Page 21 of Claiming Ours
I gave him a thumbs-up at his lower volume and sighed in relief that he didn’t push the missed calls. “Like death run over? That’s the best way to describe it.” Knowing food would make everything better, I sat on one of the two stools in front of the island. Elbows on the smooth concrete countertop, I propped my head up with a hand beneath my chin. “I am never drinking again.”
Liam’s soft laugh floated through the small kitchen. “That’s the lie we tell ourselves, then forget the next time we’re out having a good time with friends.”
I slashed a hand through the air in disagreement. “No. I’m for real this time. One beer from here on out, that’s it. Oh, and I’m never taking another duck fart shot again.” Feeling my stomach roll, I pressed a hand to my stomach to calm the fresh wave of nausea that the drink’s name conjured.
With a slight shake of his head, Liam turned back to the stove, giving me a breather from his observant gaze.
“Hey, Liam?”
After setting aside the tongs, he turned, leaning against the counter, giving me his full attention. Fuck, why did that alone make me swoon?
“Yeah, Little Bit?”
I cleared my throat and shifted my focus to the fridge. “I’m drawing some blanks from last night. So, could you fill me in on what happenedafterwe got in your truck?”
When I chanced a look, humor sparkled in his gray eyes and a smile slowly spread across his face. “Do you remember telling me you wanted to lick me like a Tootsie Pop?”
My features pinched with a wince. Yep, I totally remembered that part of my embarrassing verbal vomit. “That, yes, but nothing after.”
His smile slipped as he scanned my face. “You really don’t remember anything?”
“Not a single thing after you buckled me in and closed the door.”
Liam’s lips pressed into a tight line, and his dark brows pulled in tight. “Even without the suspicious shit going on around Anchor Bay, getting that drunk is dangerous, Baylee.” Ah hell, he used my name. He must be really worried or pissed. “You’re a grown woman. I won’t tell you that you can’t, and I’m not saying this to control you, but I want you to be safe.” His hands tightened on the counter beside his hips. “I need you to be safe.”
My heart stuttered at the worry in his tone and expression. “I know,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair and gathering it into a low ponytail at the base of my neck while giving him a pleading look. “It was dumb. I 100 percent agree with you on that. But I really didn’t expect yesterday to go the way it did. It wasn’t smart, and I am definitely paying the consequences this morning.”
His features softened as he released a heavy exhale. “Next time, just give me a heads-up. That way, I can be there to make sure you and your friends are protected while you have all the fun you want.”
I swallowed down the urge to vomit. “There will be no next time. I’m never drinking again, remember?”
With a huff, he released the counter and turned back to the sizzling bacon. “You fell asleep in the truck and snored the entire drive home.” His shoulders and back shook as if he was holding in laughter.
I gaped in a mix of annoyance and horror. “I did not! I do not snore.”
“Passed-out Baylee does, apparently,” he chuckled over his shoulder.
“I don’t snore.” Faking a pout, I folded both arms over my chest with an exaggerated huff.
“I carried you out of the truck and into your cabin—which was unlocked, I might add.” A grumpy Liam shot a faux glare my way. “Got you into bed, took off your shoes, covered you up with a blanket, and sat in that girly-ass chair in the corner of your room to watch you sleep.”
“Well, that’s a little creepy.”
Liam grinned and shook his head before twisting the knob on the stove, shutting off the burner. “I was worried you’d get sick and wanted to be there if you needed help.”
Okay, well, that was sweet, not creepy. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that he sat in that uncomfortable chair all night watching over me just to be close if I needed him. Liam wasn’t annoyed or frustrated with my actions or crazy talk, nor did he just drop me off like a delivered package, fulfilling the obligation to take care of me, and leave to sleep in his own bed.
No, instead Liam gave up his own comfort and sleep for me.
Inhaling deeply to keep my swelling emotions in check, I stood from the stool and rounded the island to wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my forehead against his spine.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I was such a fucking mess that you had to?—”
Liam whirled around, somehow keeping my arms where they were, so when he stopped, my cheek rested on his taut chest. “Baylee, I didn’thaveto do anything. And you’re not a fucking mess.” I huffed in disagreement and shook my head. “Okay, fine, maybe last night you were kind of a mess.” I shifted, placing my chin on his sternum to look up into his gray eyes, finding him gazing down at me. “But you’remymess. My perfect, smart-as-hell, naïve, gorgeous mess.”
Hot tears filled my lower lids at him claiming me as his—and his very inaccurate description of me. “I don’t deserve you, Liam.”
A large, hot palm cupped my cheek, thumb stroking along my skin. “I think you have it backward, Little Bit. You deserve the world, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you have it.”
