Chapter 25
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Liam
By the time seven rolls around, my place smells like rosemary, garlic, and probably a little bit of nervous energy. I want tonight to be perfect.
I don’t think I’ve ever cleaned my place so thoroughly either.
She texts me to let me know she’s here and on her way up.
I open the door and wait.
In minutes, the elevator doors across the hall open, and I see her.
She’s leaning against the wall, head down. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, her hair down, and she looks effortlessly beautiful. When she looks up, she smiles.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi,” I answer, no doubt with a stupid smile on my face.
“Come in.” I turn to the side so she can enter.
“Smells delicious in here.” She walks in and looks around.
“Thank you. I hope you like Italian food.”
“It’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too.” I brush her hand with mine as I walk by her toward the kitchen.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“You have wine?” She sits on one of the stools at the high-top counter bar.
“I do. You ordered Pinot the other night. Does that work?”
She nods. “That’s great. Thanks.”
I pour us both some wine and set her glass down in front of her. When she lifts it, I touch my glass with hers.
“Cheers,” I say, smiling.
“Cheers,” she replies.
We sip, and then I walk back to the stove to finish cooking our food.
“So, Aliette Grant, what do you and Sera do when you’re not at work?” I glance at her over my shoulder.
Her spine straightens. “Uh … I don’t know. Just the usual life stuff, I guess.”
“Are you an outdoorsy type? I know you played hockey, and you like to ice skate, but what do Alie and Sera like to do in the spring and summer?”
“Hmm … we love anything on the water. My family has a sailboat, so we use it a lot in the summer. The beach is always fun. Sera loves making sandcastles and making a mess with the sand. She used to try to eat it, but has thankfully stopped that. Those diapers were no fun.”
“Nice. I love being on the water too. Do you golf?”
“I mean, I can golf, but I’m not very good at it.”
“Really? That surprises me since you played hockey. With the similar swinging and all.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I’m not sure what it is, but I can’t seem to master it.”
“I’m a terrible golfer, but I love to play. Archie’s wife was a golfer in college, and she’s given me some lessons. Of course, she smokes me every time we play, but it’s always a good time regardless.”
“A humble loser, huh?”
“If I’m playing with her, yes.” I chuckle.
“I think you told me about them a little bit when we met.”
“Probably. I spend a lot of time with them in the offseason, usually, but not likely this summer with the move here and getting settled. They have a lot going on too. She’s getting ready to have their third baby.” I start plating our food, look up at her, and smile.
Her expression confuses me, and it almost seems like a wall is coming up.
Not gonna happen.
She clears her throat, seeming to shake off whatever was happening a few minutes ago.
“What’s up? Where did you go?” I pause, looking at her.
“Huh? Oh, nothing. I’m fine, I promise.” She feigns a smile.
“Alie, you can tell me,” I say. “I don’t want any more secrets between us. No matter what happens with us, we have a daughter to raise.”
“Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking about the time we missed as a family. I’m feeling a lot of guilt about it, honestly. And I can’t seem to get Aaron to answer my texts or my calls, so not having an explanation as to why he lied to not only me, but you is driving me mad.”
“Well, you and me both. But he won’t be able to avoid you forever. And as much as I want the same answers, I think we need to focus on … this.” I point at her, then myself. “And, shit, I’m a new dad. It’s a lot to be hit with out of the blue. We have time to deal with Aaron.”
She nods and wrings her hands. “No, you’re right. And I still need to talk to my parents.”
“Let’s try to get that part handled before the season starts, yeah?” I laugh.
“I will. I was thinking I would talk to them this weekend. They’re likely to run into you at some point if you come over, so it’s better if I do it sooner rather than later. Plus, I’m kind of surprised that Sera hasn’t mentioned you to my dad at least.” She grimaces.
“Right. Yeah, I don’t want him to find out that way. What do you think your mom will say?”
“Mom is the easy one. Seraphina is the light of her life. If Sera’s happy, she’s happy,” she says, smiling.
