Chapter 5 Liam #2
Having her in my arms wasn’t enough, though. Sliding my hand down her back, I gripped her ass and then hoisted her up against my body. Her leg wrapped around my waist as she thrust her hips forward, the juncture of her thighs snuggly wrapping around my cock.
“Bailey,” I moaned as she pulsed her hips.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
I pressed her up against the truck and let my hands wander over her luscious body. There wasn’t an inch of her that I didn’t want to explore and taste.
Tearing my lips from hers, I latched onto her neck, groaning as her pulse hammered against my tongue.
“Liam,” she breathed in my ear.
“Fuck, you’re so perfect.”
My hands slid over her back, taking in the feel of her pressed so tightly to me. I couldn’t stop, didn’t want to—
“Is that man bothering you, Bailey? Do you need me to call the police?”
Tearing my lips from hers, I panted heavily, trying to gain control of my body. I was ready to take her upstairs and fuck her right now.
Bailey chuckled, ducking her head in embarrassment. “No, Mrs. Abernathy! Everything’s fine!”
“Are you sure? In my day, no man would ever behave like that! You’re in public! There could be kids watching!”
Chuckling, she rested her forehead against mine for a moment, gaining her senses. Then she lifted her head and grinned at me. “Sorry, Mrs. Abernathy!”
I didn’t want to let her go, but it was clear the moment was over. Slowly, I lowered her to the ground, my hands never leaving her hips along the way.
“I’ll walk you up.”
“That’s not a good idea. I’m not sure I could control myself if you came upstairs.”
That didn’t sound like an awful idea to me, but then I remembered my vow to take things slow with her. As much as it pained me, I stepped back and gave her room to breathe.
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
“That sounds better. For tonight.”
“Tonight,” I rumbled, my cock sprinting to life at the future invitation.
Fuck, I really didn’t want to let her go. The feel of her in my arms was enough to drive me insane, but I had to be a gentleman. For tonight.
Swallowing hard, I took her hand in mine and walked her to the door. It was hell on me to think about leaving her when all I wanted was to take her to bed.
“So, tomorrow?”
“Already?” The humor in her voice did nothing to hide her desire.
“Do you want me to do the whole wait-a-week thing?”
Stopping, her hand went immediately to my chest. “Don’t you dare.”
“Then tomorrow, we’ll go out. Somewhere not with our parents. Or siblings.”
“And where would this place be?”
Dinner. At my house. I could cook for her. But then I’d want to take her to bed, and I wasn’t sure if that was moving too fast for her.
But, then again…
Backing her up against the wall outside her building, I caged her in with my arms pressed to either side of her head.
“We’ve known each other a long time.”
“I thought you’d never notice,” she teased.
“I know you better than anyone. I’ve memorized the way you smile. I know how you laugh on purpose when you think you’re going to cry.”
Taking a strand of her blonde hair between my fingers, I twirled it, wrapping it around my finger to draw her closer.
“You think you know me better. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“How about the way you talk to me, so boldly and confidently when you’re really hiding all that unease inside?”
For just a second, she looked shocked. But only a second. Because I knew she would come out swinging no matter what I told her.
“Just like I know you. Quiet, brooding, always watching…I’ve been waiting for you to make a move for years, which is why I’ve been biding my time. I knew it would happen.”
“You did, huh?”
“Do you think I’ve never noticed the way you watch me over the years? How you check on me when a storm rolls in?”
“I’ve never checked on you.”
“No, not me personally, but you check in with my mother, Cheyenne, and even Wyatt, whom you claim to hate. You’ve even gone so far as to tell him to rotate my tires, which I find hilarious since I’m a mechanic.”
“Maybe you should have done it sooner.”
“Maybe you should trust me.”
“I do,” I rumbled, leaning in closer. “With my life. But that doesn’t mean there’s ever been a single day in my life that I haven’t worried about you.”
Her eyes dropped to my lips and her chest heaved as her breathing sped up. “I know.”
“It’s always been you.”
“Then stop wasting time.” Her eyes flicked back up to mine in challenge. “Don’t make me wait. I’ve been doing that long enough.”
I nodded, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Tomorrow,” I promised. “Dinner at my house. I’ll pick you up after work.”
“I can drive myself.”
“I know you can, but there won’t ever be a time that I’ll let you drive at night all alone in the country.”
“Yeah?” she challenged. “And what about the other times I’ve been out?”
Chuckling, I stepped back. “Who says you were ever alone?”
Her jaw dropped at my smirk. Shaking her head, she inserted her key into the lock and headed inside, turning back to give me one last heated look.
It took everything in me to walk away, but I somehow managed it, waving to Mrs. Abernathy on my way. Bending over, I scooped my hat off the ground and replaced it on my head before getting back in the truck.
But leaving was harder than I ever imagined.
After that confession, there would be no going back. I was one hundred percent in love with her, and I would never be able to leave her for even one minute.