Gwen
Holy sex god! After that first night, Liam and I spent every chance we got completely lost in each other. We spent so much time fighting this thing between us that once the dam broke we couldn’t stop.
It was intense, really intense. It didn’t matter if we took it slow, or fast and hard, it was always overwhelming. It was earth shattering, but it wasn’t just his touch or the unbelievable pleasure, it was him. The way he looked at me undid me. No one has ever looked at me with such desire and need.
He changed me. I wanted to be better for him. I wanted to be worthy of this man, and God only knew I was far from it.
No one knew about us—well, no one except Sam. Turns out Liam’s office wasn’t as sound proof as we originally thought. We weren’t trying to hide anything, we just didn’t need the added complication at work.
We’d steal a glance or a touch in passing, but we kept it professional at the bar, which only seemed to fuel the passion between us afterhours. As soon as our shift was done, we couldn’t get upstairs fast enough. Laughing and stumbling through the loft, all frantic hands and smiles. It had been the most amazing two weeks of my life.
I woke up warm and wrapped in Liam’s arms. It was quickly becoming my happy place, my safe place.
He was still fast asleep, so I slid from the bed as quietly as I could and headed toward the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Mascara was streaked down one cheek and my hair was a tangled mess.
I spit into the sink and groaned. Picking up my brush I tried to tackle the tangles, but the extensions were a disaster. The decision was made. I rooted through my make-up bag setting the necessary tools on the sink and set to work.
An hour later there was a knock at the door. “You in there, Princess?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll just be a minute,” I called through the door.
I looked around me. The counter was littered with scattered pieces of hair extensions. I gathered the discarded pieces and quickly shoved them into the garbage can.
I stood up straight and looked at my refection. A smile spread across my face. I felt lighter, more real. My natural hair was shorter, reaching to my shoulders, and thinner, but it hung in loose waves, my bangs sweeping across my forehead. It was different, but better somehow. It was the real me, and for the first time in my life, I liked that girl.
I washed my face clean and left the bathroom feeling a strange kind of excitement.
Liam was in the kitchen making breakfast, and Cat sat in his usual perch on the counter waiting for scraps. He should’ve been named Dog.
Liam stood at the stove with his back to me, the delicious smell of breakfast filled the air. I swear this man was way too good to be true. Gorgeous, sweet, honest, an incredible lover and he could cook. I don’t think I could have genetically engineered a better man if given the choice.
I slid my arms around his waist and rested my head against the warm skin of his naked back. He ran his hand along my arms, wrapped tight around his waist.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning.”
He turned in my arms, going straight for a kiss. His lips were soft and sweet against mine as I melted into him.
Cat let out a quiet meow in protest. It would seem our kissing was getting in the way of his bacon. Liam smiled against my lips. “I think he might be jealous.”
“I think he wants his bacon,” I said.
“Bacon can wait.” He pushed his fingers into my hair as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back suddenly and held my face in his large hands as he looked me over.
“Something’s different.” He studied me with a furrowed brow.
My smile widened as I looked up into his beautiful eyes. “I took the extensions out.”
He watched me closely with concern in his eyes. “You okay?” he asked.
I frowned, not quite sure what he meant. “You don’t like it?”
“No, I do. I just…” He paused, and I took a step back. “I know I gave you shit for the hair and the make-up before. You’ve changed a lot recently. The make-up, your clothes, and now the hair. I just want to be sure that you’re making the changes for yourself and not for me.”
I smiled, stepped toward him, and rested my hand above his heart. “I did it for me, Liam. You inspire me. You make me want to better myself, not just for you but for me. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I don’t need the hair and the make-up and the designer clothes. I feel like I’m enough.”
Liam cupped my cheek and tilted my head up so our eyes met. “You are enough. More than enough.” His lips met mine and the kiss was explosive. I felt it everywhere and my heart swelled in my chest to bursting. I was falling hard for this beautiful, passionate, infuriating man, and it scared the hell out of me.
The smell of smoke interrupted the euphoric haze from his kiss. We broke apart quickly and he turned back to the stove. He scrapped the ruined pancake out of the pan and into the trash.
I snickered, and he turned, fixing me with a playful glare. “Oh, you think that’s funny?”
I nodded, laughing as he stalked toward me. He grabbed me, pulling me hard against his chest, tickling my sides as his lips brushed kisses against the skin of my neck. I laughed and squirmed in his arms as he lifted me over his shoulder and carried me back toward the bedroom.
Cat yowled at us as we disappeared down the hallway, but breakfast and Cat would just have to wait.
***
Trivia night was packed as usual. I’d settled into the rhythm of the bar. The regulars had warmed up to me. The “sweet cheeks” comments continued, but the muttering about how I was no Bridget had subsided. Even Alex had reduced her evil glares to a minimum.
I was really happy. I couldn’t even remember the last time I said that. So, of course, something had to go wrong.
I pushed through the doors of the kitchen with my tray of food and stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes went wide and I almost dropped my tray.
“You lying bitch!” Dalia said.
All eyes in the bar focused on us. Jesus, why am I at the center of every potential cat fight in this place?
