CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Maggie

 

I was having a good time. There was no denying it. The physical attraction was still strong, but for the first time, I forced myself to put that aside and focus on Liam, the man. And I found him to be curious, attentive, and engaging. I was pleasantly surprised.

I was a drink ahead of him, and I was feeling okay. When The Wallflowers came on, I put down my glass and looked him straight in the eye.

“Dance with me,” I said.

He smiled and got to his feet, putting out his hand for me. He led me onto the dance floor and pulled me into his arms. Together, we swayed to the music, him holding me close. I lay my head on his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his hands on my back, his scent enveloping me.

“This is nice,” he said quietly.

“Mmmm.”

“I never dance. I wonder why,” he mused.

“Maybe it didn’t seem manly enough to you?” I teased, looking up into his face.

“Fuck that, this is awesome.” He pulled me in closer and I laughed against his chest.

He tried a little spin, and it would’ve been successful if I’d been steadier on my feet, but after three margaritas, that wasn’t the case. We collided with the couple next to us and I burst out laughing, Liam bringing me in once again to keep me out of harm’s way. Or for everyone else’s protection.

We stayed on the dance floor for quite a while. He was graceful but clearly unpracticed. It was charming, and I appreciated that he was trying. The slow songs were the best, when his arms would come around me and everyone else just melted away.

“Hey, you okay?” he whispered in my ear.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“A little wobbly, I think. Should we go get some air?”

I giggled and shrugged, following him outside into the parking lot. It was a gorgeous night, a slight breeze bringing the temperature down a little. Nights were always cooler up north, but sometimes in late July and early August, even those were unbearable.

“This was an excellent idea,” I said, spreading out my arms to the sky. “Look at that sky.”

Liam stood behind me, hands on my shoulders as we star-gazed.

“Do you know the constellations?” I asked.

“No, I wish I did. You?”

“No. We can learn them together.”

He let out a soft laugh.

“I’d like that.”

I turned to look at him over my shoulder.

“The date’s going well, don’t you think?” I asked.

“I do. I’m glad you think so, too,” he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of my face.

“You know, usually when a date goes well, the guy will try for a kiss.”

I closed my eyes and waited, but nothing happened. I opened one eye, only to find him staring at me, amused.

“You’re not going to kiss me,” I said.

“You’re drunk. And I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“What if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?”

I heard a groan coming from somewhere deep in his chest.

“Please don’t say that.”

I turned around and laced my hands behind his neck.

“Kiss me,” I said.

He gently took my hands and brought them back down to my sides, not letting go of me. He looked me right in the eye.

“Let’s be clear about something,” he said. “I want to kiss you. Very much. But you are drunk, and I’m working too hard here to fuck this up. And if we can get through this part, then believe me when I tell you I will kiss you. And I won’t be a gentleman about it. I have not forgotten what you look like when you come.”

I felt a rush of heat between my legs and I squeezed my thighs together. Every nerve ending in my body was alive and dancing, aching for his touch. A touch I knew wasn’t coming.

“Can we go home?” I asked.

“Absolutely.”

We walked silently to his car, and he unlocked the door to let me in. Then he got in, started the car, and stared straight ahead for almost a full minute. Then he turned off the engine.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“No. But what are our options here? Go back inside and suffer from this sexual tension, or say goodnight and look forward to the next time we meet?”

He turned the key and we pulled out onto the highway.

 

*

“Not even a kiss?” Tammy asked.

“Not even a kiss.”

“Liam Grayson? Liam Grayson objected to kissing you because you were drunk?”

I nodded my head and continued folding towels. I was standing in the hallway on the third floor beside my hospitality cart and Tammy was pacing the hallway, getting all the details of my Sunday night date. She’d tried calling me on Monday, but my hangover was unbearable and I hid under the covers all day.

“That’s unbelievable. Who are you, woman? What kind of power do you possess?”

I laughed and started pushing the cart towards the next room. Tammy followed close behind, not yet satisfied.

