20
Layla
Liam is gazing at me like he wants to do filthy things to me. And I want to let him. Damnit, do I want to let him. But it doesn’t feel like the right time yet. It feels like there are a lot of things still left unspoken between us, and I think the time for a casual hookup has passed. It seems like there’s more between us than that, even though that’s not what I had planned.
His hair is disheveled, and a devious grin spreads across his face. I clear my throat and break his gaze, turning my attention back to my coffee. I can feel him still watching me, though.
Sensing my shift, he stands up, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. “Alright, how about an official tour of the place?”
“Okay,” I agree.
He shows me the main rooms downstairs as Cocoa trots along behind us the whole way, as if she’s giving the tour too. His bedroom is down the hallway from the kitchen, and there’s a bathroom straight across from that. There’s one last room downstairs at the end of the hallway. I realize right away that this room is his office.
Several large, state-of-the-art monitors are lined up on a desk, a fancy-looking chair sits in front of that, and in the corner, there are several extra computer parts thrown about.
So, this is his secret imperfection—a messy, chaotic computer room. I can deal with that.
“Home office?” I ask, taking it all in.
“Something like that. I haven’t kept up with it as much as I should the last couple of years.” He doesn’t have to say more. I know why.
He shows me the upstairs which contains a loft with a soft-looking couch and a television. Three more bedrooms are up here, one of them Jackson’s. His room has posters scattered all over the walls and toys tucked into every corner and pocket. I smile. There’s another plain guestroom, and then the last bedroom appears to be the master with its own bathroom. I wonder why Liam doesn’t stay in that one. Maybe because it was his parents’…
After the tour, we head back down to the kitchen and spend the next hour baking cookies with a Christmas movie playing in the adjoining living room. He’s bossy in the kitchen, but in a playful way. When I try to mix the flour in with the sugar and liquids, he looks at me like I’m a crazy person. According to him, you must mix all the dry ingredients separately first, then combine them slowly. I tell him it doesn’t matter—they all end up mixed together anyway. He shakes his head in mock dismay but let’s me do it my way.
I let him take over mixing after that and sigh dramatically as he takes his sweet time.
“Something wrong?” he questions with a playful tone.
“I think it’s mixed well enough by now,” I laugh. “You sure are taking your time.”
He looks up at me, his strong hands steady on the mixer and metal bowl. “I always take my time. Unless you beg me not to.”
I swallow.
He smirks, probably reading the look on my face and knowing that he’s gotten to me.
“Okay. Well, in that case, I’m begging you to put those damn things in the oven already. I want one.”
“Fine,” he says stubbornly, turning off the mixer. I find it so cute.
My phone rings. I’m pretty sure the number on my screen is the owner’s, which I did not save. I answer it. Liam watches me intently as I talk with the person on the other end. It’s not good news. They say there’s a snowstorm coming and they can’t get anyone up to the cabin to fix it today, maybe not even tomorrow. He apologizes and says he’ll reimburse me for those nights, but I’m not so worried about that at the moment. I’m more worried about finding a new place to stay for a few days. I tell them I want to keep the booking for the rest of the trip though, in case they fix it soon. I love the place and I’m getting used to it.
I tell him thank you and hang up. There’s no point in getting mad when there’s nothing that can be done right now. I let out a huge sigh and start looking up hotels on my phone.
“What are you doing?” Liam questions, eyeing me.
“Trying to find a new place to stay for the next few days. Maybe I should just go home…” I think out loud.
“Don’t,” Liam says. I look up at him. “I mean, you can’t leave now…Jackson would be so sad to come back and find that you left early.”
“Right…”
He inhales and appears to be pondering something. Then, finally, he says, “Can I show you something?”
“Sure…” I reply.
He grabs my hand and leads me to our boots at the front door, then instructs me to put them on, along with my coat. He pulls my hood up and takes me in, smiling. I blush.
He grabs my hand again and leads me to the large sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. As we step outside, I realize how hard the snow is coming down now. I might not even be able to drive in this. The ground already has a few inches of fresh snow.
There’s a covered patio with a hot tub under it, but he leads me past that to the far side of the backyard, just at the edge of the small hill the property sits atop. I have a feeling I know where he’s taking me.
He stops at the fire pit, which looks exactly the same as it did almost ten years ago, except it’s covered in snow. It’s dark now, but I can make out its familiar shape, even with the porch lights barely illuminating it. The fire pit is the same, surrounded by the same circular pattern of chairs and the same scenery. I’m sure the chairs have been updated after years of wear from the harsh weather, but I can’t tell for sure since they’re all covered in a thick coating of snow. I can’t see too far in the distance because of the heavy snow coming down, but I’m sure if it were a clear day I’d be able to see the old cabin my family stayed in so many years ago. Across from where we stand is the spot Liam and I sat all night, talking and kissing until dawn.
