Page 76 of Mostly Loathing You

Liam swipes his room key before he swings open the creaking mahogany door, and I am immediately hit with a wave of clean linens and aged leather. I step into a room that looks more like a museum than a hotel suite. Gold antiques,plush velvet curtains, and ornately patterned carpets fill the spacious area. The floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto Central Park, and an opulent chandelier looms over the four-poster bed. Ornate carvings cover every post, and gold garlands drape around each one. It’s obvious this historic hotel is one of New York City’s most luxurious accommodations.

Behind another mahogany door lies the bathroom; a room that feels like stepping into a palace. The gleaming gold clawfoot tub takes center stage, surrounded by white marble and illuminated by glimmering crystal sconces on the walls. An intricately carved wooden vanity stands to one side, complete with an ornately framed mirror.

The bathroom has an undeniable air of luxury about it. Soft, luxurious towels hang from the nearby towel rack, just waiting to embrace you after a warm soak in the tub. Tubes of aromatic bubble bath liquids line the shelves next to fragrant soaps made from honey and almond oil, while fine porcelain containers of lotion and shampoo sit atop a delicate antique walnut shelf.

“Liam, this is…” I trail off as I continue into the bathroom, my fingers ghosting over a fluffy white towel in the process. I’m completely in awe of this space.

Liam’s arms wrap around my waist from behind as he squeezes my back flush to his front, the buttons of his shirt tickling my skin as my T-shirt rides up in the back.

“You like it?” He grins against my neck, which causes shivers to run down my spine.

“That’s an understatement.” My eyes are locked on the clawfoot tub as Liam’s scruff tickles my cheek. I linger in his arms for a while, just basking in the calm that this space brings on.

He allows me to just exist as he holds me tightly. “Getnaked,” he whispers against the shell of my ear, triggering me to arch into him further. Liam’s fingers trace the hem of my T-shirt before pulling it over my head in one swift motion. As the cotton drifts to the ground, I turn around to face him, but Liam steps away from my embrace instantly.

“What are you doing?” A laugh escapes me.

He reaches down and turns the golden knob at the end of the bathtub, which springs to life as water starts to flow in a waterfall from the brass spout on the wall. The soft rippling sound of running water fills the room as Liam grabs a pale pink bottle off a shelf and pours it into the cascade of water. Bubbles disguise the water almost instantly as they replicate rapidly under the steaming stream.

“I said get naked.” Liam peers up at me from below his brow, and a faint grin spreads to my lips instantaneously.

I strip off the rest of my clothes with urgency, the scraps of fabric a ball on the floor before the water even passes the halfway mark. Walking up behind Liam as he sits on the edge of the bath, I reach around and begin unbuttoning his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you naked.” I grin as my lips press against the side of his neck, not missing the way his breath hitches at the intimate touch.

The bubbles reach the top of the freestanding tub as Liam shuts off the spout. He moves to stand tall, his chest and arms rippling with taut muscles as he slowly undoes the button of his jeans. With a graceful motion, he peels off the rest of his clothing and tosses them in the corner to join my own before coming to stand over me. His stomach is pure, unadulterated perfection as his abs descend into an inviting V so intoxicating it would make Adonis jealous. His eyes sparkle with amischievous grin, and I can almost feel my mouth watering with desire.

“Eyes up here, princess.”

I roll my eyes at his remark, but it doesn’t stop me from doing exactly as he demands.

His eyes meet mine and a mischievous grin stares back at me. “Get in the bathtub.”

The moment my toes touch the scorching hot water, I wince. Liam jerks, clearly worried he’d run the bath too hot, but as my frigid toes grow accustomed to the new temperature, my muscles melt under the warmth. As I inch into the bathtub, I notice that Liam isn’t joining me.

“What are you doing?” My brows pinch together as I glare up at him.

“Give me a second.” Liam disappears into the bedroom before reemerging within seconds with two champagne flutes and a bottle of Dom Pérignon. I gasp as I notice the label, earning me a chuckle in return. “You weren’t exactly raised poor, Hannah. Stop acting like the concept of a nice bottle of champagne is foreign.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never had it.”

“What? That’s insane—your parents love buying expensive bottles.”

“Yeah, but I was in New York for five years and tried to see them as little as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been around people who frequently spend half my rent on a bottle, but seeing as my parents cut me off years ago, it’s safe to say I’ve never been able to afford it.”

A silence falls over the bathroom, the only audible sound the splashing of my slight movements in the bathtub.

“George and Linda cut you off?” He’s still standing there with two champagne flutes in one handand the bottle in the other. The concern etched in his brow would almost be cute if it wasn’t accompanied by the stomach-dropping realization that he didn’t know.

My parents have been pretty diligent in the information they divulge…even when it comes to Liam’s parents.

“Yeah, uh…when I left for college. They didn’t like that I didn’t want to pursue a more stable career, so they pulled my college fund. After that, it was clear I was on my own.”

“How’d you pay for school, then?”

“Loans mostly. I got a few that were federal, but most of them are private because my parents make too much money for me to qualify for much else.”

---