My cheeks flame at the reminder of Maya, Jax, and Noah sitting less than a yard away. “I’d end up selling your little toy on eBay and cashing out.”
“I can assure you it would be anything but little. But why don’t you find out for yourself? You do have a love for thorough research.”
I scoff, hiding how much his words affect me.
He dares to put his arms up, attempting to look innocent, his eyes twinkling under the faint lighting of the restaurant. “I didn’t create the list. I’m only trying to help you complete the items.”
“Next, you’re going to offer to help me use your big toy.” I use my thumb and index finger to show an invisible gap of about three inches.
“Is that option on the table?”
I smack him with my cloth napkin. “No. Neither is a 3D copy of your cock. Keep that to yourself because that’s even worse than a dick pic.”
“You haven’t been getting the right kind of dick pics if that’s your thought on them.”
What kind does he send to random women in the middle of the night?
His hand grasps mine, sending a current of energy up my arm, some foreign sensation I frown at. I’m scared of how other things would feel with him if this is how my body responds to hand-holding.
I blame the fact that I’ve had all but three partners who, when combined, don’t have nearly half the sexual energy Liam gives off. It oozes out of him, all baby blues and ridiculous one-liners. Not to mention a six-pack I may or may not have checked out on the internet. He even smells fantastic. Men like Liam lure you in for a night and next thing you know, you’re so fucked you don’t know which way is up.
I stare at our joined hands, trying to understand the connection between us. It must be the confidence Liam exudes. It’s such a different experience when compared to the guys I’ve been around before, with those sexual encounters being subpar at best.
I somehow break away from his hold, dropping back into the group’s conversations. Liam lets me get away with avoiding one-on-one conversations for the rest of the night. Like the gentleman he pretends to be, he pays for dinner, putting an end to our bizarre date.
Outside of the restaurant, I strategically insert myself into Noah’s offer to take Maya back to the Bandini team’s hotel. Liam doesn’t look the least bit pleased based on the clenching of his jaw and the way his eyes narrow at his fuckboy friend.
You win some, you lose some.And I don’t want to be the one to lose anything.
The car ride back with Noah and Maya is filled with sexual tension, with me unable to escape them since my body is wedged between them.
I decide to break the awkward silence after a few minutes. “Did you know some versions of paella include mussels in them? Remind me to order mine without them when we have dinner tomorrow.”
“Hmm.” Maya stares out the window, leaving no room for a back and forth. No worries, I can talk enough for the two of us.
“And we can visit the beach while the guys practice tomorrow. What do you say? Me, you, sangria, and shirtless Spanish boys?”
Noah turns his head toward me. His deep blue eyes assess me before moving onto Maya, lingering on her face. “Just what she needs. More men hanging around her, wanting to fuck around.”
Alrighty then. I’ll take Sore Subject for two hundred, please.
Maya turns toward me and mouths a silent apology. I instantly regret joining these two for a car ride because the whole situation is awkward as fuck. My lips remain sealed for the rest of the trip, no longer in the mood to deal with a brooding Noah.
Once we arrive at the hotel, I crawl over Maya’s lap, desperate to get out of the backseat as soon as the driver parks the town car. Their kind of sexual tension makes it difficult to breathe without a rescue inhaler.
“See you later, Maya. And Noah, grow a pair or drop the grumpy attitude.” I throw them a peace sign for good effort, hoping to send some positive Gandhi vibes their way.
My plain hotel room greets me. I unlace my sneakers and tug them off, abandoning them at the entryway. A knock at the door surprises me. Maybe Maya left something in my room earlier?
I open the door without checking the peephole. “You should fuck Noah and get it over—” Nope. Definitely not Maya. The same blue eyes I spent the night staring into look back at me.
Liam’s smile makes my insides feel mushy and hot, a simple look disarming me. “Tempting, but I’d rather not.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you paid the concierge to find out my room number.”
“Not to creep you out, but it was almost too easy to get your information.” He leans against the doorframe.
“If the concierge was a woman then that would explain it.” My eyes linger on his face, memorizing his soft-looking lips surrounded by weeks-old stubble. He has a faint scar running down one of his eyebrows, another hint of his mischievous past. He’s a knockout in every sense of the word—in looks, in personality, and in knocking the air out of my lungs.