It was one of those foggy, rainy days that made staying at home the most appealing plan. I lay in bed, already awake but too lazy to leave the warm sheets.
The apartment was immersed in silence. For a moment, I forgot it was Saturday and assumed that Liam had left for work. Just a simple thought about spending the day without him disappointed me.
I felt tingles on every part of my body he kissed last night. My skin wouldn't forget his touch that easily.
For once, I was glad I hadn't pushed him away. Liam cuddled me in my bed until I fell asleep, asking me how I was feeling and placing soft kisses on my face.
The key turned in the lock, and I heard Liam's footsteps as he went to the kitchen. In a short while, he was opening the door to my bedroom, carrying a tray.
"Sleeping Beauty is awake." He smiled. "I went to get croissants, and please don't say that I didn't have to do it."
"I won't. They smell too good." I grinned, making space for Liam to sit next to me.
He deposited the tray with our breakfast on the bed and leaned against the headboard.
"Your coffee." I handed him a mug.
"Thanks, sweetheart," said Liam. "So, any plans for today?"
"The weather is bad. I was thinking about staying in with you unless you have somewhere else to be."
Liam shook his head. "I want us to spend the day together. Tim is at Antoine's. Amelia sent me pictures of the two of them playing. She will drop him off at home on Tuesday."
"It's okay; I told you I didn't mind babysitting him."
"I'm sorry. I know a week is a long time, but—"
"Liam, it's okay," I said, covering Liam's hand with mine.
We had breakfast in comfortable silence. Once we were done, Liam took the tray back to the kitchen.
When he returned to my bedroom, I saw him whip off his T-shirt and unbutton his jeans.
"Liam?" I asked, my voice suddenly small.
"I'm getting in bed with you, sweetheart. I believe we have a pending talk."
"Give me a minute." I dashed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Was Liam going to kiss me again? What did he want us to talk about?
When I re-entered the room, Liam was already in bed, lying on his side and looking at me.
I slid under the comforter next to him. Liam hugged me, pressing his lips to my forehead.
"So, the talk," he whispered. "Did I take things too far last night?"
I shook my head, snuggling into him.
"Did you like what I did to you?"
The insecurity lacing Liam's voice made me smile. Feeling brave, I pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I loved it. I didn't know it would feel so good."
Liam sighed, stroking my back. "And yet, you had a damn panic attack. You struggled to breathe, sweetheart, and I feel like an asshole for letting that happen."
"You didn't do anything wrong. You know it's me and my—"
"If you say the word issues, I will spank you for real. You have no issues. You had to see yourself last night — so beautiful, flushed from the desire. You were ready, Sky. If you had let me, I would have made you come hard in less than a minute. I felt how much you wanted it. So, will you tell me what happened there for real? I can only think that it's because of me. You don't trust me yet."
"Liam, it's not because of you. Everything you did was perfect. I just couldn't get past my—"
"And that's it. You asked for it."
Grinning, Liam pulled me to him and made me lie across his lap.
I felt his hand caress the skin on my back under the cotton of his tee and move to my backside. Was he going to do it?
"There you go." Liam gave me a light, barely-there slap. "Now, I have to kiss it to make it better."
"No." I giggled.
"Oh yeah. Besides, look at this beauty. So round and perfect. I could do many things to it."
I tried to break free from Liam's grasp and failed. He only tightened his grip on me and laughed, lowering his head to my bum and biting it.
"Liam!" I squealed.
"Have you been a naughty girl, sweetheart?" he asked, caressing me.
"No." I laughed.
"Wrong answer." Liam bit me again and rested his cheek against the lace of my panties. "There has to be at least something naughty you've done."
"Maybe, but it's hard to focus when you do that," I said, referring to the kisses he started placing on my backside again.
"Pretty please, tell me one of your naughty secrets."
I turned over on Liam's lap. The fabric of the tee rolled up, letting him see my exposed stomach.
