Page 110 of Tell Me It’s Right

Chapter Thirty-Eight

GRACIE

I feel a little bit like a creep. Liam sleeps peacefully on his back, even once the sun starts streaming through the windows. No matter how hot it got in the night, we stayed wrapped around each other, but the duvet and sheets ended up shoved to the bottom of the bed, leaving Liam in only his boxers and me in his T-shirt.

Now I can’t stop staring at him. I think my mouth is watering.

His lean build is so…deceptive. I couldfeelhow strong he is around me last night, but I didn’t fully realize until now that I canseeit too. My eyes trace every strong line of his body—the subtle outline of his muscles, the intricate patchwork of designs covering his skin. I’ve never gotten to see them all and really take them in. There’s so much to look at. I don’t know much about tattoos, but some are more faded, the lines less crisp, which leads me to believe they’re older. He’s clearly not a fan of color—they’re all black, at least from what I can see.

He makes a sound low in his throat as his head turns toward me on the pillow. He doesn’t open his eyes, but his lips curl, and I know I’ve been caught.

“Come here,” he murmurs.

I inch forward to tuck myself beneath his arm.

“Closer.”

I press a little harder against him until there’s no room left between us.

“Closer.”

I snort, then throw a leg over his hips and roll until I’m straddling him.

Thatgets his eyes open. He grips my thighs, and the wolfish grin on his face softens as his gaze meets mine. Slowly, he trails his hand up my hip, over my ribs, and into my hair. No matter how many times I feel his skin against mine, it sparks heat through me like it’s the first time. He sits up enough to let his lips brush mine as he says, “This is dangerous.”

“Why is that?” I whisper.

He pulls my mouth down to his, and a small whimper escapes me as he kisses me slowly, deeply. When he pulls away, he says, “Because I like having you in my bed far too much to let you sleep anywhere else now.”

“Are you telling me you’re kidnapping me?”

He nods and ducks his head to kiss my shoulder.

I push against him until he’s on his back again. His chest rises faster with his breath, and the heat in his gaze as he looks up at me has my stomach tightening. I trail my fingertips over his skin, starting at his hips, gliding over his abs, his chest, tracing the lines of his tattoos.

“You couldn’t have done these all yourself.”

“No, anything I couldn’t reach easily, someone else did.”

I tilt my head. “Did you do your first one, or did someone else?”

He mirrors my movements, his hands skating along my legs. “Someone else.”

“Which one was it?”

He curls his fingers around mine, then drags my hand up and places it on the inside of his left biceps. There are a few tattoos there, but in the center is a single stemmed flower. There’s something almost delicate about it compared to the rest. It’s hidden against his body when his arms are down, so I’ve never noticed it before.

I lean in closer, taking in the thinner lines, the detail in the shading. It’s much more faded than the ones around it.

“What kind of flower is it?”

He hesitates a moment before saying, “Water lily.”

Lily. His mother’s name.

I trace my fingers over it, then meet his eyes. “For your mom?”

He smiles softly. “Got it a week after the accident.”

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