Liam kissed her shoulder. “Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter Nineteen

They made it to the shower, and that was when Avery digested every ounce of him.

The tattoo on his right shoulder was a geometric design he told her didn’t have a meaning. He’d been on spring break his second year of college, drunk with his friends . . . yeah, she could identify with that. She wasn’t sure how much of her college years she’d actually spent sober.

There weren’t many times in Avery’s sexual life that she’d showered with a man. Early on, when she wanted to try everything once. But in her most recent past, she never wanted a man to look at her the way Liam did. Every gentle swipe of his soap-filled hand told her she was beautiful . . . said he was lucky.

The moisture dripping off her hair as she stepped from the shower matched the volume of the ice that had been around her heart. Even as the thought entered her head, she tried to pull it back.

It’s just sex.

Even alone with her thoughts, she couldn’t convince herself that was true.

Liam was different. What that meant she couldn’t name. Refused to name. Men bounced once they slept with her. They always did.

With a towel wrapped around her and another one in her hands as she dried her hair, she watched Liam come up to stand behind her. Their reflection in the mirror brought a smile to her face.

“What has you so quiet?”

“Nothing.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder and stared at her in the mirror.

Before he could call her a liar, she squeezed out the only words she could find. “I really like you.”

He bit his lip as if he was trying not to smile.

“You just figured that out?”

Avery rolled her eyes and dropped her gaze. “Men never stick around. And you’re kinda growing on me.”

“I’m not like any other man in your life.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s scary.”

He laughed.

“Stop. I’m serious.” She shivered, looked at him. “Ever since we met, I’ve felt like there’s a wool coat on my bare skin, but I’m fine with it because feeling the coarse fiber is better than feeling nothing at all.”

His laughter faded. “I want to be the silk against your skin. But I’ll take the wool coat for now.”

He took the towel from her hands, set it aside, and grabbed a brush. With slow strokes, he brushed her hair without so much as a tug.

“You’re good at this.”

“I have a niece who doesn’t sit still unless I’m brushing her hair.”

“You’re too much.”

He nodded without shame. “I am.”

“Humble, too.”

Moving her hair to the side, he kissed the back of her neck. “Tell me something.”

Avery tilted her head to the side and encouraged him to kiss her again. “Yes.”

“Do you ever let men spend the night?” Lips on her neck, a tiny lick.

She shivered.

“No. I kick you all out once I’m done.”

He untucked her towel and ran the bristles of the brush gently over her back.

Her sex fluttered.

“What side of the bed do I get?”

Avery stretched like a cat waking up in the sunlight streaming through a window. Her eyes blinked open and the previous night rushed in. She closed them again and smiled. They’d made love until she cried uncle and then proceeded to curl into a ball at Liam’s side and fall fast asleep.

With one hand, she patted the space beside her, searching him out.

Not there.

Damn it.

On her way to rolling over and pounding the pillow beside her, she heard whistling coming from her kitchen. And coffee. She smelled coffee.

She left her bed naked and searched out a robe. When she couldn’t find it, she pulled on an oversize T-shirt she often wore as a nightgown.

In the kitchen, with his back to her, Liam sported her white, fluffy bathrobe. She swam in it. On Liam, it came up short on his arms and just hit his knees.

He looked ridiculous.

“Perfect fit,” she teased.

Without looking her way, he lifted a hand in the air to ward her off. “Desperate times deserve desperate measures. Don’t judge.”

He stopped chopping whatever he was cutting up, turned, and crossed to her side.

After dropping a kiss, he said, “Good morning.”

“Morning.”

His gaze lowered. “I’d offer you your robe, but then I’d be naked and you’d be dressed. And I like this ensemble you have going. The only thing that would make it better is if that were my shirt.”

Liam turned back to what he was doing.

“Are you cooking?”

“I am. But first thing, you don’t snore. And the second thing . . . there is nothing but rabbit food in here.”

“Organic rabbit food.”

He traversed her kitchen and poured her a cup of coffee. “What do you take in it?”

“Raw sugar. It’s in the—”

“Got it.” He had the lid off her sugar container before she could finish her sentence.

“Are you always this awake first thing in the morning?”

He paused, looked at her, then turned to the clock on the wall. It was almost nine thirty.

“Oh.”

“I am. After last night, I could take on the world.” He handed her the cup and kissed her forehead. “I hope you like omelets.”

“I can’t believe you’re cooking.”

“We need to eat. Don’t you cook?”

“Not if I can avoid it.”

He put oil in a hot pan and added the egg mixture. The man looked like he knew what he was doing.

“I don’t mind it. Most days I don’t have time.”

She sat at the kitchen counter and watched him channel his best impression of a short order cook. It was hot, even while he was wearing her bathrobe.

A few minutes later Liam placed a plate full of food in front of her.

“This looks amazing.”

“Taste it and tell me if it needs anything so I get mine right.” He winked.

There were onions, feta, spinach, and a spice she didn’t recognize. “Heaven.”

Before she could butter her toast, he had managed a second omelet for himself and was taking a place beside her.

“This is really good, Liam. Thank you.”

He took a bite, nodded. “A little bacon would round it off perfectly.”

“Love bacon, just hate cooking it.”

“Bake it in the oven. No mess.”

“Really?”

“Yup. The way my mom always did.”

“I’ll have to try that.”

Avery sipped her coffee and watched him finish.

He glanced over. “You’re done?”

She wasn’t about to tell him her normal breakfast was java alone. “I’m stuffed.”

He pulled her plate over and dug into the last few bites. “You drained me.”

She leaned back and placed her foot in his lap. “Worth it?”

“Just need to fuel up so we can do it again.”

“First you won’t, now you don’t want to stop.”

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back. “Need to make up for lost time.”

Avery laughed.

“What is on your agenda today?” he asked.

“I was going to stop by the Lankford property for a couple hours.”

“Working on Saturday?”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve heard your phone buzzing constantly.”

“True, but most of the time construction stops on the weekends.” He started absentmindedly rubbing her foot that rested in his lap.

“I want this job done. Especially after Sheldon asked me out.”

Liam’s hands stopped. “He what?”

“Don’t stop.” She wiggled her foot before placing the second one in his lap for attention. “Yeah. Out of the blue. I’m thinking no. And hell no. I work for him. Even if I didn’t . . . no.”

“So you don’t want to date the man. Got it.” Liam smiled.

“I told him I was seeing someone.”

Liam pointed a finger to his chest and mouthed the word me.

Avery rolled her eyes. “No, James, the doorman.”

“I knew he had a thing for you.”

“You would think I’m seeing someone would end the discussion. Not with Sheldon, he practically quizzed me. Said if it was new, then he would check back with me later. The whole thing struck me as weird. Uncomfortable.”

“Like wool on bare skin?”

She took a hasty drink of her coffee. “No, like bile coming up your throat. I’m overreacting, but I didn’t like the whole exchange. Especially on the heels of him asking you to take the job.”

Liam rubbed her feet a little harder. “Asking me to what?”

“Okay, so right before the awkward date request, he asked that I inquire with you about taking the remodeling job.”

“He wants to do it?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think it was very ethical of me to suggest someone I’m seeing do the job. Like insider trading.”

Liam’s slow smile went full force.

“What?”

“You just admitted, twice, that we’re a thing.”

She slid her feet off his lap. “I did not.”