Page 126 of Scandalous

“When did you learn to play the guitar?” I ask after a while.

He startles, looking up at me. Almost like he forgot I was here. He was lost in the music.

“When I was twelve, I think. In boarding school, we didn’t get to do much, but we were required to take a creative elective. I decided to take music. I’ve always loved it and connected best with it. The teacher put different instruments in my hand, but they never felt right. Then she put the guitar in my hands and I knew I was at home. It came naturally to me. She was shocked that I could mimic music by hearing it instead of reading music. I guess that’s not very common.”

I laugh. “No, I would suppose it wouldn’t be. Is that when you met Drake?”

He shakes his head. “I met him the year before. He was my first roommate in boarding school when we were eleven.”

“What about the others? They are older, right?”

He nods. “Ezra was two grades ahead of us. Drake and I had been friends for about a year when we met him. Some kid was giving him issues in the dining hall. Drake had a lot of anger issues back then, so he stepped in for Ezra. I guess Ezra took a liking to him. He and Santi were already friends at that point, so when we all got together, we sort of just stuck.”

“That’s amazing. I’m so glad that you had each other,” I whisper.

He stands, setting down the guitar before moving to sit next to me on the love seat.

“It wasn’t easy being in boarding school. I felt like I had been abandoned. Finding the guys really helped ease that sting. I was so outgoing and loud that many people didn’t like me. Drake did though. He was the opposite. He had this quiet anger about him. I think he was feeling the same things I was, but he expressed it with his anger while I was so desperate to be accepted that I was giving my love away for free.”

I reach out, gripping his hand. “How did you two get together?”

He smiles. “I had a crush on him. I was ashamed of my feelings of course, but the more we got to know one another, I fell in love with him. He was falling too, but I didn’t see it. One night, he had gone into a rage about something. He was destroying our room. The only way I knew to calm him down was to surprise him, so I kissed him. He froze. I froze. Then he kissed me. It was such a unique experience because he was working his anger out on me, but I let it happen. The next day we were both awkward about it, but then he finally just said he liked me and if I liked him too, he wouldn’t mind doing what we did again. So we did. A lot. Then we did more. We truly found ourselves in each other those first few years. We didn’t let Ezra or Santi in on our secret for a couple of years, but I guess they already knew. We weren’t as quiet about things as we thought.”

My heart warms at his story. I hate that they had to hurt to find one another, but they found something that can never be replaced.

“Oh wow. That story has me choked up.” I laugh as I wipe away the tears I didn’t realize had spilled.

He smiles, reaching up to help me.

“Don’t cry, Rora. Without those years, we wouldn’t be where we are now. With you. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

He leans in, pressing his lips against mine. I let him taste my lips at his leisure, pressing back to let him know I’m feeling this too.

“Rora, can I admit something to you?” he whispers between kisses.

“Anything. You’re safe with me,” I reassure him.

“I think I’m in love with you. The same way I’m in love with Drake.”

I kiss him harder. “I think I’m in love with you both too. All of you. It’s scaring the fuck out of me.”

“Well, we can keep it between us for now. Until you feel ready to tell the others.”

I smile against his lips. “Liam, shut up and kiss me.”

So he does. He kisses me until my lips feel chapped. Then he lays me back on the sofa, slowly undressing me. Once I’m bare, he undresses himself.

“I want to make love to you now,” he whispers, as if his normal tone will ruin the moment.

I follow his lead, whispering back, “Make love to me then.”

He kisses down my neck and to my nipples, sucking and nibbling gently. This is so different than I’ve had with the others so far. I love everything we’ve done before, but I can tell this is more Liam. This is him showing me his heart, laying it on the line for me.

I’ll accept it with open arms, taking good care of it.

When he kisses down my stomach, I can’t help but giggle at the way it tickles.

That makes Liam laugh too.

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