Page 45 of The Arrangement
Liam burst out laughing. The jubilant sound filled the room and bounced down the halls. He collapsed on the couch next to me, his shoulder brushing mine. The scent of wine, pizza sauce, and something woodsy danced past my nose, and I happily breathed it in. I waited, happily sitting there, listening to his laughter. I wanted him to laugh about this after what he’d gone through. It wasn’t fair. He hadn’t done anything. Yeah, it had hurt when he’d pushed me away, but I understood his panic better now. Understood that his panic was completely justified.
“Sorry,” Liam mumbled after his giggles subsided.
“I’m sorry you went through that.”
“I’m sorry I spent so much time mad at you and thinking you fucked up my life on purpose.”
I rolled my head along the cushion so I could look at him, half of my mouth tilted up in a smirk. “Sorry I spent so much time pissed at you because I felt like you’d betrayed me to your mom. Stupid me, I thought you’d say something like it was a joke. Something to have my back. When you pushed me, I was so confused…and hurt.” I wanted to mention that I thought he’d started to kiss me back, but now I was doubting myself. Was I remembering it correctly? Had it really happened that way, or was it just wishful thinking?
Liam swallowed hard. “I panicked. Rome, I’m sorry I hurt you. We were closer than I was with my own stupid brothers. I shouldn’t have pushed you. It might have gone better if I had said it was a joke. I just…panicked.”
“Now that I know, I don’t blame you. Fuck. I probably would have done the same thing.”
Liam’s brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed at me. “So…now that we’ve finally talked about this, does it mean…that we’re actually friends now?”
My smirk turned into a full-blown grin. “I think it does. But…”
“What?”
“If I were to kiss you, would you stop being my friend and hate me again?”
The flush in Liam’s face was instantaneous. It rushed across his face to the tip of his ears and down his throat. It was marvelous. His lips parted on a gasp. Black pupils swallowed up his beautiful hazel eyes. That was not a no.
“Y-you want to kiss me?”
“I do.” Of course I did. He was sexy and adorable, while I was a total glutton for punishment who had to figure out new ways toruin a good thing. “But if you don’t want me to, I won’t, and I will never ask again.”
Liam licked his lips, and my eyes followed the path of his tongue as it swept over the top lip and then the bottom. Making them shiny, damp, and so enticing. Evil man probably had no idea that his breathing had picked up, making him so fucking enticing it was killing me.
“I don’t know.”
“We could finish the kiss from all those years ago. No one here to stop us.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say that no one was around to see us, but I didn’t ever want him to think that two men kissing was something that had to be hidden.
“And if we kiss and I don’t like it…”
“We don’t do it again. No one’s feelings are hurt.”
“O-o-okay. Let’s do it.” His voice grew stronger, but the slight tremble remained as if he were trying to put on a show of strength. He straightened on the sofa and looked about. “How should we do this?”
“Oh, my God. It’s a kiss. We’re not assembling furniture from IKEA.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him against the couch. “Turn toward me with your shoulder pressed into the cushion.” This way, I could lean forward and kiss him. I wanted him to feel like he could pull away and escape.
As soon as he was in position, I lightly cupped his cheek with one hand, my thumb brushing lightly along his cheek. He watched me with wide, terrified eyes, as if he were expecting me to swallow his soul.
“If it helps, I’ve gotten much better at this over the years.”
Liam smirked and rolled his eyes, but it fell away as I moved. He closed his eyes, and I did the same at the first faint brush of my lips. Like the light touch of dandelion fluff on a summer breeze. I continued slowly, adding a tiny bit of pressure eachtime I bumped our lips together, giving him a chance to pull away.
But he didn’t move. Stiff and frozen. Almost like kissing a mannequin. Not that I’d ever attempted that.
I told myself,One last time. A true, full kiss. And then I’ll stop if he isn’t into it.
Our mouths met, firm and tender. My lips parted, and the tip of my tongue grazed his full bottom lip. Sweet dampness. Soft flesh.
His mouth finally relaxed, and I felt it. He kissed me back. My heart skipped into my throat and lodged there as the kiss continued. More pressure. More hunger. Liam’s hand landed on my shoulder, but instead of pushing me away, his fingers dug in, holding me in place as those amazing lips parted. My tongue immediately dipped inside that forbidden cavern, and I caressed his tongue with my own.
The most delicious moan I’d ever heard rumbled up Liam’s throat a second before he ripped away from me. His eyes were wide, cheeks flushed, and his mouth hanging open.
I think somebody liked that kiss more than they expected.
