Chapter 14
Liam
“You are so damn beautiful.”
I'm lying on my side, propped up on one elbow, just watching Avery sleep. Morning light filters through the curtains, painting her skin gold. Her hair is spread across my pillow, dark against the white fabric. She's on her back, the sheet pooled at her waist, leaving her breasts bare.
I could watch her like this for hours.
“Thank you,” she murmurs without opening her eyes. “What time is it?”
I lean down to plant a kiss on her lips. “Sneaky. How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to know you've been staring at me like a creep.” Her eyes open then. “Seriously, what time is it?”
I glance at my phone on the nightstand. “Six.”
She starts to sit up. “I should get home. I need to shower, get ready for work. I have a meeting with Jennifer.”
“Not yet.” I pull her back down, rolling to cover her body with mine. “Stay a little longer.”
“Liam, we can't.”
I kiss her, swallowing her protests. She melts into it for a moment before pushing at my chest. I press against her, letting her feel exactly why we should.
She laughs, that breathy sound that drives me crazy. “You're insane.”
“You like it.”
“Maybe.” Her hands slide up my back, pulling me closer.
I kiss her again, deeper this time, and she stops talking. Her legs part, wrapping around my waist, and I'm already reaching for the nightstand drawer, fumbling for a condom.
“Wait,” she gasps. “We didn't use one last night either. I'm on birth control, remember?” I wasn’t sure if that was just a heat of the moment thing or not, and I wasn’t going to assume.
“Best news I've heard all week.” I position myself at her entrance, looking down into her eyes. “Tell me you want this.”
“I want this.” Her hands cup my face. “I want you.”
I push into her slowly, watching her face as she takes me in. Her eyes flutter closed, her mouth falls open, and she lets out little, hungry moans.
We move slowly, like we have all the time in the world. I don’t want this morning to end. I want to have Avery in my bed all day. Hell, even all week. All year.
I memorize everything for later. The way she feels wrapped around me, the sounds she makes, the way her nails dig into my shoulders when I hit that perfect spot.
“Liam,” she gasps, her body tensing. “I'm close—”
She comes with loud whimpers, her legs tightening around me, and I follow seconds later, burying my face in her hair as pleasure rolls through me.
We stay tangled together for a few minutes, catching our breath. Then she pushes gently at my chest.
“Shower. Now. I really do need to get to work.”
“Shower together?”
“No.” She slides out from under me and heads to my bathroom. “The shower is my me-time. Sacred space. No boys allowed.”
I smirk. “But I could wash your back.”
“Liam.” She pauses in the doorway, completely naked and completely confident. “Me-time. It's happening.”
I watch her disappear into the bathroom, hear the water start running, and grin like an idiot. She's in my apartment, in my shower, and she spent the night in my bed without running away. And she opened up to me.
I feel so fucking honored.
It’s more than progress. Bit by bit, I’m beginning to get pieces of Avery I never thought I would.
I pull on sweatpants and head to the spare bedroom I converted into a puppy space. Olivia did a great job setting them up yesterday. Food and water bowls, puppy pads, toys scattered everywhere, and six small beds arranged in a circle.
The puppies are awake and immediately swarm me when I open the door. Princess is first, tail wagging frantically. Trouble is right behind her, already trying to chew on my sweatpants. The others pile on, all demanding attention.
“Morning, guys.” I crouch down, letting them climb all over me. “Miss me?”
I feed them, changing out their water and picking up the inevitable accidents on the puppy pads. It's tedious work, but I don't mind. There's something calming about the routine, about being responsible for these small lives.
I'm in the middle of playing tug-of-war with Trouble when Avery appears in the doorway. She's dressed in yesterday's clothes, and her hair is still damp from the shower.
I want to take her right back to bed. I can’t wait to get to the point where I can have her for a whole weekend.
“There you are,” she says, and then she's on the floor with me, legs crossed, immediately surrounded by puppies.
Princess goes straight to her, climbing into her lap. Avery laughs, stroking the puppy's fur, and my chest does something weird and tight.
This is what I want. This easy domesticity. Avery in my space, playing with my dogs, looking like she belongs here.
“They're getting big,” she says, scratching behind Princess's ears. “How old are they now?”
“About ten weeks. Olivia says they're doing great with basic commands.”
“That's good.” She's quiet for a moment, watching Scout try to steal a toy from Bandit. “Liam, you should really think about finding homes for some of them. Keeping all six is going to be a lot of work.”
“I know.”
“I'm serious. You travel constantly. Even with Olivia's help, it's going to be overwhelming.” She looks up at me. “Maybe keep two? The ones you're most attached to?”
I consider it. She's not wrong. Six dogs are a lot for anyone, especially someone with my schedule. “Which two would you keep?”
“That's easy.” She gestures to Princess on her lap. “This one, obviously. She's sweet and calm. And Trouble, because he's got personality.” She grins. “Plus, you two are basically the same person. Impulsive, reckless, charming as hell.”
“You think I'm charming?”
“I think you're a handful. But yeah, charming too.”
“You know what's funny? Trouble is basically me. But you're definitely Princess. Beautiful, poised, and pretends she doesn't need anyone but secretly wants all the attention.”
