prime view of the broad shoulders she’d clung to. “Lock up behind me.”
“I will.”
At the door he looked back at her, and the unfulfilled hunger in his eyes hit her square in the chest. “G’night.”
“G’night.”
The door clicked shut behind him. Scrubbing a hand over her face, on unsteady legs she walked over and put the safety latch on before turning to lean back against the door. Her skin was oversensitive, the folds of her sex swollen and damp. The freshly made-up queen-size bed stood before her, mocking her with its pristine, unwrinkled white sheets. She could have been writhing against those sheets right now, with Liam poised above her naked body, fulfilling every sexual need.
“You made your bed,” she muttered to herself in disgust. “Now go lie in it.”
Chapter Three
The next morning after breakfast, Talia finally worked up the guts to call Liam and accept his offer for a ride. Angie had left a message on her cell while she’d been in the shower, asking if she wanted to go shopping. She’d briefly thought about calling her back, then chickened out. What would she say?
Can’t go shopping. Guess I should finally tell you that my mom’s a compulsive hoarder, and she’s about to be evicted again. Oh, and by the way, I made out with your brother last night.
She raked a hand through her hair. Everything was such a mess.
Fifteen minutes later she stood waiting for Liam outside the lobby wearing the coat he’d loaned her. The air was crisp despite the bright sunshine, the clouds obscuring the mountain peaks promising more snow. She hadn’t slept worth a damn, tossing and turning through a bizarre mix of nightmares about what awaited her today and erotic dreams of Liam that left her aching for relief. The combination did nothing to ease the nerves twisting in her belly. Liam’s truck pulled up outside the front doors.
“Morning,” he said when he opened the passenger door for her. He looked delicious in his faded jeans and light gray sweater that hugged the muscles of his chest and shoulders. A pair of black Oakleys concealed his eyes, the dark shadow of a beard covering his cheeks and jaw.
“Hi. I, um, brought you some coffee.”
“Thanks. I brought you one, too.” He lifted the infamous green and white cup from the console. “Two sugar and two creams, just the way you like it.”
She grinned, touched by the simple gesture. “Trade ya.”
He smiled back, his fingers brushing hers as they exchanged cups. She knew it wasn’t an accident. The simple touch made her skin prickle with heightened awareness of the scorching kisses they’d shared. Climbing into the truck with him was going to be even harder on her than she’d imagined.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Okay,” she lied. “You?”
He shot her a sidelong glance. “Like shit.”
She bit back a chuckle at his bluntness. “Sorry to hear that.” Though it was kind of nice to know she hadn’t suffered through the sexual frustration alone. An instant image popped into her head of him stretched out in bed, his hand wrapped around his erect cock as he fantasized about her. She squirmed in her seat.
“I’ll bet,” he grumbled. “So. You ready for this?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll come with you if you want.”
She knew he would, and she appreciated his offer. This was something she had no intention of letting him witness, however. “Thanks, but I’d rather do it alone.”
He grunted. “Can I stay in the truck at least, or do I have to go somewhere else to wait?” His dry tone left no doubt he wasn’t happy with her response.
Rather than answer, she gave him a level look and raised her brows.
He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, okay, maybe I sound like an ass, but if you’d just tell me what the hell is so terrible you think you need to hide it from me, I could help. I promise you, whatever it is, there’s nothing you need to be embarrassed about. Not with
Desiree Holt, Brynn Paulin, Ashley Ladd