Page 17 of Had To Be You

I continue rubbing the bulge in his pants, giving it a gentle squeeze. He grips my hip tighter at the contact, I’m sure leaving a mark on my skin. “Feel good?” I ask, my voice full of lust.

“Fuck, yeah. It does,” he rumbles, his lips all over me, travelling from my jaw, down the column of my neck to my collarbone. The scruff of his beard scratches over my skin, driving me out of my mind.

My hands fly to the waist of his jeans. With steady hands, I undo the button and unzip him. I pull him out, curling my fingers around him. He groans something under his breath that I can’t make out, the sound muffled by the flesh of my neck in his mouth. I fist my hand around his length and stroke him, up and down, then again. He pulls back and his mouth falls open and his eyes squeeze shut.

“Holy shit,” he groans. “I love the way you make me feel. That feels so good.”

Then his mouth crashes into mine. He yanks down my jeans with his hands as he kisses me. He can multitask. I’m good with this. He kneels down, tearing my pants from my legs, leaving me in only in my pink lace thong.

Liam stands back up. I’m suddenly dizzy, taking him in. I’ve never seen anything sexier. His bare chest with hard planes of muscle, his jeans slung low on his hips, the fly of his jeans undone and a happy trail that I can’t wait to get my hands on. He’s every girl’s late-night fantasy. What did I do to deserve this?

“Jesus, Ellie. You’re body’s incredible.” His eyes sear over me from my toes to my lips.

“I was just thinking the same about you,” I say, leaning back, resting my hands flat against the table on either side of me. Liam’s eyes rest on my mouth and before I know it, he’s kissing me again. His hands find my ass, lifting me onto the table, our mouths still locked in a deep, lustful kiss. With his knee, he nudges my legs open wide for him, his hard length grinding into me. My eyes fall closed as he lays me out on the table, taking my hands in his, stretching them up above my head, his hard, warm body stretched out over mine.

I. Die.

Then I die again.

He’s demanding and confident, taking complete control. Liam definitely knows what he’s doing.

My pulse races when his hands and his mouth head south, trailing wet kisses over my skin. When his lips make contact with my ribcage, I arch my back off the table. His warm mouth causes a ripple of goosebumps over my skin. “Yes, Liam. So good.” It feels like an out-of-body experience. My skin feels too tight for my body.

“I’m going to make you feel good, Ellie. So fucking good.” He makes good on his promise, trailing the tips of his fingers like a feather down my stomach, finding the edge of the only piece of fabric on my body. He dips his hand inside of my thong. “I want you so bad, Ells.” He shortens my name, and my breath stops in my throat. There are only a handful of people who call me anything but Ellie. It feels intimate. Terrifying. A lot more than the hookups I’m used to, the only intimacy I’ve ever allowed myself.

I still, and Liam notices.

“Are you okay?” he pulls back, his hand frozen on my pelvis inside my panties. The look in his eyes has softened. It’s thoughtful and sweet. It’s steady.

“Fine. More than fine. Don’t stop, Liam.”

“You sure?”

“Never been more.”

That’s all the assurance he needs to kiss me senseless. The hand that was so close to giving me the release I needed moves from inside my thong, up my torso to my cheek. His chest flattens flush over top of mine and my fingers wind tight through his thick brown hair. My hips rise off the table, needing contact with the giant package he’s packing behind his briefs. And as good as he looks in those, I really need them in a puddle on the floor.

Liam traces his thumb over my bottom lip, his gaze so intense my body shudders. His mouth replaces his thumb, and he forcefully slips his tongue inside when, shit no, the doorbell interrupts us. No. No. No.

“Ignore it, Ellie. I’m not stopping,” he says, continuing the hungry kiss.

The doorbell chimes again. This time it’s accompanied by the high-pitched voice of a child calling Liam’s name. I freeze like a deer in headlights.

Liam blows out a big breath, dropping his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry, Ellie. Fuck, you have no idea how sorry.”

Liam starts picking up our clothing from the polished hardwood floor, handing me my bra, my tank top and jeans. He throws on his T-shirt and tucks himself back into his jeans, then waits until I’m fully dressed before stalking to the door. He opens it to a little boy in the doorway wearing a ball cap on his head, clutching a leather baseball glove.

“Hey buddy. What’s up?” Liam lifts the boy’s cap from his head and flips it around so it’s backwards. My stomach does a cartwheel it’s so stinking cute.

“Hi Liam. Wondering if you wanted to play ball with me? I’ve been practising my fastball so much just like you taught me.” The boy’s eyebrows shoot up when he spots me behind Liam.

“Who’s your buddy, Liam?” I ask, padding my way to the door, my hair I’m sure a wild mess from Liam’s hands. The kid looks to be around eight years old, with light blond hair and two missing front teeth. There’s a splatter of freckles across his nose.

“This is Kip. Kip meet Ellie.” Liam goes on to tell me that Kip lives next door and that he’s been helping him amp up his softball skills. This sweet boy is beaming, his little face tipped up high, looking at Liam with awe in his eyes.

“Hey Ellie! You know Liam is the best coach in all the world and I’m his very favorite player.” Kip greets me in the cutest little voice. “You can play with us too if you like? Or maybe you’re busy and I should go home. I know girls like softball too. There are three girls on my team. But I can come back another time if you’re busy.” His face drops to his shoes, making me immediately want to hug him. Liam catches my gaze, his eyes full of warmth and something else, something I’ve never seen in him before. The person staring at me seems nothing like the moody, stand-offish man I thought I knew. This kid obviously means a lot to him and seeing that makes it easier for me to set my steamy thoughts aside. For now. Liam’s lips part to answer, but I beat him to it.

“No way, little slugger. Liam needs to see your mad softball skills. Don’t let me stop you.” Kip’s face lights up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Liam turns to me, pulling his bottom lip under his teeth with a half-smile. His eyes linger on mine as he starts to walk Kip towards the front lawn. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hot as hell. So much for putting those thoughts aside.

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