Liam rubbed his stubbled face against my cheek as we lay tangled on the bed.

We’d spent the past half hour or so just lying there, enjoying each other. He finally stretched against me, and I turned my head to meet his eyes. He cupped my cheeks, fingers splayed into my hair. “I missed you,” he said again.

“I missed you too.” Wiggling around, I turned to face him and rubbed my nose against his. “I absolutely never expected to see you here.”

“Same goes.” His eyes skimmed my face. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in New York?”

I gave him a lopsided smile. “I think it’s safe to say that I’m moving,” I told him. Then I went on to tell him about my grandmother’s offer of turning the island and resort over to me now.

“She’s always planned on leaving this place to me, but she’s decided she wants to retire and take it easy for a while.”

Liam stroked his thumb over my lip. “I’d imagine that running this place tends to get pretty hectic. She’s probably ready to slow down.”

“I don’t know how she’s done it all this time.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been here a few weeks, and I’m already exhausted. But…I love it.”

Liam was quiet for a long moment.

Finally, he spoke again, voice neutral. “So, you’re not coming back to New York?”

“I have to, for a little while. I’m wrapping up my practice there. I can’t leave my clients hanging, but once things there are settled…” I ended with a shrug.

“This is something you want to do then.”

I met his eyes and nodded. “I’d always planned on moving here eventually. I hadn’t planned on it happening so soon. But…” I shrugged. “I’m happy here.”

I could see the question in his eyes, although he didn’t voice it.

Where does that leave us?

There was an us. I didn’t think either of us would have argued that point just then. But with me living here and Liam living in New York…yeah, there was a question there.

Where did it leave us?

“I wasn’t planning on this,” I said softly, an idea taking form in my mind. “I mean, I know we haven’t really talked about how things are between us.”

“There is an us.”

The firm way he said that made me smile. “Oh, there’s most definitely an us. But this, me moving here, it changes things.”

He arched a brow, clearly listening.

“So…” I blew out a breath, reaching up to trace the lines of his face. Man, I’d missed that face. “What do you think about coming on here? I’ve already been warned we need to hire more security personnel.”

He blinked, surprise flickering across his features.

“Look, there’s no pressure,” I told him, summoning up a smile. “And I don’t need an answer right now. You’re here with the wedding, and you’ve got things to do. I’m still trying to get settled…but it’s an idea, right?”

He gave a slow nod.

“Will you think about it?”

He rolled me beneath him, settling between my thighs, pressed against me in a way that made it hard to think clearly. He took advantage of the fact, pressing his mouth to mine and kissing me thoroughly. “It’s an idea,” he said, echoing my earlier words. “And yes, I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise for now though.”

* * *

“This is perfect,” Michelle said, staring out over the water.

“We’ll have a bamboo arbor,” Millie said, pushing some photos into Michelle’s hands.

I stood at the side, mostly observing. Between Millie and the events planner, Paige, there wasn’t much I needed to do, but Millie most likely wouldn’t be around for the next wedding.

I needed to know this stuff.

But instead of thinking about bamboo arbors and a matching wedding aisle, or the flowers that were being rushed in for the event, I was thinking about Liam.

He stood next to Jake, and I had the feeling he was there mostly for manly support. Jake, to his credit, hadn’t so much as flicked an eyelash as Millie and Michelle went through the colors Michelle wanted to use, and he’d voiced his opinions on the simple wedding that was all but being thrown together.

Something told me that if Michelle would be happy with a justice of the peace ceremony, then Jake wouldn’t have minded a bit.

But she wanted a real wedding, and that was what he wanted for her.

As if sensing my attention, Liam flicked a look my way.

We’d spent all night last night together, but it still felt like it had been too long since he’d touched me. Going three weeks without him had made me certain of one thing – I didn’t like going without him. At all.

But it wasn’t like we could sneak off right now.

* * *

I bent over the desk.

Liam stood behind me.

His hands gripped my hips and held me steady, and I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

We were in one of the small conference rooms.

Down the hall, in less than five minutes, we were supposed to be meeting my grandmother, Jake, and Michelle for a status update on the wedding.

Liam and I had been walking together, after spotting the open door, I tugged him inside.

One teasing kiss had led to another which had led to me being bent over a table while Liam thrust into me from behind.

Pressing my flaming face to the table, I clung to the edge, forced up onto my toes by the impact of his next thrust.

Hot, greedy lust balled inside me, and I tightened around him, squeezing his cock as if that alone could keep him inside me.

He grunted behind me, and I shuddered, the raw, hungry sound only adding to everything I felt.

We moved together in a near frantic rhythm, and Liam reached up, grabbing my shoulders, holding me tight.

His cock swelled and jerked inside me.

I bit my inner cheek to keep from crying out as I tried uselessly to press back against him. I had no leverage, I could hardly move.

But Liam could, and the next thrust of his hips had the head of his dick rubbing right over my G-spot.

I was going to bite my lip bloody to stay quiet.

I came hard, and not even a few seconds later, he stiffened against me, his own climax slamming into him.