“It’s…a fire pit?”
Liam looks defeated. Perplexed even.
“You…you really don’t remember at all?” he trails off.
I turn and stare at him, my mouth hanging open slightly. A million questions race through my mind. He…remembers? Why didn’t he say anything? When did he realize?
“You remember?” I ask. His eyes flash with something I can’t place. “Why haven’t you said anything?” I say, the hurt and surprise evident in my voice.
“I…don’t know,” he shrugs, shaking his head. His eyelashes are dusted with snowflakes.
“And Dex…he must know. Is that why he showed up on our date, laughing? Is it just a big joke to you guys?”
“No…what?” he replies, hurt sounding in his voice. “You haven’t said anything either. Why?”
“I didn’t think you remembered me…I didn’t want to be embarrassed if I brought it up and you had no idea what I was talking about…if you didn’t remember me at all. I understand why you wouldn’t. It was one day, and it’s been years…”
He grabs my hand and quickly leads me back inside, where he shakes his hair out with his hand. We’re covered in snowflakes that are quickly melting.
I cross my arms and bask in the warmth. I hadn’t realized how much snowfall had come down on us in those few minutes out there. He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him.
“I recognized you within ten seconds of seeing you,” he urges. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything at first. Probably for the same reasons that you didn’t. And now that we’ve been spending a lot of time together…I didn’t…I didn’t know how to bring it up at this point.”
“The coffee?” I ask.
“Yes. I’ve been drinking it black since. I remember everything,” he pauses. “Everything.”
“I can’t believe…” I shake my head, unsure how to finish the thought. Then suddenly, I’m laughing. And Liam, looking confused for a moment, starts to laugh along with me. I don’t even know why I’m doing it, but it feels good, and relief washes through me.
Now that it’s all out in the open, I’m reminded of that younger version of him again, that boy who made my heart flutter. The boy I thought I’d never see again, who I’d wrapped in a perfect little bubble in my mind, never to be tarnished. But that boy is gone now, and standing right in front of me is a more incredible, sexy man than I ever could have imagined. And I want that man to do dirty things to me.
The look he’s giving me could melt the snow off the ground right now. I’m frozen in his gaze until he gently grabs my face, tilts it up toward him, and studies every inch of it as he gently caresses my cheek with his thumb. I take all of him in. The lighter flecks of color in his eyes, his straight nose that’s sprinkled with a few light freckles, and his perfect lips that I have a burning need to taste. All of my blood rushes to my core, and I’m suddenly aching for him.
“Stay here,” he says as he runs his thumb from my cheek to my lower lip, his eyes following the torturously slow movement. He looks into my eyes for a beat, and then suddenly his lips are on mine.
His lips are cold but his tongue parting my mouth is warm. I get lost in the sensation and suddenly he picks me up with my legs wrapped around his waist and he’s carrying me to his bedroom.
He sets me down on a tall bed and I grab at him for more, but he holds my hands and shakes his head with a devilish grin as he stands back and looks down at me. “I want to see every inch of you,” he says. “And I told you I like to take my time.”
At some point, he had already taken off his jacket, but I am still fully bundled up, so I shrug off my coat and he helps me with my shirt. He looks down at me and thumbs both of my nipples through my purple lacey bra. I lean back on my hands, arching my body so it’s exposed to him more, and he lets out a deep guttural sound.
He flings his shirt away in a flash and, of course, he has a perfectly sculpted torso. My gaze travels down to the “v” shape above his pants and my body aches with a feral need for him. I move to unbutton his pants as he stares down at me with heavy lids.
When I slide his pants down his strong thighs, I suck in a breath as I take in the massive bulge in his black briefs. I lean back onto my palms again, letting out a soft moan as I avert my gaze to the ceiling. My core is throbbing with a horrible want for him, and if I look at him there again, I might not be able to restrain myself. But he says he wants to take his time with me, so I’ll try to be good.
I look him in the eyes and they are oozing with lust. He’s slowly removing my pants and kissing down my legs while stepping out of the rest of his pants, which I got too distracted to finish removing.
He’s nudging my legs farther apart and placing a hand on the bed beside me. His other hand is holding me firmly at the crease of my hip. His touch is still cold, and the clashing sensations ignite a storm throughout my body. He leans in closer, and our mouths meet in a more heated, lustful fury this time. Slowly, he trails kisses along my neck, until he reaches my ear. I breathe in his scent, and it stirs something primal inside of me.
“Layla,” he purrs. “I bet you taste delicious.” His cheek against mine is cold but his breath on my ear is hot. I shiver.
