Page 23 of Just a Footnote

That’s better.

“You never found Archer attractive?”

Liam guffaws, looking aghast at the idea. “Absolutely not. He’s my best friend.”

“We’re twins.”

Liam laughs awkwardly before running a hand through his messy hair. Aiden reaches up to yank on a piece of hair at the nape of Liam’s neck. A small hiss escapes Liam, not a painful hiss, a pleased hiss. Aiden likes the sound a lot.

“You look different and you know it,” Liam points out, a hard edge to his voice. He slowly reaches up, tracing Aiden’s bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “The shape of your mouths are different. The shape of your eyes too. Your hair is shorter, kind of curly. Your jaw is rounder. And you take less shit from people.”

Aiden feels unsettled by Liam’s words so he playfully nips the pad of Liam’s thumb. “I don’t need you to say nice things to me.”

“Maybe I want to say nice things to you.”

“I have two rules if we hook up,” Aiden steps away, slinking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of vodka. He pours two shots into a glass. He downs his shot, holds out the other to Liam who accepts it warily. “Archer never finds out. And that’s all this will ever be, a hookup. I don’t date. So don’t get ideas in your head about that. It won’t happen. Got it?”

“Got it,” Liam repeats dutifully.

Aiden fixes him with a hard look. “And don’t fall in love with me. I don’t dolove. I don’t do relationships. All this will ever be isharmless fooling around because you’re hot and honestly, I’m tired of looking for hookups.”

Liam scoffs, nostrils flaring in annoyance. “Don’t worry, I promise to not fall in love with you.”

Aiden laughs. “I think you put on this puppy dog act around everyone else but you’ve got bite. Why the act?”

Liam downs his shot, and rounds the kitchen counter, roughly backing Aiden against the refrigerator. A few good inches separates them, Liam using the height difference to his advantage to corner Aiden. Normally, Aiden wouldn’t enjoy that but it oddly doesn’t bother him when it’s Liam.

“Maybe everyone else expects something from me. You don’t.”

“Romantic.”

A hand tangles in Aiden’s hair, tilting his head back, forcing a startled gasp out of him. “Are you always so mouthy?”

Aiden blinks. “Yes.”

“Let’s see.”

And then Liam’s mouth is on his. Aiden has kissed a lot of people. He’s had good kisses, great kisses, sleepy kisses, drunk kisses, but fuck if Liam doesn’t know how to kiss him stupid. He lets Liam control the kiss, happy to just tangle his tongue with Liam’s in an all familiar dance. The heat of Liam’s mouth against his is intoxicating in a dangerous way.

Hands tangle in his hair to hold him close when Aiden tries to pull away. He chuckles against Liam’s mouth, tasting the vodka on his tongue, and gives him what he wants. Kissing Liam is nice. The part of his brain that is always on high alert just kind of shuts down, letting him focus on savoring the act of kissing.

Aiden finally breaks free from Liam’s lips to trail kisses down his jaw.

“Shit,” Liam swears when Aiden nips his pulse point.

“While I enjoy the idea of having you right here…the idea of mybrother walking in is not a turn on and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities,” Aiden breathlessly points out. Grabbing Liam by the edge of his hoodie, he tugs him along in the direction of his bedroom. Once inside, he locks the door behind him just in time for Liam to pounce on him.

This kiss is rougher. Aiden kind of likes it. It’s hard to even breathe through it but especially so when Liam sucks on his tongue. Jesus Christ, who taught Liam how to kiss? Aiden sneaks a hand under Liam’s hoodie to feel the smooth muscles of his stomach. The muscles tremble under his exploring hands. Liam lets out a pleased gasp into his mouth at the scratch of Aiden’s fingers down his stomach. Aiden happily drinks it down, raking his fingers up and down Liam’s stomach. The inches of height difference don’t feel like much now. Aiden somehow feels taller, bigger, like he’s the one in charge. It’s a heady feeling to have Liam Walsh at the tips of his fingers, wanting but not knowing exactly what he wants.

He backs Liam up until the insides of his knees hit the bed so that they tumble down together on the full size mattress. Their mouths never break away from one another. Aiden rolls his hips, feeling Liam hard beneath him, and Liam’s hands fly up to roughly hold his waist. A little spark of electricity flies down Aiden’s spine at the rough touch. This is why he likes being with men more sometimes. He craves the rough touch.

“Take your shirt off,” Liam mumbles into his mouth.

Aiden smirks, sits up, tugging his shirt over his head. A pained sound escapes Liam before he slowly runs his hands up the planes of Aiden’s bare stomach. Liam’s normally vivid green eyes are eaten up by the blacks of his pupils in the low lighting of Aiden’s bedroom. The sight is nice, he likes that he’s the one doing that to Liam. Fingers roll his nipple and squeeze, forcing a sharp gasp out of Aiden.

“You like that?” Liam asks, a little unsure, but somehow confident at the same time.

“Yes.”

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