Chapter Nineteen
“I’ve been here before,” Andi whispered as Liam turned the key to the top-floor suite of the Bitter Bark Bed & Breakfast.
“You’ve been to the honeymoon suite? Not exactly what your man wants to hear right now, Andi.”
“My man.” She chuckled and leaned into him, a whiff of the roses in her hair teasing him as they had since the first time they’d danced a few hours ago.
He was her man. For now, for tonight. Nothing could change that or steal Liam’s strong belief that he was the happiest man alive.
“I was in this room a few weeks ago when I did the first design pass on the addition Jane commissioned.” Andi stepped inside when he held open the door, gasping softly. “But it didn’t look like this, Liam.”
She paused in the small entry that led to a large room dominated by a fireplace and a four-poster bed. As he’d requested, candles flickered from every surface, and champagne chilled in a bucket at the sitting area, along with chocolate-covered strawberries that Molly and Darcy assured him a woman would want on her wedding night.
“You did this?” she asked.
“Jane Gruen did the dirty work, but I, you know…I asked for it.”
She looked up at him, a sly smile pulling at her lips. “Damn, Liam Kilcannon. You are a die-hard romantic.”
He studied her face, brushing a stray hair from her cheek, which felt so delicate under his big hands. “I wanted it to be special.”
“It is,” she whispered. “For one thing, no child and no dogs.”
“You’re not worried about Christian, are you? Because he couldn’t be safer at Waterford.”
“Not a bit,” she assured him. “And he was so tired he’ll sleep the night for sure.”
They’d left him conked out in the guest bed in Liam’s old room with Jag next to him. The party had dwindled, but the house was still full, since Shane, Chloe, Jessie, Garrett, Molly, and Pru were all crashing there, along with a few family friends.
But Liam couldn’t wait to leave and bring Andi here.
After a moment, she slipped away from him, dropping onto a fancy sofa that faced the fireplace. “You know, the day I did that walk-through with Jane, if someone had told me I’d be here in this suite three weeks later as a guest with…my husband?” Her voice rose in disbelief. “I would have bet everything I ever had or will have that they were wrong. I would have been so sure.” She shook her head. “Life constantly surprises me.”
He came over to sit next to her. “And sometimes those surprises are good.”
She held his gaze. “This one is,” she said simply, reaching up to pull one of the flowers out of her hair and giving him a sly, sweet, sexy smile. “And I’ll take the champagne now.”
He popped the cork and poured while watching her take one clip after another out of her hair, setting each on the coffee table, along with the tiny roses. When she finished, she shook her head and let the wheat-toned strands fall over her shoulders, the shiny mane glinting in the candlelight.
“You’re staring,” she said softly.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, holding a glass out to her. “Like the day I met you at Waterford. It was your hair I saw first and noticed it matched your little boy’s.”
“And what did you think?”
“I thought…” He took a moment to dig into his memory for the real truth of his first thought. “Well, I thought, shoot, a kid. Someone beat me to her.”
She took the champagne he offered. “But you came over to talk to us anyway.”
“Christian liked the dog I had.”
She angled her head and lifted her glass. “Here’s to Christian liking dogs that bring us together.”
The glasses dinged, and Liam took a sip, not usually a fan of the sweet bubbly flavor, but this drink was perfect.
“Would you like to know my first thought when you came over with your big dog that day we met?”
“I don’t know, do I?”
She bit her lip and leaned back. “It was sex. Just plain and simple lust. I wanted you.”
He raised both his eyebrows, not expecting that.
“The first time I saw you, I thought…that man belongs in my bed.”
He pointed over her shoulder. “It’s ten feet away.”
Sipping her champagne, she didn’t answer.
“Unless you changed your mind,” he added.
“I have.”
He almost choked on the drink, setting it on the table. “Oookay.”
“Because that was all I wanted that afternoon. And, again, a few months ago when I saw you at Bushrod’s.”
He nodded slowly. “I remember you were, uh, focused.”
“Now I want more.”
Taking a slow breath, he felt his pulse quicken. “More,” he repeated. “How much more?”
“I don’t know.” She sipped slowly, her gaze on his over the rim of the champagne flute. “But for the first time in my life, I’m willing to find out.”
