Page 58 of Recklessly You
I wasn’t expecting him to be so calm for a man who has never introduced a girl to his mom. And for him to place a kiss on my forehead in front of her.
What has me lost in thought is…what is Liam’s story? He doesn’t like talking about his father’s passing. Hell, I didn’t even know his father passed. Maybe I can get him to open up for me. I can’t imagine the pain he must carry.
CHAPTER 19
LIAM
“Fuck!” I grunt under the hood of my dad’s pickup. I’ve been working on it all morning, trying to get the carburetor in. Weeks ago, we rebuilt it at Santiago’s shop, and I picked it up a week ago. Specifically, the day I walked into my house to find my mom and Sophie sitting at the dinner table, laughing like they were BFFs. My mom hardly ever shows up at my house. It’s mostly me going over to see her. Finding my mom with my girl together was bewildering. It’s been years since I’ve seen my mom laugh without faking it or putting on an act. But with Sophie, her smile stretched to her ears, and her eyes beamed like the sun. The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the house.
When Sophie excused herself to go to the restroom, my mom couldn’t help whispering in my ear, asking if Sophie was my girlfriend. A fraction of me wanted to say yes—she’s mine. I mean, sheisfucking mine. She always will be, but she will never be mine to keep. Instead, I told my mom Sophie, and I were just seeing each other. No labels.
She cupped my cheek and said, “You look at her the same way…” She cleared her throat and shook it off with a lopsided smile. “Don’t let the darkness haze you from the light, or you’ll realize too late.”
Even days later, I’m not sure what she meant.
Duke’s throaty bark pierces the air, and my head jolts up, smacking into the hood of my truck. Sophie stands a few feet away, holding Duke’s leash as she does every day—taking him for his daily walk through the neighborhood. It’s been a week since I brought her to my house. I’m not going to lie—I love having her here. I come home to her every night, making her cum with just one finger, and then I salivate on her fine pussy. Then I assist by helping her make dinner, and by assisting, I mean by wrapping my arms around her waist while she cooks. She shoos me away. It’s so damn hard to keep my hands off her; she’s so fucking hot.
Duke wags his tail, prancing toward me. That little fucker has been stealing all the attention when we cuddle on the couch. Duke always jumps to sit in the middle, laying his head on her bare legs.
“Hey, how’s it going? Did you get it running?” Sophie’s eyes sparkle in the light.
My lips curve in a smile at the sight of her in a flowy green dress. The thought of not having her for life sends an arrow right through my heart.
“I think so. I just finished reinstalling the carburetor and topped off the fluids.”
She nods, seeming very interested. “Do you plan on getting it painted?” She presses her hands on the truck, leans forward, and peeks inside.
“I was thinking ocean blue,” I say, peering into her eyes, leaning in to kiss the lips I can never resist.
She opens up for me, giving me access to her perfect red lips. Her tongue swooshes like the ocean, sending bolts of electricity through every pulsing beat of my body. Pulling away, I look down at her beautiful face. She regains the air I sucked out of her.
Tilting her head, she retorts, “Ocean blue! Why is that?” she questions, obviously, or maybe fishing for more of an answer. Women are always fishing for more.
“Because it looks good on me,” I utter, letting my eyes travel her body.
She smirks.
Yeah, she knows why. I jump into the driver’s seat and start the ignition. The truck purrs, coming back to life. A satisfied smile cuts across my face. Damn, my dad would love to hear this—it sounds just like when I was a kid. Sophie jumps up and down, along with Duke.
“You did it, baby,” she screams, causing nosy neighbor Inez to peek out from behind the curtain.
She’s never called me baby, and I like the sound of it. My chest fills with pride. I step back, staring at the truck, wiping my hand with a rag, and scrubbing off the grease. Sophie comes behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Can I ask you a question?” she mouths on my back.
“Of course.”
She’s quiet for what seems a minute too long. “Um…who was your first?”
I’m startled by her question. Shit, it’s been years. Grabbing her arms, I pull her toward me so I can look at her.
“Why are you asking?”
She shrugs. “Is it a painful question?” she snaps, eyeing me and narrowing her lashes.
I take a second to think. Crystal was my first. We went to high school together. She was the only girl I slept with more than once and the first girl I went down on. I finally answer her.
“Crystal. Her name is Crystal.”
