Chapter 4

4

OPAL

I ’m not exactly a morning person. Okay, I don't mind them, I'm just a total zombie for the first twenty minutes after I get up. Luckily, Angie has already left for work, so I don't have to worry about being quiet.

Staring at the slowly dripping coffeemaker, giver of life, my mind replays the events of yesterday. Liam kissed me. Well, we kissed each other. If you could even call that kissing… It was a full blown make out session that escalated quickly.

Wow .

I shiver, remembering the feel of his huge firm muscles against my palms. The way his mouth molded to mine. It was the gold standard for all first kisses, but it was the way he clutched my body against his that just made me feel…everything. So much potential.

If we hadn't been interrupted, I might have been tempted to invite him inside.

Somewhere in my addled pre-caffeine brain it occurs to me that I should not be thinking things like this so quickly. We barely know each other. It's ridiculous. Yet I can't stop thinking that I wish he was here now. I just want to be in the same space as him.

I've been totally obsessed with my photography for the past several years. Suddenly, I'm just as infatuated with Liam. Instead of staring into flames, I need to look into his eyes and steal more of his kisses. Rather than calculating the trajectory of the fire, I want to guess where his hands are going to move next.

I've barely taken two sips of coffee when my phone pings with a text.

Liam: The wind shifted, so it's going to rain all afternoon now. I'm busy with a short repair, but I could come to your place at one to check out your setup before the downpour. Is that OK?

Looking around the kitchen, I try to pull my brain into focus. Angie and I cleaned the other day, so the apartment is decent. I tidied up my photography area a few days ago, so it should be adequate. I have hours to shower and get ready and inhale a few cups of coffee so that I can think straight.

Oh, who am I kidding. Even if none of that was true, I would still want Liam to come by immediately.

Sure. I'll be here.

It feels like both fifty hours and fifty seconds pass before he finally knocks on the door.

Flinging it open, I don't even try to hide the fact I'd been pacing in front of it. "Hi."

He peers over his shoulder to make sure there aren't any neighbors out on the street. Then he surges inside, gathering me in his arms and kissing me.

Wow. I've read about the quiet yet sexy mountain man type, and now I know it's not just a fantasy. Somehow Liam communicates without words. The way his hands roam up my back. The way he clutches me against him. The way his mouth explores mine as if he's trying to memorize it.

Everything becomes warm and steamy, as if his heat legit makes my eyes blur. Finally, he steps back. "Sorry. Been thinking about you all night."

Our eyes meet, and something darker flickers there. All night? I wonder if he…no way. My head spins at the thought of him fantasizing about me. It's all just too much.

He opens the door again, then takes my hand as we step into the driveway. "Show me this super safe setup, sunshine."

"Only if you say that again ten times fast."

Somehow he manages to keep a sparkle in his eyes even when he’s scowling. " No ." Is it crazy that it kind of turns me on when he's both stern and joking at the same time?

We go out to the back yard, where there's a ten-foot-square patio made from big flat concrete paving stones. "When the wind’s right, or there’s none at all, I set fires there." He nods at the extra pavers I have stacked up in the center.

"Okayyy. Not bad. Are these fires smaller than one foot in any direction?"

"Yes."

He looks around, nodding. "What if it hasn't rained in a week and the grass is really dry?"

I point to the garden hose hanging on the detached garage. "I've only had to do it once, but I’d soak the grass all around, just in case a spark jumps."

I'm rewarded with a dazzling smile. "Good girl. But you said you sometimes work indoors?" The breeze is picking up, but it's Liam's hand at the small of my back that really makes me shiver.

"In here." Opening the garage door, I watch as he studies the space carefully.

Then he steps outside, looking all around it. "Yeah, I dunno. If this garage went up, it would spread hard and fast to your neighbor's rotted fence, then their shed."

"But it won't." I point toward the back. "I always open the window a touch for airflow, but not enough to create wind. And check it out." I show him the extra concrete pavers I have stacked in the center of the mostly empty space. Then I point to the small fire extinguisher and two large buckets of water against the wall.

"Those white spray bottles filled with anything flammable?" he asks.

"Nope. Just water. Sometimes I spray a circle around the edge of a piece of fabric, so only the center part will burn. Plus, it can get really hot in here. Sometimes I have to spray my face and the back of my neck."

Liam chuckles. "I hear you. Now, imagine playing with fire while wearing all our heavy gear."

I point proudly to the oven mitts on top of a plastic tub full of supplies. "That’s my safety gear there."

He sighs heavily. "I'm afraid I can't take safety equipment seriously if it has lobsters on it."

I laugh, then look up, listening to the few plinks of water starting on the roof. "I like working out here when it's raining." I step right in front of him, feeling tiny next to his wide, thick frame. This feeling lights me up inside. "It's probably safer since the surrounding fences become damp. But really, I just like the sound."

"And I like the sound of you talking about your work, Opal." His voice sounds heavy in this small, enclosed space.

The pressure of his large, strong hands against my lower back and hip as he draws me close… My pulse is quickening. My blood overheated. My breath is already beginning to rasp as he presses against me.

I stretch up into the kiss just as the clouds split open, raining hard and heavy on the thin roof.

It's not the sudden spike in humidity that makes everything steamy. It's him. Us. The way he makes me feel so brain-scramblingly amazing with every single touch.

I've never felt this way before. Never thought that any man would take me seriously, or would be interesting enough to distract me from my work. This is more than a distraction. I practically purr as a flicker of heat runs up my thighs.

Liam seems to adore my body. My baggy clothing is my camouflage, but he's already manhandled me enough to know my curves are thicker than some. Every time he takes hold of my hips, I feel like he's already picturing me naked.

We're alone, somewhat isolated, and have all the time in the world. As his hand slips under the bottom of my sweater to tease along my side, our kisses growing deeper, messier… I start wondering if I'm ready for more.

Oh, please.

If it's Liam, I'm totally ready for anything.

And everything.