Page 99 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

Macy placed a hand on his chest, to move him and to get a feel for those pecs again, and pushed him aside. She made her way to the front of the store where she’d just finished the plumbing display with all the essentials for a DIY project. Had she not stayed after to finish this project, she wouldn’t be dealing with her sexy tenant.

The second she wrapped her fingers around the tub of putty, Liam’s reached over her shoulder and covered her hand. The warmth from his body radiated against her back and Macy closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and willed herself not to whirl around and plaster herself against him. Would that be coming on too strong?

Still, she could take just a moment and memorize the way he perfectly curled his fingers against her own.

Flirting was second nature to her. Liam wasn’t the only one with scars, Macy’s just happened to be on the inside. Physical relationships were all she did. One time she’d allowed herself to foolishly fall into young lust, and she’d never been the same since.

Men were too easy, they tended to want one thing so she gave it…on her terms. She always remained in complete control over what she would give. Never again would a man hold any power over her – power laced with fear.

But Macy knew Liam wouldn’t be easy. She knew he wasn’t going to just go away or get out of her mind. Liam was a complication she couldn’t afford. She’d barely recovered from the last time she opened herself and that had been years ago. She’d come back to heal, and she was still here.

“Go on home,” he told her, prying the tub from her hand. “I’ve got this.”

When she could pull in a good, solid breath, Macy turned. “Do we have to argue about this?”

One broad shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I’m not arguing. I’m going upstairs to fix my sink, hit the punching bag, then try a new recipe.”

That combo pretty much summed up Liam Monroe. He was as complex and simple as that.

Her eyes raked over that form-fitting tee. “You don’t dress like a chef.”

“My whites are in the wash.”

He never missed a beat to come back with some sarcastic reply. That dry humor of his had always been another pull for her. Damn him for being appealing even when his snarky side kicked in.

“Dad has a poker game tonight, so no rush for me to hurry home with dinner.”

Macy tried to make sure her father had a nice meal each night, though she bought take-out and brought it back to her house. Cooking definitely wasn’t one of her skills. Buying for two was actually cheaper than going to the store and cooking, especially considering she’d most likely burn the dish and they’d have to buy anyway. She was frugal that way.

Actually, Macy liked having her dad close. They still had their own space and he was in and out of the store so much, most likely checking up on her, but this was the first time ever they didn’t live under the same roof except that brief period she was away at college.

“It’s Friday,” Liam commented. “Go get ready for your date and just deduct the putty from my rent.”

It took her a moment, but the words sank in. “I don’t have a date tonight,” Macy stated, propping her hands on her hips. Of course he’d assume she had a date. She dated often, she knew what people thought, though they were usually discreet about saying anything. Nobody knew she used her social life as a mask for the pain. Nobody would ever know.

Liam stared at her for another minute before shaking his head and turning away. Without a word, he started for the back of the store and went right on up the steps. Seriously? Did he think because he said so that she would just go on home? Apparently he didn’t know her at all.

They’d been a few years apart in school and Macy had been swamped with keeping her good grades and being the star player for her softball team. But she still made time to daydream and appreciate the sultry, sexy Liam Monroe. The oldest of the Monroe boys and the quietest. Why were those silent types the most intriguing?

Macy had been friends with his late sister Chelsea so Macy had been able to get a little closer to Liam than just random passes through the hall at school. But when Liam was in an accident that left him scarred, he pulled away from people, his family most of all. That all happened around the same time Macy went off to college on a softball scholarship.

Little did she know her entire life would change in the most drastic of ways.

Shoving aside her mother’s untimely death and the incident she refused to give her thoughts to, Macy made sure the store alarm was set, the outside lights turned off, and she marched right up those steps and pounded on the door to Liam’s apartment.

The entire second floor was an open living space, save for the two bedrooms and bath. Her grandparents had bought this old building with a dream and a vision. They’d wanted the hardware store and when her mother took over, she’d put a small shop on one side of the store that had home accents. Her grandparents had been too poor, newly married and lived in the upstairs, but they let nothing stand in the way of their dream.

Macy’s parents had eventually renovated the space during their married life and never moved. Her father always joked the commute was too convenient.

Macy had grown up here and the place still felt so much like home. A home when her entire world had been right, had been all sunshine and rainbows. These walls could tell so many stories of laughter, Christmas mornings, slumber parties, and late night movies. Reality and fate hit her hard when she’d been eighteen, though.

And now Liam lived here. She’d never had an intention of renting the space out, but he needed a place to live and she’d lost her mind for a split second and extended the invitation when Sophie suggested he stay here.

Macy waited, but the door

remained closed. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, she turned the knob and let herself in. She’d see his stubborn and raise him one.

As soon as she stepped inside, memories rushed back to her. Her father had left nearly all the furniture when he’d moved out. The familiar old brown couch sat against the wall to the right. Her mother had always wanted it in the middle of the floor with a sofa table behind it. She’d wanted people who came to visit to mingle and feel comfortable. The television wasn’t in the same spot as she’d remembered, either. So many things were the same, yet completely different.

---