Chapter 68
LONDON
Liam looked so damn hot in his white swimming trunks and nothing else. My mouth practically started watering as I raked my eyes openly over every inch of him, counting all eight blocks on his abdomen and drinking in that cut V between his hips.
For as much as he’d always been my friend, he’d also started becoming incredibly sexy back when we’d been teenagers and I could not be happier to finally let myself really look at him.
It’d been a struggle for years, trying to ignore how genuinely gorgeous the man was and lying to myself about not finding him attractive.
A low chuckle rumbled out of him when he reached the hot tub and braced his palms on the edge, smoothly jumping over and sliding into the water. Those eyes hooked on mine and he slowly scooted over to me.
As soon as he was within my reach, I put my palm against his chest, trying not to notice the way his skin was glistening with water or the way his heart was pounding.
“Listen, Jones. We have to keep this majorly PG, okay? We’re at a work retreat and we’re the bosses.
Plus, we’re right out in the open. Anyone can decide to come out here for a soak at any time. ”
“Oh, I’m only here for a soak myself.” His lips curved into a knowing smirk. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Walker. Nothing is going to happen.”
“Then why do you have that look on your face?” I retorted but relaxed my grip on his chest, not so much holding him back as just touching him.
He batted his lashes at me innocently. “What look?”
“That one that says you’re in the mood to eat me alive.” I heard my voice catch and become breathy. I swept my gaze across his expression. His lips parted and eyes constantly darted to my mouth.
“Oh, that look.” He scooted even closer, sliding one strong arm around my hips underwater and hauling me closer. “Well, I suppose that might just be because I am in the mood to eat you.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and then smacked him lightly. “What happened to keeping things PG?”
“What’s more PG than telling the truth?” He bent his head forward, one hand coming up to slide a finger under my chin. “I’ve missed you, Lo. You can’t fault me for that.”
“No.” I stared into those blue-green eyes, loving how the reflection of the water made them sparkle like he was some kind of otherworldly being. It drew me to him, making me feel like we were safe in a bubble of just us. “I missed you too.”
Liam smiled before he closed the final bit of distance between us, kissing me tenderly and slowly at first. A soft moan slid out of me and my cheeks heated at the pure need in the sound, but I parted my lips and teased the tip of his tongue with my own.
The truth was that I did need him and he knew that now. I couldn’t be embarrassed about letting him know that, even if I was far more accustomed to hiding the depths of these feelings from him than I was to indulging them.
Responding instantly, he crushed his lips to mine and his breathing became shakier, his grip on my hip tightening almost to the point of pain. “This is killing me.”
The words were whispered harshly into my mouth and all my good intentions about being good until we got home vanished instantly. My core was achy with need and my insides had turned to liquid puddles of yes, please.
All the while, his lips crashed into mine over and over again, all traces of tenderness fast disappearing as we both got carried away. The water lapping against my skin only served to add to the sensation overload and I came very close to letting myself drift into his lap.
If I did that though, neither of us were going to be able to stop and it’d be embarrassing to get caught, mid-orgasm, by one of our new staff members. Realizing that I’d never live that down, I murmured into the kiss, “Let’s go inside.”
Liam chuckled. “Yeah, I’m getting pretty tired anyway.”
I rolled my eyes but peeled myself away from him and stood up on shaky knees, climbing out of the tub and grabbing the towel I’d hung on a hook beside it.
After hastily wrapping it around my shoulders, I started for the lodge and I heard Liam laughing softly behind me, but he caught up fast and grabbed my hand, just about dragging me to my room.
Since I was on the first floor and on this side of the lodge, we made it to my door without being seen and I pulled him in with me, spinning into him as he quietly shut the door behind us.
He grinned and caught my face in his hands, both of us letting go of our towels as he marched us toward my bed with our lips slamming back together again.
Feeling like he’d lit an inferno inside of me, I fell back on the comforter without giving a damn about my wet bikini, my hands already sliding into his waistband to get rid of those sexy trunks.
Liam groaned when the soft rip of Velcro filled the air.
Then I was peeling the pants away from his damp, slightly sticky skin, letting them fall to a wet heap on the floor.
Giving my bikini the same treatment, he never lifted his mouth away from mine as he reached around and tugged at the knot on my spine. As it came free, he grabbed the front and lifted it over my head, tossing the top into the darkness of my room.
