Always Faithful

Chapter 12: Just to See You Smile

The bright light of the sun lit up the room stirring Liam awake. He blinked his eyes a few times to remember where he was. To his enjoyment, his dreams were full of Bragnae, and he hoped she'd be lying next to him, but when he looked to his left, he saw Madeleine sleeping peacefully on her side facing away from him. He sighed with disappointment, looking back up at the ceiling as he recalled the previous night with Madeleine as he fantasized about Bragnae.

As much as he knew his thoughts about Bragnae were dangerous, he couldn't shake them. After Drake had physically reminded him to get his head out of his ass after he hit on Bragnae at the Halloween Party, Liam had shut down his desire for her. It wasn't worth losing or disrupting his long-term friendship with Drake. But after yesterday, his feelings for her had resurfaced.

Perhaps they never truly went away, but he thought at one point he could easily move on from how he felt. It's just a minor crush. I like her because I can't have her. Plus, she's fucking hot. Any guy would want her, he told himself. However, his interactions with her over the course of the trip thus far had proved that his feelings for her were more than he originally believed.

Bragnae wasn't just some girl he'd use to get his dick wet for a night. She was more than that. Even though he desperately wanted to be inside her, especially since the minute he laid eyes on her at the bar, there was something more that drew him to her. And it was pissing him off. He was Liam Reese – the guy who could get any girl he wanted, and never settled for anything less than the best.

He sighed thinking about Bragnae and how close, yet so far away she seemed. Yesterday, when he leaned in to kiss her, she didn't pull back. If Hana and Madeleine hadn't come back when they did, their lips would have connected in a kiss. An emotional, raw, and passionate kiss that could have led to more – maybe. She does still love Drake. But the fact that she didn't pull away from him, and that his lips just barely grazing hers before they were interrupted told him there was hope.

Even though she told him on the balcony that she was glad the kiss didn't happen, did she really mean it? There was a new look in her eyes for him. He wasn't crazy. Liam felt a connection that went both ways. What am I doing? Why am I torturing myself with this? Even if Bragnae does have feelings for me, and somehow decides to break up with Drake to be with me, it will still ruin my friendship with him. No matter what, I can never have her, and be completely happy about it. Drake would never forgive me.

Despite his conflicting thoughts, the notion of being with and wanting Bragnae still clouded his mind. He closed his eyes to revel in the countless erotic images of her that ran through his head. A noise through the wall caught his attention – a loud moan rang out from the next room. Liam's eyes snapped open. Holy shit. Is that Bragnae? He quickly rationalized where her and Drake's room was compared to his in the suite to see if this was actually happening, or if his strong desire to fuck her was just making him think he was hearing her moan.

Liam shifted closer to the headboard in an effort to hear better. He heard small whimpers, and what he thought was heavy breathing. A thought came to his mind. I could probably hear better from the bathroom since it's directly next to their room. Part of himself cursed the fact that he was creeping in on an intimate moment, but his desperation to cling to anything that had to do with Bragnae overpowered those thoughts. He carefully got out of bed as to not disturb Madeleine, and tiptoed to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly.

As he suspected, Liam could hear much clearer than before. He leaned his back against the shared wall, and turned his ear toward the sounds. He heard Bragnae cry out in pleasure again. He closed his eyes wishing he was on the other side of the wall instead. Liam was grateful Drake wasn't making any noise at the moment, so he could pretend it was him taking Drake's place.