“Um, can we help you?” Liam asked. He looked back and forth between Dalia and I, but we were locked into a stare down.
I swallowed thickly and handed my tray to Jenna. She looked nervously at Dalia, and headed off to deliver my food.
I wiped my hands on my apron and stepped toward her. “Dalia, what are you doing here?”
“An exclusive club?” she asked. “Really, Gwen?” She shot me a nasty look and propped her hand on her hip.
I glanced over at Liam. He raised his eyebrows and I mouthed, “I’m sorry.” His face softened and he tilted his head toward the front door.
“Let’s go outside and talk,” I said. Dalia smirked and followed me out the front door.
I pulled her away from the entrance and stopped, looking down at my feet and folded my arms across my chest. “How did you find me?”
She held up her phone, wiggling it at me as the screen displayed a GPS map. “Uh, it’s called the ‘find your friends’ app.”
I ran a hand over my face. “What are you doing here, Dalia?”
“Me? What are you doing here?” she spat. “Since when do you work in a bar?”
I sighed. I was done with lying, done with pretending. I was a waitress—so what? It was a respectable job, I worked hard and I didn’t want to hide anymore. “Since my dad cut me off.”
Dalia’s eyes widened, her fake eyelashes practically touching her forehead. “He what?”
“He cut me off. Cancelled all my credit cards, my rent, everything.”
“That bastard!”
I shrugged. My anger toward my dad had eased. I was starting to realize that maybe he did do me a favor. In the grand scheme of things, if he hadn’t cut me off, then I wouldn’t be with Liam. The way he did it still hurt, but the bitterness I felt was gone.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Liam flooded my thoughts and a smile spread wide across my face. “I am.”
“Seriously?”
I looked through the window at Liam behind the bar. He handed a customer a beer, laughing at something they said. He must have felt me watching because he turned toward me and met my eyes with a wink. My smile widened as a sense of calm came over me. “Yeah.” I sighed.
Dalia followed my gaze, a knowing smile spread across her face. “Oh, I get it. This is about a guy.”
I frowned, my gaze snapping back to hers as her face morphed into a devious smirk.
“What?”
“You’re hooking up with that hot bartender,” she said, bracing a hand on her hip and daring me to deny it.
“It’s not about Liam.”
“Oh, so the hottie has a name. Well, if it’s not about him, then I guess you won’t mind if I work my magic on him.”
Dalia pushed up her boobs and pulled down the front of her dress to maximize her cleavage.
“No.” I caught her arm as she headed for the door.
She raised an eyebrow at me.
“Fine,” I said. “He’s part of it, but it’s not just about him.”
“Then what the hell is going on? You’ve been M-I-A for months. You haven’t been answering my texts and I went by your place the other day and the leasing office said you got evicted.”
“A lot has changed.”
“I’ll say. What happened to your hair?” She looked me over. “Oh my God, are those Converse? It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
“I’m still me.”
“The Gwen I know wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this let alone working there.” She pointed her manicured claws toward the bar.
“I was desperate. This was the only job I could find.”
“But it’s a bar.” She sneered, her face scrunched in disgust. “And not even a good one. Let me call my mom maybe she can get you in with her real estate firm.”
“No. I like it here. They’ve been really good to me.”
“But it’s a bar,” she said, like I hadn’t heard her the first time.
“Look, Dalia, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Just don’t forget who your real friends are, ’kay?”
I nodded, even though Dalia was never what I would call a real friend. I’m sure she would find a way to rub my lack of funds in my face later on, but the truth was, I didn’t really care anymore. The realization took me by surprise. For the first time, money and status wasn’t at the center of my life.
“Good. I miss you, bitch,” she whined.
“I miss you too.”
She held her arms out wide. I giggled and stepped into the hug. She squeezed me tight, rocking me back and forth, my face squished against her boobs. In her six-inch Louboutins she towered over me.
She released me, but kept a tight grip on my shoulders. “So, listen,” she said. “I’m headed to Caan next week, but when I get back, we have to get together.”
“Okay,” I said.
She squealed and crushed me back against her chest.
“I need to get back to work.”
Dalia scrunched her nose in disgust. To her, work was a four-letter word that was barely uttered in her circles unless it was followed by the word out. I used to be just like her, but the truth is, I felt a strange sort of satisfaction—maybe even pride—in knowing that I had earned my money. Sure, it wasn’t a lot, but it was mine.
“Call me,” she said, waving animatedly as I made my way back inside.
I immediately headed to the back, needing a minute to catch my breath before I checked on my tables.
I ducked into the back hallway and slumped against the wall with a long exhale.
“You okay?”
I turned my head and Liam was there, concern marring his features.
A smile spread across my lips. “Yeah.” I sighed. “All good.”
He stepped in front of me and framed my face in his large, masculine hands. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly against mine before pulling away to meet my eyes.
“I thought we didn’t mess around in the bar.”
“I made an exception. You looked upset.”
I smiled and leaned forward, brushing my lips against his one more time. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“Good,” he said as he gave me another quick kiss. “Now, back to work.”
I smiled and took a step back. “Yes, boss.”
He playfully smacked my ass and I jumped, a small squeal escaping my lips. “And don’t you forget it.”