Page 79 of The Reno
“Sunday lunch?”
“Every month, one of us hosts Sunday lunch. This month isMum and Dad’s turn.”
I bristled. Liam knew more about my family’s traditions than I did.
“Liam probably forgot to mention it. Maybe we should give him a minute to recover from his ex, daughter and ‘bit on the side’ converging in his garden.”
Lydia burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” I shouted, but my lips couldn’t help but upturn. Lydia’s laugh was infectious.
“It’s a bit funny,” Lydia wheezed.
TWENTY-THREE
My stomach rumbled, caving in on itself.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I opened and closed the kitchen cupboards for the third time that hour. Since Liam had started making all my meals, I didn’t need to buy anything for the little kitchenette in the annexe. I checked my phone—eleven p.m. It was too late to order anything; all the restaurants on my phone were closed.
Fuck’s sake.
I was pretty sure Liam was asleep, so I shoved my feet into my fluffy slippers and padded outside and down the stone path, mentally berating myself.
All day, I’d done a good job of avoiding Liam. I distracted myself. I reordered the spices in the kitchenette. I attempted to read, shifting in the armchair, but I was too restless sitting in one spot. I bit my lip until it bled and my nails down to the quick. I was in purgatory between a stupid kiss and an awkward conversation. I knew it was cowardly, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at Liam. To sweep it under the carpet. To say I hadn’t meant it.
A loud screech sounded from the trees, an owl.
“Shut it,” I hissed as I approached the bifold doors.
I tested the handle, and it lowered. Liam had left it open, and I winced as the door creaked. I made a note to lecture him about safety, but how much could I lecture him now? Were we even friends?
I tiptoed into Liam’s kitchen, finding a loaf of bread in his bread bin. I thanked some random deity for carbohydrates and placed two slices in the toaster, my stomach roaring to life like a disused engine.
“Kat?” A low grumble came from behind me, and I whipped around, giving a short, sharp scream. Liam stood in the doorway in blue boxers and a dark grey hoodie with white sports socks on his feet. His large muscled thighs were on display, and I held back the thought of running my tongue across those muscles. No. Those were not appropriate thoughts about the man I threw myself at the night before. He ran his hands through his hair, revealing a line of defined muscles above his boxers.
Liam squinted, his hair sticking up at the back. He had no idea he was the perfect combination of cute and sexy right now.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice concerned.
He rubbed an eye, coming over to where I stood, frozen, at the toaster. He looked me over, sweeping down my bare legs in my pyjamas—the same floral silky ones I had been wearing when he’d come into my house unannounced. His eyes sat there for a beat longer, making me squirm.
He made a low sound, almost like a groan. The noise shot straight through me and lower. “Are those the only pyjamas youown, Red?” he asked, voice gravelly. “Or are you just trying to torment me?”
“Torment?” I laughed awkwardly. “I’m just making some food. I’m sorry I woke you up. I didn’t have anything at the annexe. You’ve been making so much food for me, so I haven’t had to buy anything. I hope you don’t mind—” The toaster popped, and I watched Liam’s large hand lean from behind me to pick up the toast. His forearms brushed my shoulder. He must have asbestos hands because he didn’t even flinch at the heat.
“I’ll make you something,” he said, his breath moving my hair. It smelt minty, like he had just brushed his teeth.
Liam’s hands came to my shoulders, mercifully covered, but he lingered there like he didn’t know what to do next. Gently, he moved me to the side, pulling out a butter dish and pans out from the kitchen cupboards.
I smelt cedar, too. I thought it was his cologne, but maybe it was his body wash.
“Nduja cheese toasty sound good?” Liam asked, his eyes moving back to my legs, lingering there again.
“Yeah, that sounds amazing,” I admitted. “Thank you.”
Silence fell in the kitchen, heavy.
