Chapter 34
Charity
Breathless – The Corrs
Liam
Hey, Sunshine. Change of plan for dinner. Carlucci’s is closed due to a leak. Managed to get us a reservation at The Maple Hotel. Looks like tonight is when we go public. Hope that’s okay?
Ilooked at the message from Liam again and couldn’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach.
Ones of excitement or nerves, I wasn’t sure.
Maybe they were the same thing. Maybe butterflies were a byproduct of every emotion, they were just a way of showing us that we were still living, still feeling. Whatever they were, I had them.
Checking out my outfit of tight black jeans, and a gold colored, satin camisole, I was satisfied.
At least my feet looked spectacular, or at least my shoes did.
The Casadei gold and black sling backs had been a purchase I shouldn’t really have made, but what the hell.
A girl had to spoil herself sometimes. With one last look in the large ornate mirror that I had propped against the wall of my bedroom, I picked up my purse, and made my way down the stairs, trying not to think about the three or four outfit choices that I’d left piled on my bed.
The doorbell chimed, the sound echoing up the staircase like a soft alarm.
Those damn butterflies went crazy.
A rush of cool evening air slipped inside the moment I opened the door, brushing over my bare arms, and then Liam filled the doorway, warm, and impossibly solid against the night.
“Wow.” He took a step back, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Christ, Sunshine, you look incredible.” He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed, drawing my eye to the little triangle of tanned skin that I could see at the open collar of his shirt.
“You’re making it real hard for me to want to take you out. ”
I was fully on board with that. The cool night air had created goosebumps on my arms, but it was the sight of him that had my nipples pebbling—gray dress pants and a crisp white shirt with the cuffs rolled back, and his hair still damp at the ends.
As for the smell of him. Citrus and cinnamon and it was sinful.
“I look okay?”
“More than okay.” He shook his head and my pride swelled.
I clearly affected him as much as he did to me.
“Beautiful.” Placing one foot inside the house, he leaned in and with one hand at my elbow and the other cupping my face, his breath brushed my mouth for a split second before his lips did, warm, mint-laced, and dizzying.
He kissed me hard, his teeth dragging over my bottom lip when he pulled away with agonizing slowness.
“Thought about doing that all damn day.”
“Me, too,” I confessed. Breathless. High.
“Seriously, you look stunning.” Still holding my hand, he took a step back, his gaze running up and down my body. “Just stunning.”
Placing a hand against my chest, I felt my cheeks pink.
I had made every effort to make sure my makeup was on point, that my hair was waved perfectly, and that my skin was soft and glowing.
To hear Liam acknowledge that, though, was surprising.
Not many of the men I’d dated had taken the time to tell me how good I looked.
If they had, it was perfunctory. Not so enthusiastically as Liam, that was for sure.
The man just kept on surprising me, kept on making me crush a little harder.
“We ready to go then?” he asked, holding out his elbow for me to link.
“Let’s do it.”
I couldn’t deny it, my nerves were jangling as we stepped into the Maple Hotel, even with Liam’s hand close and guiding.
The lobby was warm and softly lit, the low hum of conversation floating beneath the gentle clink of cutlery.
A hint of roasted garlic drifted from the restaurant, mixing with the woody scent of polished floors.
It wasn’t like The Tap, full of townsfolk, it was more out-of-towners. Salesmen trying to get ranchers to buy the latest feed, or farmers a new piece of machinery. Only a short drive from Telluride, it also wasn’t unusual to get tourists, opting to stay in the more affordable Sweet Maple Falls.
Tonight, though, as we walked through to the restaurant, we were met with ten familiar faces—The Sweet Maple Knitting Circle.
Ten pairs of heads swiveled our way in perfect unison, the scrape of chair legs and a cloud of floral perfume rising, as the knitting circle turned to stare at the exact moment that Liam laced his fingers through mine.
“Looks like the jig is up, Sunshine,” he muttered from the side of his mouth. “And look who’s getting out of their seat.”
I looked. Aubrey. The biggest gossip and meddler in the whole town.
“Well, look who we have here,” she announced to the rest of the group. “Didn’t I say there was a spark there?” She turned and poked Dolores Seaton in the shoulder. “What did I say to you?”
“You said, ‘Dolores there’s a definite spark there’. And then you said, ‘there’s something Pru won’t have a clue about seeing as she kn—'.”
“I think that’s enough.” Aubrey’s face went beet red as she snapped her fingers at Dolores. Turning back to us, she cleared her throat. “Have a nice evening, both of you.”
“Intend to,” Liam said, his voice low and his eyebrow high. He led me away, muttering about nosey neighbors.
As a waitress showed us to our table, I couldn’t help giggling. I never thought a month ago that I’d even be friends with Liam Brown, let alone having sex with him. Good sex… the best sex.
“What you laughing at, Sunshine?” he asked, holding out the chair for me. There was a smirk on his lips as his fingers lingered over my bare shoulder.
I watched him, entranced as he moved to his own seat.
He moved so confidently, with such ease, it was easy to see why he’d been a popular choice as the host for the dinner for the last two years.
He’d just managed to avoid it. Plus, he didn’t bank on me being tasked to persuade him. My giggles got louder.
“What?”
