Chapter 20
Tess
The next evening, I was meeting Liam at an address he texted me, along with the instructions not to google it.
To my astonishment, I actually managed not to snoop!
I tried my best yesterday to make him tell me what we were doing today, but he didn’t give anything away.
Since he went to so much trouble to keep it a secret, I wanted to be surprised.
The Uber brought me in front of a cute restaurant at the entrance of Prospect Park. The brick-and-wood facade was simple but beautiful.
Liam was waiting for me, gazing down my body slowly as I exited the car. The man didn’t even need words to make me simmer. One look and I was done for.
“Mr. Harrington, you look even more handsome than I remember.”
Taking one hand, he pulled me against him.
Cupping my face, he touched my lower lip with his thumb.
I opened my mouth slightly, sucking in a breath.
He kissed me the next second, deep and wet, and I nearly climbed him on the spot.
He lowered his hands down the sides of my body, resting briefly on my waist before sliding to my bottom.
I smiled against his mouth, pulling back a little.
“You’re not even trying to hide your dirty intentions,” I murmured.
He palmed my ass cheeks, wiggling his eyebrows. “Why should I?”
“I don’t know. You were all about talking and getting to know each other.”
“The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”
I laughed, tilting forward and kissing his Adam’s apple. “Good thing I have a similar plan. And I want to start by kissing you.”
He groaned slightly. I loved that sound; it was so primal and damn sexy. He grinned before kissing my jaw, then each corner of my mouth before feathering his lips against mine. I shuddered, feeling that light touch all over my body, including between my thighs.
Ah, first rule of the game. Don’t reveal your intentions.
Lesson learned, Liam. Lesson learned .
I pulled back, holding a finger in front of me.
“Maybe we should just head inside.”
Liam pressed his thumb at the corner of my mouth, trapping me with his gaze. “Maybe I should just change the plan completely. I don’t feel like sharing you with anyone tonight.”
“No, no, no. I’ve never had dinner on the docs. I’m excited about it.”
Something flickered in his eyes. He took my hand, kissing it before leading me through a gate next to the building.
We aren’t going inside?
A wooden pathway snaked ahead of us between thick trees. A pair of servers stood behind a huge table on the side of the pathway. It was packed with picnic baskets.
“Hi, I have a reservation under Harrington,” Liam said.
The blond server nodded, handing him a basket. “The number on the basket is also the one for your blanket.”
“Thanks,” Liam answered. He carried the basket on one side, taking my hand in the other one and leading me down the wooden staircase.
I had this ball of energy and happiness lodged in my chest, and I felt like I might explode if I didn’t let it out.
I shimmied my hips, taking in deep breaths.
The air was chilly, and I knew it was going to be one of those evenings where I needed a thick blanket to keep me warm.
Or I could ask Liam to warm me up. I was sure he wouldn’t mind.
I soaked in our surroundings, the pink-orange sunset and the yellow and red leaves. On the docs were ten glass constructions, like small greenhouses, spread around, separated by rows of pampas grass. Inside each one was a table for two and some cozy swings.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I murmured once we were inside.
We sat down on the swing next to each other. It was warm inside from heaters, but Liam threw a blanket over me anyway. The swing was huge, more like a bench. We could even lie down next to each other and we’d fit.
I looked up at him, intending to thank him, but was caught off guard by his expression.
“You look very…pleased. Possibly smug. Why?”
Bringing his mouth to my ear, he whispered, “I like that you’ve never been here with anyone before.”
“Did you come here with someone before?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Liam tilted my chin with his thumb, looking me straight in the eyes. “No. I don’t have some standard charming program, Tess.”
“Hmm…well, you almost had me fooled, what with your perfect panty-melting smile and super flirty lines.”
“You think my smile is panty-melting?”
“Want to check?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
Holy shit, he wasn’t joking.
I grinned, scooting a few inches away from him.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the temptation out of the way.”
Laughing, he pulled me right back against him so our hips were touching.
“Want to check the basket?” he asked.
I didn’t need asking twice and immediately took it in my lap, inspecting the contents. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning unpacking presents.
We had a selection of cold appetizers, everything from ham and cheese to sweet spreads.
“Oooh, this is peach marmalade. It’s my favorite. Mom used to make this when we were little.”
Liam chuckled, kissing my cheek. “I like how excited you are.”
“Aren’t you? Look how many goodies we’ve got. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place. How did you find it?”
“I asked Skye.”
I stopped in the act of unpacking the bread. I wasn’t sure what threw me more, that he asked my sister or that he owned up to it so nonchalantly.
We’d been here for all of ten minutes and my heart rate was already speeding up. How was that even possible?
“Well, it worked. I’m impressed.”
I was grinning, and he was grinning right back. I couldn’t believe how easy our interactions were, how open he was about everything.
“So, what shall we start with?” I asked, pointing at all the goodies I’d taken out.
“Your choice, Tess.”
I rubbed my palms in excitement before digging in. I started with a roll of ham and cheese, and Liam followed suit.
“I’m saving this for last,” I said, pointing to the peach jam. “It’s one of my fondest memories from Boston.”
“You used to live there?” he asked.
I nodded. “I was born there and only moved to New York after my parents divorced. Mom went to a farmer’s market every week, and we made peach and strawberry jam every summer.
