If it was possible, my jaw would have been on the ground. Had she not heard a word of what I’d been saying all night? Rushing over to her, I ignored her feeble protests as I pulled her into my arms, then used one hand under her chin to force her to look at me. “You are not a perk, London Kennedy,” I growled. “I don’t want anything from anyone else besides you. Haven’t you been listening? I only want you.”
She sniffed and her eyes watered, breaking my heart with sharp stabs of pain. “And what is it that you want from me?”
I lowered my face until our lips were so close, I could feel her warm breath on mine. “Everything,” I whispered before I covered her mouth with my own.
Chapter 7
Liam
I poured all my emotions—my hunger, my need, my love—into the kiss. She responded tentatively at first, but her body was more attuned to me than her head, and she melted into my embrace. “Stop overthinking, baby girl,” I muttered when we came up for air. I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes, inhaling her cherry scent. “Let your heart tell you who I am and what I want.”
London sighed, and some of the tension that had returned as soon as my lips left hers began to ebb away. I stepped back and took her hand, leading her over to one of the wicker chairs with overstuffed cushions. I lifted her into my arms before sitting, then arranged her on my lap so her legs hung off one side and her head rested on my chest. “I never lied to you, baby girl,” I stated as I rubbed circles on her back. “I would have told you about me, but we haven’t exactly talked a whole lot since we met.”
“And whose fault is that?” she piped up, making me chuckle.
“I’d like to blame my cock, but since he’s an extension of me, I guess I’ll shoulder most of the blame. But your sexy curves have to admit their part in this, too.” London giggled softly, and the sweet, lyrical sound was like a balm to my aching heart. “Anyway, I wasn’t hiding anything. It simply hadn’t come up yet—” I stopped as a thought popped up, and a little guilt trickled in my chest. “Okay, I probably should have told you when you were worrying about me losing my job,” I conceded, then shrugged. “I was going to but then decided it would be more fun to see your reaction to the house before I told you what I’m worth. I didn’t expect you to jump to those conclusions.”
“I might have gone a little overboard,” she confessed quietly. “My mother says I should have become an actress because I’m so dramatic and my imagination runs wild.”
I frowned and my arms tightened around her. “I don’t share,” I growled. The idea of other men dreaming about her, wanting her, or worse, a co-star kissing her, had me ready to commit murder. London must have sensed the violence bubbling to the surface because her fingers began to trail softly up and down my arm, soothing me.
“That’s not what I want,” she assured me with a smile. Her hand casually brushed over my thick beard. She seemed to like playing with it, and I wasn’t sure she even noticed. “I want to—” She broke off and buried her face in my neck. I was sure that if I could see her face, her cheeks would be cherry red.
“Tell me,” I prompted. I wanted her to open up to me, to tell me all the things I already knew. She shook her head, and I gave her a quick squeeze and kissed the crown of her head. “How about a trade? I’ll tell you all about me and answer any of your questions, honestly, and then you do the same.”
London lifted her head and scanned my face for a moment. Then she smiled brightly—her dimples digging deep into her cheeks—and nodded. “Deal.”
“Let’s go to the kitchen so I can make dinner while we talk.”
She started to move off my lap, but I held her close and stood, carrying inside. “You don’t have to carry me, Liam,” she protested feebly. “I’m not going anywhere. Put me down before you hurt yourself. I’m too heavy.”
I stopped in my tracks and threw back my head, a belly laugh erupting from my chest. London folded her arms across her chest and glared at me, making me laugh even harder.
“Are you serious?” I asked through my chortles.
“It’s not funny, Liam,” she pouted. Damn. I couldn’t ever let on what that look did to me. It would give her way too much power.
“Baby girl, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. You’re about as heavy as a feather.”