Chapter 24
Kendall
Liam’s tongue parts my mouth open in a kiss that has my head spinning and my clit pulsing.
He runs his thumb along the hinge of my jaw, tilting my head back and deepening the angle between us. He drives his tongue deeper into my mouth. And then he sucks on my tongue. My knees wobble.
Oh. My. GOD.
Liam is a fucking dynamite kisser. He kisses me like he can’t get enough of me. Like it’s the end of the world and the only thing he ever wants to do is kiss me.
His other hand slides from my waist to my hip, then my thigh. He lifts my leg up and hooks it around his waist. I press myself against him and feel the unmistakable hardness of his erection. I moan into his mouth.
My head is swimming. I can’t believe this is happening.
Never in a million years did I think I’d ever be making out with Liam Scott. He’s the hot hockey pro who I’ve hated for years.
But this past month of hanging out together has changed everything. He’s been so sweet and kind and flirty and playful. He’s helped me take care of my aunt.
And when he went on and on about how amazing I am and how hot he thinks I am, a switch flipped in my body.
All that self-doubt inside of me disappeared. All I felt was want. For him.
I’ve never been so forward with a guy before. I’ve never told a guy to kiss me like that.
But I couldn’t help it. My entire body was pulsing, aching with the need to kiss Liam.
He presses me harder against the alley wall. I tug my hands through his hair. He groans.
“Fuck,” he says against my mouth. “You’re getting a little rough there, firecracker.”
I smile against his lips. “Do you want me to stop?”
He leans back and looks me in the eye. His pupils are blown out and he’s sporting that infuriatingly sexy smug smile.
He shakes his head. “No way. I fucking love it. Get as rough as you want with me.”
My clit pulses at the growl in his voice, how he’s soft and demanding all at once.
Is this what he would be like in bed? God, I hope so.
I yank him back to my mouth by his hair, feeling his mouth curve up into a grin.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this?” Liam growls between kisses.
“A while?” I tease.
He gently grips my chin and pulls me back to his mouth. He teases my tongue with his. With each passing second, our kiss amps up in intensity. My heart is racing in my chest, and I’m panting. I can feel his hot skin through his clothes.
He makes a growling sound against my mouth. My pussy throbs. As good as this kiss is, I need more. I need more of Liam’s mouth on me…
“Liam Scott! My man! Woah there!”
We break apart at the sound of a stranger’s voice.
When I turn to the sidewalk, I see a guy holding his phone at us. Dread and shock pierce my gut. Shit, is he filming us kissing? What a creep.
It takes a second before I recognize guy. He’s the sports paparazzi who filmed Liam the day he had brunch with my aunt and me.
Liam stumbles back a few steps, creating space between us. He glares at the guy.
“Hot night out with your girlfriend?” The paparazzi guy asks.
“Nope,” Liam barks.
I flinch at the sting of his “nope.” Not that I expect him to call me his girlfriend after one kiss. I’m not delusional. This kiss happened in the heat of the moment. But still. He sounds eager to deny it.
The guy laughs. “Oh, come on. You can’t fool me. This is clearly your special lady.”
He starts to aim his phone at me, but Liam steps in front of him, blocking him from filming me. “She’s not anything to me. We’re just friends. Back the fuck off.”
That sting turns into a stab. In an instant, I’m transported to nine years ago, when I stood just a few feet behind Liam at that house party, when I heard him say the meanest thing he’s ever said about me…
Not in a million years would I ever hook up with Kendall. Are you kidding? I go for hot girls. Not mousy little bookworms like her.
The words he speaks now are different. But his feelings are the same.
Liam would never go for a girl like me. Ever. We’re just friends. He’ll even make out with me in a dark alley at night. But when it counts, when someone asks me what I am to him, I’m nothing. I’m always nothing.
That stabbing pain radiates through me. It feels like I’ve been slapped in the face and kicked in the gut. Hot tears well up in my eyes.
God, I’m so stupid. I really thought Liam had changed from the guy he was back in college.
I was wrong.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from bursting into tears. I don’t want that paparazzi jerk getting any footage of me crying during the most pitiful moment of my life.
The paparazzi mutters a curse word before walking off. Liam turns around to me. His brow furrows and his eyes shine with worry.
“I’m nothing to you, huh?” I walk off before he can answer me.
A second later, he catches my wrist. I yank out of his hold and spin around. “Don’t touch me.”
He holds up his hands and steps back, a panicked look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you. I just…” He tugs a hand through his hair and lets out a heavy breath. “That’s not what I meant.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Really? That’s funny because that’s exactly what you said, wasn’t it? ‘She’s not anything to me.’”
He shakes his head. “I only said that because I didn’t want to spill my guts to a guy whose job is to invade my personal life.”
I let out a sad, weak laugh. Hot tears burn my eyes. I glance off to the side and quickly blink them away.
A sudden wave of fatigue hits me. I’m so tired of this. I’m tired of the years of pushing aside the pain he caused when he insulted me in college. I’m tired of this weird, strained friendship we’ve had.
“Kendall.” My name is soft and pleading on his tongue. “Just let me explain. I swear, I didn’t mean it like that, I was trying to—”
“You know what, Liam? I’m not interested in anything you have to say anymore.”
“Kendall, please.”
I ignore him as I walk to my car. I climb in and drive off. And that’s when the tears fall.