Chapter 13
Thirteen
Bristol
I offer Liam the chance to climb into bed with me. It’s not an intimate gesture; we’re watching a movie in Sophia’s dorm room.
But it feels intimate when he rises from the chair and moves to the bed, sitting down.
My heart palpitates in my chest as I keep my hands to myself.
Liam has been a pain in my ass all my life.
I’m not about to start falling for him because we’re sharing a bed … we’re not even sleeping in it.
I don’t move, lying perfectly still. I feel awkward as Liam stretches out and makes himself comfortable.
He raises his arm and puts it behind his head. Everything about him is huge. He takes up more than half the mattress, although I don’t believe it’s intentional.
The extra-long, twin-sized mattress is still tight for two. I’m still trembling, and he glances at me.
Can he feel it on the mattress?
“Do you want me to get you a blanket?” Liam offers.
Sophia microwaves popcorn for all of us before we start the movie.
“Do you mind if I crawl under the covers?” I ask Sophia.
“Go for it. Just don’t do anything nasty with that one.” She points at her brother.
“Don’t worry. I’m not interested in catching cooties.” While I’m joking around, I’m also serious about what the hell Liam may have caught with other girls.
He seems like the player type.
Probably because I’ve been around hockey players all my life, professional ones. While my father has always been loyal to Emerson, there were some players I heard stories about and their sexual prowess.
Dad tried to keep those guys out of the house when he’d have his buddies over, when I was younger. As I grew up, I saw and heard more, understood quite a bit of what was happening around me.
Emerson insisted that the parties had to be someplace else.
I’ll admit, I was disappointed, because some of the players were easy on the eyes.
Although Liam has all of them beat, with his thick, golden hair and eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea. The clear blue has flecks of gold and shimmers like turquoise under the sun.
I’ll bet he gets asked quite often if he’s wearing colored contacts, because his eyes are that captivating.
No doubt, he’s aware he’s got the looks and the athlete’s body.
Another reason to hate him.
He gets the girls, all of them, begging to date him.
I’m sure of it.
Sophia brings over a bag of popcorn and hands it to me. “Are you two willing to share, or do I need to make another bag?”
Liam nudges me, and I glare at him for touching me. I have a feeling he’s going to make this entire movie unbearable.
Why did I invite him to lie next to me?
What the hell was I thinking?
“I can share if she doesn’t hog all the popcorn or pour gallons of salt in the bag.”
“That’s the best way to eat it.”
Sophia rolls her eyes. “I’ll make you a bag, Liam.”
She puts another one in the microwave, and we wait to start the movie because there’s no way we’d hear the dialogue over the loud noise.
I dip my hand into the bag and grab a piece, taking a bite. “Definitely needs more salt.” I grab another salt packet buried away in my purse and pour it into the popcorn bag. I close the top, shake it up and then try another piece. “Gosh, that’s great.”
Liam wrinkles his nose. “You like to eat seawater?”
“No, and that would be drinking.” I elbow him, and he pretends like I injured him.
“Oof. You’ve got an arm on you.” His brow grimaces, and he’s pouting and seems a bit over-the-top to me.
Just like when we were kids.
“Oh, come on, Mr. Hotshot Hockey, no way that hurt.” I’ve seen him get swung at and assaulted by far more violent men on the ice when he played against the Predators.
Liam grins and reaches for my bag of popcorn. “You owe me a taste for that brutal beating.”
“You are so overly dramatic!”
I reach my hand into the popcorn bag and toss a few pieces at his face.
He tries to catch them with his mouth but fails miserably. It’s almost … cute.
But I refuse to ever refer to Liam Moretti as cute.
Liam picks up the individual pieces of popcorn and brings them to his lips.
I can’t help but stare. Every movement he makes stirs something deep within me.
Damn him.
It must be on purpose. The way his eyes make my stomach fall to the floor, and that smile.
Oh, that cocky grin that stares right through me and makes my insides tingle.
“Me, dramatic?” Liam smiles as he nibbles on one piece at a time.
I can tell by his face that it’s too salty, but he pretends like he’s enjoying every piece. He reaches for my bag, and I raise an eyebrow. There’s no way he wants more.
“If you like salty snacks, I may know another tasty treat for you…”
My eyes widen, and I smack him hard on the arm. “Eww, gross! You’re such a perv.”
The sound of kernels popping drowns out our conversation from Sophia. She doesn’t seem to notice what transpires until she pulls the bag out of the microwave.
“You two got weirdly quiet.” Sophia opens the bag, and steam wafts out from the top.
