Page 44 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

Liam closed his eyes as a new onslaught of emotions threatened to overtake him. There was more to Macy than he wanted to admit, even to himself. She cared. She might be flirty and make offers, but that was to cover up her own hurt. Deep down, she cared for him and he couldn’t help but care for her.

Still, what good would come of the two of them taking the next step? What then?

“What happened to the truce?” he asked, cursing his husky voice.

“We agreed to be friends,” she murmured. “And right now my friend needs a hug.”

Damn it. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head. She was right. He did n

eed this comfort, this connection from someone who cared. Having Macy as a friend was something he longed for, but he didn’t know if he could handle stopping there. No matter how much he tried to tell himself to leave her be, he was having a hard time. Because right now, holding her in his arms after he’d appeared so weak was exactly what calmed him. She knew him, she got him. He’d ripped open one of his wounds and exposed more than he wanted and Macy merely opened her arms and welcomed him in.

What would she say if she knew what he’d put up with? After his mother died, when he couldn’t save her and then went on to endure hell, what would Macy say? Would she see him as weak?

Liam didn’t want to dwell on his past, didn’t want to waste this time he had with Macy, and he couldn’t keep holding her like this when his heart was starting to get all entangled with her. There were things he couldn’t afford to do, and making more ties in Haven was one of them.

Liam pulled back slightly, glancing down to her beautiful face. “Let’s focus on what we came here for.”

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but finally nodded with a smile. “Just remember, I evaporate water when I boil it. I also burn frozen waffles.”

Liam groaned as he released her. “Frozen waffles shouldn’t even be a thing.”

“Actually, they’re pretty good. Especially if you put some peanut butter and syrup on them.”

Holding up a hand, Liam shook his head. “Stop it. We will not speak of this again.”

Macy’s soft laughter washed over him, filling the normally dark space with a happiness he hadn’t experienced in a long time. She was good for him. As a friend, he couldn’t ask for better. So long as he remembered that, this truce would be simple.

Chapter Ten

Macy stared at the cast iron skillet full of one giant, round, chocolate chip cookie. Her mouth watered and she felt a swell of pride at the fact she’d made this colossal cookie and the thing hadn’t been scorched.

She turned to Liam, who was wiping off the center island. “Now what?”

He threw her a grin over his shoulder. “Now comes the good part. We’re making chocolate sauce.”

Just when she thought her mouth couldn’t water anymore. “Please, tell me you have ice cream.”

“I know how to do a sundae,” he retorted, giving the counter one last swipe with the wet cloth. “I also have whip cream—the real kind, not the junk. Now, get a saucepan out of the bottom cabinet. It’s the smaller—”

“I know what a damn saucepan is,” she muttered as she jerked on the cabinet door. This was the same space her mother had kept their pans in. It was a bit odd to see such expensive cookware in this place now, but she was glad her childhood home was being well cared for.

As he led her into mixing the sauce, he stood back and observed. Macy only felt a little nervous being under his eye, but the prospect of eating a warm, gooey dessert took precedence over her fear of messing up.

“Use the whisk in a figure eight pattern,” he explained, taking hold of her hand and showing her.

With his body behind hers, his forearm lining up perfectly along hers, and the warmth of his breath on the side of her neck, making the whisk do anything was a bit difficult for Macy. It was all she could do not to slide onto the floor at his feet. Her shaky knees were working overtime and Liam seemed to be oblivious as he continued to move her hand in the pattern.

The chocolate started to thicken up and Macy turned her head slightly. “Is it done?” she murmured.

Liam’s gaze dropped to her lips, his hand tightening on hers. For a half second, Macy froze. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t blink. The stubble running along Liam’s firm jawline begged for her to run her lips across it to see if it was as coarse as it looked.

Before she lost her mind and stepped over their friend boundary line, Liam stepped back and cleared his throat.

“Yeah, it’s done.” He turned, muttered something under his breath, and jerked on the freezer door. “The bowls are in the cabinet above you and to the right.”

Macy left the whisk in the pan and grabbed the bowls. It was a wonder she didn’t drop them with her shaky hands, but she held strong. Now all she needed to do was ignore the fluttering in her belly and the way her body literally ached for his and concentrate on eating her dessert. Simple as that.

“Turn off your burner,” he told her as he pried the lid off the ice cream. “You don’t want the bottom of your chocolate to burn and I don’t want my good pan ruined.”

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