Page 159 of Power Play
He made me feel like I was taking up too much space while Liam keeps making room for me.
My hands shake when I rest them on Liam’s chest. I clutch his shirt, fearful to let him go but needing a minute alone to process all of this. To process the possibilities and the what ifs.
“Would it be okay if I took a second out here by myself?” I ask. My voice trembles with the question, and I sniff. “Before we head downstairs?”
“Of course.” Liam touches my cheek, his attention heavy and searching. “Can I help with anything?”
“No. And I’m okay. I just need a minute.”
“You take all the time you need.” His lips are warm when they press a kiss to my forehead. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“I look like a raccoon with my mascara running?”
“Nope. Not that.”
“What is it?”
“There might be a hundred people at dinner tonight, but I’m going to be the luckiest one in the room.” He pauses and retreats to the curtains billowing in the February wind, his eyes never leaving mine. “Because I’m there with you.”
My heart thumps painfully behind my ribs as he slips back into our room. Everything about the moment is electrified, and I wish I could pause time.
Could it always be like this with him?
Is it just the moment we’re in?
Is it real?
Am I overthinkingeverythingand seeing what I want to see because I’m treated with a shred of decency?
In four weeks will I feel the same way about Liam as I do right now?
I stare out at the ocean, but the crashing waves don’t give me any sort of clarity.
I lean backin my chair and set my napkin on my empty plate.
My stomach is full. My cheeks are warm from Spanish wine and laughing so much, and I can’t stop smiling at the Sullivan family around me.
“Who picked the menu?” I ask. “It was delicious.”
“Me,” Alana says proudly. “There was a short time where I wanted to be a chef, but it never quite panned out.”
“In your next life, you should go to culinary school. The tapas were such an interesting blend of cuisines.”
She grins. “Maybe I will, but for now I’m content with making him a grilled cheese every Wednesday night.”
“How did you two meet?” I rest my elbow on the tablecloth and move my empty wineglass out of the way. “Please tell me you have a good meet cute.”
“Sort of.” Alana looks at Harry and pats his thigh. “You tell it, babe.”
“You know about the dating app she created?” Harry asks, and I nod. “I was working at a rival app years ago and was usingherapp to scope out the competition and see what features Steady had that ours didn’t.”
“And what did you find?” Alana challenges, and Harry grins.
“Less genitalia.”
“Kind of takes the fun out of life, doesn’t it?” Liam asks. “Who doesn’t love seeing a random dude’s penis when you’re in the middle of Starbucks? If you need a coffee with cream, all you need is a few tugs from him.”
“Liam,” Linda scolds, and I burst out laughing. “This is a five-star resort.”
