I was in too deep.

I screwed up, I know. I had told myself Liam and I were over after that night, but my stubborn self didn’t listen. My stubborn self responded to his message next day, and then another one, and another one, and before I knew it, we were full-blown flirting in texts and acting as if the night of Claire’s engagement party wasn’t the end but the beginning.

I was supposed to be smarter and ignore Liam’s first message, which was:

“I know I’m probably messing things up now, but I really miss you.”

My heart was waltzing in my chest. Something spurred me on to move my fingers across my screen and respond.

“I’m messing up big time too because I’m supposed to know better. But here I am. Texting you back. I miss you too.”

Three days later, and I was nowhere near the answer to—What the hell are we doing?

I was too impulsive to act reasonably. Hell, that was Claire’s forte, not mine.

I wanted to see him again, thinking about him all the time, creating various fantasies with him, which led to some very steamy alone time in my bedroom. I couldn’t get over how good our bodies felt together as if we were made for each other.

“Ugh. Seriously, Alison? Made for each other? You’re so corny.”

Apparently, I was becoming mushy these days.

It was Saturday and I was about to go shopping when my phone rang. A huge smile settled on my face when I saw Liam’s name on the screen.

I was quick to respond, effervescent.

“Hi.”

“Hello, beautiful.” I hadn’t even realized how much I had missed his mellow voice.

“You’ve been reading my mind.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“I just had a thought that you were going to call me any second, and voila! I’d make a good psychic.”

His chuckle warmed something in the pit of my belly. “Really? You knew?”

“Nah. I’m terrible at predicting things and I haven’t got a clue. But hey, it’s a nice surprise to hear your lovely voice from the early morning.”

“So you find my voice lovely? It’s good to hear that. You’ve just boosted my ego by one hundred and fifty percent.”

“Oh no. That’s bad. Liam with a huge ego is a danger to the female gender!”

“I don’t know about my ego, but you know what I do have that’s huge.”

I squirmed at that, the memory of our night together deeply carved in my mind.

I didn’t need to think twice about my next words. “I’m not sure I recall. Maybe you need do a repeat performance to jog my memory?”

He didn’t respond right away, but his suddenly heavy breathing turned me on.

“Don’t tempt me, Alison. Because I would like nothing more than to show up at your place and give you exactly what you want.”

Big words, big boy. “What’s stopping you?”

He groaned, and I laughed, writhing on my chair. “The fact that I would like to invite you to my soccer match first. Then we can play.”

The sensual promise in his words brought wayward images to my mind, but then I registered what he had said, and my eyes widened.

“You want to invite me to your soccer match? For real?”

“It’s not a joke, no,” he said in between fits of chuckles. “I would like you to come and see me play.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I was torn, as if I was standing at the crossroads and all paths but one led to my demise. Maybe I was being dramatic now, but for the first time ever I had no clue what to do, wishing I could ask Marissa or Claire for some advice. He would leave, but I wanted to see him. I wanted this more than anything.

Should I accept or not?

He must have understood what my silence meant, since the next thing he said was, “I know I’m probably making a big mistake now, but I can’t help it. Usually, I’m not this way with girls. I mean, I can clearly make a difference between something casual and serious, but with you… I don’t know.” He sighed, and I could practically see the troubled expression on his face. “So, I’ll understand if you refuse.”

He was offering me a way out of this, but I knew I wasn’t going to refuse. Just knowing I was going to see him made my blood heat up. I was playing a dangerous game, but still, accepting his invitation to watch his soccer match didn’t have to mean anything serious.

Yeah. I would watch him play, maybe spend some time with him between the sheets, but that was it. I wasn’t going to let myself fall for him.

I couldn’t let myself fall for him.

“There’s no way I’d refuse to see such a sexy soccer player. I’m in.”

He guffawed, and the sound erased any doubts I had almost completely. “Great! The match is in two hours, so I’ll pick you up at eleven, ‘kay?”

“Eleven is heaven.”

I’d had a hard time deciding what to wear, having wasted half an hour on switching dresses until I settled on a simple shirt and jeans. I didn’t want to look as if I was trying too hard. Besides, I was going to a soccer field, not a runway.

I applied just enough makeup to get that “natural” look and straightened my hair. I loved my messy chestnut curls, but sometimes I just loved how my straightened hair fit my heart-shaped face. It made me look cuter.

Liam was waiting for me next to his car, leaning against the passenger door with his leg placed over the other one. He was wearing his soccer uniform, and my heart actually skipped a beat when I saw him. It fit him like a glove, doubling his allure. His lips parted when he spotted me, his eyes assessing me as if he had just spotted the most delicious dessert.

