Page 31 of Fix Them Up
I glanced behind him again to see the anticipation on the faces behind Liam.
‘Don’t step on my feet,’ I said as we clasped hands.
His hands were warm and rough, as I expected. I suddenly lost the ability to move. I was stuck, sinking into the ground. The realisation of my poor coordination flickered across Liam’s face. Resigned, he drifted his palms across my waist to my lower back.
I glanced up at him and found he was staring down at me. From this angle, I realised how much bigger Liam was. I was not a small woman. At five foot five, I was bang on average. But I had always been mid-size since I was a teenager. I resented my wide hips and full arms when Kate Moss graced the front ofCosmo. I’d never felt small, even when I wanted to. But Liam towered over me, the heat of his body radiating through my clothes.
Liam’s lips were in the shell of my ear, his voice low. I could feel it vibrate through his chest, which was so, so close to being pressed against mine.
‘One minute, thirty seconds more, and we’re done,’ Liam murmured.
‘I bet you’ve said that before.’
A throaty laugh sounded from Liam, and surprise rolled through me.
‘I can’t imagine you playing the piano,’ I said out of nowhere.
I felt Liam tense.
‘Too common for piano, huh?’
‘No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant I could see you more on drums.’
‘Our mum wanted us to learn. She never got the chance, so I think she wanted to make sure we did. She grew up on a council estate, so once my dad started earning some money, I think she thought piano lessons were what the middle-class kids did.’
I nodded. ‘That makes sense. I wish I could have done creative stuff. But my mum signed me up for extra maths and English.’
‘Did you struggle at school?’
‘Understatement.’
‘That bad?’
The curious tone in Liam’s voice opened me up, so I was honest. ‘I hated school. I hated the exams and the pressure. I was always at the bottom of the class, and my mum –’ I stopped, unable to process the disappointment I’d brought to my mother. My shoulders tensed, and then, as if sensing my unease, Liam stroked his thumb across my back. It was simultaneously comforting and maddening.
Now it was my mouth that couldn’t move.
‘Distracted?’ Liam murmured, that voice smooth like honey. I glanced up to find Liam much closer than I’d expected. His eyes bore into mine, intense and fiery.
‘I’m fine,’ I squeaked.
Liam hummed. ‘You were talking about your mum.’ His thumb was still there, moving back and forth, driving me to distraction.
‘My mum was a teacher,’ I managed to get out, ‘so she was disappointed when I did badly at school. So I worked twice as hard.’
‘Sounds like you.’
‘You don’t know me.’
‘I think I am getting to. You’re bloody stubborn.’
I raised my chin, meeting his eyes. ‘I prefer determined.’
‘Determined,’ he repeated, humour lacing his voice. ‘What does your mum think about you being up here?’
I huffed. ‘She… ah. She doesn’t know.’
‘She doesn’t approve?’