“The first time?”
“I didn’t love Jeff, Liam,” she said softly. “We liked each other a lot when we were in school, and when we worked together, I was intrigued by him, but then he left. When he came back, he was different, and the only real connection we had was Christian. None of that is love.”
“And yet you hang on to all his stuff.”
She searched his face, gnawing on her lower lip. “I told you…” She shook her head. “Yeah, I guess I’m hanging on to it. Never said goodbye, never had closure, never even got to see his grave.” She looked down for a moment, then up at him. “I’ll put it in storage. Would that make you feel better?”
“What would make me feel better is not talking about him on our wedding night.”
She smiled. “Our wedding night. Can you believe it?”
“Yeah.” He stroked her cheek, curling a strand of hair over his finger. “You were worth the wait,” he admitted softly.
“A week? Hardly a wait.”
“Andi.” Did she really think that this week was the extent of his feelings for her? “I would have waited until Christian grew up and went to college.”
She inhaled softly as if the words stunned her. “Liam. Really?”
Sliding his hand down her arm, he turned her to face him. “You see, you have issues with certainty, but I don’t. I was certain about you pretty much from the day I met you. I knew we were meant for each other.”
“But what if I hadn’t come around?”
“You still haven’t come around,” he said on a soft laugh.
She looked for a long time right into his eyes. “I’m on my way,” she whispered. “I’m just not sure where we’re going.”
“No problem.” He took her glass and put it on the table next to his, then stood and took her hand. “I know exactly where we’re going.”
She came up to him, reaching both arms around his neck. “I have to ask you a question, Liam.”
“Anything.”
“Anything, really? You mean that? Because this is a tough one.”
“You can ask me anything, Andi, and I will answer one hundred percent honestly.”
She swallowed and looked into his eyes. “Do you love me?”
He looked at her, a little stunned by the question. And speechless. She really didn’t know?
He sighed in response, making her frown slightly, as if that little bit of an answer surprised or saddened her. How could he possibly answer that?
Silently, he glided his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, and around her neck. Pulling her closer, he kissed her lips lightly, then peppered more kisses over her jaw and down her throat.
She responded instantly, her chest rising and falling under every touch and every kiss, moaning in anticipation as he walked her back to the great big bed. He turned her around and slowly unzipped her dress, the single sexy sound punctuating his unspoken feelings.
Letting the lace rustle to the floor, he took a few seconds to admire her body and choice of a heart-wrecking white lace bra and a sliver of silk that barely covered exactly where he wanted to be.
Blood coursed through him as he eased her back onto the bed and loosened his tie, then unbuttoned his shirt. When he shook it off, she reached for him, grabbing his hand, pulling him down, kissing him with the pent-up need they both felt.
He still hadn’t said a word, undressing in the same silence, except for a soft groan of delight as they started to explore each other.
Do you love me?
The echo of her question played in his brain like the refrain of a song he couldn’t stop humming. He let the words roll around his head and heart as his fingers and lips found their way to her breasts, rocking and rolling when he eased himself on top of her.
He still didn’t say a word, not even her name, not a single endearment as her legs curled around him and her hands dragged over his body and down his abs. Every move was made in complete silence except for the swish of sheets, the caress of skin, the tear of the condom wrapper as he opened it.
He didn’t utter a single sound as he positioned himself over her and locked his gaze with hers, easing back before he entered her in one long, slow, perfect move. They both gasped when he filled her, though, and he fought the overwhelming need to move faster and harder and deeper.
He let her get used to him, watched her turn her head from side to side as pleasure took control, and finally held her gaze as they found the rhythm of this union.
The beat matched the thumping of his pulse and the short, shallow breaths they both fought for. His lower half twisted in a knot that had to be unraveled, but each second only made the ecstasy deeper and stronger. He watched her unfurl first, gritting his teeth, squinting at the sweat that trickled into his eyes, grinding harder until he lost the fight and let go, completely and totally satisfied.
Do you love me?
He slowly relaxed his whole body and pressed his cheek against hers to whisper one word in her ear. The only word. The truth.
“Yes.”