I bit my lip to keep from making a sound that would definitely get us kicked out. “Told you.”
“You’re going to be the death of me, Sunshine.”
The waiter returned with the check, and Liam practically threw his card at the poor guy. His hand stayed on my thigh the entire time, thumb stroking maddening circles on my skin, keeping me on edge without giving me nearly enough.
“Your place or mine?” he asked once he’d signed the receipt. The fact he even asked sent a thrill through me. We could be together at the hockey house if we wanted.
But… “Mine’s closer.”
“Yours it is.”
We barely made it through my apartment door before his mouth was on mine.
The kiss was hungry—all the restrained tension from dinner finally breaking free. His hands found my hips and walked me backward until my shoulders hit the wall, and I gasped into his mouth at the sudden contact.
“Do you have any idea,” he said between kisses, “what it did to me, sitting with you all night after learning you had nothing on under this dress?”
“I have some idea.” I rolled my hips against him, feeling how hard he was already. “Seemed like you were struggling.”
“Struggling is an understatement.” His hands slid down to cup my ass, lifting me until my legs wrapped around his waist. “I’ve been thinking about getting you alone since you opened your door.”
He carried me toward my bedroom like I weighed nothing, his mouth never leaving mine. When he laid me down on the bed, he pulled back just far enough to look at me, and the tender expression on his face made my heart stutter.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.
“Nothing. Just…” He shook his head, a soft smile playing at his lips. “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up. That this isn’t real.”
“It’s real.” I reached up to cup his face, pulling him down for a gentler kiss. “You’re mine.”
He made an approving sound low in his throat and then he was kissing me again. But slower this time. Deeper, like he couldn’t get close enough.
His hands found the zipper at the back of my dress, sliding it down with aching slowness. He pulled the dress off my body, leaving me bare beneath him, and Liam pulled back to look at me. I’d been naked in front of guys before and never thought twice about it. But the way Liam looked at me—like he couldn’t quite believe I was real—made me feel more wanted than any words could.
“God, Ava.” His voice was rough. “Every time I see you like this, it hits me all over again.”
“What does?”
“How lucky I am.” He pressed a kiss to my collarbone, then to the swell of my breast. “How fucking lucky I am that you’re mine.”
The words sent warmth spreading through my chest. Not just heat—though there was plenty of that—but the feeling of being truly cherished.
No one had ever made me feel this before.
He pressed kisses to every inch of skin working his way down my body. By the time he’d worked his way back up, I was tremblingwith need.
“Liam, please?—”
“I know what you need.” He settled between my thighs, and I could feel him hard against my center, separated only by the fabric of his pants. “And I’ll always give it to you.”
I tugged at his shirt impatiently, needing to feel his skin against mine. He helped me get his buttons undone and then shucked it, throwing it across the room. Then his chest was pressed against mine, warm and solid and perfect.
“I love you,” he said, the words muffled against my neck. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”
“I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
He kissed me again as his hand slid between us, his fingers finding me already soaked. I moaned into his mouth when he slipped them inside, stroking slowly.
“Fuck, Ava.” He laughed softly against my lips. “I had plans. I was going to take my time. Be romantic.”
