TAKE TWO_ Who says you can't ma - Heather M. Orgeron Page 0,8
like surprises, remember? Let’s not ruin this happy moment.”
Liam
Great wall of pillows
“I set out a pillow and blanket for you on the fold-out couch.” Nya slinks out of the bathroom in a silky top and matching sleep shorts. They’re pink with black polka dots, trimmed in lace. I can clearly see her rock-hard nipples beneath the fabric from where I sit at the foot of the bed. Fuck. She’s beautiful. Her hair is loose, the glossy waves cascading down her back. Her face freshly scrubbed clean of any makeup. Our old bedroom smells of her sweet-scented body wash, and the combination is making it hard to breathe, let alone think.
“Damn, you’re pretty.” It’s not something that was planned, but a thought so honest I couldn’t keep it contained
“Liam.” She clears her throat. Then, her big brown eyes rake over my body, from my naked chest to my abs. She pauses briefly at the tent in my boxer shorts before resuming her perusal all the way down until she reaches my bare feet. As if realizing she’s just fucked me with her eyes, she jerks her gaze up to meet mine. “Please don’t try to flatter me. This is new and really nothing has changed.”
“Your beauty is nothing new,” I counter with a wink, not wanting to delve into the serious shit yet. She’s so focused on what went wrong. I’d rather use this time to my advantage—to remind her of all the things that were so very right.
Heat darkens her cheeks. “You know what I mean. This. Us. Under the same roof. I can’t just pretend the last ten years didn’t exist.”
“I’m not asking you to, but there were a few really good years in there too. I can’t just forget them, Nya. After all this time, I still can’t forget the way you feel in my arms. The taste of your skin on my tongue.” I swallow hard, once again focusing on those nipples, which seem to be protruding even farther against the delicate silk. “Damn it, woman, you still occupy my every waking thought. To this day, it’s still your face I see when I close my eyes to sleep each night.”
Her lip quivers, telling me she’s not unaffected by my confession.
“I’m going to take a wild guess that it’s the same for you. That means something, whether you want to admit it or not. All I’m asking for is an honest chance to prove to you that this…that we can work.”
She turns her nose up and sniffs, before squaring her shoulders and walking around to her side of the bed. “I’ll see you in the morning, Liam. Goodnight.”
It’s not exactly a denial. I’ll take it.
“’Night, sweetheart,” I respond before turning off the lamp and climbing beneath the covers.
“Why are you still here?” She whispers the question, like suddenly because the room is dark, we need to be quiet. “You’re—you’re supposed to be on the couch.”
Taking advantage of the fact that she can’t see me, I lean in and plant a kiss on the top of her head. “Going to sleep,” I whisper back. “This is the master bedroom. I’m the master. Where else would I be?”
“Did you ju—don’t kiss me.” She huffs out a frustrated breath. “Stay on your side,” Nya orders as she begins erecting a wall of pillows between us.
“I thought we could cuddle?” I’m immensely grateful for the fact that she can’t see the smile tugging at my lips right now.
“We’re having dinner with Mami and Papi tomorrow night,” she says, ignoring my suggestion.
“Awesome.” They love me.
“Was that all of your stuff?” Her tone is annoyed, as she changes the subject from her devout Catholic parents who’ve always been on my side.
“Yep, all moved in.”
“You’ll probably want to go out and purchase a new Keurig tomorrow.”
“What? Why? Did you break my coffee machine?” Nya doesn’t like coffee. Can’t even stand the smell.
“It was red.”
Cohesion. I shake my head and laugh.
“It stuck out like a—”
“Let me guess. Like a sore thumb?”
“Precisely.” The top layer of her pillow fortress comes down and her head peeks over. “You’re not angry with me?”
With my eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I can clearly make out the lines of her face, her high cheekbones, and pouty lips. It takes every ounce of energy I possess not to pull her face to mine and press my lips to hers. “No, babe. I’m not mad.” I tuck a wisp of hair behind her ear.