My knees buckled under me.

Only the table beneath me kept me in position. I had no strength left in my legs, in my arms.

Liam ground his hips against my ass, and a shudder rocked through us both.

“We’re going to kill each other,” I said in a low voice, struggling to level out my breathing.

“There are worse ways to go.” He pressed a kiss to my spine. I felt it through the flowered fabric of the sundress I’d worn that day.

“Hmmm.”

After a few more seconds, he pulled away, and I tried to summon some strength in my jellified legs.

It took far too long for me to stand up, and by the time I had, he’d already adjusted his clothes and was checking the time.

“I need to swing by the bathroom,” he said, voice low.

There was one right outside the conference room. I nodded at him and gave him a wobbly smile. “I’ll meet you in the room in a few minutes.”

He slid outside, and I sank back against the table, all but wilting on its surface.

I just needed a couple more minutes.

Really.

* * *

Millie eyed me narrowly as I slid into the room at the last minute.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Liam, and I was glad to see he’d made better time than I had.

Beaming at the room in general, I walked straight over to the pitcher of water that had been provided and poured me a glass.

Despite the parched state of my throat, I didn’t guzzle the entire thing. After two sips, I carried the glass over to the seat next to Millie and sat down. “I hope I’m not holding things up.”

“No.” Michelle smiled at me. “We haven’t gotten started yet.”

“Excellent.” I turned my gaze to Millie and gave her an expectant look.

Because I knew my grandmother so well, I caught the speculative glint in her eyes. It wasn’t there for more than a few seconds before she cleared her throat and turned to speak to Michelle. “Okay, so here’s where we stand…”

I had a feeling she was onto me. But I honestly couldn’t find it in me to be concerned about it. Not when Liam was in the equation.

I forced myself to pay attention to the meeting and even managed to ask a few questions or offer suggestions when Michelle seemed to want direction or encouragement. Most of the advice came from Millie or the events planner though.

And I insisted to myself that would have been the case even if I wasn’t distracted by Liam’s presence. I was still getting my feet wet on this whole ‘resort owner’ thing.

He slid me a look at the end of the meeting, and I saw the question in his eyes, but I gave him a negative shake of my head.

I knew my grandmother.

She was already planning my inquisition.

* * *

“It looks like the two of you made up,” she said in a bright, sunny voice as we walked along one of the paths that led up to the main building in the resort.

I’d missed lunch, and my stomach chose that moment to rumble.

Millie cocked a brow. “Am I working you so hard you can’t find a few minutes for a meal?”

I gave her an innocent look. “Of course not.”

“Hmmm. Maybe I’m not the one pushing you so hard.” She laughed lightly. “Although I doubt you’re too concerned about it. Are things fixed between you two now?”

I hesitated, uncertain what to say here.

Millie came to a stop and touched my arm. “For a few weeks, you were happier than I’d ever seen you. Then something happened between you and Liam – you don’t have to tell me what it was, but I know something happened. You’ve put on a brave face while you’re here, but I could see that you were unhappy. Now…you’re not.”

“Dad found out about us – hell, he walked in on us,” I confessed. “He wasn’t happy. He railed at Liam, and Liam lost his job.”

“Oh.” Millie nodded. “I imagine that stung Liam’s pride something awful.”

“Yes, I guess so.” I pushed my hair back, my gaze straying to the path where I’d last seen Liam. He’d left with Jake and Michelle, but they’d split up shortly after leaving the meeting area. Where was he now? What was he doing? “I told him I’d see if I could get him the job back, but he said no. Told me he’d screwed up when…well…” I shrugged.

“He’s a man who owns up to his responsibilities,” Millie said softly.

“I don’t like to think that he considers sleeping with me a screw-up,” I told her.

Millie gave me a level look. “I know you’ll understand where I’m coming from when I say this…but there is a time and a place for sex, darling. When he was being paid to protect you wasn’t the ideal time.” She shrugged delicately. “I realize that there hasn’t been anything that’s happened, and it’s likely your father’s paranoia got the better of him. But if there had come a time when you were in danger–”

“That’s basically what Liam says.” I sighed and shook my head. “I still don’t like to think that I’m responsible for him losing his job.”

“You’re not. He made the decision to get involved with you,” Millie said, pointing at me. “I like him. I like the two of you together. That doesn’t mean what he did wasn’t irresponsible.”

I pressed my lips together against my objection because I did understand. I got it. Mostly. My head just wasn’t exactly clear when it came to Liam.

“I’ve offered him a job on the security team here,” I told Millie.

She inclined her head, clearly considering this bit of news. “Has he accepted?”

“I think he’s still thinking it through,” I said, looking away from her to stare out over the resort property. “I want him to take the job. There’s something between us, and I…I want to see where it’s going.”

“As long as the two of you can keep your minds focused on your jobs when the need arises, it could be a workable solution.” Millie shrugged and turned to go to the resort. “Come along, darling. We need to get you fed. Clearly, you need to keep your strength up.”