Chapter 11
By the time I finish cleaning up and throwing on my jeans, I can hear Charlie’s voice carrying from the kitchen. She’s chatting with Liam about God knows what, her tone bright and oblivious. I steel myself, schooling my face into something resembling normalcy before heading down the hall.
The second I step into the kitchen, Liam glances up and I feel it. That flash of heat. That private, dangerous little smile he only gives me now. It steals my breath for half a second.
Charlie, bless her, either doesn’t notice or pretends not to, because she claps her hands together like she’s just thought of something brilliant.
“There you are!” she says, beaming. “Sam said I can get the orange kitten, too!”
I nod, moving to the counter to pour myself a cup of coffee. I feel Liam shift behind me, and the heat of his body is way too close as he leans past me to grab his own cup, brushing against me like it’s an accident.
It’s not.
I shoot him a sharp glance over my shoulder, but he just smirks into his coffee like the innocent devil he is.
Charlie keeps talking, completely unaware.
“Though I did like the calico one.” She sighs. “Think he’d be mad if I come home with two?”
I snort. “I don’t think he’d mind at all.”
“Good.” She then says, “Sam said you have an important dinner tonight with a potential partner. Were you planning on going to town?”
The unspoken words have my eyes misting.
“No, we’re cooking here.”
“I’m really sorry about Lura,” she says. “And then a gas leak on top of that. Where are you staying?”
“Here? Luckily, my boss has extra rooms.”
Though I don’t foresee us using any of the extras now…
Liam says, “It’s the least I can do for my favorite employee. Especially one that makes a killer meatloaf.” He grins at Charlie. “One of my favorite things to put in my mouth.”
His voice is so loaded with meaning I nearly drop my coffee cup.
Charlie tilts her head, studying us both with the kind of knowing smirk that makes my heart trip over itself.
“Uh-huh,” she says, slow and sly, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth like she’s onto something.
Panic sparks in my chest.
I clear my throat, desperate for a lifeline. “Charlie, are you ready to go grab the kitten? Looks like that rain’s moving back in.”
She glances toward the window where heavy clouds are building again, the sky darkening fast.
“Yeah. Definitely don’t want to get trapped here if the creek rises,” she says, tossing me a playful look. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I say quickly, giving her a tight smile.
I motion for her to follow me, desperately needing to put some distance between me and the crackling heat still rolling off Liam.
But as I step away, I catch him looking at me.
And the look he gives? Pure, devastating trouble.
All lazy smirks and dark, hooded eyes, like he’s already plotting a thousand ways to finish what we started.
Heat floods through me so fast I almost trip over my own boots.
And the worst part? I’m counting down the minutes.
Charlie and I make our way outside, the cool air biting at my overheated skin, the low rumble of thunder somewhere far off in the mountains.
We’re halfway to the barn when she says it casually, like she’s just tossing it out there.
“So how long have you and Liam been dating?”
I nearly choke on air.
“Oh, we’re not—I mean, it’s new. I guess.”
Lie, lie, liar, my brain chants, because how do you explain whatever the hell is happening between me and Liam when you’re not even sure yourself?
Charlie grins, unbothered by my flailing.
“I’m so excited,” she says, practically bouncing. “I’ve told Sam for ages that you were perfect for Liam.”
I blink at her, heart hammering.
Perfect for Liam.
Perfect. For Liam.
The words rattle around inside me, stirring up all the messy, dangerous feelings I’m barely holding together.
Because for the first time, I realize maybe it’s not just me who feels it. Maybe it’s been written all over us for a long, long time. And maybe everyone else has seen it, too.
In the barn, Charlie and I work together to wrangle the kittens, both of us laughing when the orange tabby tries to wriggle free, and the calico hisses indignantly at the indignity of being scooped up.
Afterward, I crouch down, giving Sammi a quick scratch behind her tiny black ears. She mews and butts her head against my palm, and my heart squeezes tight in my chest.
“Be good, love,” I whisper to her.
I close up the barn, securing everything just as the first fat drops of rain start to fall again.
Charlie waves from her truck as she drives away, the kittens bundled in a basket on the passenger seat, her smile bright and knowing.
I wave back, then turn, facing the house. The sight of the warm golden lights spilling out the windows, the steady thrum of rain against the roof wraps around me like a second skin. Home. I exhale, trying to steady the way my heart flips in my chest and head inside.
