Page 80 of Liam
Heat coils in my belly, but I keep my composure, rolling my eyes. “I think I’ve already experienced your oral techniques.”
“Ah, but practice makes perfect,” he tuts, eyes twinkling. “Though I suppose I’ll have to keep my other skills under wraps. For now.”
I press against him, tilting my chin up so our lips are a breath apart. “Maybe you should put your money where your mouth is, Valeur.”
“Oh, I intend to,” he says, his hands sliding to my waist. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, sweetheart.”
I laugh and shake my head.
“Think you can handle another challenge?” I ask, setting my eyes on a nearby booth.
Liam grins, pulling me against him. “I eat challenges for breakfast. And occasionally as a midnight snack.”
I nod toward the nearby shooting gallery, where plastic ducks bob tauntingly. “Let’s see if your aim is as impressive as your other attributes.”
Liam leans closer, his breath hot against my skin. “Myaim’s flawless. Just ask yourself. Didn’t I hit the target earlier? Twice, if I remember right.” His eyes gleam with that playful wickedness that makes my knees weak.
“Oh, that’s so vulgar,” I groan, laughing as I pull him toward the booth. “Okay. If you win this, I might let you show me what else those hips of yours can do.”
His grin turns sharp, his gaze darkening with intent. “You better prepare for the encore, then.”
We spend the next few hours racing from ride to ride. I insist on explaining the forces at work on each one. Liam listens with rapt attention as I ramble about g-forces and centripetal acceleration.
As we stumble off the Tilt-A-Whirl, both dizzy and laughing, Liam pulls me close. “You know,” he murmurs, “your enthusiasm is incredibly sexy.”
“Even when I’m going on about angular velocity?”
“Uh-huh,” he says. “So, are you ready for the part where I hear you scream?”
I smirk. “Idon’t scream.”
He leans in, his lips brushing against my ear. “Oh, you will. Ipromise.”
The sharp buzz of Liam’s phone cuts through our playful banter. His hand darts to his pocket, fishing out the device. As his eyes scan the screen, I watch the transformation happen in real-time. The mischievous glint in his eyes dims, his jaw tightens, and the smile slips from his face, replaced by a taut line.
“What is it?” I ask, my smile fading as I catch the subtle shift in his demeanor.
“It’s nothing,” Liam replies, his voice clipped. His thumb hovers over the screen, hesitating before he shoves the phoneback into his pocket. The muscles in his shoulders bunch under his shirt.
“Liam,” I press, taking a small step closer. My fingers twitch, wanting to reach out but unsure if I should. “What’s going on?”
He shakes his head, a forced smile stretching across his face. It doesn’t reach his eyes, which dart around the empty amusement park as if searching for unseen observers. “It’s nothing. Just...work stuff.”
“Work stuff?” I echo, folding my arms across my chest. The chill of the night air seems more pronounced. “If it’s work stuff, why do you look like you’ve just calculated the exact moment of the universe’s heat death?”
Liam’s gaze snaps back to me, surprise flickering across his features before he schools his expression. “Aleria, please. Just drop it.”
I step closer, close enough to see the muscle in his jaw tighten, the pulse beating rapidly in his neck. My heart races in sync with the tension between us. “No,” I say, my voice steady even as emotion knots in my chest. “I’m not going to just drop it.”
He stands rigid, the space between us charged, his eyes darting away as if searching for an escape. But I press on, my hand brushing lightly against his arm, grounding him in the moment. I won’t let it be college all over again.
“If this is going to happen, ifwe’regoing to happen, you can’t keep deflecting. You can’t keep hiding behind ‘it’s nothing’ when it’s written all over your face that it’s everything.”
His sigh escapes like a weight too heavy to bear, his shoulders sagging under the invisible load. He drags a hand through his hair, the movement sharp, frustrated. For amoment, his usual confident exterior crumbles, and I catch a glimpse of the weariness underneath, the cracks he’s tried so hard to hide. The vulnerability hits me hard, tugging at something deep inside.
“Fine,” he says. “You're right. But not here. Let's head back to your place. I'll explain everything there.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
