Page 4 of Puck'n Bully
“Did you rob someone?”
I let out a frustrated noise. “No.”
“Did you run over a puppy and didn’t look back to see if he was okay?”
“What?”
“Answer me, Pirate,” Liam says with a grim look in his sapphire-blue eyes.
“No,” I reply through gritted teeth.
“One last question,” he says, starting to smile again. “Do you eat kittens for breakfast?”
An uncontrollable chuckle escapes me as I shake my head. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Answer me, dude,” Liam says, refusing to give up.
A huff escapes me. “No, I don’t eat fucking kittens for breakfast.”
Liam’s smile turns radiant, taking my breath away. He drops the wet clothes on the floor and steps closer to me. Raising his arms, he cups my face in both his hands. “Then, you’re most definitely not a bad guy, Pirate. You deserve someone to be on your side.”
My eyes widen at the intimate gesture.
“I’m gay.” The forbidden words tumble from my lips before I can stop myself. Now that they’re out, I stop breathing, watching closely for Liam’s reaction.
I wait for the familiar look of disgust I’m used to seeing on my father’s face but it never comes.
“Again, Pirate. Did you kill someone?” Liam asks, pinching both my cheeks.
My pent-up breath comes out in a rush as I chuckle again. I’ve never felt so relieved in my life. It feels like Liam’s taken a massive weight off my chest.
“So, you don’t mind?” I ask as he steps away from me and bends down to pick up my clothes.
“What an adult does with another consenting adult behind closed doors is none of my business,” he says, straightening up. “I’ll drop these in the dyer and be right back.”
Warmth, like I haven’t felt in years, washes over me. People like Liam don’t exist in my world. How the hell did I manage to come across someone as kind, caring, and fucking beautiful as him?
He comes back into the kitchen and directly heads to the counter. Putting another pan on the stove, he goes to the fridge and brings out some other ingredients.
I take a seat at the plain wooden table in the corner and watch him cut up hot dogs into small pieces and sauté them. Next, he fries up some eggs.
“Do you like spring onions?” Liam asks, his back to me.
“I don’t mind them,” I say, watching him divide the noodles into two bowls.
“Good,” he says, loading up the first bowl with the fried sausages and egg. “Spring onions just take these ramen noodles to the next level.” Turning around, he brings me the bowl. “Go ahead and eat it while it’s piping hot.”
“Thanks,” I say, inhaling the aroma of the steaming noodles.
I wait until Liam is at the table and then, pick up the spoon to taste the hot broth. It’s simple but the hot, spicy soup is enough to soothe my throat and warm me up.
“This is delicious,” I say, devouring the noodles.
Liam chuckles. “Glad you’re enjoying my cooking, Pirate.”
I pause, fixing my gaze on him as he pops a piece of hot dog into his mouth. “Why’d you keep calling me that?”
“You refused to give me your name, so I made one up for you,” he says, grinning. “I found you battling the waves like a pirate, so that’s the name I’m giving you.”
