Chapter 2 #2
I liked talking to Liam. From the first time I met him, he gave off the warmest, safest vibes, like just being in his presence wrapped me in his bubble of protection.
He was huge, six foot five, with muscles on top of muscles, and you could tell that he was aware of every single thing around him, but it didn’t make him seem nervous like it did for me.
He gave off a sense of being in control.
He knew what was happening, and he knew there was nothing he couldn’t handle.
Maybe it made me weak, but I wanted that.
I wanted to experience more of what it felt like to be with Liam.
There hadn’t been many people in my life that I could let my guard down with.
There were even fewer guys that I’d been attracted to.
And I was definitely attracted to Liam. He was beautiful and intense with deep brown eyes, a strong, square jaw, and an amazing beard—rugged but clean—and when he smiled at me, his whole face softened.
“Jenna?” he said, pulling me back to the present.
“Um, do you want to get dinner tomorrow?” The words popped out, surprising even me. I meant it, though. Now that he’d called, I didn’t want to lose this chance.
“I—”
I cut him off, reining back whatever crazy impulse made me ask. “It’s just that I get off work at eight, and I hate going home and cooking that late.” I eyed my empty PB&J plate. Cooking might be an exaggeration.
“Jenna, I was about to say yes. I’d love to. I’m happy to help you avoid cooking on your late night, but I don’t need a reason to see you.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
“Yeah, it is good. How about The Tavern at eight thirty?”
“That’s perfect.”
“Great. I can’t wait to see you. Have a good night, Jenna.”
I had to swallow before I could squeak out a goodbye. The way he said good night and my name, it felt intimate. And it didn’t make me want to run screaming for the hills. I wasn’t sure what to do about that.
I did the only thing I could in the moment. I curled up on the couch with Thor and called Juliette. “Oh God. I’m going to throw up.”
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Her panic sounded almost as bad as mine.
“No, worse. What did I do?”
“Jenna, what’s going on? Talk to me!”
“I’m going out with Liam tomorrow. Like, on a date, I think.”
“You’re not going to throw up.” Her voice was suddenly annoyingly calm. “You’re fine. You’ve known Liam for a year, and you’ve liked him the whole time. And he likes you too. You can trust him. This is going to be great.”
“I know. That’s the problem!”
“What’s the problem?”
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, but it did nothing for me. “I like him so much, and I think he likes me too, and I can totally see myself with him. I think about him all the time. But if it does go well, then we’ll eventually...you know. And then I’ll screw it up.”
“Liam would never push you to do anything you aren’t ready for.”
“I know. He’ll be amazing. Perfect. That’s the problem. He’s not going to let me half-ass it or skip over the parts I don’t like.” Nope, if things worked out between us, there’s no way he’d accept never touching each other.
“You said ass!”
“I know! I couldn’t think of another word for half-assed. He has me so on edge, I just said it again, and nothing even happened yet! And you know it’s true.”
“Yeah, it probably is,” she admitted, sounding way too happy.
“I know! I’ve read enough books with guys just like him. It sounds wonderful, but I don’t think it would be good in reality.”
“I gotta say, being with Dylan is like living in one of those alpha protector romance books, and it’s just as hot in real life. Except for the drama. I could do without any more crazy exes or fires. Just the sex and his caveman-like care of me.”
I groaned, making Thor whine and nudge my side. At least someone was appropriately worried about me. “That doesn’t help at all. What if he doesn’t want to deal with all my issues?”
“You’re not that bad, and he’s a good guy. Give him a chance.”
“Fine. But when it’s too much for him, you better be ready with brownies and sad movies and lots of nights of ditching Dylan to snuggle with Thor and me.”
“You know I’ll be there if you need me, but I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“We’ll see.”
“You got this. You’re the one who always says you’re not going to give into your fear, right? Take this chance, Jenna. I know you’re nervous, but deep down, you know how incredible this could be.”
She was right. I’d chosen not to kowtow to fear, and I wasn’t going to change that now. But, man, this was going to be hard.
“Thanks, Juliette. I love you.”
“I love you too. Remember, you and Liam already know each other, already like each other. Just act like you always do. Call me right after so you can tell me how great it was. And to tell me I was right.”
I laughed and we said our goodbyes.
She was right on all counts. I did know how incredible it could be, and how incredible Liam was.
That’s why it was so scary. His intuitive, thoughtful, protective nature was going to make this impossible for me.
Impossible to hide from. Impossible to walk away from.
Impossible to be with him unless I was willing to face my demons.