Page 10 of Sleigh My Name
“You’ve always been good at that,” I murmur.
He raises an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement playing on his lips. “Good at what?”
“Compassion.” The word hangs between us like a delicate, unspoken promise. It’s a fundamental part of his being. It’s in the way he listens and in how he looks at the world. It’s one of the traits that made me fall hopelessly in love with him.
Liam laughs. “I’ve never been told that before.”
“Because you rarely let people see that side of you. Most people think you’re grumpy.” I raise my eyes to the blue sky and the vastness of the land beyond. If paradise is a reality, I imagine it looking just like this. Serene, lush, and tranquil. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Yes, breathtaking.”
I turn to see Liam’s gaze on me. Heat rises in my cheeks despite the cool breeze. I’m sure my face resembles a ripe tomato.
My vibrant blushes always betrayed my emotions when Liam looked at me like he is now. Back when the world was simpler, when we were young and thought our future was limitless. His eyes would soften and his jaw would tighten, sending a jolt of electricity through me.
I thought we were invincible. Perfect. Transcendent. That nothing could touch us.
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed all that until this very moment.
Liam cocks his eyebrow and grins. “Still have that pretty pink blush, I see. I missed this.”
“Me too.” I look into the eyes I’ve seen every night as I close mine. God, I’ve missed them. Missedhim.“It’s funny how life works out. I pictured you off somewhere on a beach, sipping a beer with a beautiful model draped across your lap. It’s howI got through it—pretending you were like your brother and convincing myself that our year together was a mirage.”
“Ouch. That hurts.” Liam places his hand over his heart and grimaces. “How dare you say I would have a beer? Whiskey is in my blood. Besides, no woman has been able to hold a candle to you. You can’t improve on perfection. Being without you was hell. I felt like a shell going through the motions of life. Never really living.”
His fingers trace a raised scar on his wrist. Is it a reminder of the darkness of his past? A darkness I placed there? I want to ask him what happened, to hear the story, but I know this isn’t the right moment.
“My father sure fucked up, didn’t he?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, unsure of what to say. My discomfort doesn’t last long as Liam wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me toward him, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“I couldn’t forget you,” I say, breaking the silence. “Everywhere I went, I saw you. I wanted to run to you so many times.”
“Why didn’t you?” His voice is a low rumble, vibrating against my cheek.
“I assumed you’d moved on with someone new at some fancy school. I didn’t want to disrupt your life, Liam.”
His warm, calloused hands cup my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. “My life shattered when you left. You wouldn’t have disrupted anything. You were my entire world, Charley. Losing you extinguished my light and tumbled me into darkness. I would’ve done anything to have you back. Fuckin’ anything.”
His mouth meets mine. His lips are cool, but his tongue is warm. I taste a hint of whiskey as our tongues meld in perfect unison. I fall into the kiss, a slow simmer building to something hot and undeniable.
His hands roam my body, pressing me against him. The scent of his cologne—a familiar, comforting musk—fills my senses. His arousal is a hard ridge against my belly, fueling the fire burning through me.
My Liam.
I realize that not only have I missed him, but Ineedhim. My heart didn’t beat properly without Liam. My life was devoid of joy because I was missing my other half. At this moment, with this kiss, our broken pieces finally realign.
Liam slowly pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. His breathing is ragged as his hooded eyes bore into mine. He traces my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. Emotion clogs his words, but his irises swirl with so much longing and burning passion. “What are you doing to me, Charley Heart? Loving you broke me open.”
His mouth moves along my jaw to my lips, driving me wild with lust. I arch into him and deepen the kiss, my hands tangling in his hair. His growl vibrates through me as he skims his hand up my torso, sending erotic tingles through me. His touch is electric. He holds me firmly, and my nipples harden and ache at his dominant touch.
My breathing grows ragged, each inhale a gasp. I pull away, desperate to fill my lungs with cool air. My eyes lock onto his, seeing the same hunger, the same animalistic need I know isreflected in mine. My lips are swollen and bruised from the intensity of our kiss.
“I want to do so many filthy things to those sweet lips. Fuck, Charley, I want to do something filthy to every goddamn part of you. I want you naked and panting beneath me. I want to fuck you so thoroughly that you forget all those years we were apart. But we want everyone on the farm talking about it.”
Liam rises and holds out his hand, pulling me up. He places his other hand behind my back and guides me along the path as we retrace our footsteps, but this time, we veer toward the main house.
The second we cross the threshold, Liam pulls me against his hard body and bites my bottom lip. He cages me against the wall in the hallway near his bedroom. I trace his jaw, skimming his earlobe and neck with my teeth. He groans as my hand glides to his pants, and I undo his zipper. Grabbing my wrist, he presses my arm above my head.
