Page 84 of The Match Faker

‘Cheers.’ I clinked his glass. ‘And thanks for your help,’ I said, trying not to think about how much I wanted to kiss him to show my appreciation. I took a large gulp of champagne, then leant against the island.

‘It was nothing.’ He waved his hand dismissively.

‘It wasn’t nothing! You were amazing. You put on the performance of a lifetime. Everything you said, you know, about having a crush and what you liked about me, was brilliant. You were so convincing.’

Liam let out a little laugh and stepped forward.

‘The reason it was so convincing, Mia, is because it was all true.’

‘Ha!’ I laughed. ‘Good one!’

‘I mean it.’ He took another step forward. He was so close I felt his sweet breath tickling me when he spoke.

‘What?’ I frowned. ‘No, you don’t. You told me. The other day. When we were practising our kiss. You told me that was fake.’

‘I didn’t say it was fake.’ He plucked the glass from my hand and moved it to the far end of the counter next to his. ‘I said that if I was kissing you for real, you wouldn’t be able to see or stand straight. And that was true. I was holding back. I wasn’t kissing you how I really wanted to.’ His face inched closer.

‘H-how did you want to kiss me?’ I swallowed hard.

‘Like this.’ He closed the gap between us and slammed his lips onto mine.

My legs trembled. Shit. He was right. He’d only been kissing me for a few seconds and the intensity of his lips was so much, I wasn’t sure how long I could support my body weight.

I gripped the edge of the island to steady myself. Liam’s hungry mouth moved against mine, teasing my lips open before sliding his tongue inside. As it flicked against mine, every atom in my body came alive.

This was the best kiss I’d had, bar none.

It was frenzied and delicious.

And I wanted more.

31

Mia

Iwrapped my arms around Liam’s back, pulling him into me. His hard length pressed against my stomach, and not for the first time, I wondered how amazing it’d feel if he buried it inside me.

But we shouldn’t.

This was just supposed to be fake. Now the interview was done, I only really needed Liam to come to the finals with me. If I made it through.

There was no one watching us now. No cameras, no judges. And…

Ohhhh…

Liam’s mouth trailed across my cheek and down to my neck. Holy shit. My knees buckled again as he nuzzled into my neck.

‘Mia, I want you so fucking much right now,’ he growled. ‘Get up on that island.’

‘Wh-what?’ I asked, still savouring the feel of his hot lips on my skin.

‘You heard. I want you to sit that fine arse on the edge of this island. But pull up your dress first. Or take it off. It’s up to you.’

I did as he asked. Or should I say demanded. Normally I hated being told what to do—especially by a man—but Liam’s commands turned me on.

After pulling my dress up around my waist, I attempted to jump up on the island. Two unsexy attempts later, Liam scooped me into his arms, lifted me up and pulled me to the edge.

‘How was the kiss?’ he asked, desire burning in his eyes.

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