Only the sound of our heavy breathing filled the room, the air warm and humid against my hot skin when he rolled the bikini bottoms down next. There were so many things I wanted to do with him. To him. For him.
But after days of far too much distance, there was nothing I wanted more than just to be close to him. We’d made up, but we’d also decided to see where things went with us and we officially weren’t only friends with benefits anymore.
Somehow, that changed things. It made every kiss, every sigh, and every touch feel more intense. My nerve endings sang with every pass of his lips as he kissed my throat, my collarbones, and my shoulders.
I arched my back, pushing my fingers into his thick hair and moaning with relief when his mouth closed over one of my nipples. Liam smiled around my breast, laving at it before moving his mouth to give the other the same attention.
His hot tongue slid around my nipple and I shivered, hooking my legs around him before pulling him back up to me.
As he brought his head back to my level, a smile ghosted across his lips in the low light, just a flash of white teeth and a sparkle in his eyes before he pressed his mouth back on mine.
I kept him as close to me as I could get, unable to believe how close I’d gotten to losing this undeniable connection to him. After making quick work of a condom, he pushed into me slowly, his eyes on mine and his weight braced on his elbows, trapping me very willingly under his body.
I welcomed him in like the old friend he was, one of the people I trusted most in the world. As I wrapped my fingers around his nape and lifted my mouth to his, I felt a tingle deep inside—but not in the place I’d have expected.
This was in a much different area of my body, a soft, squishy organ in my chest. Liam started moving in slow, rhythmic thrusts, both of our breathing becoming faster and sharper as our bodies came together over and over and our combined pleasure took control.
After a powerful orgasm swept through me, he finally surrendered, his face contorting so beautifully as his muscles tensed and he swelled deep inside. I held him through it, committing every erotic sound and twitch to memory before a smile swept across his lips and he collapsed beside me.
“I should probably get back to my room,” he murmured against my temple once he’d caught his breath, his lips brushing against my skin and making me want to let out a soft and girly sigh. “Unless you want me to stay?”
“Stay.” I didn’t even have to think about it as I cuddled deeper into his side. “I want you to hold me.”
I felt him relax as he drew me tighter against him. “You know I’m always down for that.”
Turning his head, he kissed my forehead and I felt my eyelids growing heavy. I was in way deeper with him than I’d let myself believe. That much, I was suddenly sure of. I not only cared about him, but I loved him with everything in me.
For some reason, the realization didn’t frighten me tonight.
It simply surfaced gently as I drifted off to sleep, not fazing me much at all.
I slept better than I had all week, but when upbeat music filtered to my consciousness early the next morning, I woke with a start so vicious, I almost gave myself whiplash.
“What the…” I muttered sleepily, blinking hard in an attempt to clear my eyes and my mind. The first thing I realized was that Liam was gone.
The next was that the music blasting was most certainly his doing. I’d recognize this playlist anywhere and it belonged to none other than Liam Jones.
As if to confirm my suspicions, I heard his voice calling out above the music. “Rise and shine, Walker and Co, Miami! We have to pack up and head home.”
I rolled out of bed, pulling on a light robe and holding it closed. I strode over to the door and opened it to lean casually against the frame. “Really? Is the deafening music absolutely necessary?”
Liam was dressed, his dark hair already dry even though I knew he definitely would’ve showered before getting ready for the day. In his blue jeans and a T-shirt, he wore sneakers and an expensive watch that gave him an air of rugged elegance.
He spun to face me and pretended to jump. “Ahh! The creature is awake!” Bringing his fists to his face, he acted like he was rubbing his eyes before winking and breathing a sigh of faux relief. “Oh, London. It’s just you. Whew. I thought I was a goner.”
I narrowed my eyes, turning and marching back to my bed.
A pillow we’d swiped off last night lay on the floor and I bent over to grab it, striding back to the door and throwing the pillow right at his head.
He yelped but must’ve caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye because he grabbed it out of the air just before it thwacked into him.
Giggling, he spun to give me a look like he was mortally injured. I winked and danced backward into my room. “That’s what you get for messing with the creature.”
Liam opened his mouth to respond, but I turned and headed toward my bag to start packing. This weekend had been so rewarding on every level and I was sorry to leave, but I was also looking forward to being home—and finally having Liam Jones all to myself again.