Chapter 5
Five
Although he considered himself a better-than-average player, Matt had suspected he was in trouble when Liv walked in carrying her own pool cue.
After all, it wasn’t a common item to own.
Still, he hadn’t expected to lose all the games they’d played—something that wouldn’t have happened if he’d been facing off against his cousin Adam, who played just as well as Liv, because Matt wouldn’t have been more focused on his opponent than the game.
He’d spent time around some of the sexiest women in the world and not been as distracted as he was tonight.
He didn’t know what it was about Liv, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
It hadn’t helped that each time she’d leaned over to take a shot, her T-shirt had dipped just enough to provide a tantalizing view of her cleavage.
And don’t get him started about what the position had done for her ass.
All night, he’d fought the urge to place his hands on her perfectly shaped butt.
Liv made her final shot, once again winning the match, and leaned the cue stick against the table. “I think I’m done for the night.”
“Tired of beating me already?”
“You said it, not me,” she said, holding up her hands.
“Give me some time to practice, and we’ll have a rematch.”
“Just name the time and place, my friend.”
Liv smiled, drawing his eyes to her lips, and once again, the need to feel them against his took hold of him. What would she do if he lowered his mouth to hers? Before he realized it, he took a step closer to her.
“I probably should’ve told you before we started that, until last year, I played in a pool league every Tuesday night,” she continued.
“Perhaps I should hire you to give me some lessons before our rematch.”
“I don’t think people usually ask their competition for help. You might be better off asking my dad or brother. You can also try YouTube. It has some great videos about improving your game.”
“Maybe I will.”
He’d invited her over for pizza and pool. They’d finished both, so there was no reason for her to stay. But he wasn’t ready for her to go either. Liv picked up the pool cue, but before she could take it apart, he removed it from her hands and set it aside again.
Except for outright asking her to stay longer, which she might find odd, he could think of only one way to get her to stick around. “Since we’re done here for now, why don’t I show you the other photos I’ve taken?” She’d seemed interested in seeing them when he’d offered earlier.
Nodding ever so slightly, she ran her tongue across her bottom lip, and he imagined himself doing the very same thing. “I, uh, forgot about those. Sure. I’d love to see them before I go.”
Few people knew of his love for photography, and those who did had never shown any interest in seeing his work.
Maybe Liv didn’t have any genuine interest either and she was merely being polite.
However, that didn’t seem to be the case as he showed her the various photos he’d taken over the years.
While she spent more time admiring some than others, usually the ones she lingered on were his favorites too.
She had thoughtful comments about each one, and multiple times, she claimed they were as good as the work her friend, a professional photographer, did.
While she might be exaggerating, he appreciated the praise.
Liv pointed at the framed photo on the wall. “This one might be my favorite so far.”
They’d completed a tour of the first floor and much of the second and were standing outside his bedroom.
Although he wouldn’t label it his favorite, it was definitely among his top five.
He’d taken it from the rooftop of the house at sunset.
That night, the sky had been a canvas of colors, almost as if a painter had taken a paintbrush to it.
She looked away from the photo and at him. “The area looks familiar. Where did you take it?”
“I’ll show you.” Matt reached for her hand before his brain registered his intention.
As he started down the hall toward the staircase to the rooftop patio, he waited for her to pull her hand away or say something. Neither happened, so he kept walking.
“Now this is a view.” Liv stepped through the doorway and paused as the scene opened before her.
He had to agree. In fact, he’d known this was the house he’d been searching for when he and his real estate agent stepped out here.
Now that they’d reached their destination, he felt a little silly standing there holding her hand. So, although not what he wanted, Matt released it as they crossed the patio to the spot where he’d stood while taking the photo.
“I took that picture from here the first week I owned the house.”
“If this were my house, I’d be up here all the time. I might even sleep up here every once in a while,” she said, turning toward him.
He’d never slept up there, but more than once he’d lain on the sofa and stared up at the stars while listening to the ocean. Right now, though, it wasn’t the view or the sky that held his attention.
