Page 140 of Labor of Love

So, I kissed him.

His mouth was soft and he tasted sweet, like the apple pie he’d had for dessert. I placed one hand on his waist, pulling him tighter against me. His hands gripped the front of my jacket and he pressed against me. I knew I needed to pull away. I deepened the kiss. He gasped as I tangled my hand in his hair and let my tongue slip inside his mouth.

Another shiver wracked through Liam’s body, pulling me out of the lust that had started to blur my thoughts. I forced myself to pull back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Liam.”

He smiled at the sound of his name, nodding. I couldn’t help but kiss him one more time before releasing him to go inside. I waited in front of the store until I heard the click of the lock and the light in the store turned off. I walked down the street to my own house, a smile on my face. My small house felt too empty now, I realized as I took off my shoes in the entryway.

I glanced around the cozy living room. A large brown leather sectional filled the space in front of the brick fireplace. I had aTV mounted above the fireplace and bookshelves lining one wall. Past the living room was the kitchen and dining room, as well as the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. All but one of those rooms had been empty since I moved in. I found myself wondering if he would be comfortable here.

I wanted him here.

It made me anxious, the thought of him sitting in that little apartment above the shop, all by himself. I wanted him here where I could protect him.

I knew I had to wait until he was ready for that. He still seemed so hesitant. I knew why, and I wasn’t going to push. He would tell me when he was ready. Eventually, he wouldn’t have a choice. I locked up the house, humming to myself. Most people who lived in Oakland didn’t bother locking their doors. The thought made me cringe. Crime rates in the town were very low. But with the population growing as fast as it was, I wondered how long that would last.

I went about my bedtime routine, thinking about Liam. Like most people, I had grown up with the tales of fated mates. My mom had told me that everyone has one. You will meet that one person whose soul calls to yours. But, at almost forty, I had started losing hope in those stories. I thought I was getting too old to find someone. If my mate had been out there, I would have found them.

When I walked through the doors to the shop for the first time, a strange feeling struck me. I somehow knew exactly what it was I was feeling. Instincts, I suppose.

I tossed and turned all night. I felt uneasy thinking about Liam not being in the same house as me. It was strange to feel so protective of someone I’d met less than a week before.

By the time my alarm rang the next morning, I had only six hours of sleep. I struggled to get out of bed and into the shower.I fought the urge to stop by the shop on my way to work to check on my omega. Liam was likely still sleeping. It was pretty early.

As the day dragged on, I regretted not getting his phone number so I could check in on him. It was a slow day at the station, which was good. I found myself checking my phone several times to see how he was doing. I couldn’t do that without his phone number, so I would set the phone back down with a frustrated sigh.

It seemed to take weeks for five to roll around, and I got out of the station as fast as I could to grab dinner for us.

“Right on the dot," Liam teased as I opened the door to the shop right at six o’clock. The front glass windows and doors remained covered with paper. This kept people walking by from seeing inside.

I took a moment to admire his outfit, a loose-fitting white t-shirt with a light pink cardigan. I had yet to see him in something I didn’t find him pretty in. The soft colors he seemed to wear suited him. He often raked his fingers through his curls when he talked to me. That's probably why they always looked a bit messy.

“I would have been early if Joe didn’t insist on telling me everything about his grandchildren every time I went in.” I usually didn’t mind it. The man running the deli was kind, and I knew that he was lonely since his mate had passed. There were times I spent hours sitting with him, letting him talk about his grandkids. He was so proud of them, and I liked seeing him light up and look a little less sad.

“I need to start learning everyone’s names around here, don’t I?”

I loved seeing Liam smile. “Not necessarily. Kai hardly knows anyone’s names, and he grew up in town. He runs the lodge you probably passed to get into town.” He nodded. “Where do you want to sit and eat?”

“I set up a little table and chairs back here.” He beamed with pride, clutching the sleeve of my jacket since he couldn't take my hand. He tugged me back behind the counter. There was a white tablecloth on the little table and a candle in the middle. I smiled at the sweet gesture. “I know it’s not much. This was the only candle I could find.”

“It’s perfect.” I leaned down to kiss him, needing to close the space between us somehow. The crinkling of the bag I was holding reminded me that we still had dinner to eat. Then perhaps we could do more kissing. “Let’s get some food in you.” He nodded, though he looked as hesitant as I was to pull away. We worked together to get everything set up and sat down to eat.

We kept the conversation light while we ate. Liam told me more about his plans for the shop. His face lit up when he talked about his plans and about his previous work at a floral shop where he grew up. He was beautiful. I knew there was still one thing he had to tell me. I could tell it was holding him back. He would tell me whenever he was ready. I needed to be patient.

Liam

I was grateful the delivery service brought my new sofa earlier. I led Henry up to the apartment. It began to feel more like home. Still, I doubted any place without Henry could truly feel like home. I needed to be around him. I never imagined I could be so addicted to a person this fast. He insisted I lock the apartment door behind us, even though the door downstairs was already locked. I didn’t argue, wanting to get my hands on him as soon as possible. When I turned back toward him, he had already closed the distance between us.

He leaned down to kiss me, and I melted against him the way I did every time we kissed. My arms went around his neck, my hands tangling in his short hair.

He lifted me up with little effort, pressing me into the wall as I wrapped my legs around his waist. The kiss turned heated fast, his tongue slipping into my mouth. He tasted like coffee and chocolate, like the cake we had eaten for dessert. I could feel the hardness of his cock pressing against mine through our jeans, and I moaned into his mouth. His mouth left mine, trailing kisses down the side of my neck and sucking a hickey right over my scent gland. I rocked against him, desperate for some kind of friction.

“We should get you into bed,” Henry said against my skin, his voice deep and husky. His voice alone was almost enough to make me come. He pulled us away from the wall, not putting me down. I held on tighter, though I knew he wouldn’t drop me. There was only one bedroom in the apartment, so he found it with ease, kicking the door shut behind us. He was careful as he set me on the edge of my nest, running his hands over my thighs. “Is it okay if I get in your nest?” he asked, leaning over me to continue pressing kisses against the side of my neck.

“If you don’t, I might die.”

He chuckled, climbing over me and sliding his hands into my shirt.

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