Chapter 8

Liam looked defeated,and I didn’t know what to say anymore to comfort him, or to get us back to the uncomfortable yet exciting place we had been heading before Annie called.

“I think it’s probably for the best,” he said grimly, and I didn’t believe that any more than he appeared to.

With a sigh, he pulled his shoes back on and stood, straightening his clothes up, and went to make a move to the front door.

“Thanks for the food and the company.” He smiled at me glumly.

I nodded. “Thanks for looking after my burn for me.”

He smiled a little more warmly at the mention of him playing nurse to me. “No worries. Like I said, give it some air tomorrow and I’m sure it’ll be better in no time.”

Absently, I traced over the bandage on my wrist and followed him to the hallway. A million and one thoughts were running through my mind like a damn freight train. “It was nice to see you, and you know you’re welcome here anytime.” Internally, I was willing myself to shut the hell up, thinking and feeling more and more like an idiot older dad who just couldn’t stop talking.

Liam paused before he opened the front door and looked at me intensely. “It was really good to see you too.”

In that split second, doubt, fear, and everything else got left behind as the need to make him feel better and wanted overwhelmed me. Without thinking about it, I did the unthinkable and went with my gut feeling. Well. Maybe a little lower than my gut.

Before either of us had a chance to back out, I leaned into his personal space and kissed him firmly, my hands cupping his face, stroking across his strong jawline. His soft lips parted for me, but not before there was a moment of hesitancy.

Feeling the gravity of what I perceived to be a mistake, I pulled back. “Sorry…”

I was about to take a step back and apologise profusely for my error in judgement when his hands caught hold of mine as they dropped back to my sides and he pulled me back in against him. “No,” he whispered as he crushed his lips against mine.

The magnitude of the lust I felt for him washed over me like a tidal wave, and I moved us back, pressing him up against the wall by the door. My hands went back to his face, holding it tenderly before coming to rest at the nape of his neck, fingers entwining in his hair.

He grabbed at my T-shirt, pulling me hard against his body. His tongue rolled over mine, dancing between his mouth and mine. There was a passion between us I hadn’t even been aware of the intensity of, and it bubbled up, threatening to scorch us both deeply.

Our lips parted as we paused to catch our breath, and we stood there in silence, still pressed against each other.

Liam was the one to break the silence. “Fuck.” His grip loosened from my T-shirt and he traced over his lips with one hand.

I took a step back from him, waiting for his reaction to judge how best to handle the situation next. I knew what I wanted to do. It probably wasn’t what I should have wanted, but it was.

“Annie’s going to kill me.”

Those four words took the wind out of my sails. Obviously, my daughter had not been on my mind while I was thinking about how much I wanted to kiss her best friend. The fact he was her closest pal also hadn’t been high on my list of considerations either. Christ, what kind of shit parent was I?

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

Liam didn’t let me finish that comment, instead yanking me against him, catching my mouth with his.

This time, when we breathlessly parted our kiss, Liam had a sexy smirk on his puffed-up lips.

“What?” I asked softly, already thinking about where I wanted this to go.

“I was going to say Annie’s going to kill me for turning her dad gay.”

Raising my eyebrows, a smirk grew across my features. “Oh, you’re good, but I’m afraid you’re not that good. I’ve been bisexual since long before Annie was born.”

The surprise at my revelation crept over Liam’s face. “I didn’t know.”

With a shrug, I replied, “I was married. It wasn’t like it needed to be common knowledge.”

“And now?” Liam pressed.

“Now, I’m single, and if I have an itch, I can scratch it, can’t I?”

“I see.” Liam shifted a little nervously. He puffed out a breath and put his hand back on the front door. “As much as I don’t want to leave, I think I still should, before I end up taking this way too far.”

My breathing hitched at the thought of what might be involved in taking things with Liam a lot further than just kissing him in the hallway. Temptation was going to be very hard to resist with him. I took the same step back I had just moments before to allow him to make whatever move he needed to.

He stared at me intensely. “Rich, I don’t want to leave. But Annie is my best friend in the whole world, and I need to think about this with more than my dick before it goes any further. But I do want to take it further.”

I had to respect his resolve. He was being a better friend than I was a father in that moment. The thought of having a conversation with Annie about the possibility of me having a relationship again crossed my mind.

“You’re right, and I should probably have a chat with her about me seeing someone again too. But I think your cock and mine are probably having very similar ideas right now.”

“Fuck.” He closed his eyes and his tongue traced over his lips.

Christ, he was going to get me in trouble.

He lunged forward, giving me a quick peck on the cheek, and mumbled some goodbye, then disappeared out the front door without giving either of us the chance to change the other’s mind.