The kitchen smells faintly of coffee and fresh rain as I wash my hands at the sink, scrubbing away the lingering scent of hay and kitten fur.
When I glance over my shoulder, Liam’s there leaning casually against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, watching me with an intensity that makes my pulse skitter.
“She pick one?” he asks, voice low and rough in that way that does dangerous things to my insides.
I grin, reaching for a towel to dry my hands. “Two. Sam’s gonna be thrilled.”
“Nah,” he says, pushing off the counter, moving closer, his body heat brushing against me. “I don’t think he’ll mind. He’s a sucker for Charlie.”
He stops just a breath away, so close I can smell the rain on his skin, the heat of him wrapping around me like a promise.
“Want to prep for dinner?” he asks, voice softer now, like it’s more than just dinner he’s offering.
I look up at him—this man who’s been my boss, my friend, my safe place—and realize with a thud in my chest that somewhere along the way he’s become everything.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod, feeling the smile tugging at my lips.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Let’s do it.”
We move around the kitchen with the kind of ease that only comes from years of knowing each other, but now, everything feels different.
Liam pulls vegetables from the fridge while I hunt for the cutting boards, our shoulders brushing once, twice, three times as we pass each other.
Each touch lingers a little longer than it should.
Each glance stretches a little hotter than before.
Still, we pretend like nothing’s changed.
Sort of.
“You gonna actually cook,” I tease, bumping him with my hip as I set a cutting board on the island. “Or are you just here for moral support?”
Liam grins, grabbing a knife and nudging an onion toward me.
“I’m here to supervise,” he says, eyes twinkling. “Make sure you don’t burn the place down.”
I snort, reaching for the onion.
“Oh, please. We both know I’m the only reason you eat anything that isn’t beef jerky and gas station burritos.”
He hums under his breath, stepping behind me and leans in, voice low and teasing right against my ear.
“You know what else you’re the only reason for?”
I freeze for half a second, pulse kicking into a wild rhythm. Slowly, I turn my head to glance back at him, trying to play it cool even though my knees feel suspiciously weak.
“No,” I murmur. “What?”
His mouth curves in that slow, lazy, lethal smile that should come with a warning label.
“You’re the only reason my jeans are tight as hell right now.”
And just like that, my heart splinters.
I don’t have time to reply because the moment I open my mouth, he’s already brushing a kiss against my temple, so light it leaves me dizzy.
I stand there for a second, the knife forgotten in my hand, trying to collect myself.
He whistles innocently, moving to grab spices from the pantry like he didn’t just knock the air clean out of my lungs.
“Better get that meatloaf going, honey,” he tosses over his shoulder, wicked and smug.
“You’re the worst,” I say, but it comes out laughing, breathless.
“And you love it.”
I do. God help me, I do.
My body feels like it’s on overdrive as I move around the kitchen, my heart still hammering from the way Liam looks at me like I’m the only thing that matters.
I get the meatloaf prepped and into the oven, the savory scent already filling the house. The veggies are chopped and ready on the stove for later. Across the kitchen, Liam stands at the counter, tossing a salad with a focus that’s almost comical, considering the tension vibrating between us.
I wipe my hands on a towel, glancing around.
“What time is Teddy coming?” I ask, my voice a little too casual.
“Six,” Liam says without looking up. “Why? Need something from town?”
I’m quiet as I rinse my hands in the sink, drying them slowly, methodically. And then I turn toward him.
“No,” I say, my voice low, syrupy with intent. “I need something here.”
Liam’s head snaps up.
His eyes darken instantly, the green blue of them flashing molten heat.
“Oh?” he says, voice rough without me even touching him yet.
I move toward him, step by step, savoring the way his body tenses, the way he tracks me like prey.
“Yeah,” I murmur, stopping just a breath away. “See, this cowboy rocked my world earlier—” I reach up, letting my fingers trail lightly over his chest, feeling his heart slam against my palm. “—but it wasn’t enough.”
His hands flex at his sides, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“Wasn’t hot enough,” I whisper, leaning in so my breath kisses the shell of his ear.
I hear the sharp inhale he tries to hide.
“Wasn’t rough enough.”
He turns his head, just barely, his lips brushing against my temple, his restraint a living thing between us.
“Is that so?” he grits out, every word threaded with the threat of breaking.
“Mmmhmm,” I hum, pressing a teasing kiss just under his jawline, feeling him tremble under my mouth.