Page 37 of Holiday Home 4

“Hmm, I’m sure,” Avril said, eyeing him. She couldn’t know just how much they’d done, yet her brilliant green gaze implied that she could ballpark what had happened while she was away. That was another part of her that disrupted his cool; it always felt like she knew more than she was letting on. He’d made the grave mistake of underestimating her intelligence in the past. It would never happen again.

“She will be,” he repeated, stepping closer to Avril. Close enough to see the faded freckles spackled across the bridge ofher nose. Liam had an eventual plan to count them all. Probably with a kiss in between each tally.

Acting as though he meant to kiss her, he deviated at the final moment and picked up a box of chocolates from the nearby chair. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, handing it to her.

“Someone’s feeling themselves,” Avril chortled, though she accepted his gift readily. After looking over it and noticing Anna’s box on the coffee table, Avril smirked. “Did you get a good discount for the three?”

“Four, actually,” Liam said, feeling like he’d found the high ground needed for an opening salvo.

“Four? Who—Victoria?”

“That’s right.”

Avril looked him up and down as if she saw an entirely different person in front of her. “So greedy.”

“Because Iboughteveryone gifts?”

“Because you want to feel Victoria’s big tits against you,” Avril retorted, prodding him in the ribs. “I bet you got a long hug for this gift, huh? Well, I won’t hold it against you. They’re impossible to resist.”

Liam blushed. Just like that, his high ground collapsed into a mudslide, depositing him into Avril’s sights. And as always, she showed no mercy.

“They’re even nicer when you hold them in your hands. So bouncy, so absorbent.”

Knowing that he needed to find some way to retreat, Liam glanced toward the kitchen, hoping that Anna would emerge from it, as an allied army did at the last possible moment in a movie. But she didn’t, and his hopeful look kept him from reacting in time to Avril’s next assault. The one that crushed him.

Shifting into him, tossing her box of chocolates back into the chair it’d come from, arms wrapping around his neck, Avrilthrust her mouth against his. Liam fell back a step, but Avril stayed with him, pressingherbig tits into his chest as her tongue swept into his mouth and robbed him of the capacity to think. This battle was hers. Knowing this, Liam clutched her shapely ass and changed his mind. He’d like Anna to stay away a little longer.

Fortunately, their kiss ended before a gasp could interrupt it. Eyes glimmering triumphantly, Avril released him, then swatted away his hands when he didn’t immediately do the same. Grinning, she tapped his lips with her forefinger.

“Prepare for far, far more of that when we get to our destination,” she whispered, only to raise her voice before he could reply. “If my roommate will come out here and say her goodbyes, so we can get going!”

That, finally, caused Anna to emerge from the kitchen. She seemed mostly recomposed, though who knew what Avril made of her as she joined them in the living room. Avril didn’t say, which was almost worse than her making a bold statement or two.

“Did he like your paella?” Avril asked.

Anna nodded. “Very much. Thank you for trying it earlier.”

“We’ve got leftovers aplenty, I bet.” Avril nodded at him. “Help us clear some of ‘em out tonight, alright?”

“Sure,” he said.

Avril nodded again, this time at Anna. “Okay, now give your boyfriend a lovey-dovey kiss before I steal him away for the next few hours.”

There it was. Anna blushed, though she also glared at her best friend for the remark. Naturally, Avril seemed unperturbed.

“Come on, I know you wanna. I knowyouwant to, too,” Avril said, flicking Liam on the arm. “It’s gotta become natural, eventually. I’m not going to cover my eyes or leave the roomevery time you two want to lock lips. We’re all adults here, aren’t we?”

Neither of them replied, so Avril kept filling the silence.

“Have you two forgotten how to kiss? But I’m sure it was happening plenty while I was gone. Is it like when you say a word too many times in a row and start to feel like it’s not a real word anymore? Here, look.”

And then Avril grabbed him by the arm, pulled him forward, and propelled her lips toward him.

For his part, Liam froze, trapped in one of the few unpleasant memories he’d experienced in the past few months. The last time this had occurred, it had nearly spiraled into a disaster. The last time this had occurred, Tess had done the impossible, lecturing Avril into feeling apologetic. Her selfishness had inflicted pain upon Anna. In response, Avril had promised to do better, be a better friend.

So, what the hell was she doing?

Something about now was different. Deep down, Liam understood that. This wasn’t last time. Avril wasn’t the type of woman to act callous, not when it came to Anna. So, even as Liam’s eyes widened out of shock, he felt like there must be more to what was happening here. This wasn’t just a replay of events.

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