"I smoked when I was sixteen," I said. "Just a couple of cigarettes with my classmates. I hated the taste and smell. Didn't do it again. Your turn."
Liam traced the skin around my belly button with his fingertips. "I smoked when my mom died. Cigarettes and weed. Didn't like it, either. I stopped in time. I'm glad I did."
"I'm sorry," I said, looking at him.
Shrugging, Liam leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Don't be. Shit happens, sweetheart. Okay, any more secrets? Come on, don't make me beg."
"I was a good girl." I smiled. "My life was pretty normal. I think moving to France was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. I wish I saw more of the country."
Liam ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek and then jaw, stopping at my bottom lip. "We could go somewhere together and visit places."
"I'd love that. What about the best thing that has happened to you lately?"
Smiling, Liam ran his fingers through my hair. "Meeting you, getting to know you, getting close to you. Last night was special for me. I wish it hadn't ended the way it did."
"How did you want it to end?"
"With you naked and wrapped in my arms after you cried out my name, let's say...five times. And I don't mean that we should do it already. It will be on your terms, when you are ready and when you want it. Okay?"
"Okay." I smiled.
Liam continued stroking my skin absent-mindedly for some time. Then, he asked, "So, no more embarrassing little secrets?"
"Apart from lying to my family, who still think I'm in Marseille, none."
"You have to tell them, sweetheart."
Sighing, I slid lower and put my head on Liam's lap. "You're right, but my dad will get mad. He already told me it cost them a lot to have me living and studying abroad. This month they didn't send me anything for my birthday. It means that money is scarce. But well, enough about me. I meant to ask you for a while, do you have any relatives? I still have my grandparents, my dad's parents. What happened to yours?"
Liam chuckled, but there was a sad undertone to the sound of his laughter. "My dad's parents died when I was ten. They were great. I have no idea about the other grandparents of mine."
"How so?" I asked, frowning.
Liam focused his eyes on the wall opposite my bed. He seemed to be lost in memories when he said, "My mom was getting famous in the States. Her parents wanted her to continue her dancing career at all costs. According to my mom, they were far from poor. Her father had a business of some kind. The thing is, when my mom met my dad and decided to stay in France, her parents cut her off and stopped talking to her. They wanted her to focus on dancing, but she chose my dad and later me. Her parents never understood how she could make that decision."
"It doesn't justify anything. She was their daughter. They should have supported her no matter what she chose to do."
Liam smiled. "You are right, but I don't want you to feel bad about it. I'm twenty-one, sweetheart, and I have never met them. I'm not sure they know about Tim's existence. Hell, I don't even know if they know about me or that my mom died. I always felt bad for my mom, though, because it did affect her. They were her parents, after all."
"It's awful. If they have something good in them, they must regret it a lot."
Liam shrugged, caressing my arm. "Who knows? Mom didn't like talking about them or her life in the States before she met my dad. I guess it was painful."
"I'm sure of it," I mumbled.
The silence stretched between us, then. We didn't talk for a while. All I could think about was how natural it was for me to be with Liam. Even now, as we lay in bed with barely any clothes on us, there wasn't any awkwardness or doubts.
I was an overthinker, but with him, I was finally learning to let go.
"Are you hungry?" Liam asked me later.
"A bit. It is late, so we should probably eat."
"We have some pasta left. I can heat it up. There's wine too if you want a glass."
I smiled. "Deal."
Liam pecked my lips. "Just don't take a shower. I like you in my clothes."
"Unfortunately, I have to do it, but I'll be quick."
True to my words, I tried not to take too long in the bathroom. When I walked into the living room where Liam had already arranged everything on the coffee table, I smiled at his wet hair.
"Not playing fair, roomie."
"Touché." He laughed. "I cannot stink when I'm with you, sweetheart. Now, let's eat while the food is hot."
I sat next to Liam on the carpet. He turned on the TV, but neither of us paid attention to it.