“That’s good to hear. And I think your sister is warming up to me, so I assume you’ve told her everything?”
“I have. I hope you don’t mind.” She takes a drink of her wine.
“Not at all. I’m glad you have someone to talk to.”
“Have you told anyone?” She tilts her head.
“I’ve told Archie, which, honestly, means Emma and the entire Griffith family knows. And my friends from Walker. They’re all excited to meet you both.”
“So, Aston knows?”
“He does, but we had dinner together, and he knows not to say anything until we do.”
“Okay, that’s good.” She takes another drink.
I’d better get her fed before the wine goes to her head.
“You hungry?” I tilt my head toward the dining room table off to the side.
“Yeah, sure.” She stands and follows me to the table.
I set our plates down, then pull out her chair and push it in once she’s seated.
Dinner is easy, comfortable. Wine loosens the edges as our conversation flows. We talk a little about work, traveling, what I’m looking forward to doing while living in New York, and her obsession with color-coded spreadsheets.
She seems more relaxed tonight. She’s laughing more too.
After we clean up the kitchen, we end up sitting on the couch, closer than necessary, our knees touching.
“You really can cook,” she says.
“I told you I could. I can make a mean dinosaur nugget too.” I wink.
“Well, I’m impressed. And Sera will be too.”
“Did you just pay me a compliment?”
She tilts her head, making her hair fall around her face as she laughs.
When she looks back up at me, the moment shifts.
The energy feels charged, and I can’t stop myself from reaching out and brushing her jaw with my thumb.
She leans into it, and I can’t hold back.
I’m not sure who moves first, but her hands are in my hair, and my arms are around her waist, lifting her onto my lap so she’s straddling me.
We lean in at the same time, and our lips meet. It’s fire, want, and need.
I push my tongue inside her mouth, tasting her. I have the overwhelming need to consume her completely.
She starts to grind her hips, and I can feel the heat of her pussy through her jeans.
These clothes need to come off.
My hands move to the button on her jeans, and I pop it open. I pull out the T-shirt she’s tucked in, then run my hands up her sides, around to her back, and pull her in closer to me.
I can’t get enough.
I can’t get her close enough.
I unclasp her bra, then bring my hands to her breasts and move her bra out of the way. She’s just as perfect now as she was then. Maybe even slightly fuller.
Fuck me.
She breaks the kiss and reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it off in one swift move.
In response, I lift her shirt over her head and toss it to the floor. Then I take her bra straps and slide them slowly down her arms.
My eyes haven’t left hers, and I can see the fire in them. She wants this as badly as I do.
I cup her breasts and squeeze as she grinds her hips on my lap.
“Liam, I want you. I want this.”
“Oh, it’s happening, baby. But let me look at you. You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
Her fingers run through my hair, making me shiver.
I’m so charged right now; I don’t think it would take much for me to come.
“I think we should go to your room.” She leans in and kisses me, then sucks my bottom lip into her mouth.
That about shatters my desire to move slower, so I stand, holding her ass in my hands, and walk toward my bedroom, not breaking our kiss.
As soon as we walk through the door, I set her down and unzip her jeans while she does mine.
She pushes my jeans and boxers past my ass, and I use one hand to push them down enough to remove the rest with my foot and step out of them. Then I remove her jeans and black lacy thong and toss them somewhere into the room. Our mouths collide again, and I lead her toward the edge of my bed.
When the back of her legs hit the mattress, I lay her down without breaking our kiss. Then I push her legs open and run my index finger through her wetness.
I pull back and lift my wet finger. “This is all for me?”
Her breath hitches, and she nods.
The need to taste her makes me feel feral. I lean back and kneel on the floor, spreading her legs wide.
“I can smell your sweetness. And you’re so pretty and pink and soaked for me. Aren’t you, Alie?”
“Please,” she begs.
