Chapter 11
ELEVEN
The slip of paper felt heavier than it should have when I unfolded it.
Play sexy truth or dare.
My stomach flipped.
Of all the things on that list, I got lucky.
It wasn’t the most salacious thing I’d put, and maybe this would be a good way to break the ice.
I was less nervous after that toe-curling kiss, but there was still the hint of nerves that flitted in my belly.
There really was no going back after tonight.
I looked up at Liam, half expecting him to look smug or still be grinning about my obvious nerves. Instead, he was watching me carefully, like he was waiting to see how I felt about it before reacting at all.
“Well,” he said lightly. “Which one is it?”
My fingers tightened around the paper before I handed it over to him.
His eyes lit up. “This is definitely one of the tamer options you could’ve pulled.”
“Agreed.”
His gaze narrowed, hyperfixated on my face. “If this is too much to begin with, I wasn’t kidding. We can just watch a movie or something, snuggle a little. I’ll let you touch me however you want if you’re not ready for me to touch you.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“I don’t know.”
He arched a brow. “You don’t know?”
“Nope.”
“But there’s a problem?”
“I guess not.”
He scratched his jaw as he stared at me like I was a conundrum. To be fair, I realized how wishy-washy I was being.
“I’m all in my head about this,” I confessed.
The left side of his mouth lifted in the slightest smile. “Ya don’t say? I never would’ve guessed.”
I smacked his chest, but his reflexes were faster than mine and he caught my hand, keeping it against his body as he took a step closer.
My heartbeat raced as I stared into his eyes, noticing for the first time that they weren’t a single shade of green. There were darker evergreen shades, with striations of jade and light grass, the kind on a perfectly watered summer lawn.
I’d never noticed that before.
“How about I go first. Ask me.”
It took a second to find my voice. “Truth or dare?” Had he gotten even closer? Our bodies were nearly touching now, and I had to look up to meet his gaze.
“Truth.”
I hesitated, my brain scrambling for something that didn’t feel too revealing. The problem was, everything I wanted to ask him suddenly felt loaded.
“What’s the first thing you thought when you kissed me just now?” I asked.
His thumb brushed over my knuckles, sending a flurry of butterflies free in my stomach. “That I should’ve done it years ago.”
My breath caught.
“And?” I pressed, because something told me there was more.
“And that you taste exactly the way I always imagined.”
Heat bloomed low in my belly. I swallowed, trying to act like that hadn’t just done something dangerous to me. “You’ve imagined kissing me?”
“Nope. You already got two truths out of me. I’m not giving you anything else. It’s my turn. Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” I blurted, before I could chicken out. This game had been my idea, so I couldn’t be a wimp about it. We were here to cross off my bucket list, and that meant diving into the deep end.
A slow smile spread across his face like that was exactly what he’d been hoping for.
“I dare you to touch your favorite part of my body.”
My hands hovered awkwardly between us for a second. There were a lot of places I could choose. Too many. My gaze flicked to his chest, his arms, the strong line of his shoulders.
I settled on his abs.
I’d spent far too many days down by the lake in the summer staring at his six-pack.
My palms pressed lightly against his abs, and I forgot to breathe as I traced the faint ridges through his shirt, fascinated by the way his muscles reacted to my touch.
“Good choice,” he murmured. “Although after this, I’d bet money your favorite body part of mine will be my cock.”
I burst out laughing. “My God, you’re such a cocky asshole sometimes.”
He grinned, pleased. “There it is.”
“What?”
“That laugh,” he said. “You were getting too in your head again.”
He was right, which should’ve annoyed me but instead it made me more comfortable with him. But that was the reason he’d done it, wasn’t it?
My smile slowly faded as we stared at each other, and a new feeling whirled around me—a mix of longing, heat, and a strange addition I’d never really felt before. Safety.
No matter how crazy things got on my list, I suddenly knew with the same certainty as knowing my own name that Liam would keep me safe. Not just physically, but emotionally too. He’d keep me from doubting myself and sabotaging this.
“It’s your turn again,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“Truth or dare?”
His head tilted slightly closer to mine, our breaths mingling. “Truth.”
“Why have you never had a relationship?”
Any trace of humor on his face evaporated into thin air. He looked almost somber as he cleared his throat and replied, “Because I’m my father’s son.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Nope. You got two questions last time. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“I dare you to take your shirt off.”
I hesitated for only a second before I reminded myself that he’d seen me in a bikini for years. This wasn’t really all that different even if it felt like it was.
I pulled my shirt over my head, and when I tossed it on the floor, I looked up to find he'd stripped out of his shirt too.
My gaze dropped to his abs, then drifted to the tattoos covering his arms. I'd seen them plenty of times at the lake, but never from this close. His left arm was a full sleeve—Celtic knots and geometric shapes woven together from shoulder to wrist in one cohesive design. His right arm had a mountain ridgeline that ran along his inner forearm in clean linework. There was a set of crossed hockey sticks on his outer forearm. A compass was on the inside of his bicep, and just below it was a string of coordinates in fine script that I couldn't read from where I stood. On his upper bicep, near his shoulder was a wolf howling at a full moon. My gaze darted back up to his face when I realized how long I’d been staring at him. He arched a brow, but didn’t call me out.
“What are you doing?”
“You think I’d make you take your shirt off and not even the playing field?”
“Isn’t that kind of the point of the game?”
He shook his head. “I don’t see it that way.”
He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask him to because the energy in the room had changed. It became charged, and it felt like we were both walking a very dangerous tightrope.
“Truth or dare?”
“Dare.” He didn’t even hesitate, and I wondered if he’d avoided truth because of my last question or if he was just trying to move the game along.
I took a breath, then said, “Touch your favorite part of my body.”
His hand lifted and I held my breath as his thumb brushed over my lips. A shiver raced through me at the gentle touch.
“These,” he said softly, rubbing his thumb back and forth like he was memorizing the feel of them. “I’ve thought about these lips for years.” His voice dipped lower, almost like he was confessing something he wasn’t sure he wanted me to hear. “Always wondered what they’d taste like.”
“And?” I whispered.
He leaned in, his mouth close enough that I could feel his breath against my skin. “You’re perfect, Aves.”
I stared at him, my heart thudding painfully against my ribs. “If you’ve thought about them for years, why have you never kissed me before?” I asked quietly, afraid that he might not answer if I was too pushy.
Something shuttered behind his eyes and my fears came to life.
He pulled away and dropped his hand. I missed his touch instantly.
“Because you’re too perfect for the likes of me.”
My chest tightened painfully. “That’s not true,” I said.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe you just don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
“Liam—”
“Maybe we should call it a night. Pick another one for next time.”
We’d barely done anything sexy, but if he wanted to stop, I wasn’t going to force him. He was probably right. This hadn’t felt like I’d expected it to.
“Sure.”
He watched me for a moment longer, like he didn’t actually want to leave. But before I could ask him to stay, he put his shirt back on, then leaned forward, kissed me on the forehead, and walked out.
I watched the closed door for longer than I should’ve, but I couldn’t stop thinking about every moment with him tonight and everything we’d agreed to do moving forward.
And then there was the forehead kiss.
I’d always thought it was such a sweet gesture, but I’d never had a single boyfriend do it.
Of course it had to be Liam Farrell who would make me lose my sanity over a damn forehead kiss.