He whistled. “Damn, babe. You’re gorgeous.”

I didn’t have time to respond to him, since his lips were already on mine, claiming me, taking my breath away. My arms snaked around him, pulling him closer to me, and I could feel his erection pressing against my softness.

“Where did you learn to kiss like that?” I asked him after a minute, my breathing ragged.

“If I tell you, I would have to kill you,” he repeated the words I told him the morning we met and winked at me. “It’s good to know I have such an effect on you.”

“Don’t get too cocky.”

His laughter followed me as I entered his car. My pulse was racing from his passionate kiss, desire permeating me. The moment he got inside the car, I was kissing him, moving my hands all over his chest and waist.

His hands went under my shirt to my breasts, his tongue dancing with mine as he moved my bra aside to reach my nipple. I moaned into his mouth, arching my back when his thumb rewarded my nipple with a soft caress, turning it into a hard nub.

“So soft and pliable,” he muttered into my lips and lowered his mouth to my neck.

Moan after moan escaped me when he showered my neck with kisses while playing with my nipples. He knew exactly how to touch me to bring me the most pleasure, his deft fingers creating a pool of heat in my panties. I was so wet, my pussy throbbing with need.

As if he sensed it, he moved his hand under the waistband of my jeans and touched my pussy.

“Ah, Liam…” I threw my head back, my hand on his chest fisting his shirt. He rubbed me once, twice, applying enough pressure to bring me closer to my release, and I became oblivious to the fact that we were in the middle of a parking lot and that anyone could pass any moment.

The pleasure was stronger and stronger, my moans turning louder, but then his phone rang, and the moment was gone. He pulled his hand out.

“Damn it,” he swore and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “We’ll be late. Sorry, sweetheart, but we’ll continue this later. I promise.”

I exhaled a heavy sigh. “You better keep that promise.”

His kiss was sweet and lingering. “You better believe it.” He answered the phone, leaving me to my musing.

I clenched my thighs together, wondering if I had ever felt this way with someone else. I’d gone through a catalog of memories with various guys, recalling each passionate moment or crazy sex we’d had, but I couldn’t find anything as remotely exciting as what I had with Liam. I’d done a lot of things with guys, but no one had been able to evoke these feelings in me. Everything felt bland compared to Liam.

He was very charming and so easy to be with. He made me laugh. I loved spending time with him, and now I knew I’d made a mistake when I accepted to see him today because I was sure that he would manage to steal a piece of my heart. It was foolish of me to think he wouldn’t.

By the time we arrived at the soccer field, everyone was already there, waiting only for Liam. I waved at Jared, and then Liam introduced me to his other friends. I could see Claire in the audience, so I gave Liam a good luck kiss and went to greet her.

“So.” Her smile was contagious. “Liam, huh?”

“Can you actually believe he’s invited me to his game? We were supposed to end it, not play with fire.”

“So he’s warming up to you?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head, watching him do a warm-up. “I’m in a big trouble, girl. I’m going to regret this. I just know it.”

“Hey, don’t be so negative. Maybe you two can work something out.”

“How?” I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, admiring how sexy his muscles looked as they flexed and relaxed. “He’s amazing, and I feel like I’m going to fall for him, and then what? He’ll leave. There is no doubt. So what are we now?”

“Whatever you want to be? Why can’t you just go with the flow?”

“Because for the first time, I’m afraid.”

She snapped her head at me, bewildered. “Afraid?”

“Yes.” I shrugged my shoulders, my smile wavering. “Who would have thought, right? Usually, I’m Miss Confident and in control, but now I feel like I’m risking too much. This obviously means nothing to him, but I’m not sure I can say the same.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Talk to him. See where you two stand. I’m sure you’ll figure everything out.”

I wished I could share her everlasting optimism.

The match started, and I told myself to stop overthinking and enjoy the moment. Liam was in possession of the ball for the most of the time, and it was clear that his team was better than the other team. A permanent smile was on my face as I watched his agile moves, admiring his skills and speed. His play was magnificent, showing the experience of a top player, and it was way out of other guys’ league.

They could barely compete against him, unable to stop him from scoring a goal once, twice, even thrice, and it was awe-inspiring. My hands hurt from all the clapping, my throat turning a bit sore from the shouting, but it felt amazing, especially with adrenaline rushing through me.

At one point, he was close to scoring another goal, but then he attempted dodging another player, and all of a sudden, he was on the ground.

His cry made my blood run cold. He was clutching his knee in a fetal position as his teammates surrounded him, and I knew this was something serious.

Afraid like never before, I darted toward them as if I was chased by the Devil himself.