Enticing Liam (Big Sky Royal 2)

“I don’t know.”

“Me either.” I smile up at him. “I’ve never even had an orgasm, Liam. Isn’t that just preposterous? Some women can do…things…to themselves to make it happen, but I don’t know how to do that. I would Google it, but all of my internet usage is monitored. All the time. Can you imagine being called into the king’s office because I’ve been caught looking at internet porn?”

“No.”

“But why?”

“I swear to God, Eleanor, I’m not going to say it again.”

“Are you going to sue us for sexual harassment?”

“No.” He laughs and grips my upper arms to push me back from him.

“I quite liked where I was.”

“Me, too,” he grumbles. “And this can’t happen.”

“Of course.” I shake my head. “I’m doomed to be a virgin forever. Because the men I’ve met are all complete arseholes. Especially that mean Beauregard. He thought he could bully his way into being my husband and have a place in the royal household.

“Made him real mad when I wouldn’t let him in my knickers, I’ll tell you that.”

“I’ll make a note to have him killed.” Liam’s voice isn’t light and full of humor.

His eyes are fierce. His jaw clenched.

“Are you angry on my behalf, Liam Cunningham?”

He doesn’t reply, just watches me with that intense look on his impossibly handsome face.

“You have a scar, right here,” he says, reaching out to point to my jawline, but he doesn’t touch me.

“I fell when I was small. I have three older brothers. They always got me into trouble.”

Liam nods. “You should go sleep off that wine.”

“Yeah.” I sigh, resigned to going to bed by myself. “I’ll stop hitting on you now.”

I take a step. “Wait!” I whirl back around and brace myself on a chair so I don’t fall again. “I have to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For last summer. For the stunt I pulled that put so many of us in danger. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”

“I know.”

“It was stupid and thoughtless, and I want to let you know that it won’t happen again.”

“You’ve apologized before.”

“I know, but I feel like you haven’t forgiven me, and that’s why you’re not very nice to me. Anyway, goodnight.”

I turn to walk to the bedroom, immediately pulling the glittery tank I wore to the party over my head and letting it fall to the floor.

I don’t even give the fact that I’m not wearing a bra a second thought.

“Jesus,” Liam says behind me.

“What?”

“Don’t turn around,” he says quickly. “Go to bed, Ellie.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

I’m dying.

I moan and roll onto my back, take a deep breath, and then shove my face back into the pillow.

Yep, I’m dying. Probably of alcohol poisoning. My head feels like it’s split in two, my stomach roiling. I swear I’ve eaten a whole handful of cotton balls.

I want to just lie here all day, but I have to wee like crazy, and my phone has been buzzing with messages.

That’s what woke me.

I have no idea what time it is, and I’d look, except with my head cracked open, I’m quite sure I’ve gone blind.

I stumble my way into the loo, and once I’ve done my business, washed my hands and face, and scooped my hair into a knot on the top of my head, the headache starts to abate.

I pull on some yoga shorts and a sports tank, then pad out to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I stumble into a chair, sending it crashing to the floor. Grateful that it wasn’t me landing in a heap, I pick it up and pour myself a glass of water.

“Are you okay up there?”

Liam appears at the top of the steps. His eyes roam over me from head to toe.

“It was a chair,” I reply and sit on the couch, pulling my feet up under me. I lean on the arm of the sofa. “I’m dying.”

“You had a bit to drink last night.”

“Yeah. Or a lot.”

I sip the water, hoping it’ll settle my stomach.

Images start to fill my mind, and I frown.

“You know, I had a crazy dream that I told you some of my secrets.”

“That wasn’t a dream.”

Liam sits in the chair across from me, braces his arms on his knees, and frowns.

“Wait, it wasn’t?”

“No.”

No.

He told me no several times.

Because I practically begged him to shag me.

I let my head fall back onto the couch. “Bloody hell.”

Chapter 3

~Liam~

She’s the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen in my whole godforsaken life. Even with the tousled hair and smeared makeup. And in that barely-there outfit, it’s taking all the strength in me not to reach out and touch her soft skin.

But she’s off-limits. Without a doubt, no questions asked, off-limits.

“Wait.” Eleanor’s head whips up, and she stares at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Did you end up saying yes?”

I slowly shake my head from side to side. “No.”