Page 99 of False Confidence

Jazz took a deep breath. She was doing the right thing. He already knew. The bracelet was just a formality, really. It wasn’t a surprise.

“Three.”

Jazz opened her eyes and took in the bracelet, tears immediately springing to her eyes. She knew without asking that he’d done the same thing she had, picking the colors that reminded him of her. It was bright—turquoise and bright orange, spring green and sunshine yellow. And like her bracelet, he’d kept the focus on the letters:

I love you.

She traced the white letters with a finger, a perfect match to those she’d used for his bracelet, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Liam cupped her face, catching the tear with his thumb. She looked up, meeting his gaze. For the first time since she’d met him, Liam looked entirely at peace. And for the first time that she could remember, she felt at peace.

“I love you, Liam,” she said, because it wasn’t enough to string some beads on a bracelet. She had to say it out loud too. “I meant it the first time I said it, and I mean it now. I love you.”

He cupped the other side of her face, the bracelet in his hand pressing against her cheek. “I love you so much, darling. So much. And this is so much better—you’re so much better—than all the books say.”

Jazz sighed happily when he leaned in and caught her mouth with his, tasting the truth of his words on his tongue. It was a slow kiss, a deep, sweet, languid kiss full of promises and peace. When they broke apart, Liam pressed his forehead to hers, his emerald eyes so fucking happy she thought she might burst.

She snagged the bracelet clenched in his hand and slipped it over his wrist, surprised by how much she liked seeing something she’d made on him. Liam did the same with the bracelet he’d made her, running his thumb over the beads and drawing in a shaky breath.

“You know, between this, the t-shirt, and the Snoopy tattoo, I think I might have a thing for seeing me all over you.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you a little more all over me, if you kn—Liam!” Jazz squealed, laughing as Liam stood up so quickly his chair toppled. He tugged her to her feet and pulled her to the bedroom at lightning speed. He pushed her against the dresser, grabbing the hem of her t-shirt—his t-shirt.

“I need you in nothing but that bracelet, darling,” he groaned, and Jazz helped him out, wriggling out of her cycling shorts while he pulled the shirt off. She hadn’t bothered with underwear—she’d had a pretty good idea of where the night was going when she’d gotten changed. Despite how helpful she’d been to him, Liam was uninterested in returning the favor, running his hands all over her and making it damn near impossible to undress him. She whined his name, and he took pity on her, shedding his clothes and walking her back toward the bed, his teeth and tongue lavishing her neck.

“Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“Now that we’re disgustingly in love, you’re not going to start being all gentle with me, are you?”

Liam pulled back from her neck, clasping her cheek. “First, I’ve been disgustingly in love with you for years. You just took your time catching up.”

She prodded him in the ribs. That stupid, perfect, dimply smirk would be the death of her. “Shut up.”

“Second, are you going to stop being a brat?”

“Fuck no.”

His eyes dilated, her favorite wicked glint taking over his face. “Then I guess I’m going to have to keep punishing you. What a damn shame.” On the last word, he spun her around until her back was pressed against his front, then bent her over the bed, pushing her face against the blankets.

She gasped as he brushed the head of his cock over her, pushing her hips back against him. If she didn’t get him inside her, she was going to fucking lose it.

“Please.” It slipped out before she could catch it and Liam stilled, gripping her hips so she couldn’t move. Fuck.

“Begging already? You must be pretty desperate for me.” He sounded damn cocky, but Jazz really was too desperate for him to even pretend to fight.

“Quit talking and fuck me,” she groaned and Liam stepped back. She tried to turn around in protest, but he brought his hand down on her ass unexpectedly and her knees buckled, forcing her further into the bed. Her legs spread, her arms lying useless above her head, her pussy practically dripping with desperation… Liam didn’t need restraints to have her entirely at his mercy. And he knew that.

He cupped her pussy, putting pressure on her but not directly touching her clit. It was fucking torture. “You done talking back?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

“Then ask nicely, darling.” She could hear him fighting a laugh. He was infuriating. And she loved him.

Jazz took a deep breath. “Please will you fuck me, boyfriend whom I love more than anything in the whole wide wor—fuck.” He slammed into her and Jazz blinked away the stars that crossed her vision.

“Since you asked so nicely...”

There was nothing nice about the way he fucked her, and Jazz loved every messy second of it. He was ruthless and unforgiving, spanking her between thrusts until she was sobbing all over the bed, begging for more.

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