Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
LARK
I can’t stop staring at my brother’s best friend. When I accepted Carol’s invitation to join them for an afternoon of paddle boarding in the Cove, I never stopped to consider what several hours spent with a shirtless Liam Blackwell would do to my libido.
It doesn’t seem to matter that the tension between us is thick enough to cut with a butterknife, or that it doesn’t seem to be the good kind of tension. My eyes haven’t left his muscular body once unless absolutely necessary.
The man is a god with smooth, tan skin stretched over the most delicious abs I’ve ever seen. I thought he had a lot of tattoos before when I could only see his arms and legs, but good grief the man would be an indie band’s wet dream. Tattoos cover every single inch of skin from just under his chin and dip down into the low-slung waistband of his black board shorts.
I’m thankful Carol is here to act as a buffer because if we were alone, I may have already jumped him by now. When I agreed to our fake relationship I wasn’t counting on developing real feelings for the infuriatingly gorgeous man, but here we are, only a few days in, and I already want to lick him like a rocket pop.
It’s pissing me off.
My life is carefully curated and there is no room for men in any meaningful capacity after being fucked over by Jake two weeks ago. Sure, I wasn’t really in love with him, and okay, I wasn’t exactly devastated by our breakup, but still. I think I’m entitled to be a little wary of men for a while after being cheated on and belittled for being myself.
If a man can’t handle the fact that I’m not always sunshine and sugar, he sure as hell doesn’t deserve any other part of me.
“ Oh shit! ”
Liam’s loud curse is followed by a huge splash that brings me out of my internal brooding and I turn just in time to see his head pop up out of the water as he coughs and splutters.
Biting my lip to hold back my laughter, I paddle over to where he is and carefully sit down on my board. “I warned you to watch out for rocks.”
His attempt at a menacing glare is thwarted when a loud sneeze wracks his shivering frame. It may be a warm, early July day, but we’re still in Washington and the water is downright frigid. The cove isn’t as bad as being out in the bay or further, but I definitely wouldn’t want to fall in.
“I was watching for rocks!” he snaps. “I’ve taken this exact path plenty of times before and never hit a rock, so it had to have been something else.”
Pulling on every thread of strength I have to keep my expression blank, I nod sagely and pat his board to encourage him up. “You’re right,” I say solemnly. “It was probably a shark bumping your board looking for food.”
I’ve never seen a 6’6 man move so fast in my life.
Liam scrambles up on his board, nearly tipping the damn thing three times in his haste to get every body part out of the water. Only when he’s firmly seated with his legs crossed and paddle across his lap does he turn an irritated look my way. “There aren't any sharks here. We’re on the coast of Washington, not the middle of the ocean in Hawaii, for fuck’s sake.”
“Liam…”
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he snaps.
Try as I might to hold it back, a laugh slips free anyway. “Plant boy, there are at least a dozen different species of sharks in the state of Washington, several of which like to hang out right here in North Bay. We have a particularly stubborn Basking who likes to hang out about a mile further up the coast near the conservation center. We call him Baymax.”
His mouth gapes open for so long I end up snapping my fingers in front of his face just as Carol paddles over.
“Hey you two!” she calls cheerily. “Stopping to rest already?” Her gaze tracks over Liam’s still-dripping form and laughs loudly before turning to me with a conspiratorial smile. “Or did you get trapped in one of my son’s plant rants and accidentally knock him off his board?”
I snort and Liam huffs indignantly, crossing his arms. “No, Mom, Lark did not shove me in the water. She did try to convince me I was bumped by a shark, though.”
Carol gives me a questioning side eye and schools her expression when I wink back. Turning back to Liam, she shrugs with a nod. “You probably were. Lots of sharks like to hang out in the bay, and occasionally they’ll wander into the cove if they’re looking for a new food source. Haven’t you heard about Baymax? ”
Liam gapes at us silently, his eyes growing wider by the minute as they frantically dart around us, fruitlessly searching the water for a shark he probably isn’t going to find.
Carol cackles again, aiming herself for the shore. “On that note, I have a shuttle to catch. Liam, I love you, and I’ll see you next month. Tell Keelan I said hi and I hope to make it to another show soon. Lark, it’s been wonderful getting to know you. Keep my boy in line and don’t be a stranger, okay?”
