Knock, knock, knock.
We both freeze.
CHAPTER 10
Liam
Frustration mirrors her gaze. The same want burns through my veins.
“I have to get that.” She sounds soft and wrecked.
I lean in closer, lips hovering above hers. “They’ll go away, Luv.”
Knock, knock, knock.
Again. And again. And bloody again.
Her body shifts, resignation mixed with annoyance. “I know who it is.”
Someone calls from behind the door, loud and insistent enough to wake the dead. “Lexie, babes, open the door! Now, before I huff and I puff. You know I will!”
More relentless knocking. She isn’t going anywhere.
I tilt my head, lifting a brow.
“It’s my best friend,” Lexie adds, almost apologetic. “Trust me, she won’t go away. She’ll pick the lock.”
“Elexia Claire Carter!” she screeches like a banshee. “Come on, you doodle bug, open the door!”
The absurdity of it all. Here I am, hard as a rock, pinning a beautiful woman to her couch, and we’re being interrupted by someone calling her “doodle bug.”
Though every fiber of my body protests, I rise, letting Lexie up. She takes a moment to gather herself, smoothing down her dress, running her hands through her curls.
She makes her way to the door, and I move toward the kitchen doorway, giving her space but keeping myself in view. I want to see who this friend is. Want to know who is allowed to bang on her door like she owns the place.
Lexie unlocks the door and pulls it open.
A young woman sweeps in like a force of nature—all dark waves cascading down her back as she removes a silk scarf with a dramatic flair. Designer coat, skinny jeans, heeled boots that make her legs look a mile long. She’s beautiful in that polished, high-maintenance way. The kind of woman who knows her worth and isn’t afraid to show it.
She kisses each of Lexie’s cheeks, and I catch the scent of her perfume: expensive, floral, the kind that costs more than most people’s rent.
“Hey, River,” Lexie chirps, trying to sound casual. “Come on in.” She steps aside.
River tosses her scarf onto the couch and turns on her heel to face Lexie, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement. “Get dressed, babes. Wear something sexy. We’re going to the Hamptons.”
Lexie blinks. “What? Why?”
River beams, her teeth white and perfect. “I got us in at the most exclusive, hottest Valentine’s party ever! A singles party—some gothic vampire-themed event at Thornfield Manor. Imagine the possibilities. All those mysterious, masked millionaires just waiting to sweep us off our feet. We’re going to get you a?—”
She turns, and her words die.
At first, she gawks at me standing at the entrance to the kitchen, my hands stuffed in my pockets until her faceshifts from excitement to shock to something else entirely. Appreciation. Interest. The kind of look I’ve gotten from women my whole life.
Her mouth falls open. “Holy damn hotness in a sweater!” Her elevator eyes roam every inch of me. She’s eye-fuckin’ me, not even trying to hide it.
I nod to her, my lips twitching with mirth. “Pleasure to meet you.” Thornfield Manor…hmm, how fitting.
Lexie tries to keep her voice light. “I picked him up in an alley.”
