Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Athena
The fresh air did me good.
Walking through the city with Liam was calming. He did most of the talking. It centered on dozens of historical details about Manhattan. If he ever decides to give up his career as a counselor, he has a future in the past.
It was interesting and not just because I could listen to him talk about anything for days on end.
His voice is the sexiest I’ve ever heard.
I was enthralled when he told me stories about the architecture of certain buildings and the sordid past of their owners.
We walked for almost two hours before he flagged down a taxi. I didn’t correct him when he told the driver to bring us to his apartment.
I could have asked him to drop me off at my place first, but I want more time with him.
“Water?” he asks as soon as he’s locked his apartment door behind us.
“Please,” I whisper back.
I’m parched. I’m also overheated. Late summer in the city is a mix. Last night it poured rain for hours. That left a bite of chill in the air. Tonight the humidity was off the charts.
I tug on the collar of the dress I’m wearing.
I only own a few, and since today was a special occasion, I decided to dress up.
I had a lunch date with Mrs. Ducat. She asked me to join her at the Waldorf. It happened once before, so I was quick to say yes. I brought a small bouquet of white roses for her, and she picked up the tab for the delicious meal.
We talked about flowers, her late husband, and her upcoming Caribbean cruise.
I could tell that she needed the company when she asked me yesterday if I liked the food at the Waldorf.
“Here you go.” Liam shoves a glass of chilled water into my palm.
I swallow it down in three gulps. The entire time I keep my gaze trained to his face.
I watch him drink his water. His bicep bulges as he lifts the glass to his mouth. When he works on a swallow, his Adam’s apple bobs up and down.
He’s pure masculine rawness.
I move around him to set my empty glass on the edge of the coffee table.
Nerves jitter inside me, bouncing around. I push my hair back from my forehead, wishing that I had tied it up before class tonight.
“Are you as hot as me?”
That turns me back around to face him.
Oh my God.
He’s yanked the hem of his T-shirt up to reveal perfectly sculpted abs.
“Would you mind if I took this off?” he growls with a glint in his eye. “No pressure for you to do the same, but I’m about to pass out.”
I nod because every word I’ve ever learned is stuck in my throat.
He tugs on the back of the shirt. Before I know it, it’s on the floor.
I knew he was gorgeous, but this is incredible.
His body looks like it belongs to a Greek God who has been carved in stone. His tattoos reach over his chest in a blend of grays and blacks. A thin line of hair trails from his belly button, disappearing beneath the waistband of his jeans.
He toes out of his boots and then drops his socks.
He rakes his hair until it’s a messy blend of blond and brown around his face.
One hand drops to his stomach. “I still have that questionable candy bar in the drawer if you’re hungry.”
I shake my head. “I’m good.”
“Good.” He pops a brow. “Tell me what you want to do, Athena.”
Touch you.
I fist my hands together at my sides because it wouldn’t be fair for me to run my fingers all over his perfect body while I’m still fully dressed.
“We can watch Netflix. Or talk or kiss.” The last word leaves his lips wrapped in a soft smile.
I step out of one of my shoes, and then the other. “We can do all three.”
He moves closer to me, stopping when he’s a foot away. “The television is in my bedroom.”
I close the distance between us with quick, unsure steps. “I don’t know if I’m ready for…”
“Netflix and talking?” He reaches out a hand. “Kissing if it feels right. No pressure.”
In my mind’s eye, I was the siren who would seduce this gorgeous man into a lust-filled night, but he’s more than I bargained for, and it’s not just about the extra-large condoms.
It’s him.
The way he looks at me. The way he talks to me and the way he kisses me.
All of it.
I can’t let my heart take the lead on this. He doesn’t want anything serious. I’m too smart to fall for a guy who just got dumped.
He offers me his hand. “We’ll stay on top of the covers. I’ll build a pillow wall between us if you want.”
Laughing, I search his face for something, anything that will tell me that he’s all right with my hesitation.
I see it when he winks at me. “Come with me, lilac. I’ll take care of you.”
I believe him, so I slide my palm against his and let him lead me straight to his bedroom.