32. Beer & Brawls
Beer & Brawls
Cerise
“Ican’t believe I’m doing this,” I said, walking beside Liam along the lamplit cobblestone streets.
We were in a lively part of town, laughter and music filtering out each time a patron entered or left an establishment. Neither Liam nor I lived here, but he’d visited before and seemed to know his way around.
“This is going to be delightful. I promise,” Liam said, reaching for my hand and lacing our fingers together.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the gesture and I met his gaze with a small smile. It was just the two of us, strolling around late at night, no stuffy gala to worry about, no colleagues to impress. My muscles relaxed as the tension of the night left my body.
Some people regarded us strangely due to how eloquently we were dressed, though Liam had left his jacket and cravat in the carriage, but I ignored the stares. I just wanted to be near him.
Liam led us to a tavern, the hanging wooden sign depicting a picture of an owl. He opened the door for me, placing a hand on my lower back, and led me inside.
My senses were immediately flooded with the scent of ale and the most delicious smelling food. My stomach growled, the amalgamation of herbs and spices tempting me. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, barely having eaten two bites at the gala, but now I wanted to devour whatever it was I smelled.
“People are staring,” I whispered as Liam guided me to a booth in the back.
“It’s because you’re so gorgeous.” He squeezed my hip and sat, pulling me to sit next to him on the leather cushion.
“We don’t fit in here…” I said, scanning the casual crowd.
“Good,” he replied. “Then it’s outside of your comfort zone, which is perfect.”
I stared at him. “And what’s outside your comfort zone?”
“Whatever the opposite of fun is.”
Moments later, a waitress appeared, her gray hair pulled in a bun at the nape of her neck. Wiping her hands on her ivory apron, she said, “Good evening. What can I get for the two of you?”
“Two pints of your best ale and two orders of the beef pie,” Liam said with confidence.
“Very good.” The waitress walked off.
“I didn’t even get to look at the menu,” I chastised.
Liam slipped his arm around my waist. “Trust me. Their beef pie is the best. Besides, I’m making the decisions tonight, so you just relax.”
Why did that fill me with such a sense of relief? The remainder of the tension left me at his declaration.
“Did you eat anything at dinner?” he asked me.
I shook my head. “I tried to, but my stomach was in knots and it just made me nauseous.”
He regarded me with tenderness, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my jaw before pulling away. “Eat as much as you want.”
A few minutes later, our meals arrived. Steam rose from the golden crust of my pie as I picked up my fork, breaking the flaky top and releasing the scent of rosemary, garlic and tender beef.
Bringing a bite to my mouth, I groaned, closing my eyes as I let the flavors dance across my tastebuds.
The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth.
I didn’t think I had ever tasted anything this decadent.
I opened my eyes to find Liam watching me. “What?”
His eyes dipped to my lips and he cleared his throat before regaining his composure. “We need to talk.”
My stomach did a flip. I didn’t know if I was ready for this. “About what?”
“You know exactly what, Cerise.”
I took a sip of ale, looking away as I steeled myself. Liam touched my chin and turned me to face him again. “You disappeared. After the rescue. What happened?”
“It’s not like you called or wrote either,” I shot back, irritated he was blaming it on me.
He sighed. “You’re right. I didn’t. I was afraid it would push you further away. I’m sorry. But then you sent that bullshit letter about being friends. So, I’m going to ask you again. What happened?”
“I—” I shook my head, unsure how to get the words out. “I don’t know. I guess I was just trying to get back to my old life.”
He tilted his head, scrutinizing me. “Your old life without me in it?”
“Yes.” My voice sounded small. “And I’m incredibly busy now with this grant proposal and teaching, and trying to stay on top of everything…”
“So you avoided me because you’re busy? You’re lying. It’s that brain of yours.” He tapped my temple. “You got in your head.”
He was right. Of course he was. He’d been able to see right through everything down to my core from the moment I met him. And it terrified me. A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed, taking another breath.
“I suppose that’s true. I never meant to hurt you, Liam. I just thought it would be easier that way.”
Now, he looked angry. “Easier? On who? You? All right then. Tell me. Did it work? Did you go back to teaching and research with a smile on your face? Did you dive into that grant proposal happily? Did you resume your schedule and routine and not think about me at all? Was everything better, Cerise? Because it wasn’t better for me and I don’t think it was better for you either.
I can’t focus on anything because all I can think about is you.
I thought I could handle seeing you at the gala tonight, but the moment I found you, I was fucking gone, beautiful. ”
My heart picked up its pace. I had no words to respond to his confession. No idea what to say.
He kept going. “I don’t want to be friends. So, we’re going to have the time of our lives tonight, and then you’re coming back to my room and I’m going to show you how much you mean to me.”