I smile at her brightly and nod, carefully leaning over for a quick hug. “You got it, Momma C. Fly safe and text one of us when you land?”
With a final nod and smile, she takes off for shore, leaving Liam and I alone in the middle of the cove our town was named for.
Choosing to ignore my stone-faced friend, I turn my board and paddle further into the water, inching toward the mouth of the cove where it collides with North Bay. There’s a tiny beach over here that no one ever comes to, so I’ve claimed it as my own whenever I’m out here.
Though, calling it a beach is probably an exaggeration. It’s really just a long strip of sand barely big enough to lay a beach blanket on and get a tan.
Dragging my red paddle board onto the beach, I stow it standing up against the solid rock wall so I can lay out the blanket I packed in my small, waterproof bag. The sound of splashing water lets me know Liam followed me, and I can’t help but feel a little irritated and territorial over my spot.
Whipping around to glare at him, I plant my hands on my hips, tapping my foot in irritation when he takes his sweet time situating his board. When he finally deigns to meet my glare, his eyes flare in defensiveness at my stance.
He holds his hands out wide, eyebrows practically reaching his hairline. “What the fuck is your problem right now, Lark?
My mouth parts in surprise at the anger lining his words. “Me? You’ve barely said two words to me all day after I took you home and put you to bed last night!”
A sardonic laugh escapes him that stuns me and also makes me nervous. Obviously I don’t know Liam super well yet, but he’s such a sweet guy that this side of him is one I haven’t seen yet. His strong body is taut with tension, and his hands are fisted at his sides, clenching and unclenching with each heaved breath.
“Yeah, Lark. Let’s talk about last night. What should we start with, hmm? How about the part where you got me drunk and then teased me for being a lightweight? Oh! Or what about the part where you kissed me at the bar and then woke up today acting like nothing happened?”
His anger stokes my own even higher. “Oh I kissed you ? That’s really how you remember it happening? Because news flash, plant boy, both of those kisses were initiated by YOU !” By the time I finish, I’m full-on shouting at him and I’ve stalked forward, one finger poking into his wide, toned chest.
His eyes dart down to where my finger rests, and in one swift move he has my wrist in his hand and my back pinned against the rough stone wall. The irritation still simmers in his brown eyes, battling against the heat I know is reflected in my own.
“You,” he growls, ducking his body to lay a surprisingly gentle kiss on my bare shoulder, just above the strap of my tank. “Are.” Another kiss, this time where my shoulder meets my neck. “Such.” My throat. “A fucking.” Just below my ear. “Brat.”
With that final growled word, Liam takes my mouth in a scorching kiss, much more aggressive than anything I would have expected of him. It’s all teeth and tongue and hands that roam all over my body before coming up to tangle in my hair. The hair tie stops his progress and he grunts, carefully unwinding it so he can thread his fingers through the messy strands.
“Liam.” My voice comes out in a pitiful whimper as my hips rock against his, searching for friction against my throbbing clit.
No man has ever kissed me the way Liam is, and now that I know what I’ve been missing, I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to go back to lukewarm attraction and lackluster kisses.
With one fluid movement, he kicks my feet apart and slides one thick thigh between mine, granting me the friction I so desperately need. One hand circles around to palm my lower back and guide my movements along his bare thigh.
“That’s it, pretty girl,” he whispers against my ear. His hot breath sends shivers cascading down my spine. “Use me. Get yourself nice and warmed up because as soon as you come, I’m gonna give you what you need and fuck the brat out of you.”
My breathing picks up drastically at his words. I’ve never been with a guy who talks during sex, and it’s all I can do not to drop to my knees and see if he’d still be so chatty if I took his cock in my mouth.
My breath hitches at the thought, and Liam’s mouth curls into a sly grin. Licking his bottom lip, his eyes bore into mine in an inferno of sparkling dark honey. “What just went through your mind, gorgeous? Judging by how hard you’re working your clit right now, I’m guessing it was dirty.”
It’s hard to think through the fog of lust, but I decide this situation is precarious enough without me holding anything back from him. My teeth dig into my bottom lip in an effort to hold back a moan. I’m so close to an orgasm I can practically taste it and I know it won’t take much more to get there.
“I was wondering if you’d still be able to dirty talk if I had your cock down my throat,” I murmur huskily.
He freezes, the hand in my hair tightening, and the bite of pain is all I need to fall over the edge with a loud moan.