Chapter 26
LONDON
A fter Liam checked that the coast was clear, I sneaked out of his room and ran to mine. Dropping his comforter and deciding to worry about how to get it back to his room later without them seeing it, I grabbed the first set of workout clothes I saw out in my closet and changed into them.
Rushing into the bathroom next, I nearly shrieked out loud when I saw what I looked like. A drowned raccoon seemed accurate, but one that had been in a fight after she’d come out of the water. My hair was tousled, matted, and sticking up, my makeup was everywhere, and I was so shiny.
On the other hand, my eyes were somewhat brighter and lighter, and once I’d used about seventy wipes to remove all the makeup, my skin seemed strangely glowy.
After running a brush through my hair and throwing it up into a ponytail, I splashed some water on my face and into my hair to make it look like I’d been sweating.
I laced up my sneakers next, then stood in the center of my bedroom for a moment to just catch my breath before the next act of this morning’s performance. Honestly, as chaotic as it’d been, it was still worth it for all the orgasms last night.
I drew in a deep breath, grounding myself in the soft whites and blues of my bedroom, the beautiful, unobstructed view of the beach and the bay beyond, and the signs of me scattered all around, my perfumes on the dresser and my makeup spread out across the tabletop. This was safe. This was home.
Sure, having to hide and literally run around this morning wasn’t ideal, especially since my body was deliciously achy in all the best ways, but Liam had totally made up for it last night—and I’d make sure he made up for it all over again just as soon as we had some time alone.
My entire body flushed at the thought and a secret smile spread on my lips. Somewhere deep inside my heart and my mind, I was a little worried about this arrangement, but it was so dang good with him that I was willing to live on the edge a little.
Take a walk on the wild side.
I felt my pulse slowly returning to normal and I wasn’t reeling quite so much anymore over everything that had happened at the club, in his bedroom, and this morning. Pressing my ear against the cool wood of the door, I listened for any signs of life out in the hall, but there were none.
As far as I could tell, Lori and Jerry were all wrapped up in each other in their bedroom again and they’d shut their door, so I was safe. Even so, I cracked my own door open just a sliver, stealing a quick peek into the hallway before I swung it all the way open.
On the tips of my toes, I hurried to the stairs and took them two at the time, stealing out through the kitchen door to reduce my chances of being spotted. As soon as I stepped out into the early morning sunshine, I felt so relieved that I was lightheaded for a moment.
I’d done it. I’d gotten out and no one was any the wiser. The rush of adrenaline that followed was pretty awesome and I laughed out loud, planting my hands on my hips and bending over to touch my toes. Might as well do some stretching now that I’m out here.
Between that and the sunshine, I knew my claim to have been out running would seem a little more credible. After a few minutes of that, my skin was hot and my body felt a little better, like I’d worked out all the kinks from the stress earlier.
Ready to make my grand re-entrance, I jogged around the house and keyed in the code to the front door. Throwing it open, I pretended to be breathing hard as I walked in. “Good morning, fellow Floridians. Anybody up yet?”
Lori was just coming down the stairs and she paused, looking surprised before she smiled. Her bright red hair was wet and her skin bare of any makeup. “I’ve been looking for you so we could do some yoga, but when I didn’t find you, I grabbed a shower. Where did you go?”
“Oh, I just wanted to get a good Saturday morning run in,” I lied through my teeth with a great big grin. “Are you hungry? I was thinking we could whip up some pancakes. Forget the yoga. We were never going to feel up to doing that this morning.”
“Pancakes?” A thoughtful expression washed over her features before she gave her head a quick shake and continued down the stairs. “If you weren’t even up for yoga, how did you go running?”
I chuckled and shut the door behind me, doing a few stretches while I walked for good measure. “It’s just habit. Helped with the headache, though.”
“Next time, wake me up,” she said. “I’ll come with you.”
“You got it.”
Striding to the kitchen, I went to the sink first and filled a glass with water. I drained it and another, not having to pretend to be thirsty after my run. The rush this morning combined with the alcohol last night had left me parched.
Lori chuckled as she watched me, relaxed and leaning against a counter. “Are we really making pancakes? Do you even know how?”
I scoffed. “Of course, I do. Provided we have one of those premixes and it has instructions on it. I thought we could throw in some bacon for the guys too.”
“Only for the guys?” She sniffed and lifted her eyebrows at me. “No way. If we’re making bacon, I’m having most of it.”
I laughed but nodded. “Fair enough. I could do with the grease myself. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Sound good?”
“It sounds amazing. My only question is why aren’t you just ordering it?” She gave me a searching, contemplative look. “Are you going domestic on me, Your Fabulousness?”
“Never.” I narrowed my eyes and forced out a cackle like I was an obnoxious villain in a kids’ movie.
“Trust me, if I ever become domesticated, everyone will know about it because I’ll send out an announcement that I’ll be checking myself into an institution for intensive therapy until further notice. ”
She chuckled and pushed away from the counter to join me at the fridge. “If you say so, but you really do seem to have changed a bit since you’ve been here.”