I shivered at the meaning behind his words. I wanted this. I wanted him to show me exactly what he was thinking. “Okay, but—”
He held my chin in a firm grasp. Luckily we were in a dark corner and the rest of the patrons were too busy drinking, dancing and playing cards to notice the sexual tension in our booth.
“But nothing. I know what you’re about to say.
How do we do this? We try. I’ll come visit you, you visit me, and we see where it goes. Can you handle that?”
I didn’t answer, though my breathing sped up as I didn’t break his heated gaze.
He leaned in, lips brushing mine. “Can you handle that, sunshine?”
“Yes,” I whispered, swallowing a whimper that wanted to escape from my throat.
His lips met mine, slow and searching, but with a promise of more later.
Pulling away, he released my chin. “Let’s finish dinner and see where the night takes us next.”
All right then. I was going to try this. Whatever this was.
We walked down a dark alleyway, hand-in-hand. “Where are we going?” I asked, scanning the stone walls. “This feels dangerous.”
“It’s perfectly safe,” Liam reassured me. “I promise, I would never put you in harm’s way. But…technically it’s not legal so the entrance is hidden.”
Every muscle in my body went rigid. “Not legal? Oh gods, Liam…we are academics. We’re professionals…this…this is a terrible idea.”
He squeezed my hand as we stopped beside a wooden door. “It’s a fabulous idea. You’re going to love it, I promise. Trust me.”
His glasses slid down his nose and I pushed them back up. He grinned.
“I’m not going to pull some illegal prank just for fun,” I said softly.
“It’s not a prank. We’re just going to watch something.”
Shouts and cheers erupted inside. “Watch what?” I asked with trepidation.
“You’re about to find out.”
Liam opened the door, and with a hand on my lower back, ushered me inside. We were in a warehouse, crates stacked along the walls. The cheers and yells grew louder as we ventured further into the space.
Wandering through a maze of barrels, we turned a corner and stopped. Before us was a dirt ring, surrounded by tiered benches and an unruly crowd.
“Are ya’ll lost?” some man drawled, the ale in his hand sloshing as he spoke. “Yer too fancy to be in here.”
“Don’t you worry about us,” Liam said with a salute. “We’re exactly where we wish to be.”
The man chuckled, wiped his chin with his dirty brown shirt, and turned back to the center of the room where two men were brawling.
My eyes darted everywhere. Tall wooden ceilings loomed above us. Drunken spectators shouted as one man punched another in the gut, causing him to stumble. “Liam, this is—”
“Fantastic is what it is. Come on.” He pulled me through the crowd until we found an empty bench at the back corner, hardly enough space for the two of us.
Liam sat and pulled me into his lap, resting me on one knee with my legs draped in between his. “Liam, we’re in public,” I hissed, squirming.
“Look around. Do you think anyone remotely cares?” He squeezed my hips.
I scanned the room again. The crowd paid us no mind, now accepting the two ‘fancy’ spectators with no more than the occasional passing glance.
I forced myself to relax, leaning into him. He kissed my bare shoulder, his fingers trailing up and down my spine. “See? It’s fine.”
“You’re very handsy tonight.”
“Do you not like it?” he whispered in my ear as one of his hands found the slit of my dress and traced circles around my inner thigh.
Warmth bloomed low in my belly. Gods this man could turn me on with the slightest touch or word. “I didn’t say that. I’m just not used to so much attention. Especially in public. Ambrose wasn’t…affectionate. Actually, no one I’ve dated has been.”
The hand on my thigh moved an inch higher, while his other cupped the nape of my neck and turned me toward him.
“First of all, it seems everyone you’ve ever been with were fools if they couldn’t see how truly astounding you are.
Second of all, sunshine, it’s nearly impossible for me to keep my hands off you.
But you wouldn’t know that because tonight is the first time we’ve been together outside of the perilous jungle. I’m not holding back anymore.”
I raised my hand and brushed that unruly strand of hair away from his face. Something I’d been wanting to do for a long time. “You were holding back before?”
“Yes.” His face moved closer, our foreheads now touching. “I’ve been holding back since that night we played the prank on Rosebud.”
A giggle escaped me as I remembered how free I’d felt. How much fun I’d had. I missed that feeling. “I still can’t believe we did that. What was it about that night that changed everything?”
“It was the first time you finally relaxed. And seeing you laughing and joyful and utterly uninhibited…it was intoxicating. You are intoxicating.” He pressed a gentle kiss on my nose, my cheek, the corner of my lips, my jaw. “I wish to see you like that all the time.”
My heart warmed at his words. I wanted that too, though I didn’t know how to do it. It was hard to resist going back to my old habits, and I’d never be completely carefree. I would always struggle with the need to control my environment. And it wasn’t just because of my mother, it was who I was.
“Is that why we’re here? So you can see me like that again?”
He pulled me tighter against him. “That’s exactly why we’re here. Now let’s get drunk and watch people beat the ever-loving shit out of each other.”