I loved doing that so much. I used to think that when I had kids, I’d have designated weekends for all sorts of jam-cooking?—”
I pressed my lips together before I blurted out any more inappropriate things.
“Why did you stop midsentence?”
I looked up from the glass, smiling coyly. “Fifteen years of dating taught me that mentioning kids on a date is a huge no-no.”
Liam tilted forward until his nose nearly touched mine. He was grinning. “I want to listen to everything you want to tell me.”
“Ha! Did you learn nothing from the ‘getting to know each other’ dinner? You most definitely don’t want me to speak without a filter.”
“That’s exactly what I want, Tess.” He touched my cheek with the back of his hand before moving to my lips. “I liked that about you from the beginning. What’s going on through that pretty mind?”
“Lots of things. I just remembered some cute things we used to do as kids.”
“It must have been difficult for your mom, moving with so many kids to New York.”
I nodded, feeling a small knot tighten in my chest.
“Her sister got her a job as a teacher here, so she didn’t have much choice.
It was a tough time for the family. We were all disoriented for a while.
Mom was trying to be strong, but I could hear her cry sometimes at night.
It was just such a huge change from our life in Boston.
We lived in a huge house and never had to think about money, and then overnight we were worrying about every penny.
I tried to make everything fun for my siblings, to distract them by painting our rooms and sort of making toys and games out of everything. ”
“And you? How were you coping?” he asked.
I shrugged, pressing my palm to my chest again. “I was foolishly optimistic. I actually thought my parents would reconcile. I really believed it. Then we found out that he married someone else.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah. Luckily, I didn’t have too much time to dwell on that between school, looking after my siblings, and doing odd jobs on the side.”
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“Why?” I asked, startled.
“Because you’re a very sensitive person, very caring. When you came to my office without Skye, you had a million things on your mind and still worried if her son had something serious.”
Okay, so I’d been downplaying that…but how could he tell?
Dad had been the first man who broke my heart, and I wasn’t sure I’d actually given it to anyone ever since. But Liam was getting under my skin in a way no one else had. I felt safe with him.
“I’m a weirdo, I know,” I said.
“No, you’re very caring and sensitive, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
I narrowed my eyes, elbowing him slightly. “What happened to being tough and strict? Thought that was on the list of qualities you looked for in business owners.”
“You’re all that too. No one’s roasted my ass like you did.” He grinned, covering my hand with his on the blanket before skimming two fingers up my forearm. I hadn’t even known that was a sweet spot. I was certain that Liam could turn any inch on my body into a sweet spot.
I scooted a little to the right, putting a few inches between us.
He cocked a brow. “You think these two and a half inches are enough to keep me from kissing you? Touching you?”
Could he read my mind?
“Well, no, but it was worth a try. You’re looking at me like you’re having devilish intentions.”
“Of course I do. But I’m keeping those for later.”
He skimmed his fingers up my forearm again. Heat shot through me as I caught my breath. He did it one more time, slowly trailing them down to my wrist.
“So what are you doing right now?” I whispered.
“I can’t be next to you and not touch you. I’m barely keeping from kissing you, and that’s just because I know I’d make a spectacle in front of everyone.”
Laughing, I moved even farther away, placing the basket between us. I wanted to point out that the rows of pampas grass protected us, but who knew what he might do.
“There, that should do it,” I said playfully. “Don’t you dare seduce me before I’ve tasted everything in this basket.”
“Or what?” he asked as I reached inside.
“I’m not sure. I’ll think about a particularly cruel revenge.”
I picked out a small jar of chili jam and immediately spread it on a slice of bread.
“Wow, this is delicious,” I said after a bite. “I’ve never had this before. Thanks so much for bringing me here.”
When he said nothing, I looked up at him and was startled to find his eyes pinned on me.
“What?” I asked somewhat shyly.
“I’m just trying to figure you out, Tess. That’s all.”
“What do you have so far?”
“Many notes.” He tapped his temple.
“Good ones?” I asked eagerly.
“Of course.”
“Tell me.”
“On one condition.” He lay down on the swing, patting the spot next to him.
I grinned, swallowing my remaining mouthful before scooting back next to him.
“Lie down here. We certainly have enough space.”
He moved a bit, and then I laid my head on his chest, draping a leg over his. Heat speared me at every point of contact.
“What happened to distance?” he asked. I laughed at how confused he sounded.
“Well, the distance thing was so you wouldn’t be tempted. You can’t really touch me too much the way we’re lying down. I have one of your arms completely trapped. I, on the other hand, have free rein.”
I had not meant that as a challenge. But did he take it as one? Hell yes.
He shifted smoothly and quickly from beneath me, and before I even had time to say something, he rolled me over and completely covered my body with his. He wasn’t crushing me, so he probably held his weight on his knees and forearms, which were at the sides of my shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“I have no idea.”
“I thought you didn’t want to make a spectacle.”
No one could see, and we both knew it.
“I’m not.” He feathered his lips over mine but didn’t kiss me. “You just make me act on impulse.”
He still didn’t kiss me. Instead, he drew the tip of his nose up my cheek and temple before tracing the same path with his mouth.
I grinned, lifting my head until our lips were almost touching. “I approve.”