Valorie woke up. Confusion set in and she didn’t know where she was. It startled her until she remembered she was at Liam’s.
Beside the bed was a chair with a pile of clothes on it and a note.
Valorie, I hope they’re the right size.
Love L.
There was a pair of sweats, t-shirt, a package of underwear, and socks. He thought of everything. She couldn’t believe his kindness. Getting out of bed, she dressed, everything fit perfectly.
Valorie could smell bacon drifting down the hallway. From the bedroom, she made a detour to the bathroom. A new toothbrush, paste, and deodorant sat on the sink with a post-it-note ‘Love Liam.’ She felt surprised at the tenderness and care Liam showed for her.
Humming a Christmas song while she brushed her teeth brought her further into the holiday cheer. The sound of the overhead fan relaxed her before leaving the softly covered seashell walls, topaz angel curtains, and soft cream colored bathroom décor.
She heard water running, the breakfast food aromas beckoned Valorie to investigate, standing next to the stove was the person of her dreams. “Hello, handsome.” She walked up to him.
“Good morning, sunshine. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I am and it smells delicious.” She walked into the living room.
The tree they had picked out was set up in its stand in front of a bay window. Lying next to it was full shopping bags, their contents spilling out. Christmas decorations peaked up at her.
“How?”
Liam walked over to her and winked. “I have my ways.”
She threw herself at him surrounding him with her arms. “Thank you.”
“Now come on, beautiful, let’s look and see what they brought.” He threw his dish towel on the floor as they both sat down. Liam watched Valorie rummage through the bags pulling out Christmas stuff.
“What about breakfast?” Valorie looked over at him.
“It’s in the oven. I made an egg bake.”
“Oh okay.” Valorie unwound herself from Liam. Kneeling on the floor near the bags, she patted the ground next to her. “Come sit with me.”
Liam did her bidding. He sat down next to her as she ripped the bags apart.
“You thought of everything, lights, ornaments, tinsel, and red ribbons,” she held up a box. “Even an angel.”
“Yep, let’s see what else.” Liam got into the action, pulling stuff out of bags.
“Oh, my goodness, how sweet.” She held up two large stockings.
Liam’s face turned every color red it could possibly turn. “Oh, shit.” He scrubbed his face with his hand.
“I think it’s sweet. I can’t believe you did all this.” She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She sat back, her legs folded underneath her.
Liam was thankful for his friends, two of which were women and they were on his elite team. Sophia and Randi. They helped him out. He didn’t want Valorie to believe it had been him. “Well, although I’d love to take all the credit, I can’t. Two of my team members, Sophia and Randi, had went shopping for all this stuff. I want you to relax and enjoy staying here with me.”
The smile on her face touched his heart. “Oh my God, they thought of everything. I can’t wait to meet these amazing women.” She was sitting cross legged on the floor near the tree emptying out all the packages.
“Excuse me for a sec, I need to check breakfast.” Liam jumped up and raced to the kitchen. He was trying to decide if he should be embarrassed or just enjoy her excitement at the Christmas decorations. “I sure hope you don’t find all that stuff in there creepy?” he yelled as he checked the food.
“I think you are absolutely adorable, kind hearted, and a sweet man,” she replied, her voice came from right behind him. He knew she was there but with a held breath he waited and she circled his waist and squeezed tightly to him. She whispered, “Thank you.”
He absolutely adored her sweet scent of vanilla and lavender with a mixture of pheromones a female in want released. Liam was happy that she wanted him as much as he her. She was like a powerful drug he couldn’t get enough of. Liam knew his body was going through something entirely foreign to him. It had to be another part of the animal and its sex drive to dominate his female. He couldn’t let whatever inside him come out quite yet. He wouldn’t know what to do with him. He closed the oven door, turned quickly around, and gathered her in his arms.
“All this stuff is so beautiful. How? Why?” she asked, her voice slightly muffled.
He leaned back against the stove but still held her close. “The clothes were bought by two of my other unit members, Luke and Amber. Amber is amazing and she knows exactly what a girl needs.” He kissed her lips, covering up her frown.
“It was really nice,” Valorie murmured.
“I think they went a little,” he held his two fingers apart, “overboard. But dammit, I wanted this holiday to be special.”
“I’m so sorry you went to so much trouble for me. Geez, we haven’t seen each other in so long. I wasn’t a very good friend to you…” Her words drifted off. She lowered her eyes.
