Page 37 of Persuading Liam

“I didn’t say that.” I slip to the edge of the bed and grab for my boxer briefs. “That teeny tiny tank top you were wearing when you made pancakes seems particularly seared in my brain.”

“Good to know,” she answers before walking to the door. “Now hurry. I want to sleep on that mountain range you call a chest again.”

Laughing, I slip on my underwear and follow her into the apartment. Stephen greets me with an accusatory meow and places himself between me and Marley.

“Oh, buddy,” I squat down and scratch his head. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be good to your mom, okay?”

He doesn’t respond—he just narrows his eyes as if he can see right through me.

“He hasn’t had to share me in a very long time,” Marley explains, picking up a plate from the table. “He’ll warm up.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

She casts me a playful look. “Then you might consider keeping close tabs on anything thatdangles.” Her eyes slip to my crotch on the last word and I instinctually cover my junk.

“He wouldn’t…”

Marely’s laughter flows from the kitchen. “Never know.”

I take one more look at Stephen’s unamused stare and hurry after my girl with another plate.

“So how long has it been?” I ask, joining her at the sink where she’s rinsing her plate.

“Since what?”

I swallow, wishing the question hadn’t popped out. I don’t really need to know how long it’s been since she’s had a relationship. “Since, uh, Stephen has had to share you.”

She grins and steps to the side, seeming to understand that I’m compelled to take over the cleaning fully. “Uh, more than two years.” The answer comes out as if she’s ashamed, but I can’t lie, I’m thrilled it’s been a while. “How about you?”

I cringe as I scour the plate with my perfect ratio of dish soap to scrubber. “Since I had an actual relationship or since I…you know?”

She purses her lips for a moment. “Relationship I guess.”

I suck in a breath. “Ooh. A decade. Maybe more.”

“Ten years?” Her eyes widen. “Really?”

“Really,” I answer. I turn to her, mid-scrub. “You might be surprised to learn that I’m not all that good with people.”

She laughs, pops up on her tiptoes and kisses me on the lips. “Is it weird that I find it charming?”

My heart shifts a little closer to center. “Possibly a little bit.”

She kisses me again. “I can live with that.”

I pause as she flounces back to the table for more dishes, feeling my entire body fill with a warmth I’ve never felt before.When she settles again by my side, it feels like that’s where she’s meant to be.

27

MARLEY

“Spill,” Fin demands when I get to the office the next morning, flustered and ten minutes late. She’s looking stylish in perfectly tailored jeans and a blue cashmere sweater that definitely rivals the resale value of this building.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I gush, fumbling for the keys. My cheeks are burning, my entire body is buzzing, and I think the synapses that used to connect my brain to my body got jumbled this morning in the shower when Liam stepped in and introduced me to the joys of morning sex.

My God, that man’s body. The hard muscles, the hot water, his ravenous tongue… Fin giggles when my keys hit the ground.

She swipes them up in one elegant move and opens the door for me. I follow her like a kindergartener on a field trip.

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