The Red-Hot Stakes

Chapter Eleven

By the time seven rolled around, my brain was exhausted. I couldn’t wait to stuff my face and veg in front of a good movie. I didn’t even bother changing out of my comfy pants—Liam had said to keep it casual.

I played with the strings of my hoodie as I waited outside his apartment. The door swung open to reveal him in practically an identical outfit, down to the same color scheme.

“Great minds think alike, huh?” He chuckled, motioning for me to come in.

A weird wave of nervousness hit me. I tried to shake it off, but it didn’t dissipate even as he shut the door, wearing his easy grin.

We awkwardly stood there for a moment, and I needed to break the silence. “Something smells good.” My stomach growled.

“Um, I didn’t know what you liked, so I just ordered a few different things. I figured you’d be hungry.” He gestured to the island, which was covered with food.

My jaw dropped in disbelief. “You did this when we came over to play pool at your parents’ too. I think you have a serious ordering problem.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You may be right about that. It won’t go to waste though. I’ll eat like a king the rest of the week.” Those emerald eyes found mine again, hope lighting them. “Or maybe you’ll come back and help me out.”

“Ah, I see what you did there.” I glanced at the food then back at him. “And I’m not saying no.”

Shock crossed his face, followed by delight before he cleared his throat. “Well, ladies first.” He handed me a plate, which I unabashedly piled high with food. “And what do you want to drink? I cheated and asked Ave what some of your favorites are.”

“Really?” I remembered telling him to do that with his ex, so it was extra sweet he was making the effort to discover things about me.

“Yep. I have vodka, cranberry juice, OJ, and all the stuff to make mai tais. Plus I have beer.”

“I’ll take a mai tai,” I said, laughing as his face fell. “You have no idea how to make one, do you?”

Sheepishly, he shook his head.

“Luckily, you have a resident bartender on hand. Want to learn or want me to just do it?”

His smoldering gaze sent a thrill through me. “I’ll watch.”

“Ever had one?” I asked after my mai tai was finished. When he shook his head, I held out my glass. “Try it.”

He took a timid sip, then another. “That’s actually pretty decent.”

I resisted the urge to tell him I told you so and instead offered him one of his own.

“Sure, why not?” He studied the process, fascinated as I made another. “What do you want to watch?”

I thought about my options as I slid him his drink then we made our way to the couch, putting down our mountains of food. “Have you seen Red Notice?”

“No.”

“Have you heard of it?” At his blank stare, I went on. “Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot? Action, comedy? I haven’t seen it yet, but it sounds amazing.”

“Sounds great.”

The movie engrossed me right away, action-packed from the start. I finished eating, shoving my plate to the side, and curled up with my legs underneath me, sipping my drink. Liam finished too, stretching one arm behind me.

About halfway through, I had him pause the movie, wanting a bathroom break and another drink. He took me up on my offer of making him one, and I carried them both back to the couch where he sat with his arm still resting on the back. His chest looked so inviting.

I handed him his drink then settled in next to him, leaning my shoulder against his side. “Do you mind?”

He shifted closer. “Not at all.” His words came out all husky, sending delicious shivers through me.

The combined warmth of his body and the alcohol flowing through my veins relaxed me. I slowly sprawled on to him, resting my head on his chest. Eventually my hand followed. Before the movie was over, Liam was diagonal on the couch, with his legs propped on it, and I was splayed against him, not wanting to move when the credits rolled. I let out a big yawn.

“You’ve got class tomorrow, don’t you?” he asked, his chin on top of my head, one hand absently running his fingers through my short hair.

I nodded, fighting to keep my eyes open.

“You need to get some sleep.”

Once again, I nodded, his voice a comforting rumble beneath my cheek.

“Do you have an alarm set?”

My nod was miniscule, and this time when my eyes closed, they didn’t open again.

I woke up to my pillow moving beneath me.

“Sorry, my arm’s asleep.” Liam groaned as he shifted, then nearly fell off the couch.

