The Legend of the Eight: The Hunted (Book 5)

22: Was It All You Ever Wanted?

He bit his lip when he looked at her. "I could."

She felt his hands slip around her waist and she smiled. "You could also sleep with me."

Her blue eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red when she realized what she said and when he saw how flustered she'd become, Liam began to laugh.

"No, that's not what I—" she tried to say but Liam's lips stopped her.

He kissed her. Without warning. Or permission. He never even decided that he was going to kiss her until he had already done it and once he had, it was like he couldn't have done anything else. He took that breath she was holding in like it belonged to him and he needed it back. Like no amount of exhaustion or weariness could stop him.

He reached back with his foot and swung her door shut, walking her over to her bed though his lips never left hers. When he laid her down, his aquamarine eyes found hers and he stared at her like he'd never seen something so beautiful before.

Moments later, he was on top of her again and kissing every inch of her body that his lips could find. He knotted his fingers in her hair and enclosed them around her neck, feeling her pulse quietly beating against him. Despite the hours of sleep she craved and the lethargy her body was forced to push through, she was wide awake and she loved that he was the reason for it. In fact, she'd never felt so alive.

He placed a gentle thumb on her bottom lip and his breath brushed her cheek. She gazed up at him through long eyelashes and caressed his cheek softly.

"Stay," she said and pecked her lips again—quickly, like a habit.

"You're sure?" he asked and she nodded.

There wasn't much that she was sure of anymore—only that everything in their lives was about to change but she welcomed any change with him.

THEY SLEPT UNTIL MORNING, WAKING only when the sun spilled over their faces and the smell of fresh coffee drifted in from the kitchen down the hall. When Kate's eyes opened, she found Liam's gaze on her and the corners of her mouth turned into a smile.

"Hey pretty girl." He pressed a kiss into her hair. "How'd you sleep?"

She reached for another kiss, the sheet falling from around her chest as she did. He tucked it under her arms and then she pulled away smiling.

"I can't believe this is about to be our lives every day," she said. "It feels like a dream."

Liam bowed his head as he laughed. "I was going to say everything with you feels like a dream but I thought that might sound cheesy."

She giggled and then rested her chin on his chest. "And yet you managed to sneak it in there anyway."

He laughed again and rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, I hate to do this to you, but I should probably get going."

Kate's lip pushed into a pout. "You're leaving? We could just spend the day in bed."

He smirked. "I'd like that. You know I would. But I told Drew I'd go for a run with him. I feel bad. Fi left him and it's only a matter of time before he spirals."

"Phoebe left him?" Kate noticed when the freckly girl left the hospital before seeing Baby Evie but she figured she had some kind of meeting or workout to get to. Never in a million years did she think Phoebe would actually leave—and certainly not without saying goodbye.