Page 21 of Mysterious

Hoping to put off having to worry about anything dealing with heading out into public, I slide my good arm around her waist and pull her to me. “What do you say to postponing our tour of the French Quarter for a while?”

She smiles up at me as her eyebrows slowly raise into her forehead. “Oh? Do you have something you want us to do instead?”

Looking around at the private suite I’ve been given for tonight, I smile. “I just figured since your suite is filled with all those people, this could be a good time for us to finally be alone.”

“Alone alone?” she asks in a surprised voice.

I nod. “Yes.”

Suddenly, Mia narrows her eyes and gets a suspicious look on her face. “You know I’m all in on sleeping with you, Liam. I have been since that first night we kissed. You’re the one who’s been saying we should keep this on the down low and hasn’t wanted to be alone alone because everyone’s been around. So what’s changed?”

Time to fess up. But first, I need her to know I’ve been all in on sleeping with her for all that time too.

“Well, before I tell you the reason, I want you to understand I wasn’t trying to hold out on us being together for any reason but the one I said. I’m not really into public romances, so I was hoping one of these nights we’d finally be alone. Tonight’s a perfect time for that since everyone’s already drunk up in your suite.”

She smiles up at me like she sees right through my attempt to soften the news I have to give her. “Okay. Good to know that you wanted to have sex and this waiting business wasn’t because you didn’t find me desirable.”

Christ. This is going south fast.

I take her face in my hands and kiss her on the center of her beautiful mouth. “Of course I do. I’m just not used to being crazy about a woman who has an entourage around her at all times.”

“Point taken,” she says with a nod. “But there’s another reason you’re suddenly feeling that this night in the New Orleans Ritz Carlton is the perfect time for us to be together for the first time. So what is it?”

With a sigh, I hang my head and confess the truth. “Drew knows. He told me tonight. I wanted to keep our being together quiet, and I was the one who blew it.”

“He saw you doing that moony-eyed thing you do when I’m on stage, didn’t he?” she says with a giggle.

I look up and see she’s not angry. Good. I’m still pissed at myself for being so transparent, but at least she’s not.

“Yeah,” I say, nodding as I admit my idiocy. “I had no idea I looked at you like that. I’m usually pretty stoic. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Well, Drew seems like a guy who can keep a secret.” In a flash, worry fills her eyes. “You did tell him to keep this to himself, didn’t you?”

“Absolutely and he is. Drew’s a good guy.”

Mia shrugs and lifts herself up onto her toes to kiss me. “Then it’s all good. You are going to have to practice looking at me like you don’t give a damn, though, or everyone’s going to know we’re together by the end of the week.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She trails her fingertips down the column of my neck and begins to unbutton my black shirt. “For what it’s worth, I love seeing you look at me like that. I don’t think anyone has ever actually looked like you do when you watch me sing.”

“Moony-eyed?” I joke as she makes her way down my shirt.

Nodding, she looks up at me and gives me one of her beautiful smiles. “Yeah. I wish you didn’t have to stop. It makes me feel better than I can even explain, Liam.”

As she slides her hands under my shirt and down over my left shoulder, I shrug out of it as much as I can and lean down to kiss her. “How about I find something else that makes you feel that way?”

Her gaze roams over my half-naked body, and she says with a soft sigh, “Mmmm…I like the way you think.”

Glancing over at my right arm, I smile as I start to slide the sling off my shoulder. “Just give me a second or two and I’ll be good to go.”

CHAPTERELEVEN

Mia

I’ve been dyingto be with Liam since that first night we realized we didn’t want to fight our attraction anymore. He wanted to take things easy and wait until we could spend some time alone, but if it had been up to me, I would have slept with him that night. His ability to control his desires impresses me, but at some point, control needs to go out the window.

So I’m rarely ever alone. That’s my life. Any man who wants to be with me has to get used to that. Liam will. He’s a great guy and smart. He’ll figure out how to get around the entourage.

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