“This is stupid.” I yawned. “You have three perfectly good bedrooms here. Or I can just head back to my own place.”

“Please don’t go,” he said softly.

The thought of stumbling up the stairs, away from the cuddles, away from the warmth, had me balking. “Okay, but let’s find somewhere more comfy.”

He managed to roll off the couch, and I followed. His bed was bigger than the one I’d stayed in.

“Holding out on me, were ya?”

It even smelled like him, cedar and pine making my stomach flip. I inhaled deeply, snuggling once again into his embrace.

* * * *

I woke up before my alarm, still safely ensconced in Liam’s burly arms. With a slight tilt of my chin, I peered at his handsome face, so peaceful as he slept. His long eyelashes lay against his cheeks, which were covered in rough stubble that I longed to run my fingers over. His strong jaw hung slightly open, those full lips parted, begging to be kissed.

I wondered what would happen if I kissed him now. Would that same electric charge pulse through us? Would it jolt him awake? I splayed my fingers across his firm chest, wishing the sweatshirt wasn’t between my skin and his. His hand tightened on my hip, just for a second, and when I looked again, I met his startling green eyes.

“Morning.”

“Morning.” I kept my fingers on his chest, playing with the strings on his sweatshirt.

His thumb rubbed over my hip bone, and I squirmed. I loved the roughness in his voice when he spoke. “Do you have to run right to class?”

I shook my head, grateful that my Tuesday classes didn’t start until ten. “I’ve got a little bit of time.”

“Time for a good morning kiss?”

In response, I tilted my chin. He kissed me slowly, tenderly, with all the gentleness of a ray of sunshine. No electricity coursed between us, instead a steady warmth flowed through me. I could get used to this.

He pulled away with a contented sigh. “Come on, I’ll make you a cup of coffee before you go.”

But I put my head on his chest, snuggling a little tighter. “Five more minutes.”

His chuckle rumbled through me. “Sorry, Red. I’ve got other reasons to get up.”

“Fine.” I reluctantly rolled off him, lying flat on my back and staring at the ceiling. The bed bounced as he left, and I listened to him walk away.

His apartment was a lot like Derek’s, with an en suite bathroom in the master bedroom. When he came out, he tugged on my wrist. “Come on, lazy bones. Keep me company while I make coffee.”

I grumbled, but I let him pull me off the bed, keeping hold of his hand until he walked into the kitchen.

“More classes today?”

“Mondays are the worst, I’ve got four of them. Today I’ve only got two. One at ten, then another after lunch. These are my easy ones too, both lectures.”

The coffee was done, so he poured me a cup. “I’ve got a meeting this afternoon, but I’ll be back by five.” He hesitated before offering, “If you want to hang out again.”

I glanced out of the window. “Want to do something outside? It’s supposed to be gorgeous. We could see what Avery and Derek are up to.” Make her dreams of a double date come true.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Silence descended as we drank our coffee, and I realized how much I appreciated the quiet moments like this. Nearly as much as I enjoyed our conversations.

Josh had been a morning person, chattering as soon as he woke up. He liked attention and couldn’t stand silence. It was rare to find someone I could be still with, not filling every second with empty chatter.

And I reveled in it.

* * * *

Avery and I met for lunch in between my classes. “Guess what I got,” she said in a lilting, singsong voice as she sat across from me.

I glanced up from the economics charts I’d been studying. “Hi, Gina, how are you?” I said, pointedly. “I’m fine, thanks.”

She rolled her eyes, shoving a large cream-colored envelope at me.

Making sure my fingers were clean, I opened it, gasping when I saw her degree inside. “Avery!” I pulled it out to study it more closely. “Holy shit, you have a bachelor’s degree. I’m so proud of you.”

She’d worked her ass off this summer, managing to eke out an early graduation, giving her more time to focus on the wedding. “It’s pretty great, huh?” She smiled at the paper once more before tucking it safely back in the envelope. “Okay, now spill.”

