Page 25 of Lexi Lets Go

Liam just finished up the set he was streaming for his fans. He had gotten on and apologized for the cancellation and sincerely hoped everyone would be able to make the rescheduled concert. Then he played a set of six songs that lent themselves well to acoustic covers. He took his time to connect with his fans. He didn't often get to speak with them and perform for them on such an intimate stage, so that was nice. Performing on a big stage had its perks, but sometimes little moments where he could play in a more intimate setting felt good. But he was a little distracted, his mind drifting to what was after this, taking Lexi out to dinner.

He was drawn to her in a way he hadn't been drawn to anybody in a very long time. It was hard to connect with people on a personal level. Connection was something that used to come easy to him, but it just didn't anymore. After everything with Henry and the way his team tried to do damage control on the situation, he wasn’t surprised he’d lost his touch. But maybe part of the reason he hadn't been able to connect to people now was because team of people around him kept him separate from people.

Were they controlling who got close to him? After that scandal when Henry had left, Liam was lost. The label talked him into getting rid of Sue, who had been his manager since he first got out to LA. Ever since he lost Henry and Sue, it almost felt like he was two people. Like he was losing the real him in the creation of Liam James. It was hard enough to make real connections in this industry, even without people getting in his way. He needed to get to the bottom of this, but first, he was going to take Lexi out to dinner. Even with all this going on, whenever he tried to focus, his thoughts always seemed to return to those piercing blue eyes and full round ass.

He had wanted to order a car and take her out like he would if he was taking her out in the city, but she refused. She would be driving them to a little bistro for dinner. It wasn't quite how he had grown accustomed to wining and dining people, but if he was honest, she wasn't the type of people he usually wined and dined.

It had nothing to do with who she was or what she looked like, but he normally didn't find himself in these types of circles. These small towns are a close-knit circle of people. He had grown up with this but hadn't had it for himself in years. It felt comforting after being in the artificial show business for the past five years. He didn't take his success for granted and enjoyed many of the privileges that came with his new life, but he missed this sometimes.

He finished up, closed his laptop, and turned off all the ring lights. Once everything was cleaned up, he went to his room to drop some things off. When he came down, Lexi was in the reception area. He watched as she talked to the second-shift front desk clerk. The clerk was showing her a picture of her baby and Lexi was cooing at the cuteness. The genuine nature of the interaction pulled at his heart. Genuine connection had been sorely missing in his life and Lexi was one of the most genuine people he had ever known. He didn't even really know her, but he could tell by how she talked to him and everyone else around her. There was something about her he couldn't get enough of.

Also, he couldn't help but notice her ass as she leaned over the desk to give the clerk back her phone. She was wearing a tighter skirt than he had seen on her previously, and he really wanted to lift it up and take her from behind. He closed his eyes and shook that thought from his head. His sexual attraction had always been based on the person, and he was attracted to Lexi on a level he had never experienced before. He was pretty sure she felt it too, and if she was willing, he hoped she might want to come back to his room tonight. Of course, that would be up to her. If she wanted that, he needed to be honest with her at dinner and make sure she knew what she was getting into. But he wanted to ruck up that skirt and taste her more than anything. Just the thought had him adjusting his pants.

He leaned against the doorway and watched their interaction for a bit longer. The desk clerk looked up at him and jumped a little, and Lexi turned. When she saw him, she smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears as a flush crept up her chest. Which then drew his attention from her glorious round ass to the deep cleavage of her shirt. Dinner and talking, and then maybe all the dirty thoughts running through his mind could be acted on.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Lead the way," he said, gesturing to the door. Pulling it open, he held the door open as she stepped through. There was a bit of chill in the air for a night in mid-June, but with his ongoing thoughts about this woman before him, the chill was a welcome distraction. He was kicking himself for not calling a car service, imagining the fun they could have in the back of a car, but instead, he followed her to her car and got in.

She drove them to the center of town. The town square and gazebo were lit up with fairy lights. The little Italian bistro was only a block off the main square. Inside, there was violin music and red checkered tablecloths. It was dimly lit with a candle on every table.

"I checked. They do have a few gluten-free options," she said as she wrung her hands. She looked nervous, and that just wouldn't do. He wanted her to be comfortable around him. So, few people were, and he really hoped she might be one of them.

"This place is great," he said. He took her by the hand as the hostess led them to a small table in the back. Once they were at their table, he pulled out her chair and scooted it in as she sat down. She looked up and smiled at him, and he fought every urge to kiss her perfect mouth right then. There would be time for that he reminded himself.

"So, what do you think of Mystic Falls so far?" asked Lexi nervously as she took a piece of bread from the breadbasket the waitress had brought after they placed their orders.

"I think it's incredible. I believe it’ll be a great place to film my video for Home. Are you familiar with that song?" he asked.

Lexi looked down at the bread in her hands and then back up at him with a sheepish smile. Shaking her head, "No, I’m not. I'm afraid I don't know much of your music. I hope that is okay?"

"Well, honestly, I figured that out when you didn't recognize any of my song titles last night." He would be lying to himself if he said he didn't have jitters, but they were normal jitters. In fact, he was most surprised about how normal things felt. Being around someone who didn’t know anything about him was refreshing.

"Yeah, I went home and googled you," she said with a smile.

His heart dropped. She had googled him. What had she found out? While he wasn’t ashamed of anything he had done or any of the people he had been with, the media has a way of twisting things. Making it seem like he was a villain when he wasn’t. Making it seem like something was immoral when it was a perfectly normal part of the sexual human experience. He would rather have had that talk, be upfront rather than trying to explain and fight the negative twists the media put on his past.

"I saw some salacious headlines, and I know gossip sites are awful, so I just stopped. It seems almost like an invasion of privacy to delve that deeply into someone's past when they are already bearing their souls in their art. I think people should be able to choose the parts of themselves that they share and those they keep private. We all have pasts we want to keep private." She took a sip of wine.

Liam couldn’t believe it. Was this girl for real?

"You saw some of those headlines and didn't read the articles?" he asked.

"Well, to be fair, I only opened one about your dating past. But the headline questioned your sexuality, and I thought this is not my business. So, no, I didn't continue to read."

"What if I wanted it to be your business?" He asked in a low, raspy voice.

"What?" She squeaked and squirmed.

"There is clearly some sexual tension here," he said as he reached his hand across the table to hers, tracing his fingers along the back of her knuckles.

"You can't be serious," she said with a surprising matter-of-factness to her voice. Lexi’s eyes darted around the room, but Liam was already aware they were alone in a deserted, dimly lit dining room.

"Oh, I most certainly am. Are you going to tell me I am the only one who feels it?" He watched her squirm with a cocked eyebrow, knowing exactly what he was doing to her.

"Of course, I feel it. But you're this superstar sex symbol, and I’m just an average, fat inn manager from small town USA."

"You're beautiful."

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