Chapter 14
“You’ve been holding out on me, Mister Swanky Bathroom!
” I yell to Liam from where I stand in his massive en suite bathroom.
He doesn’t have a tub, but he does have an enormous shower with jets coming from every angle and a waterfall shower head.
There’s even a fancy tiled bench seat. “I should have upgraded my tour package the first time I was here.”
I hear Liam’s low laugh from the living room.
In desperate need to wash this day down the drain, I step under the spray.
The water pressure is perfect, and I let out an indecent moan I can only hope was muffled by the shower.
Once I’m clean, I sniff every bottle on the shelf like a little weirdo, pop open his shampoo and lather up, inhaling the woodsy clean scent I’ve begun to recognize as distinctly Liam.
After standing there longer than necessary, I turn off the water and step out, wrapping myself in the fluffiest oversized towel.
Very little thought went into what pajamas I threw into my bag and, in hindsight, I realize my error.
I get hot in my sleep. Most of my pajamas are thin shorts with equally thin tops.
But Liam and I have managed this friend arrangement fine so far.
Surely a half-dressed best friend won’t be a big deal.
At the last minute, I slip my arms from the top, a stray thread getting hung on my dermals, and fasten my bra back in place. I untangle the thread and smooth my top down. There. That’s better.
I make my way to the living room, detangling my wet hair with a comb I found by the sink. Liam is right where I left him on the couch, Mutt curled at his feet, but when I walk in, he glances up, back down, and quickly up again doing a double take.
His eyes rake over me in my skimpy pajama set, and I force myself to act like the appreciation I see in his gaze doesn’t send heat simmering straight to my belly.
I’m being ridiculous. It’s pajamas. It’s Liam. It’s me. The stress of the day has gotten to me. But the air still hums with a charged energy I can’t ignore.
Gesturing with a sweep of my hand down my person, I say, “I get hot in my sleep.”
That seems to break whatever spell we’ve landed ourselves in, because Liam’s expression smooths over and he goes back to staring at his phone. Plopping down at the other end, I’m surprised when Liam grabs my feet, hauling them into his lap like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Swallowing hard, I focus on my own phone, not actually registering anything on my screen.
The only thing my mind can focus on is Liam’s solid hand resting on my ankle, his thumb drawing circles on the delicate skin.
Every pass sends a current skating up my calf, and I have to remind myself to breathe normally, like this is nothing.
As if my whole body isn’t tuned to the exact rhythm of his hand.
Absentmindedly, I cross my big toe over my second like I’ve done since childhood, and Liam’s thumb stills. I glance up from the video I’ve now watched five times to see him eyeing my foot.
“Whatcha doing there?”
I wiggle my toes, spreading them out before crossing them again.
“What? My toes? Can’t you cross yours?”
“Never tried. Let’s find out.”
Liam props a foot on the coffee table and looks intently at his bare foot.
“They’re not even moving,” I point out.
“I’m trying to make them mo—ah, shit. Cramp, cramp.” He props his foot across his knee, massaging his big toe. “People would pay good money for pictures of that shit,” he says, eyeing my feet again. “Just sayin’.”
I snort a laugh. “Hard pass.”
Liam huffs a laugh and we go back to scrolling.
For all of the pent-up energy humming beneath Liam’s skin, he also isn’t afraid of silence.
There’s an intimacy in the way we can sit quietly for long stretches of time, simply being in one another’s presence.
I appreciate that today more than ever. But it’s barely nine p.m. and I feel myself being lulled into a sleepy, dreamlike state.
I’ve given up trying to stifle my yawns.
It’s been a long ass day and I’m ready for bed.
Liam glances up when I pull my feet from his lap to stand.
“I think it’s bedtime,” I say around another yawn.
I head to the bathroom to get ready for bed, and return to the living room to check on Liam one last time.
What I see when I enter the living room stops me dead in my tracks.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Liam jumps up, fitted bedsheet held aloft between both hands, brows furrowed. “Getting the couch ready for bed?” He delivers each word slowly, as if confused by my question. “Someone has to take the couch and you’re my guest.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t make this weird. You’re too big to sleep on the couch.”
Then a thought springs to mind. Penny and Austin mentioned Liam’s reputation, but what if they’re so far off base it’s the opposite?