“About what?”

Her glare would curdle dairy. “About Liam! You didn’t come home again last night. So?”

“Fell asleep on the couch watching a movie.”

“Talking to you is like pulling teeth.” But I could only keep my amusement hidden for so long, and she caught on. “I knew it! Tell me everything.”

When I finished, she had an all-too-familiar smirk on her face. I sighed. “Yeah, I know, I know. You told me so.”

“Yes, I did.”

We shared a laugh, and I told her about Liam’s offer to meet this evening. “What are you guys doing? It’s supposed to be gorgeous. Want to hang out, all of us?”

“Actually, I heard there’s a concert just off campus tonight. One of the frats is having a fundraiser for something or other, but the band’s supposed to be really good. Five dollar cover.”

A frat party wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind, but I liked the sound of being outside with good music. Plus we were pretty much guaranteed there’d be drinks. “Start a group text? Plan on riding together?”

She nodded.

I checked my phone, realizing I needed to hurry to make it across campus to my next class. “Okay, Liam’s in a meeting until five, but I’ll be back at our apartment after class. We could get ready together?”

“Great.” Mischief danced in her eyes as she said, “Maybe I’ll kick Derek out and make him go down to Liam’s. They can pick us up like it’s a real date.”

“Whatever you gotta do.” I put my dishes in a pile. “Later, girl.” I gave her a quick one-armed hug, then hurried on my way.

* * * *

Avery did just that, making Derek go to Liam’s so we had the place to ourselves. I laughed when she shoved him out of the door, him acting for all the world like a kicked puppy.

“You’d think I was breaking up with him.” She shook her head. “All right, let’s get this party started!”

We stood in front of her closet first, rifling through her myriad low-cut dresses. Her favorite feature was her ample cleavage, which I was super envious of.

She grasped a shimmery navy blue short-sleeved one, turning to me for approval. “Maybe this’ll make up for kicking him out tonight.”

I nodded. “I think that’s perfect.” Once we’d zipped her up, we tromped to my closet and started the process all over. It was a whole different ball game, only being my second official date with Liam. I didn’t really think takeout in hoodies and sweats counted.

She shuffled through my outfits. “You going skimpy and sexy? Or classy and fitted?”

A backless silver top caught my attention. It was basically held on with a few strategically placed strings. I pulled it out with a wicked grin.

“Skimpy and sexy it is.” Avery helped make sure my strings were tied tight and nothing peeked out where it shouldn’t be.

I paired the top with a cute dark denim mini skirt and some hoop earrings.

We came to Avery’s favorite part of getting ready, makeup. My best friend wore makeup like most of us wore clothes. She had a different style depending on her mood, mostly using it as a defense mechanism. Her armor, she called it.

We went for a fun, full-on face tonight. Our mascara-lengthened eyelashes, swooping eyeliner and sparkling eyeshadow perfectly complemented our luscious lips and pink cheeks.

Above average in height, Avery steered away from heels, settling for an adorable pair of strappy, tan sandals. Since Liam had a good five inches on me, I went for a black wedge style that lengthened my legs and showed off my cute red toes. We gave each other one last look, making sure everything was just right.

Then she texted the guys. It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door, and I rolled my eyes.

“Really? You made him knock?”

“Yep, he’s gotta work for it. Just ’cause we’re engaged, doesn’t mean I’m easy.” She tossed her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder and strode to the door.

I almost asked her to wait, wanting more reassurance that yes, I did look okay. But I clamped my mouth shut.

Avery jutted out her hip, cracking the door open. “Can I help you?”

“Special delivery.”

Derek’s voice sounded muffled, and I strained to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

“Derek! They’re so pretty!” Avery squealed, flinging open the door.

I couldn’t even see her fiancé over the bouquet of roses he held. I laughed as Avery flung her arms around him, remembering her words about making him work for it. Evidently he wasn’t complacent yet.