“Careful.” He climbs off the bed and grabs the bag from Sophia before she has a chance to burn herself.
“Thanks.” Sophia puts a third bag into the microwave, and already I miss Liam sitting next to me.
The bed feels cold and lonely.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Maybe I hit my head when I fainted.
A moment later, he’s back on the bed, and instantly, I relax. It’s honestly not the reaction I was expecting from myself. Being around Liam usually riles me up. I’ve always hated him. There’s zero chance I’ll start catching feelings for him.
But maybe he’s not entirely bad.
Just a little pain in my ass bad.
“You’re quiet. Are you feeling all right?” Liam rests a hand on my thigh as he places his bag of popcorn on the bed and leans it against his knees to keep it from spilling. “Do you need more salt?” There’s a wicked grin that crosses his face, like he’s joking.
“Do you have a salt shaker handy?”
Liam pauses and shakes his head. “Nope, I’ll have to steal one from the dining hall for you.”
“That’s all right. I think there’s enough salt on my popcorn.” I nudge his leg with my knee, and his popcorn bag topples over, but luckily, only a handful of pieces spill out.
He grabs the wayward pieces, eating them first, and glares at me. “That was on purpose.” There’s a menacing tone to his voice; it’s more than just annoyance, almost a growl.
“Damn right it was. You suggested I suck your cock earlier.”
“What?” Sophia’s eyes widen, and she coughs. “When the hell was that comment?”
“I didn’t say for her to suck my dick,” Liam says. “What I told her was—”
Sophia holds up a hand to stop him from finishing his next sentence. “We may be twins, but there are some things that we don’t need to share.”
I can’t help but laugh, and Liam glares at me. It’s playful, heated, and makes me flustered.
He should not be making me feel that way.
Thankfully, Sophia turns the movie on, and Liam doesn’t say another word. He shuffles slightly on the bed, trying to make himself comfortable.
I glance at him from the corner of my eye.
He’s the biggest distraction.
It’s hard to focus on the movie when Liam is in bed with me.
Not that we’re doing anything sexual.
I’d rather cut off my own arm or leg.
Maybe I’m the one a tad dramatic.
It’s Liam. The same guy who, in high school senior year, slept with two juniors who were best friends. He dated both of them at the same time, without the other’s knowledge, until it fell apart.
Not even a hint of remorse.
I’m not about to give him my heart when I know he’ll stomp all over it.
Liam glances at me, and I dart my gaze back to the television.
He laughs under his breath.
“What?” Sophia asks. “That scene isn’t funny.”
“No, but the one right next to me is hilarious.” Liam grins, and I’m trying my damndest to stare straight ahead, but I’m feeling a bit flushed with his gaze on me.
Turning my head, I glare at him. “What’s so funny, Moretti?”
“You hauled up right next to that wall like you’re going to fuck it.” His voice is low and rough and sends a shiver down my spine.
My mouth goes dry, and my lips part with a slight gasp. “You’ve stolen all the bed! Where else am I supposed to lie?”
“You can share my bed.” Sophia is across the room and pauses the movie since clearly none of us are paying attention to the film.
Liam glares at his sister, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, little sis?”
“Little, I’m two minutes younger than you.” Sophia’s glaring at her brother, and I swear they wear the same snarl.
It’s uncanny.
“Yeah, but you’re six inches shorter.” There’s that cocky smile again, and I really want to wipe it off his face.
“Would you rather I scoot closer?” I bury the nerves surfacing and ignore the pounding in my chest as I practically climb on Liam, draping a leg over his, my hand finding his chest.
If he wants to be flirty, two can play at that game.
I can feel the steady rhythm of his heart.
It’s beating fast, but nowhere near as quick as mine.
Liam growls at me, an arm sliding out and circling my waist. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” my voice squeaks, betraying me. I clear my throat, hoping he doesn’t notice, but that would be impossible. Maybe he just won’t say anything about it. “What are you doing?” I push the question onto him, my gaze meeting his.
I refuse to cower or to let Liam have the upper hand.
In one swift motion, he has his hands on my hips and pulls me across his leg and has me nestled between his thighs.
I’m curled on my side, my body resting against his chest. I feel the rise and fall of his chest, every heartbeat, even the heat of his breath against my hair as I swear, he plants a kiss to my forehead.
“Did you just kiss me?” I choke out, and this game may be fun, but it’s stressing me out. My heart is galloping in my chest, and my fingers move to his thigh, trembling, as the adrenaline surge assaults me yet again.
Liam’s breath is warm, and he exhales deeply, his strong arms wrapped around me. “Watch the movie, Firebreather.”
I snort at his nickname for me.