Page 21 of Recklessly You
“Not happening, baby.”
Baby.
His lips are so close, millimeters from my mouth. “Tell me why you are going on speed dates. You don’t come off as a one-night-stand type. You’re not looking for anything serious, so what are you doing? What are you looking for, Sophie?”
Having Liam so close, I can’t register what he’s saying. I hear only the vibration of his rough, husky voice. He’s intoxicating. He’s like gasoline, and I’m the fire he’s igniting.
The noise outside fades as Liam keeps his gaze pinned on me. The only sound in the room is the dripping faucet and our breathing. His hooded grays penetrate my soul. His beautiful, godlike sculpted face reflects rage, lust, and jealousy.
“Tell me,” He repeats.
He’s so close, his hot breath moistens my lips. Right then, my phone vibrates in my purse. I jolt up, startled, and fish for my phone. It’s Eric, of course, calling at the worst possible time. I shove it back into my purse after I silence it.
“Who’s that? Your date?” His jaw ticks. God, he’s jelly.
“No, it’s not.”
“Then who is it?” His voice thunders so loud it echoes.
Fuck, he’s nosy. It must be the cop in him, interrogating me for everything. Shit. I’m hesitant to tell him about Eric. He’s not my date or anything. But before I can stop myself, I blurt out everything. The New Yorker in me has to be straightforward, dammit.
“My ex.”
His brows furrow. “Rake?”
I don’t know why he calls him Rake. I roll my eyes. “No, it’s not Ryder. He was not my boyfriend. He’s an ex from New York.”
He stands tall, shoving his hands in his pockets, probably because he keeps fisting his hands, staring at me, surveying me with such intensity. His intimidating glare has me shivering like a dark knight ready to strike. He’s not here to save me but to torture my soul. To take me to an unknown place I’ll never return from.
CHAPTER 7
LIAM
I rest my gaze on Sophie’s luscious curves, devouring the sight of her body. The way the thin red material clings to her, how she shivers under my watchful eye, and how the pebbles of her nipples swell through the material. I know my proximity affects her. Jealousy ripples through me like a hurricane, tearing me apart. Never in my life have I experienced jealousy to the point of losing control.
Never.
The minute Rosa, her boyfriend, my mother, and I walked into the restaurant, I heard a laugh. I knew. My eyes darted up, and there she was. I sat facing her. She laughed and smiled at the motherfucker she was with like he was a stand-up comedian. My blood boiled, and my pulse thumped every time the asshole laid his hands on her. For months, I have been avoiding my feelings for her, my need for her. I need to get her out of my system. I’ve been relieving myself for days, weeks, imagining how her creamy flesh would feel under mine. How she would taste when my tongue christened every curve, every layer, every inch of her. I’d brand Sophie with my touch as I thrust savagely into her, marking her mine.
Fucking hell, what’s wrong with me?I shake it off.
Eric. She has an ex. If the asshole is calling her, he must want her back.
“How long were you with him?” I prod. My eyes drift to her swollen red lips.
She’s hesitant to answer. “Three…close to four years.” She presses her lips together.
Four fucking years. Did she love him? Dammit, why should I care? I try to remain impassive when all I see is red. Flames of jealousy seep into my bones.
“Why did you break up?” I run my fingers through my hair, trying to keep my cool. And my hands away from touching her.
She places her hands on her hips and narrows her beautiful ocean-blue eyes at me. She takes two steps toward me. She’s pissed. My dick swells against the zipper. I like her feistiness.
“What the fuck, Liam? Why in the hell do you care who I date? And why my ex and I broke up. What’s it to you?”
Yeah, Liam, what’s it to you?I should walk out and mind my own damn business and go find a woman to take my edge off for the night. And stay the hell away from Sophie. But no, I’m like a fucking thief seizing her from the asshole pretty boy waiting for her. I stalk toward her, pinning her against the wall. I’m like a predator staking my claim.
“W-what are you doing, Liam?” she stammers, breathlessly. Her breasts rise and fall.