I turn my head and kiss the inside of her thigh, trailing kisses to her center. Then I run my tongue from her clit to her opening. Aliette Grant has ruined me completely. No one will ever be as perfect as she is for me.
I suck, lick, swirl, and pump two fingers inside her tight heat.
She grips my hair tightly and grinds against my face. And I fucking love it.
I don’t stop when I feel her orgasm around my fingers. I don’t stop when she pulls my hair. I don’t stop when I feel her body relax.
But when she reaches for my arms to pull me up to her … I relent.
I kiss my way up her body, tasting, savoring.
“That felt amazing.” She takes my head in her hands and pulls me in for a kiss.
“You’re amazing. And I can’t wait to do that again.”
I slide my tongue into her mouth, making her moan when mine touches hers, tasting herself.
“Are you going to fuck me, Liam?” Her hands wrap around my back to take hold of my ass.
“Do you want me to fuck you, Alie?” I glide my dick between her lips, the crown hitting her clit, making her gasp.
“I need it. I need you inside me.”
“Let me get a condom.”
I reach over and grab the unopened box from my nightstand and take a strip, then toss the box to the floor.
“We need all of those?” she asks, smiling.
“I sure hope so.” I smirk.
She shivers.
Ripping one off, I tear the packet open with my teeth and sit back on my knees, rolling it down my cock.
I settle back between her legs and push my dick slowly inside her, my mouth hovering over hers, swallowing her moan. I thrust in deeper to the hilt. “Holy fuck. You feel so good.”
We move together slowly, at first, until the tension builds to the point of no return.
I lift up on my arms and take hold of her neck with one of my hands. “Look at me,” I demand.
Her eyes meet mine, and I lose control. I grab one of her legs and bend it to her hip, making me go deeper inside of her.
She tries to turn her head, but I don’t let her.
“No. Eyes on me.”
Her lip trembles, so I place my thumb right in the center of her bottom lip.
“I got you, baby. Let go.”
Her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me to her, and as she looks into my eyes, I see it.
Surrender.
I brace myself on my elbows, and I kiss her again, telling her without words that I’m right there with her.
My entire body starts to tingle, and I know I’m close. And I can feel her tightening around my cock.
“Come for me, Alie. I need you to get there.”
Her legs wrap around my waist, and she meets me thrust for thrust.
“Yes,” she pants. “Oh God, you feel so good.”
I tilt my head and kiss her deeply, our tongues tangling. Heat rushes through me just as I feel her pulse around my dick. And I explode.
I tuck my head into her neck, breathing her in. We’re both panting as we come down from our orgasms.
“Holy fuck, Alie.”
“I know,” she breathes.
I lift my head to look at her, and we both smile.
I kiss her softly, and then I hold the condom at the base and pull out slowly.
Grabbing a tissue off my nightstand, I tie up the condom and wrap it, and throw it to the floor. Then I scoot up and lean against the headboard and pull her to me.
She seems to be as relaxed as I feel, and rests her head on my chest.
“Stay with me tonight?”
“I can’t,” she says with a whisper.
“Why?”
“Because, I’m … ” she hesitates.
As much as I want to beg her, I won’t. But someday soon, I’ll want both of my girls under my roof. Or hers. Doesn’t really matter to me as long as we’re together.
“Okay, we’ll get there.”
She looks up at me and gives me a soft smile.
After a few minutes, she seems to relax, tracing lazy circles on my chest.
I haven’t felt this … settled in a while.
“You good?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I’m just thinking.”
“About?” I rub my hand gently up and down her back.
She hesitates. “I’m thinking that this could get complicated.”
She’s thinking it’s complicated, and I’m feeling like everything finally makes sense.
“It doesn’t have to be. Maybe we can just be honest.”
She doesn’t reply, but she doesn’t move either.
We lie there, settling into a closeness that feels inevitable. And there’s a slow unraveling of walls that she’s built. It’s in her laughter and kisses. This connection we have, it goes beyond the physical.