Our mouths are crashing together again and his hand is slowly pulling my tiny scrap of lacey purple underwear to the side. His cold fingers softly caress me at the apex of my thighs, and I gasp. I arch into the touch, wanting more, and he gives it to me. His fingers thrust inside me and I’m moaning into his mouth. But it’s still not enough. I greedily push against him with my hips, craving more.
He smiles at me, shaking his head.
“Liam, fuck,” I pant. My legs are spread on the edge of the bed and he’s standing in front of me, watching his fingers slowly go in and out as his thumb rubs at that spot just a little higher. It’s enough to put me over the edge. I tilt my head back, breathing heavily, when he suddenly stops, and my whole body reacts to the absence of his touch. The empty, hungry feeling is torturous.
I whip my head back toward him, mouth open in frustration, and he’s smirking at me like a devil.
“Not just yet, princess,” he teases, his voice a gravelly murmur.
He gets down on his knees in front of me and the bottom half of his beautiful face disappears. I feel his cold hands grasp my thighs and his warm breath at the apex of my thighs. I cry out softly as his tongue meets my body, and I clutch onto his soft hair. But then I quickly release my grip on his hair, needing both my hands to lean back on as he works his tongue on me in a steady motion that has me about to shatter.
I’m grinding into him when his warm tongue hits precisely the right spot and suddenly I’m crying out, falling into oblivion and losing all sense of direction and time. I ride out the blissful wave on his tongue and then slowly come back down to my physical body.
He releases a deep laugh into my thighs, kissing them and giving them a squeeze. His muscular shoulders and arms are flexed as he uses my thighs to lift himself to stand.
I fall back onto the bed, laughing to myself as I come down from the high. He lowers himself over me, gently kissing my forehead, my cheeks, then my mouth. “I’m not even close to done with you yet,” he breathes against my lips.
I feel his hardness brush against my thigh, and just like that, my core is awakened and humming again. I grab onto him, running my hands down the soft skin of his muscular back, taking in his signature scent that I can’t get enough of. My body still aches for more of him.
Reaching down, I run my hand down the smooth length of him, causing him to release a deep groan in my ear. I turn him over onto his back and slowly make my way down his body, eager to get a taste. I pull down his soft briefs and release all of him, the sight of it sending a zing through my body.
I take my time savoring the taste of him, and he looks at me with such hunger in his eyes. It’s not very long before he stops me, pulling me up to him with a low growl.
He flips me over again and his hand slowly makes his way between my thighs as he kisses me gently on the lips. His hand discovers how ready I am for him, and he lets out a pleased moan.
“That’s my good girl,” he breathes into my ear. I arch in response.
He goes to reach for something and I grab his arm to stop him, shaking my head. “You’re good?” He questions, his heavy eyes filled with desire.
I nod my head with enthusiasm.
Suddenly, he’s slowly filling me inch by delicious inch, and I let out an involuntary moan into his neck. He starts out achingly slow and my hips buck, urging him to give me more, but he puts a firm hand on my hip to stop me. He pauses halfway inside and shakes his head. Then he looks down at me with an intense gaze, placing a soft kiss on my lips and whispers, “I want to feel every bit of you.”
Then he suddenly moves to stand, lifting me up with my legs straddled around him, pushing me up against a dresser. I place my arms around his shoulders as he starts out slow and deep, then he’s moving faster and filling me so wholly, his hands gripping my thighs firmly from underneath. The angle at which he holds me against him has that sensitive bud between my legs pressing against his stomach to create the perfect friction, and I’m about to explode again from the sensation.
A deep thrust from him sends me straight over the edge, and I feel him tense and come along with me. I can’t feel anything except that sweet pulsing, but he holds onto me firmly and we ride it out together. When we slowly come back to the present, I regain feeling in the rest of my body, and he leans his sweaty forehead against mine.
He’s still breathing heavily as he takes me back to bed and lays us down so we’re facing each other. He pulls a blanket over us, grinning lazily as his hand slowly rubs my hip, and we remain like that for a while.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, his gaze traveling from my lips to my eyes.
“So are you,” I whisper, smiling.
A soft laugh escapes his lips. “Thank you.”
I gently trace his jaw with my fingers, then run my hands through his soft, messy hair, taking in every detail of him as I do so. He's so handsome, it hurts.
Eventually, he stops, kissing me on the forehead. “So…it’s only like, six o’clock…”
“Oh, right. I should probably get back to looking for a hotel.”
“What? No…” he runs a hand through my hair. “Please stay,” he says gently.
“Okay,” I whisper, nodding. We look at each other, and this time, warmth runs through me—fueled by emotions this time, not just lust.