Page 23 of Hired By the Enemy
Something changes in Liam’s face. He withdraws his arm from me, and I immediately notice its absence.
“Matthew’s always incredibly supportive,” he says.
He’s trying for the tone of a smooth boyfriend, but there’s definitely something off in his voice. He picks up his beer and takes a large gulp.
A flash of shame shoots through me because supportive is definitely not the word to use to describe my interactions with Liam growing up. I spent so many years trying to sabotage him at every opportunity.
But then he’d done the same to me.
I run my hands through my hair, looking away from him as memories flood my mind.
Liam messing with my bike seat so I fell off my bike in front of the whole class when we were doing a bikeathon. Me retaliating by faking a letter pretending Liam got a scholarship to a football summer camp.
Shit. We’d been such horrible people to each other for so long. When I’d been caught up in it, I hadn’t reflected on themorals of devoting so much of my time and energy in such a negative way.
After dinner, couples drift off to the open-air dancefloor. In keeping with the time of the year, it's lit by sparkling fairy lights. A dreadlocked guy strums away on his guitar while crooning some soft rock into the microphone.
Liam looks at me. “Do you want to dance?”
Aware Paul’s eyes are still lingering on us, I answer with a shrug. “Why not?”
The reasons why not become very apparent to me when we find a space on the edge of the dancefloor.
Because dancing means voluntarily getting close to Liam.
The other couples around us are melting into each other, and I’m aware I’m holding Liam like you’d hold a particularly rabid porcupine.
Liam appears equally aware of this. He whispers in a low voice in my ear. “You need to loosen up.”
“In what way?”
“Act like you like me, at least.”
Liam’s looking at me with a challenge in his eyes, which immediately makes me draw closer to him. I can do this. I can be just as good of a fake boyfriend as Liam.
His arms pull me tighter as I lean in, feeling slightly light-headed at the scent of his aftershave.
Liam’s bigger than me, and he feels warm at every point we touch. His breath is in my ear, slightly ragged.
Is having me close affecting him? The thought increases my headiness. I deliberately align our hips and slowly grind my pelvis into his.
Take that.
But Liam doesn’t move away. Instead, he stays pressed up against me.
It’s a dangerous, dangerous game we’re playing, judging bythe firming in Liam’s groin. My own cock grows hard in response, turned on by his scent and proximity.
Liam moves even farther into my space to whisper to me. “Paul is watching us. Are you okay with me pretending to kiss you?”
“Pretend kiss? How do you pretend kiss?” I whisper back.
“Just my lips resting on yours.”
“That sounds like an actual kiss.”
His low voice murmurs in my ear. “Oh, sweet pea, if that’s the kind of kissing you’ve been doing, then you’ve been missing out.”
I pull back to give him the full force of my glare.