After tucking the strands of hair that had escaped her loose ponytail behind her ear, Matt trailed his fingers across her jaw and lowered his head toward hers. “I do spend a lot of time up here.”
Liv’s gaze briefly shifted away from his eyes to his mouth, and he knew the moment she realized his intent. When she didn’t move away, he eliminated a little more of the space between his lips and their intended target.
“I’d love it if you spent some time with me out here.”
Matt touched his lips to Liv’s before she could reply.
A tiny part of his brain insisted he should keep the kiss brief and urged him to back off.
He ignored it, because now that he’d felt her lips against his, stopping was impossible.
And when Liv’s arms slipped over his shoulders and her fingertips brushed against his neck, he took it as a sign that she didn’t want him to stop either.
Sooner than he’d liked, she ended the kiss and looked at him.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she studied him.
He didn’t need to read her mind; her expression and eyes told him it was working a mile a minute—on what precisely, he didn’t know.
He just hoped he liked whatever conclusion she reached.
She shoved the hands that had been caressing his neck moments before into her pockets and nodded toward the ocean. “I’d have to be crazy to pass up an opportunity to enjoy this view.”
He was used to women throwing themselves at him.
Women who didn’t care how long their involvement might last as long as they could walk away saying they’d had sex with him.
Not that he had a lot of one-night stands, but there were a few in his past. He was also familiar with women who used their association with him to further their careers.
And don’t get him started on the handful of women he’d gone out with, both in college and since his music career took off, because of the dollar amount in his bank account.
Any of those types, he knew how to deal with.
Liv didn’t fall into any of those categories, and he didn’t know what to do about the uncertainty vibe she was giving off.
“This view was what sold me on this place. The one from the deck off the kitchen is almost as spectacular. Why don’t we go check it out?”
He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she looked at him, and he expected her to turn down the offer and leave.
“Sure.” She brushed away the same piece of silky blonde hair he’d tucked behind her ear, and before Liv could put her hand back into her pocket, he reached for it.
Once they were in the kitchen, he paused. “Interested in some ice cream?”
He wasn’t hungry, but dessert would keep her there longer. Not to mention, whether he was hungry or not, he was always up for some ice cream.
“Depends. What kind do you have?”
“Name a flavor and I probably have it.” If he had one weakness, it was sweets, and ice cream was his favorite, no matter the flavor or the temperature outside.
“Coffee.”
“Got it. Do you want one scoop or two?” he asked, opening the freezer.
“Wow, I don’t think you have enough ice cream in there. Are you planning on opening a stand for the summer?”
She wasn’t touching him, but he could sense her standing mere inches behind him.
If he turned and took a step or two, he could wrap his arms around her and taste her lips—something he fully planned to do again tonight.
But something, maybe the memory of her uncertainty upstairs, told him now wasn’t the right time.
“Don’t tell anyone, but I might be addicted to ice cream.” Matt turned in time to see Liv grin.
“Your secret is safe with me, my friend. And I’ll have two scoops, please.”
Before his return to Orchard Harbor, he’d considered Liv something between an acquaintance and a friend. Now he wanted to be more than a friend, and he knew exactly when his feelings had started to change—the night she’d returned his car and brought him dinner.
“Coffee isn’t a flavor most people buy. Is it your favorite too?”
Liv’s question brought his thoughts back to the here and now. “I’d say it’s in my top five.” Matt filled a bowl with coffee ice cream and added a spoon to it.
“I said two scoops, not enough ice cream for two people,” she said, accepting the bowl he’d filled.
“Looks like two scoops to me.”
Liv’s smile seemed to fill the kitchen with warm sunshine as she shook her head. “You need a smaller ice cream scoop, then.” Bowl in hand, she leaned her back against the counter. “If coffee isn’t your favorite flavor, what is?”
“If I’m having a cone or a bowl like this, then my favorite is pistachio, followed closely by strawberry. When I get a sundae or banana split, it must be made with vanilla.”
“Pistachio is okay. Strawberry, I’ll only eat if it doesn’t have pieces of frozen strawberries in it.”