Page 41 of New Girl in the City
“You know, in the grand scheme of doing something stupid,” I began, and flicked a finger between the pair of us, “the fact that I’m eight years older than you, and not that I’m the sole cause of your employment, is the thing you want to talk about is definitely stupid.”
He cracked a grin at that, mostly because I was smiling and sighed, pushing himself back upright in his seat. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
“I’m sort of...your boss?” I hedged.
He nodded. “You are.”
I bit my lips, eyes sliding to the side as I considered another glass of water, because tipsy Melinda had no place here. All she wanted to do was tear this man’s clothes off and sit on his face, notthis.
“That’s honestly a bigger deal than me being older than you.”
“Not to a lot of women.”
My eyes shot back up and I squinted at him. “You do this a lot?” I asked, wincing at how sharp my voice had become. I didn’t like thinking about Liam with other women, no more than he liked sending me on dates with assholes. I swallowed hard against the bitter taste of it. This was another reason I hated doing anything more than one time things. Feelings were a bitch, and I was catching them fast for Liam.
“Once or twice,” he said, and I nodded. I got it. He was sexy. Women were blind not to see that and he was definitely worth the risk. I understood all too well what they saw in him.
“How’d those times go?” I wanted to know.
“Good.” I looked at him, tipping my chin down and raising my eyebrows, signaling for him to continue but he shook his head. “Don’t kiss and tell, Mel.”
I blew out a sigh and leaned back against the couch. “I guess that’s good to know.”
“And why’s that?”
“Well, for when whatever this is finishes,” I said.
His face got hard then, and he moved closer, leaning over me. “Who says it has to finish?” he asked. I stared at him in surprise. He put one arm across me and scooted closer until his thigh was flush against mine. He turned until he was leaning over me, then he traced a fingertip along my jaw. “Why?” he asked again, and his finger stopped moving. It was beneath my jaw and he tipped my head back until we were eye-to-eye.
“I-I don’t know,” I stammered, because honestly, I didn’t. “I just assumed that it would be a temporary thing…”
“And why’s that?” Again the finger was moving, this time slowly up and over my chin until it was pressing against my bottom lip. I stifled a moan.
“You said you’d done it before,” I managed, eyes moving between his mouth and his eyes. I didn’t know where to look. My mind was scrambled with how he was touching me, rough fingertip featherlight against my lips. The juxtaposition of his calloused finger and my soft skin made me squeeze my thighs together. I knew he would be as gentle as this, his mix of sharpness and soft would be intoxicating. It would take me over and make me become someone I didn’t recognize but was excited to welcome.
“Doesn’t mean I would want to do it again with anyone that wasn’t you. You feel different to me.”
Holy shit.
“I do?”
He nodded, eyes slowly moving over my face and withdrew his fingertip. My skin lamented the loss of his warm touch. I tilted my face up, trying to chase after that single point of contact. He smiled seeing it and moved to cup my face.
“You’re like the sun, Mel.”
“The what?” I whispered. The individual words I understood, but I guess I couldn’t grasp the meaning. Although it was hard to understand a damn thing when Liam was this close to me, looking at me like this. The heat of his body was warming mine but there were still too many clothes between us. Still too much space even as were pressed together.
“You’re warm. Your smile…” he stopped and sighed, looking away for a second before his eyes hit mine again. “Jesus.I don’t know how to do this, Mel.”
“I don’t even know what we’re doing,” I confessed, unable to stop the chuckle from coming out. And it was true. I had thought this would be a one time thing, maybe a fling for the summer, but never in my mind did I think the tension and attraction bubbling between Liam and I would spell forever. And I had been fine with that, but Claudia’s words came back to me.
“Fine is gone. We are done with fine from here on out.”
Something with Liam that had no expiration date would be better than fine. I could already tell from the few kisses and touches we had shared. This man was electric. He made me feel so much more than I had in years. When it came to him, there was no faking it. No putting on a forced smile. It was genuine and true. Just like whatever we had beginning between us was, and that made me glad.
I was done with fine.
“You deserve pretty words. Smart ones. I don’t have that. A man that you can take with you to those high profile events and fit right in. I can’t do that.”