I did pay attention to the guy next to me, trying to guess what was on his mind. He didn't make a move. I wondered if my panic the previous night had something to do.
"The meal was delicious," I said, setting the fork on my empty plate.
"Thank you. The company made it much better," said Liam.
We looked at each other. The daylight was gone now, and the only source of light came from the TV.
Liam got up and extended his hand for me to take.
Puzzled, I let him pull me to my feet.
"I want a dance with you," he said, grabbing the remote from the couch and turning off the TV.
"Okay," I whispered.
"Come here."
I let Liam hug me. "No lights?" I said, struggling to see anything in the dark room.
"Do you need them?" asked Liam. "I want you to feel things and feel me tonight. We don't need lights for this first part."
"How many parts will there be?"
"Two. For the second one, I will want to see every inch of your delicious body."
I blushed, and Liam hugged me to him as if my scarlet cheeks could be seen in the dark.
I touched his back, moving my hands up until they were on his neck. Liam drew his arms around my waist, bringing me flush to him.
The song that played from the speakers Liam connected to his phone fitted the mood. The singer was singing about wanting their lover, and Liam's face was getting closer to mine with each line of the lyrics.
Then, Liam finally kissed me.
I didn't want an innocent peck on the lips. Opening my mouth, I granted Liam access, silently asking him to give me more.
A groan left his throat when his tongue stroked mine, and I responded to the kiss, pressing him to me and gripping his hair. Liam moved his hands down until he was cupping my backside.
I felt the courage I didn't know I possessed — the same courage that made me kiss Liam's jaw and then his neck, licking a path down to his tattoo and biting him gently.
"Fuck...bed," he uttered, walking backward to the living room door with me in his arms. I was still kissing him. I couldn't stop.
We bumped into the dresser in the dark hallway, sending everything that was on top of it to the floor. Liam's wet mouth sought mine when we were finally in my room.
He halted in the middle of the room and took my face between his palms, kissing me deeply. Every caress of his tongue sent jolts of pleasure to my core.
This time, he didn't ask for permission to undress me, yanking my T-shirt over my head and unclasping my bra before he got rid of it.
"You're fucking gorgeous," Liam whispered, placing his hands on my breasts.
I tugged at the hem of his shirt, desperate to have his skin on mine. Liam obliged, taking it off and throwing it to the floor. His shorts landed on top of the pile of our clothes.
"Come here, sweetheart," Liam whispered, his voice husky. Not wasting any more time, he opened the comforter and lay on his back, pulling me to him so that I ended up on top of him.
Liam's lips were on mine again, but I was more aware of his hands caressing my hot skin, not missing an inch of it. Then, he kissed my neck, and rolled us over, trapping me under him.
I loved his weight on top of me. I loved the way he ran his hands down my arms and then lifted my arms above my head, holding my wrists so that I wouldn't move.
"Trust me, my gorgeous girl," Liam whispered as his wet lips found my nipple, and he took it in his mouth, sucking and biting enough to make me moan and repeating the same on my other breast.
I couldn't believe I was the one making those sounds. When Liam released my hands after subjecting me to the sweetest of tortures for what seemed like a long time, I couldn't think, let alone speak.
Liam kissed my lips and studied my face, running his fingertips over my cheek and smiling when I kissed his palm.
"I have a wish," he mumbled, rubbing my bottom lip with his thumb.
"Which?" I asked and noticed that my voice sounded different.
"Sleep with me the way you are now."
I smiled. "Okay."
"And one more."
"Which?"
"Let me show you how good I can make you feel. Let me give you pleasure. Not tonight, but I would like you to think about it while I'm gone. Promise that you will think about it."
"I promise," I whispered, pressing a kiss to Liam's mouth, which he didn't hesitate to deepen, wrapping me in his strong arms and making my heart flutter.
Making me feel.
Not very eventful, I know. I wanted to show you a bit of Skiam together. Tell me how it was!
Love,
A.