He friend-zoned me right away, and he stayed in Nashville last night.
Maybe he has someone there and he’s trying to be respectful of her?
I’ve never asked about relationships, and he’s never offered any information.
Liam seems to have this mind his own business air about him, so I’ve taken those cues and rolled with it.
“I mean, I get it. You’re trying to do the right thing for whoever lives in Nashville. I get it.”
His mouth opens and closes several times before words form. “There isn’t anyone in Nashville.”
I put up a hand. “You don’t owe me an explanation. It doesn’t matter. You’re already doing so much.”
“Cassie, that’s not what this is. Scout’s honor.” He holds up a hand sign that is not the Boy Scouts’.
“That’s Star Trek, Liam. You were not a boy scout.”
Liam’s mouth turns up in a crooked grin and he gives one quick shake of his head. “Definitely not. They’d have kicked me out. But my point still stands. I’m trying to do the decent thing here.”
Closing my eyes, I let out a beleaguered sigh.
“Today has been a horrible day. I’m tired.
You invited me to stay with you. Your mom fed me.
You’re doing better than decent. But we are both adults who are capable of sharing a bed together.
Especially yours.” I fling an arm in the direction of his room. “It’s massive.”
Liam rocks onto his heels, flicking his eyes to the ceiling and after several tense seconds his gaze settles back on me. “Fine.”
A laugh bursts from me. “Fine? Wow. I know I looked like an urchin earlier, but surely the idea of sharing a bed with me isn’t that bad.”
Liam grabs his pillow and edges past, leading the way to his room. But right as our shoulders brush, I think I hear him grumble out the words “Fucking tiny sleep top.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. The tips of his ears have turned pink, and by the way he refuses to look at me, I can tell he’s already flustered, which is a new look for him. It’s adorable.
Liam’s comforter lies in a messy rumpled heap on his bed, and he quickly tries to straighten it, rushing to my end to drag the blankets to the headboard, and then around to his before folding it back in a quick attempt at a made-up bed.
I watch on with amusement, but don’t utter a word.
I can tell he’s trying to make this evening as easy and fuss free as he can for me.
With the comforter ready, I climb in, Mutt jumping up to scramble into a spot next to me. Liam shucks off his pants and reaches behind his head to remove his T-shirt.
Let it be known right now, I’ve seen Liam Davis shirtless a handful of times at this point. What I haven’t seen is Liam in nothing but his boxer briefs. And I’m still a female who’s allowed to notice when the male specimen before me looks like he’s carved from marble, friends or not.
I suck in an involuntary breath through my teeth, and Liam rumbles out a chuckle.
“Wishing I was on the couch?”
“Of course not. I’ve just never seen an ass that’s so…” My words trail off because Liam’s ass is, well, of all the asses I’ve seen, his ranks at the top. I wish I could bite it. The thought slams into me before I know what’s happening, and my body heats from head to toe. Thank you, thin pajamas.
Liam flips off the bedside lamp, and I’m glad he didn’t witness whatever just happened.
When my head hits the pillow, I’m enveloped in the very essence of Liam. His dog, every unique scent I’ve assigned to him, not to mention his actual very solid presence lying across from me.
“Night, Liam.”
Several heartbeats pass with Liam settling under the covers, Mutt curling up between us.
“And for what it’s worth, you’d have been the best boy scout of them all.”
Liam gives a short breath of a laugh and then falls silent. A moment later, I hear him whisper, “Good night, angel.”
I bury my face in the pillow with one long exhale.
The sun will rise tomorrow and time will march on.
I’ll still have to deal with the emotions surrounding my mom and my father.
But my quiet night, away from reality, here with my best friend, will be a night I keep tucked into my memories for years to come.
Sleep finds me quickly as the sands of exhaustion leave my body.
My sleep is restless, with dreams from my childhood of my mom’s screams. Nothing about the dreams come clearly, only that. The sound of my mom panicking and in pain.
Twice during the night, strong arms banded around me with kisses to my temple. The first time was a hushed murmur of “Shh, I’ve got you.” But the next time, unless it was all a dream, I’m certain I heard the words “Stay with me, Jules.” But like I said, it was probably a dream.