She throws a puppy toy at me. “I do not pretend I don't need anyone!”
“You kind of do.”
She's quiet, then sighs. I look at the puppies crawling around together. “Maybe you're right. About keeping two. Princess and Trouble. I'm trying to be better than my reputation. Less trouble, more responsible. Dividing my attention between all six is a lot.”
“Is that why you bought a four-hundred-thousand-dollar car and totaled it on the same day?”
Ouch. “Fair point. But I'm serious, Avery. I want to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Us.” The word hangs between us. “I want to do us. For real.”
She goes very still, her hand pausing on Princess's head. “Liam, what's the longest relationship you've ever had?”
“I don't know. Maybe two months?”
“Two months.” She shakes her head. “That's not a relationship. That's barely past the honeymoon phase.”
“So?”
“So how do I know this isn't just novelty?”
“Because I've never met anyone like you,” I say, and I mean it. “I think you came into my life at exactly the right moment, when I'm finally ready to get serious about something other than hockey.”
“You don't even know me.”
“I know enough.” I lean forward, needing her to understand.
“I know you're brilliant at your job. I know you try to hide behind professionalism, but you feel things deeply.
I know you're terrified of losing control, of being vulnerable.
I know you came racing across Manhattan last night because you thought I was hurt, even though you've been pushing me away for days.”
Avery stares at me with wide eyes.
“I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But I want to try anyway.”
She's quiet for a long moment. “Your lifestyle doesn’t exactly scream 'serious relationship material' to me.”
The words sting, but she's right. “I'll prove it to you.”
“How?”
“I don't know yet. But I will.” I reach across the space between us, taking her hand. “Give me a chance. That's all I'm asking.”
She looks at our joined hands, then back at my face. “You're asking for too much too soon.”
“Meaning?”
“I mean—” She stands up, gently setting Princess down. “I mean, we should take this one day at a time. See how it goes. No pressure, no expectations. Just see what happens.”
Fucking Kai. That’s why she won’t commit.
It's not what I want to hear. What I want is for her to say she's all in, that she wants this as much as I do. But I force myself to nod, to take what she's offering instead of pushing for more.
“Okay. One day at a time.”
She looks relieved. And while I’m glad that she’s pleased, I can’t help but be a little disappointed too. “I really do need to go.”
I follow her to the front door, watching as she gathers her purse and keys. Every instinct is screaming at me to ask her to stay, to skip work and spend the day in bed with me.
But that's the old Liam. The one who didn't think about consequences.
“Will you be at the game tonight?” I ask instead.
“Of course. I'll be in the press box, monitoring coverage.”
“Not with the other WAGs?” I'm only half-joking.
She gives me a look. “I'm not a WAG. I'm your publicist.”
“Right. Of course.” I pull her closer, needing to kiss her one more time. “Can we meet after? Get dinner or something?”
“I can't. I'll have a lot to do after the game. Media coverage to monitor, statements to draft if anything newsworthy happens.”
“Okay.” I cut her off before she can list more reasons. “That's fine. I understand.”
She cups my face. “Good luck tonight and be careful out there.”
“Always am.” Another lie, but I’m a different Liam now. “Let me call you a car. Hudson can drive you.”
“No,” she says in a firm voice. “I'll take an Uber. I need to maintain some boundaries, Liam. People can't see me getting dropped off by your driver.”
With previous women, I never cared how they got home. I was usually relieved when they left, grateful for my space back. But watching Avery order an Uber, checking the app to see how far away the driver is, all I want is to keep her here.
“Text me when you get home?”
“Yeah. I can do that.”
The Uber notification pings. Three minutes away. She kisses me one more time, quick and sweet, then she's out the door, and I'm standing in my hallway, already missing her.
I lean against the door, breathing deep.
I'm finally ready to grow up. To be the kind of man who deserves someone like Avery Carter. I want her and not just in my bed, but in my life. In my space. Being there when I get home from road trips.
I want all of it.
And I won't fuck it up.
My phone buzzes with a reminder. Morning skate at the arena in ninety minutes. Game day routine starts now.
After a shower, I head back to check on the puppies one more time before I leave. They're all curled up together in one big puppy pile, exhausted from their morning playtime.
“Alright, guys,” I tell them. “Time for me to go do my job. Olivia will be here soon.”
Princess lifts her head, those soulful eyes looking at me like she knows I'm leaving.
“I know,” I tell her. “But I'll be back tonight. And hopefully, Avery will be back soon, too.”
The puppy just yawns and curls back into the pile.
I grab my gear bag, double-check that I have everything I need, and head out. But for the first time, hockey isn't the only thing I'm thinking about.
I'm thinking about Avery watching me play. I'm thinking about proving to her that I can be serious, that I can commit, that I'm worth taking a chance on.
I'm thinking about building something real with her.
The old Liam would have been planning his next conquest by now, already bored with the woman who just left. But as I drive to the arena, all I can think about is when I'll see Avery again.
When I can make her laugh. When I can kiss her. When I can prove that I'm not the guy she thinks I am.
Or maybe I'll prove that I can be better than that guy.
Either way, I'm all in.
Even if she's not ready to be all in with me yet.