“I’m just wondering whether everyone will realize that I got you to do the dinner by offering you a look at my titties.”
He barked out a loud laugh, dropping down onto the chair opposite me. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his shoulders shook. He looked so relaxed, it made my chest swell that I’d done that for him.
He reached for my hand and intertwined our hands, his fingers closing around mine, warm and sure.
The rest of the room blurred into soft candlelight and the faint clink of silverware.
It was like he had to touch me, somehow—holding my hand, his palm at the small of my back or elbow.
And he didn’t care that just a couple of strides away were some of our community, including the town’s biggest gossip.
“Do you think Aubrey has already sent a message on the town’s group chat?”
Liam looked over my shoulder, his chin up as he perused the table behind us.
After a couple of seconds, he waved. “Yep, she’s sent one.
She’s just dropped her phone into the pocket of her cardigan, like I wouldn’t notice.
” When both our phones pinged at the same time, the laughter started again, and Liam reached into the front pocket of his pants for his phone and flicked his fingers on the screen.
He shook his head and turned his phone to me.
Aubrey
Guess who’s having dinner at the Maple Hotel?
Brandon Rice
The knitting circle
Minky Norris
The knitting circle
Ainsley Buckley
You and the knitting circle of course
Denver Donkey
The lovely ladies of the knitting circle. I believe they’re making me a lovely warm c*ck sock
“Denver?” I blinked. “Cole’s donkey?”
“My brother is a fucking dick,” Liam muttered as another message arrived. We both looked at the screen and Liam whistled glancing toward the table with the knitting circle at it. “Wow, I had no idea Aubrey knew such words. Christ.” He groaned. “Even Nate has replied, and he’s away on business.”
Nate Jenkins
It better be Liam with Charity or I’ll kick him in the nuts
Liam sighed, but his lips flicked up at the edges with a hint of a smile as more pings followed. “Fuck this.” He started to type.
“What are you sending?” My cheeks ached from smiling, loving the lightness of it all.
He looked up at me and then showed me his phone.
Liam Brown
Why don’t you all keep your noses out of my business. Especially while I’m out having dinner with my girl!
Then, as if it was a period to the conversation, he handed me a menu and said, “What do you fancy, Sunshine? I’m thinking steak.”
It took me a beat to even consider looking at the menu because all I could think about were the words ‘my girl’.
It was quiet and peaceful, the stillness of the night comforting. The gardens of the hotel felt so secluded, it felt like we could be miles from town.
The gravel crunched beneath our feet in a steady rhythm, the night air gentle and carrying the faint scent of pine. The maples rustled overhead, their leaves whispering as if they approved of us.
The gardens of the Maple Hotel were famous for the trees.
They weren’t just maple trees, but Japanese maples which needed very specific conditions to grow in Colorado.
They required somewhere with afternoon shade and away from harsh winds, and while our weather was challenging for the gardeners, they had somehow managed to keep them alive for almost forty years.
“You know they shipped in special soil for these trees,” I told Liam as we wandered hand in hand.
“I know.” Liam let go of my hand and slipped his arm around my shoulder. “You warm enough in that little jacket.”
“I’m fine.” It was a mild evening, and that with the wine, plus the heat coming from Liam, I was more than fine. “Dinner was gorgeous. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
We’d argued about who was going to pay the bill, but Liam had been adamant, even though I’d been the one drinking wine, he hadn’t touched a drop, and it was not cheap wine.
“So,” he said, pulling me closer. “How do you feel about the whole town knowing that we’re together?” He kissed my temple, silently telling me that he was good with whatever my response was.
“I’m good. Are you?” Looking up at him, my stomach clenched with hope.
“Sent the message to the group chat, didn’t I?” His lips twitched, before his tongue whipped out and wet them. “You didn’t mind that did you?”
“No. Not at all.” I felt my cheeks heat up, glad of the darkness to hide the color I had rising. “I liked it. Unless of course you just wanted to get them to pipe down with their nonsense.”
“Got to tell you, Sunshine, I liked typing it.” Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. “Been a long time since I’ve used those words. Been a long time since I even wanted to use them.”
“So, we’re official then?” I took a deep breath, letting the hope of it all seep in. To realize that I had a someone.
“Yeah, I guess we are.” He planted a sweet kiss against my hair that sent my pulse racing, and I wondered if it would be too much to ask him to spend the night.
“Quick drink on the terrace?” Liam asked, leading me that way.
I looked over to the beauty of it. Fairy lights glowed like tiny fireflies among the branches of the trees, and the soft crackle of the pillar candles mingled with the low murmur of conversation from the tables. Warmth spilled from the hotel’s open doors behind them, a gentle nudge of welcome.
“Want to come back to my place, instead?” I hated that I sounded tentative, but something inside me wondered whether I deserved what we could possibly have.
“That,” he replied, moving his hand to my ass, “sounds a great idea. And maybe I’ll show you just how much my girl you are. How does that sound?”
The words hit me like warm sunlight, sudden, and bright, spreading through my chest until it was impossible to breathe properly.
As his hands slid to my waist and he kissed me, the world shrank to heat and breath, and the faint rustle of the maples overhead.
All while my heart raced, and my soul fell into the gentle pace of happiness.