor between us. His silence makes me twitchy. Finally, he lifts his head and says, “So we’d be…what? Friends with benefits?”
“I guess? I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”
“Neither have I.”
“Because you’re made for loving,” I say, using his words from a few weeks ago. It takes everything in me to maintain eye contact as I say it.
He makes a non-committal sound. “Hasn’t worked out well for me so far. Maybe it’s time to try something new. Forbothof us to try something new.”
“Together,” I say slowly, and he nods. “So we’d be two consenting adults who enjoy each other’s company—in and out of bed—knowing it’s temporary. No strings, no messy emotions clouding things.”
“I’ll try my best,” he says. “And I won’t pressure you, but I have a feeling you’ll come to a certain conclusion on your own.”
“And what conclusion is that?”
“That Honeywell is where you’re meant to be.”
An exasperated sound escapes me. “Did you not hear a word I just said? That’s not how the ‘no strings’ thing works, Liam.” I push away from the counter, but only make it two or three steps before his hand grips mine, stopping me. He steps in front of me, shifting his hand so our fingers are laced.
“I heard every word, Josslyn. I did.” He squeezes my hand. “But I can’t lie to you. I see how you fit here. I see your bond with Rex and Mae. I know there’s something between us, something more than just physical attraction. You can’t deny that.” He pauses, but before I can say anything, he adds, “Hell, even Nathan likes and accepts you, and he’s dead set on keeping just about everyone other than family at arm’s length.”
I laugh under my breath. “I’m honored. And I do care about you.Allof you. I just…”
His fingers slip from mine and he grips my upper arms with both hands. “I know. I get it, I do. We don’t have to talk about this right now, though. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather be kissing you.”
Something tells me this is a bad idea. Liam thinks he can convince me to stay, and he’s not wrong about there being something beyond physical between us. There are a million reasons I shouldn’t kiss him right now. Probably another million reasons to step away and tell him we can only be friends. And yet not a single one of those reasons seem to matter as Liam lowers his head, and his lips meet mine.
We make our way upstairs, laughing breathlessly as we try to keep connected through kisses and groping hands. In my bedroom, I practically rip off his shirt before reaching for the hem of mine.
Liam’s hands cover mine to stop them. “Joss,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss my neck. “What’s your hurry?”
Whatismy hurry? I don’t know. It’s not that I want to get this over with—far from it—but I’m antsy, almost frantic. Is foreplay a thing between friends with benefits? Shouldn’t it be akin to scratching an itch, where we launch right into the main act?
I wriggle out of his hold and put some space between us. We’re both breathing hard, and my heart feels like a wild horse wanting to break out of my chest and gallop to freedom. The heat in Liam’s eyes is replaced by concern. He looks like he wants to reach for me, but he stops himself, his hands twitching at his sides.
“I just…need a minute,” I say. “I’m in my head too much. I’m sorry.”
