these things, because I like your friends too. And I want to support you with all that’s going on. I’m in no rush to leave Vegas, so if you’ll have me, I’d like to stick around you for a few more days, at least. With the understanding that when I leave…”
“To not expect anything romantic to continue,” I finished when her voice trailed off.
“Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “It’s just… I don’t do committed relationships. They sound like prison to me. And considering that I’ve been a part of one so-called committed relationship failing, and then been in the middle of another, it’s just not my thing. I feel like it’s more or less a fling between us. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” I said, squeezing her hands. But a small part of me was conflicted. She was the most enigmatic woman I’d ever met. I wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to her when she decided to leave, but I respected her decision. It meant several more days with her, which was more than I deserved anyway.
“Good.” She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against mine. I don’t know what it was about her, but when her lips found mine like that it was if she brushed dust from places that lived dormant far too long.
I cradled her face, holding her steady in my hands as I kissed her back like a man who wanted to give her what she gave me. The rhythm of our kiss changed, deepened, as she crawled off the bed and onto my lap, pressing her fully against me—chest to chest—heartbeat to heartbeat. Mine pounded so forcefully, as if it ached to jump from my body to hers.
My hands slid to the nape of her neck, tipping her head back to give me access to her throat, which I kissed thoroughly. I nibbled along her jawline, hungry for more and latched onto her earlobe momentarily before kissing the soft, fragrant skin behind it.
“Liam,” she said in a throaty whisper. “If we don’t stop now, we’ll never make it to dinner.”
“Good,” I murmured against her skin, nuzzling my way back to her mouth.
She laughed, kissing me full on the mouth and squeezing me tightly to her. She let a little moan escape her mouth and float into mine and grinded against my painfully hard erection that had the nerve to create distance between us.
She bit my lower lip, then caressed it softly with her tongue. “I’m serious,” she said into my mouth, but made no move to climb off my lap.
“So am I.” I slid my hands down the sides of her body, thinking of a million things I wanted to do with her and not one of them involved eating dinner with my friends and their significant others.
“We need to eat,” she said, her voice hushed as she grinded against me again.
“I’d planned on eating,” I said, and gently bit the soft skin along the side of her neck.
Laughter erupted from her, vibrating up that long column of skin as I nibbled it. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I told you I believed in being forthright.”
“Thank God for that.” With a noise of regret, she climbed off me and fell backward onto the bed. “Holy shit. How are we going to make it through this dinner?”
I adjusted my lap. “Good fucking question.”
When Tori and I joined the group for dinner, we were the last to arrive. Tori had noticed red marks along her neck right before we walked out the door and spent the next few minutes attempting to cover them with foundation before she gave up. “It’ll be dark in there anyway,” she said with a wink. “Right?”
“Sure,” I told her, but I wasn’t sure. I liked seeing evidence of our making out on her skin. I could still taste her, could still smell her. I was wholly wrapped up in her. The next several days would need to pass slowly, so I could savor her longer.
Nicole and Naomi stood to give Tori hugs and Seth clapped me on the back and told me he’d ordered a round of drinks already.
“I didn’t know what you drank, Tori, so I got you a water,” he said as she took the seat next to his fiancée.
Tori gave him a smile as she unfolded her napkin onto her lap. “Normally, I drink the tears of bitter Nerts losers, but tonight I’ll settle for a Long Island.”
“Hey, I wasn’t bitter,” Seth said, playing along. “Besides, it