“When are you seeing him again?” she asked.

“Wednesday. He’s coming over to make me dinner.”

Tammy waggled her eyebrows at me.

“Returning to the scene of the crime?” she asked.

“Please. We’re going to have a nice dinner, maybe watch a movie. Completely innocent.”

“Yeah, right.” Tammy checked her phone and slipped it into her pocket. “I’ve got to get downstairs. My shift starts in five. We’ll pick this up later.”

 

*

Wednesday rolled around fast, and I spent the entire day in a daze. My supervisor pulled me aside twice, and I apologized profusely before getting back to work. This was ridiculous. I was a grown woman who had a date with an attractive man she’d been fake dating and almost slept with and who was now interested in pursuing a real relationship with her. There was absolutely nothing to be nervous about.

And yet.

I managed to get through the day, get home, and shower before Liam rang the bell. I’d just slipped into a black tulip skirt and fitted white T-shirt. I hadn’t even had time to pull my hair back. I went downstairs and opened the door to find him standing there, two paper shopping bags under his arms. I grinned and moved aside to let him in.

“You look fabulous,” he said as he passed me.

Huh. He was getting more and more chivalrous as time went on. I’d been under the impression it was supposed to go the opposite way. I followed him into the kitchen, watching as he unpacked the groceries he’d clearly swiped from the restaurant. He looked larger than life in my kitchen, tall, broad-chested, tattooed. His jaw moved slightly as he worked, and he occasionally chewed on his lower lip. I’d never noticed either of those things before.

“What are we having?” I asked.

In response, he pulled two lobsters out of one of the bags. I jumped back.

“Those are alive,” I said.

“Yes, they are. Don’t worry, I’m about to kill them.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Liam burst out laughing, dropping the lobsters in the sink as he came over to me.

“You’ve never made lobster?”

I shook my head, wide-eyed and maybe a little terrified. What if they got out of the sink? How fast did lobsters move? Did they bite?

“No. I like eating it though. I’m thinking maybe I’ll go change or something—”

“Don’t change.”

“Well, I don’t want to be here while you, you know…” I made a slicing motion across my throat and cocked my head towards the sink. Liam just laughed.

“They can’t hear you.”

I let out an exasperated sigh.

“Just let me know when you’re done, okay? We’ll eat in the dining room. I’ll go set the table.”

I turned around and left him to his own devices. He certainly knew where everything was. I turned my back on him and hummed loudly as he worked. I could hear him filling the pot with water and briefly wondered where the lobsters might be. I thought it was a good time to fluff the pillows on the couch.

By the time I heard the screams, I was refolding the blankets I stored in the ottoman. I sat down hard and counted to ten. He’d just murdered two lobsters in my kitchen and they were screaming.

“They’re not screaming,” he called out, reading my mind. “It’s just the air escaping their shells. They were dead before they hit the water.”

I wasn’t sure that thought was any more comforting.

I made my way back to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of white wine and two glasses. I poured, then handed one to him.

“To second dates,” he said.

I raised my glass to meet his and took a sip, looking up as I drank.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Nothing. No, that’s not true. I was just thinking how much I was looking forward to this evening, and how that’s surprising and not surprising all at once.”

“Elaborate,” he said.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and took another sip of wine before answering.

“Well, when we met, I was a little intimidated by you. Then, I thought you were just a superficial guy, you know? Nothing there. But the more time we spent together, the more I learned the truth. You’re a good guy, Liam. You’re smart, funny, well-educated. You’re killer at your job. I can’t figure out why you’d sell yourself short all these years in the relationship department.”

He just shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you. That was just the game. The life of a chef. Work hard, party harder. It never occurred to me that they could be two separate things: my career and my private life. Until I met you.”

He turned back to the counter, picked up his knife, and continued chopping vegetables.

“Do you want me to help?” I asked.

“Nah. Just keep me company.”

I turned on some music and then just stood there, sipping my wine and watching the muscles under his shirt flex as he worked.