“Nope. Same old me. It’s just a new adventure.”
She and I got started on breakfast, working together until the guys finally made their way to the kitchen and pitched in to help. Jerry smiled at me. “Good morning. What got into you, waking up early to go for a run and then cooking breakfast? Are you feeling okay?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Why does everybody think something is different? It’s not. I’ve been running since I was a teenager and eating since I got my first teeth.”
Liam sauntered in next, freshly showered just like everybody else and smelling divine. That dark hair was still wet, just casually slicked back and his feet were bare. He moved with that morning-after swagger, though.
That wasn’t a good thing.
“I heard you snoring from across the hall last night, London. Wild night before we came home?”
I shot him an annoyed look, intentionally avoiding the self-satisfied amusement lighting those blue-green eyes. Before I could retort, however, Lori chimed in. “Yeah, did you have some fun at the club last night?”
“No.” I scoffed, sending both of them a back-off glare.
Liam smirked. “That hickey on your neck says different.”
Internally, I groaned and sank to the floor, but on the outside, I just kept glaring at him. Lori’s eyes bulged and she raced over, bending nice and close and inspecting my neck like a curious vampire.
“Oh, my god!” she squealed. “He’s right. Tell me everything.”
“It was nothing,” I insisted, deciding that I was handing over breakfast duty to Liam as a punishment for picking on me. Backing away from the hob, I shoved the spatula I’d been using into his hand. “I just had a little make-out session with some guy, but he ended up being a total douche.”
I gave Liam a shut-it-or-die look before I retreated to the door. “Anyway, I’m going to grab a shower. You guys can finish up here.”
Spinning around, I raced up the stairs to the sanctuary of my bedroom, wondering what the heck had come over him. Why would he point out a hickey that he’d left himself? Also, what on God’s green earth made him think it was okay to mark me?
Storming into my bathroom, I stripped out of my workout gear and marched to the mirror, lifting my chin and leaning over to get a good look at the hickey I’d obviously missed earlier. A loud groan tore out of my lungs when I saw it, though.
I had no idea how I’d missed that. It was huge, a deep purple oval right over my pulse.
As I stared at it, I remembered feeling a sting there last night and heat sped through me.
I’d been on my knees with Liam behind me, one of his arms banded around my chest while he’d been circling my clit with his other hand.
Just as we’d both gone over the edge, he’d lifted his fingers from my nipple to my chin, harshly tugging my head back as his teeth had sunk into me. In that moment, it’d been the hottest, most primal and raw experience I’d ever had in bed.
Now, it was a visible reminder of what it felt like when he shot his freaking load into me. A reminder I hadn’t needed, it would both turn on and humiliate me every moment that it was there. What were we thinking, friends with benefits? This is ridiculous.
We had absolutely no business doing these kinds of things with each other and yet, as humiliating as it would be to have to look him in the eye all day while knowing that I’d been marked by his teeth in the heat of unbridled passion, I also had no intention of ending it.
Grumbling to myself about how confusing this was, I finally hit the shower and took my time, washing my hair and scrubbing his scent off of me. Then I found myself wishing I had it back. Brother, this is going to be a long few months, assuming we only go this for the time we’re in Miami.
By the time I eventually got back to the kitchen, the others were already eating, but there was a plate already piled high with food waiting for me, as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and a coffee. I fanned my face when I saw it and grinned at Lori.
“You’re amazing. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t me.” She pointed her fork across the table to Liam. “He’s the one who did it.”
I blinked back my surprise, then sighed and shook my head at him. “I’m not that mean when I’m hungry, dude. Seriously, you need to quit it.”
He glanced up at me and pumped his eyebrows, playing into my act, but once Lori had gone back to her food, I flashed him a quick, grateful smile. He inclined his chin in acknowledgment, a soft smile spreading on his own lips, but it was gone the next second.
“So, what are we doing today?” he asked. “We haven’t had time to do a beach day yet. I was thinking a picnic, swimming, tanning, reading…”
An involuntarily moan slid out of me. “Yes, let’s do that. We’ve got a big week ahead of us. I can’t think of anything better than a beach day to prepare for it.”
Lorelei and Jerry agreed, and after breakfast, she and I headed upstairs to get ready for a day of lying in the sun. She shut my bedroom door behind her, but instead of making a move to start changing, she flopped down on my bed and crossed her legs on the mattress, gaze intent on mine.
“Okay, what’s going on with you and Liam?”
“Nothing,” I said immediately, the denial rolling off my tongue easily after the amount of times I’d had to say it over the years. “Why?”
She followed me with her eyes as I strode to my closet and started looking through my bikinis. “Here’s the thing, London. He’s always looked at you like he’d sweep you off your feet and make you his. The difference is that now, sometimes you look at him like you might just want him to.”