“Like something out of one of your movies?” Liam whispers back, making a face at Rex when he shushes him. “Oh, please, like you haven’t seen this movie eleventy billion times.” Rex’s giggles set me off and soon the two of us are leaning into Liam, laughing ourselves silly over basically nothing. Luckily, something funny happens on screen and everyone else starts laughing too.
“This is so much better than any movie,” I tell Liam, stealing a kiss when Rex’s attention returns to the screen. Liam’s answering smile, paired with the gentle kiss he places on my forehead, warms me from head to toe.
*****
We return to reality the next day. A mixture of sadness and relief mingle in my chest as we say goodbye to everyone and make our way across town on freshly-plowed roads. Liam has arranged for Rex to go to the Murphys while he checks in on various townspeople. I offer to stay with him, but he suggests I go home and enjoy some solitude—and maybe a hot shower and a nap in my own bed—before we attend a welcome home dinner for Fiona.
With Liam’s suggestions in mind, I make a pot of coffee and decide to draw myself a hot bath. While our community center adventure was a lot of fun, spending two nights on a thin mat on a concrete floor wasnotso fun. Between that and playing outside in the snow, my muscles are protesting.
My steamy, scented bath must be a bit too relaxing because I wake up some time later to the sound of my phone buzzing on the small bench beside the tub. I grab it and open a text from Liam.
You okay? Still sleeping? I’ve rung the bell and knocked a few times.
I don’t know what time I got in the bath, but I slept long enough for the water to grow cold. I tap out a text to Liam:Sorry! Can you use your spare key to let yourself in?I sit up and reach for a towel, only now realizing I forgot to grab one before getting in the tub. The empty towel rack across the room reminds me of my plans to do laundry yesterday. After a moment of contemplation, I add:Can you come upstairs? I’m in the bath.
I listen to Liam let himself in and make his way through the house. He stops in the bathroom doorway, eyes going wide when he sees me. A slow grin spreads across his face as he leans against the doorjamb, crossing his arms over his chest. If the way his hair is curling around his ears is any indication, he’s freshly showered. He looks casual and comfortable—and sexy as hell—in a dark blue sweater and well-worn jeans.
“This seems like an invitation,” he says, tilting his head in my direction.
“Iwouldinvite you to join me if the water hadn’t gone cold,” I tell him. “I accidentally fell asleep, which is one of the reasons I don’t usually take baths.” I gesture to the empty towel rack across the room. “Can you grab me a towel from the linen closet, please?”
I gather my courage and scramble to my feet while he’s gone. Despite the fact Liam has seen me naked on more than one occasion—and has had his mouth and hands on just about every inch of my body—heat creeps up my neck and into my face at the thought of him seeing me naked now. Somehow this feels much more intimate.
A gentle smile lifts Liam’s lips when he returns to find me standing in the bathtub with my arms crossed over my chest. He sets a towel on the vanity and unfurls a second one, holding it up to cover me from view as he approaches. He leans in close as he wraps me in the towel, that small smile still in place as he inhales deeply and then kisses my cheek. His lips linger, his hot breath making me shiver as it brushes over my cool skin.
“You smell amazing.” He takes my hand and helps me from the tub, then grabs the second towel and wraps it around my shoulders.
I think back to what Liam told me when we first met about Mae saying he was made for loving. This is what it would be like to be loved by Liam. To be taken care of, cherished, treated like the most important person on the planet. The thought makes me weak in the knees.
He must feel me sway because without a word, he puts his arm around my waist to hold me steady. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I say, finding it difficult to meet his eyes. I’m afraid of what he might see in mine right now. Longing, affection, maybe even a hint of fear. “I’m good. Thanks for your help. I’ll go get dressed and meet you downstairs?”
“Sure thing. Take your time.” His arm tightens around me before sliding free, giving my butt a quick pat. I laugh and he gives that slow smile that has my knees wobbling for an entirely different reason.
Even though he told me to take my time, I find myself hurrying through getting dressed. There’s this pull in my stomach, like a craving I can’t quite name. After being among a crowd of people the last two days and knowing we’ll be surrounded again tonight at the Murphys’, I want a few minutes alone with Liam. It’shimI’m craving—his touch, his scent, his lips on mine. I can practically feel myself getting tangled in this supposedly no-strings-attached thing we have going.
With my hair styled and makeup applied, I head downstairs and find Liam sitting on the couch gazing at the Christmas tree.
“If Rex has his way, this place will be Christmas central before long,” I say. Liam smiles at me over his shoulder, his gaze turning appreciative as he takes in my form-fitting black dress pants and crimson blouse. “He suggested I get a few festive throw pillows, andcasuallymentioned how great a Christmas village would look on the shelf over there.”
Liam chuckles, slinging one arm across the back of the couch and patting the space beside him with his other hand. I sit, and his arm drops around my shoulders, pulling me close. “The kid has a way of charming you into doing things you didn’t think you’d do.”
“Can’t imagine where he gets that from,” I say dryly.
“Are you saying I’m charming?”
I scoff, making him chuckle again. “Oh,please! As if you don’t know how ridiculously charming you are, Liam Doherty, with your giant heart and your bedroom eyes and your sexy voice.”
“Mywhat?” he says around a bewildered laugh. “Bedroom eyes and sexy voice?”
I plant my hand on his chest and push myself up so I can meet his eyes. They’re currently less ‘let me seduce you’ and more ‘what are you talking about’ but they’re still the most beautiful, magnetic eyes I’ve ever seen. “You seriously don’t know, do you? God, I’m so used to guys with massive egos who pour on the charm to get what they want, but you…you’re…” I shake my head, certain I’m the one who looks bewildered now. “Where did you even come from?”
His warm, rough hands cup my face. I grip his wrists, turning my cheek into his palm and closing my eyes.
“I’ve been right here, waiting for someone just like you.”
My eyes fly open to meet his. The intensity and heat in their dark depths makes my breath catch. “Don’t say that,” I whisper.