“Now listen here, you were a great friend in college. I fell in love with you─” He ran his hand through his hair. He’d let her go as she stepped away from him.
“What did you just say?” she whispered.
“Well, I’m going to just say it. I’m in love with you. Have always been, it never went away. I just didn’t realize it until I saw you that day at the gas station.” With a pulse-pounding certainty, he knew. “Your memory got me through those rough patches and kept me going.”
He let her go as she walked over to the faucet, grabbed a glass of water, and took a sip. “Liam, I…”
“Please don’t mock me by saying you love me too. I wouldn’t believe you if you tried.” His voice was sterner than he meant. Regretting his harsh words, he grabbed the glass setting it down as he pulled her into him.
She whispered, “I’m trying to say—”
He put his finger over her mouth. “Please, don’t.” His lips brushed against hers as he spoke.
She reached around his middle pulling him tight up against her. “Do you really mean that?”
He nodded. No words were needed from either one of them.
Reclaiming her lips, he crushed her to him. Forcing her lips open with his thrusting tongue. The beast rising close to the surface, Liam used his strength to control his raging emotions. His male counterpart hardened uncomfortably in his tight jeans.
Valorie returned his kiss with reckless abandonment. She’d wanted him inside her. Holding him tight to her, she felt his passion rise, his body betraying him, thrilling her. She knew he would take her now if she opened to him.
Knowing lust was an emotion which got people in trouble. She didn’t feel right letting either one of them get out of hand. Regrets and guilt could tear them apart before they even got a chance to get close. She pulled in all her lust, craving, and love for Liam. Breaking the kiss, she shook her head. Swallowing her plea to take her now, she separated them with her hands. “Down, boy. Easy now.”
He opened his eyes, surprise siphoning the blood out of his face. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. I let myself get carried away a little, Valorie.”
She couldn’t confess her love to him, because she wasn’t ready to tell him and have it reversed and he didn’t have the same feelings. It would crush her heart as it did back in college. . “Yes, I’m fine.” She reached out and touched his hand. “Hey, we both got a little carried away. I just want to slow down a little.”
His eyes brimmed with tenderness and passion.
Valorie wanted to give him something to hold on to. “I love you. I have since back in college. I don’t know if it is the kind of love you have for a friend, because to be totally honest, Liam, I’ve never been in love with anyone.”
“What about Matt? There had to have been more men in your life. You’re telling me, you’ve never been in love?” A strange, faintly eager look flashed in his eyes.
“I was a party monster as well as insecure back then. I needed to be popular, drink, and just plain be a rebel. I hated the fact my father was a cop. All through high school we weren’t allowed to date, and if I brought a boy home, my dad was awful.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief at her drama.
“What?” she hesitated, biting her lip, trying to contain her grin. “Liam, I’m trying to be serious here.”
He cupped her chin pulling her up to peer into his heartwarming tender gaze. “Shush, has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
She nodded. “You did, remember?”
He laughed, she joined in.
When their moods toned down his eyes changed. Stepping back slightly, she watched as the blues turned slightly gray, his pupils large enough to smother the gray color.
He stalked her as if she was a mouse and he were a cat. Capturing her, his lips took hers in a demanding kiss. He broke it moving down to her neck.
With her pulse racing, Valorie gave in and enjoyed the passion rising in her. Was this what it felt like to be in love with someone? She didn’t care, letting go was the easy part, reining in the lust would be hard.
When he pulled back, it was short-lived as he swept her, weightless, into his arms cradling her against his hard body.
“Liam…” she breathed his name.
“Let me just hold you for a minute,” he whispered.
Valorie felt conflicted; she would never have sex with a man this early on in a relationship. Self-doubt crept up on her as fast as a speeding train would race out of control. Snuggling against his hard chest, her mind started to kick her butt. There was no way she could, not at this point in a relationship they hadn’t even started yet. “You know what I want to do.”
“Anything, name it.” His voice was a velvet murmur.
She scrambled out of his arms and he reluctantly let her go. “Come on, let’s decorate this beautiful tree. It’s Saturday, so we can work a little bit, then eat. We have all day together to get this done.” Valorie started opening the boxes of lights.
Liam seemed to sense her insecurities. “As you wish, my lady.”
“Come on, silly.” She tapped his chest.