Tessa
My heart hammered in my chest. I willed it to slow. It refused. Its reason was two-fold. One, this was the first man I had ever allowed up here. Not even Walker, Tuck, or Andrew had been inside since I started living here. Anything that needed fixing, I did myself.
Two, it wasn’t just any man in my apartment. It wasLiam. I bet he thought I was jittery because I was scared, but he wasn’t entirely right. Sure, my instinct was to be on guard at all times. Always have an exit plan. But my gut told me that Liam would do anything to prevent my pain. He wasn’t a man who would exercise his frustrations in anger on another person. He was kind. Gentle. Generous. And a million other things that I hadn’t yet learned.
But I wanted to. I wanted to know Liam in every way possible, with a soul-deep ferocity that terrified me. He also made butterflies take flight in my stomach when he got close. Made my skin tingle when he touched me.
I fisted my hands at my sides. My face heated. I hadn’t been with a man since Garrett. Up until recently, I’d thought the desire to ever be close to someone in that way was dead and buried along with my past. But slowly, over the past few weeks, my body had come alive again.
My nerves had been deadened for so long. I’d had to turn off as much feeling as possible to survive—in my body and in my heart. The more I felt, the more I hurt. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d been missing out on. The simple pleasures of enjoying delicious food, confiding in a friend, and maybe, just maybe, letting the embers of a crush catch fire.
I glanced in Liam’s direction. My belly warmed as I took in his gorgeous face, those broad shoulders.What would it feel like to drag my fingers through his hair? To tangle my mouth with his?
He studied me carefully. “Want to tell me what’s got those cheeks turning such a pretty shade of pink?”
I knew my blush deepened when Liam chuckled. “Ummm, no.”
Liam scrubbed a hand over his cheek. “That’s fair enough.”
A crash sounded from the kitchen. We both dashed towards the noise. Rounding the corner, we took in Trouble, peeking out of one of the cabinets, having shoved a pan out and onto the floor. My mouth fell open. “That cabinet was closed. How did he get in there?”
Liam shook his head, laughing. “I have no idea. But I’d say his name definitely fits.”
I bent to scoop up the kitten and the pan. “You can’t be doing that,” I cooed. “You’re going to get hurt.”
I set the pan on the counter and then stole a quick glance out the kitchen window. Habit. Two years of running had instilled in me a need to continually check my surroundings. My kitchen window looked out onto the back of the building. Behind Liam’s SUV, another idled.
I sucked in a breath. The hand that held back the curtain started to shake. I didn’t recognize the vehicle, and there was no reason for anyone to be back there. The Tea Kettle wasn’t open. I felt heat at my back.
“What’s wrong?” Liam’s voice was alert with an edge of hardness.
“I don’t…there’s a car just idling.” As soon as I uttered the words, the SUV pulled away, continuing out of the alley.
“They were probably just lost. Or texting. Better they pull over than cause an accident.”
“Probably.” I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to force my fears out of my brain. I would not let my paranoia ruin another day with Liam.
“Want me to hang out for a little bit? I can help you assemble the climbing tree thing. Let me tell you, that fucker is complicated. Probably need a masters in rocket science to put it together.”
I turned to face Liam, Trouble still in my arms, purring contentedly. Liam’s face was so damn hopeful. And I wanted him to stay. That idling SUV had freaked me out more than I wanted to admit, and I didn’t want to be alone. But more than anything, I wanted to spend more time with Liam.
I gave him a smile. “It would be a bit of a challenge to do major construction and hold this little fella at the same time.”
Liam grinned. “And you know if you put him down, he’ll just destroy something.”
I let out a light laugh. “So very true.”
“Thank goodness, I’m here to assist.”
I scratched under Trouble’s chin. “Thank goodness.”
Liam stepped back. “Point me in the direction of your tool box.”
I inclined my head towards the sink. “It’s under there.”
Liam bent to retrieve it, and I couldn’t help but notice that he had a ridiculously muscled ass. A paw smacked me in the face. “Ow.”
Liam straightened. “You okay?”
