Page 21 of Trusting Liam (Taking Chances 2)

I laughed at the way he was looking at me—like he was concerned for my mental stability. “But like I said, I’ve never wanted to do anything with my degree. There was never anything in particular I wanted to be or do when I grew up, and that hasn’t really changed. I feel like I’m still waiting to find what I’m meant to do.”

We spent the next two hours talking about everything and nothing. And somewhere in there, we ended up moving closer and closer as we joked with each other and I told him more about myself than I’d ever intended. Thankfully, the conversation had never gotten deep. It stayed playful and had mostly been full of childhood memories and embarrassing teen and college stories.

“Here,” he said as he came back to sit on the blanket after disappearing for a couple minutes.

I straightened when I saw what was in his hand, and my eyebrows rose. “S’mores? You all make s’mores at your bonfires?”

Liam’s lips curved up, and he shook his head once. “Not usually; someone must’ve brought them, though. Do you want it or not? Because if not, I’ll take one for the team and eat it by myself.”

“No, no! I want it!” I grabbed for it when he started putting it near his own mouth, and pulled it toward my body like I was protecting the treat. “I’ve been trapped here for hours, there’s no way you’re denying me one of these.”

With a short laugh, he put his hands up in surrender, and I took my first bite of a s’more since high school.

“Oh my God,” I moaned, and licked at my lips as I handed it over to him for a bite. “Easily the best thing I’ve eaten in years.”

We passed it back and forth a couple times, and when the last bite was between my fingers, I began handing it over, then quickly brought it back and shoved it into my mouth.

“Mm, yep. Yeah, that last bite was the best part for sure,” I mumbled around the treat, and tried not to laugh at the betrayed look on his fa

ce.

“That hurt.”

“I bet it did. You gonna get over it?”

“I don’t think I can,” he replied with false hurt. “That was low, even for you.”

“Poor Liam.” I pouted for his benefit. “I’ll go make another one, and this time you can have the first and last bites.” I started to stand, but stumbled when I got caught in the part of the blanket I’d pulled over my legs as the night grew colder, and fell against Liam.

His hands immediately went up to help steady me, but the force of my fall had landed me in his arms with my chest pressed to his. Liam’s hold tightened around my waist, and instead of helping by pushing me back, he pulled me closer—and I didn’t once try to fight him.

We stared at each other for a few tense seconds, and my breathing grew heavier as I tried to tell myself that I needed to back away, but what I wanted was much louder than what I needed at that moment.

I wasn’t sure who moved first, but our mouths crashed together in a hungry kiss that was so much like our first one a year ago. My hands slid from his shoulders to his neck, and the tips of my fingers played in his hair as I moved so I was up on my knees and straddling him. His arms tightened once against my waist before dropping lower and pulling my hips toward him as he let me take control of the kiss for a moment. But like last year, it was only seconds before he was the one demanding and controlling—and not one part of me had the will to fight him on it.

I wish I could say I was having a lapse of judgment because of the beer, but I hadn’t even finished my first one. Liam had kicked down my walls. He’d had me laughing more than I had laughed in years, and as always, he’d had me forgetting why I couldn’t be with him. And with the scent of the fire mixed with the salty ocean breeze, and with my body pressed up against his, I was positive I’d been silently begging for his kiss, and was now begging for it not to end.

But it had to end. It wasn’t until he whispered my name that I was able to remember why.

“Liam,” I breathed against his mouth, and moved my hands down to plant them on his chest. Countless seconds passed as we both sat there breathing heavily, and I forced myself not to give in again. “Liam, I think it’s time I went home.”

His body hardened beneath my hands, and I knew he knew what I was saying and doing. I was stopping this before it could continue. I was pushing him back. And I was throwing up my walls again.

No words passed between us as we got ready and left, and there was only a silent good-bye as we stared at each other when he pulled up in front of my building. I fought with myself over the apology that was on the tip of my tongue, but kept it in as I opened the door and stepped out of his car. If I had voiced it, I knew my already shaky walls would quickly fall again, and I didn’t think I would have the strength to get them back up.

June 12

Liam

“READY TO SPAR, old man?” I asked the next night as I walked up behind my dad and punched his shoulder.

He turned around from where he was helping a member perfect his technique, and raised an eyebrow to match the smirk on his face. “We’ll see if you’re still calling me that when I’m done with you. Go do something to warm up while I finish here.”

I nodded and tore off my shirt as I crossed the gym. After last night, this was what I needed. I needed time to clear my head, and I needed to focus on not getting my ass handed to me by my dad instead of replaying my night with Kennedy over and over.

My eyes automatically drifted over to the drink station, but I already knew I wouldn’t find the girls there. I’d waited until they’d been off work for a couple hours to show up to fight tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow like I normally did. Because ever since I’d gotten off work, it’d taken all my focus to keep myself from going to their condo to try to talk to Moon. I knew I would eventually give up and show up at her door if I didn’t do something to get my mind off her soon, and the gym would do exactly that.

“You ready?” Dad asked fifteen minutes later as he pulled off his shirt and climbed into the ring.

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