Page 26 of Recklessly You
I get it. Something happened. He can’t talk about it. I’m just a fuck buddy to him. I change the subject and take his cup.
“I’ll refill our coffee, and you can clean the table.” I smile, letting him know we’re good. I’m not hurt.
He leans in and whispers in my ear, “I love how you say coffee in your accent. It’s so fucking sexy.”
My body is burning with an intense heat. A powerful craving seeps through every vein. I turn to glance at him. He winks and walks off, collecting the plates and napkins and dumping them in the trash.
We speed off in his gorgeous Camaro. The powerful engine hums under me, and it’s as if the body of the car controls a giant vibrator between my legs, one that turns on each time I glance at Liam. My need grows stronger by the minute. I have to get out of this car. He said he wouldn’t fuck me unless I stopped thinking of Eric. He turns onto a back road I’ve never been on. The engine revs into the night sky and turns into a stream of light as it reaches for the stars. The city lights shine like shards of glass surrounding the city. The momentDriveby The Carsfills the air in the surround sound speakers, he turns up the volume. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.
He’s been quiet and pensive since we’ve gotten in the car, as if a war is raging in his mind. There’s a mysterious gloom in his gunmetal eyes. I can’t pinpoint what it is, and, well, obviously, we are not close friends. The car stops in front of my townhouse. Liam gets out, leaving the engine running, and swings the door open for me. He scans my profile as if he’s seeing me for the first time, as if he hadn’t touched me intimately hours ago.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” he says after he clears his throat.
To spite him, I say, “Thank you, Officer Rodriguez. My hero.” I flutter my long eyelashes at him.
He tilts his head in a solemn manner. “You’re something else, Ms. Summers.”
His gaze lingers, and our eyes connect. I’m unable to peel my gaze from him, and he seems unable to take his from me. Fireworks explode into the night sky, startling us. I fish for my keys in my purse as he lifts my chin.
“Two minutes until the new year, Grenade,” he says in a low, husky voice. He traces my lips with his thumb then dips his tall frame down until our noses touch.
“I’ve heard if you kiss a confident woman at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, it will bring you good luck.” His lips are so close I can feel the heat between us.
I lick my lips, preparing for a kiss.
“Have you kissed many women on New Year’s Eve?” I ask, jealousy churning in my belly.
He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me up. I wrap my legs around him. His lips skim mine, and he kisses me just before he says, “Never. You’re my first.”
Butterflies swirl in my belly as I grip his jaw and devour his lips and mouth. Liam’s tongue swishes around in the most rhythmic way. He tilts his head to the side, pressing his lips against mine in a kiss that makes me feel like he is tasting me from the inside out. His well-muscled body moves with easy grace, pinning me to the wall. Fireworks blaze through the night sky, raining down light and color like petals from a flower garden. He takes my mouth with a savage intensity, and his hips brush against mine. Oh, God, the feel of his erection building against my core makes me cry out. I press harder into his pelvis, feeling up his size.
He pulls away, and both of us are panting, our gazes locked together.
“Happy New Year, Bella.Beautiful.” His voice lands in my ear an octave below a whisper.
He stares at me, his face unreadable, then he looks away, and his eyes seem to search for something, his brows furrow in confusion. He looks…unhinged. He spins on his heel and rushes to his Camaro, fumbling with the keys in his pocket. He stumbles into the car and drives off into the night, leaving me alone and confused in a cloud of exhaust fumes, my mind spinning with questions. What the hell just happened?
* * *
It’s beentwo whole weeks since the entire charade with Liam. I haven’t spoken to him since then. I find myself confused, my emotions reeling out of control. Does he still want our agreement?
Do I?
He’s been living rent-free in my head since that night. One touch from Liam Rodriguez, and I was a goner, lost in the clouds of heaven. He did say he wouldn’t relieve me unless I stopped thinking of Eric, and boy, have I forgotten him. I mean, yeah, I forgot about Eric months ago, but every time I had sex with Ryder, I thought of Eric and all the sex we had. I was going through the motions with Ryder. Sex with Eric was great, although he was always in control in a way that wasn’t fulfilling. Come to think of it, it was always about his needs.
Oh, but Liam is a god, a mythical creature. Those hands work magic, and his mouth has me wondering what else he can do. He ignites me in a powerful way. He’s offering a casual relationship, which is exactly what I want, but what if my feelings catch fire? If that happens, he won’t give me anything beyond that. I’ll be crushed, with a broken heart.
I have been running three miles every morning, relieving the tension, and contemplating whether I should call him, wondering if the agreement would make me look desperate.
“What the heck are you doing pacing up and down the kitchen?” Mila waltzes in, holding Dominic’s hand. She has been moving into his place since they got back together. I’m happy for her. She deserves the world.
“Is everything okay? Are you still, you know, dating?” she whispers as if Dominic can’t hear.
Dominic chuckles. “Brut, huh? Damn, couldn’t he have used Old Spice? What type of dating app are you using, Grandpas.com?” He slaps his hand on the counter and bursts into a full-blown laugh, and Mila follows right behind him.
Honestly, it’s funny as fuck, so I join them in the belly laugh, too.
“Seriously, is everything okay?” Mila asks, catching her breath.
