Page 76 of Fix Them Up
‘Stop it.’ I laughed. ‘Don’t be a dick.’
‘I think you like the look of my dick, actually. From the way you were ogling it, about’ – he checked his watch – ‘five minutes ago.’
My stupid eyes couldn’t help but flicker down.
‘Make that five seconds.’ He laughed, kissing my jaw and neck. It was distracting, so distracting.
‘I was thinking…’ I sighed and leaned my neck to the side. ‘We should keep this… discreet.’
Liam pulled back, frowning. ‘Why?’
‘Well’ – I laughed – ‘for one, everyone is taking bets. On us. Becoming a couple.’
Liam stilled. ‘Who is everyone?’
‘According to Lydia, the whole town. Or at least every member of the club. Apparently, standing up in front of everyone in that meeting was a declaration of love –’ I snorted, but Liam didn’t crack a smile.
‘I’ll make them stop.’ Liam’s lips were straight, and I missed his playful teasing. I took his hand, weaving his fingers through mine and watched as the touch softened his shoulders.
‘It’s not the bets. They can have their fun. I don’t want to leave the town a pariah. People will side with you, their golden boy, not some random woman.’
‘I don’t care about people.’
‘I do –’ I said quickly. Too quickly. ‘I want to be able to come back to visit. Lydia and my aunt and uncle. I don’t want to burn bridges here.’ I bit my lip. ‘So if you think this will make that impossible—’
Liam pulled me into him, my face pressed into his hard chest. His arms came around me, warm and heavy.
‘You’re always going to be welcome here, no matter what. It doesn’t matter about me. This is your home, too.’
‘Thanks,’ I murmured into his chest, squished.
Liam let me go and tucked my hair behind my ear.
‘But even if it wasn’t about that, Liam’ – I winced – ‘I don’t do long-term. So keeping this casual—’
‘I get it,’ Liam interrupted, his lips pressed together. His eyes burned with intensity.
‘Pinkie swear?’ I raised my eyes to his.
He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘This again.’ Liam’s pinkie wrapped around mine. ‘I’d pinkie swear my life away to you, apparently.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Are you my dad’s girlfriend?’ Abigail asked as she slurped her cereal at Liam’s kitchen island, her black Adidas trainers swinging from the barstool.
I sputtered into my coffee, dread settling in my stomach. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? No, Abigail, but your dad and I have a no-strings-attached relationship where he blows my back out and cooks me dinner.
‘It’s fine if you are,’ Abigail said, smiling. ‘Mum has a finance.’
‘A fiancée?’
‘Yeah, that one. Kirsty is really cool. She climbs rocks, and she’s a woman. Some people at school think that’s weird, but I tell them what Dad told me to say.’ She puffed out her chest. ‘Fuck off.’
I gave a stuttered laugh. ‘Your dad told you to tell other kids to fuck off.’
Abigail nodded, her dark hair the exact colour of Liam’s moving around her shoulders. ‘Yep. Dad says they are bigamists.’
‘Bigots.’