Liam’s gruff voice sounded behind them. “I have a date in there somewhere, but I can’t get through because there’s a damn garden in the way.”

Derek chuckled, gripping Avery with one arm and hauling her to the side. “Sorry, man.”

And there he was. Liam carried a simple bouquet of wildflowers in one hand. A polo shirt stretched over his muscular chest and accentuated his defined arms, showing off the black circle of flames that wound around his right biceps. The dark denim jeans he wore were definitely tighter than should be allowed, and I loved all of it.

“Hey,” I said quietly.

But Liam didn’t move a muscle. He just stood there, staring.

At me.

Derek and Avery exchanged a look, and I gave them an annoyed shove. “Go find some water for your flowers. And like a million vases.” I reached out to tug Liam inside the apartment so he wasn’t just lurking in the hallway. “See something you like?”

“Damn, Red. You’re more than living up to your nickname.” His heated gaze slid down me, and I couldn’t resist a little twirl.

Avery’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “Wait, what’d you just call—” Her words cut off as Derek clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her to the hallway.

“Excuse us for a minute.” He smirked at Liam. “Holler when you’re ready to go.”

I waited for them to disappear, then turned back to my date. “You were saying?”

He set the flowers on the end table, cupping my face with both hands. “You’re gorgeous, Gina.” His lips touched mine. “I’ve been thinking about doing that all day. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”

My stomach flipped as his eyes darkened. I ran my hands over his chest, stepping closer.

“Then I saw you, and I forgot how to breathe. How am I supposed to go out with you? Especially when you look this amazing.”

I beamed. “Liam, I think that was the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Wait, what?”

“Don’t ruin it.” I slid one hand to his neck, tugging his head down. “Kiss me.” Just before his lips hit mine, I breathed, “You look really nice, too.”

Then my world imploded. Wherever our skin touched, electricity flowed. His hands splayed across my bare back, my fingers gripping his biceps. Any space between us was too much, and he swallowed my sigh of relief as he crushed me to him.

When he claimed me with his hungry lips, I responded eagerly. Our tongues danced, leaving me breathless. I would have been content to kiss him forever, but Avery’s laughter sounded from the next room, breaking the spell. We reluctantly pulled apart.

“Shit, Red. Do we have to go?”

I basked in the empowering plea underlining his words. “And waste all this?” I gestured to my outfit, shaking my head. “Avery, Derek!” Liam muttered under his breath, but I ignored him as our friends emerged.

“Gina, didn’t you want to put those in water?” Avery pointed to my bouquet, still laying on the end table.

“Yes, I do.” I shot another smile at Liam, making sure he saw how much I loved the flowers.

She helped me find a vase, and we tucked them into it. They were fall-themed—sunflowers, daisies, some orange roses tucked in amongst various other beautiful blooms. They were so perfect. I took the vase to my room, not wanting my little bouquet to be overshadowed by Avery’s massive spread of roses.

I came back to see everyone smiling. Liam’s gaze immediately found me, locking with mine so intensely I had to stop walking for a second.

“Ready?” Derek asked.

“Ready,” Avery and I chorused.

Liam just frowned. “These girls put too much effort in to go to some frat party. I’m thinking we need to show them off. They deserve to be seen.” His attention never left me. “I’m thinking Club 42. I know you wanted to do something outside, but it’s right on the lake and they have that balcony…”

Club 42 was a pipe dream for a mere mortal like me. It was the most exclusive place around, one I’d only heard of. I hadn’t even dreamt of getting in there—it was that elite. I squeaked out, “Yeah, that’d be fine.”

Derek smirked at Avery, who clasped her hands together, pleading. “I think you may be right.” Then he glanced down at his and Liam’s outfits. “Sadly, this isn’t going to cut it. Ladies, give us five minutes to be worthy of escorting such visions as yourselves?”

Avery gave him a little shove. “No need to schmooze us, Captain. Just go get changed ’cause I’m ready to move it, move it.” She wiggled her hips as the guys disappeared.