Changing Roles

Ryan and Lesley were going to be staying at the house. Liam had exercise equipment installed, and the guesthouse was being remodeled to suit Ryan’s needs. Liam would have the peace of mind knowing the house and Thor would be looked after, and Ryan had a purpose to keep going while recuperating, until Liam returned. Ryan had made huge strides already, and I knew Liam and Everett had plans for him once this project was over. Liam’s generosity knew no bounds when it came to Ryan.

My gaze drifted back, and I was surprised to see Liam’s green eyes watching me intently.

“All right there, Beaker?” he asked quietly.

I felt bad I had woken him.

“Should I stop?” I asked, indicating my fingers that were still pulling through his hair. “You seemed a little restless.”

“No. I like it.” He pulled my hand down, kissing the inside of my wrist. “I like it when you touch me.” Then he frowned. “Why aren’t you asleep? Are you really okay?”

“I was reading and lost track of time.”

“You ready to sleep now?”

I knew I wasn’t, and lying there beside him, trying not to toss and turn wouldn’t work. “Soon. Will the light bother you?”

“No.”

I sat back and lifted my book, adjusting my glasses. I tried to lose myself in the words, but I found myself reading the same passage over and over. My eyes drifted over to Liam, only to see him staring back at me.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I like looking at you.”

I tilted my head. “Are you okay, Liam? You seemed…distracted tonight.”

He tugged on his hair again, and I grabbed his hand, pulling it free. “Stop that, Oscar. You’ll be bald soon and lose all your appeal to the masses. Then what will you do? Be a judge on the X Factor?”

I gasped as I suddenly found myself underneath a grinning, teasing Liam. “Would I still appeal to you, Shelby?” he growled.

Giggling, I buried my hand in his thick hair. “You would. But then I couldn’t do this.” It was his turn to gasp as I pulled him down, our mouths fusing together. Our tongues met, sweeping and sweet as we kissed intensely. He moaned low in his chest as he pressed me deeply into the mattress, his body hard and unyielding against mine, and I reveled in his closeness. It had taken days after I came home from the hospital for him to touch me with anything but the sweetest of caresses. It was only after I almost lost it on him that he was able to make love to me without worrying he would hurt me. The last few days, he had been more like his usual self, but this was the first time I’d felt his control slide away and his passion fully unfurl as he lay on top of me, his lips demanding, his body surging against me. His cloth-covered erection was trapped between us, and in one swift movement, he lifted my leg over his arm, grinding his hardness into me. I moaned out his name as I bucked against him, wanting, needing, more of him.

Closer. So much closer.

So much deeper.

“Liam…oh God…please,” I pleaded.

“Shelby…Jesus…baby…”

He sat up, his chest heaving. His hair was wild from my fingers. His eyes were dark and hooded, his lust clearly illustrated by the straining material of his sleep pants. “I want. God, Shelby, I want—”

“Tell me,” I urged. I wanted the same thing. I knew I did.

He dropped my leg and bent down, his face close, his eyes earnest. “I want… I want you to marry me.”

I blinked.

That wasn’t exactly what I wanted right now.

“What?”LIAMShe was blinking at me, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright with desire, and her hair spread out like a dark ribbon against the pillow. She was so beautiful, it made my heart ache. “What?” she asked, confused.

Fuck.

It was the sushi all over again. I had cocked it up.

I had wanted to ask her all evening—planned on asking her. I wanted to show up at the interview the next day with her as my fiancée—I’d even had the ring in my pocket all night. Mum was spending the evening with Douglas, so we were alone. I knew Shelby would hate a big production and would want a proposal done privately. It was the perfect time to ask her. Us—here—in the place we fell in love. But I couldn’t find the right words and never seemed to find the right moment.

And judging from the look on Shelby’s face right now, this wasn’t the right one either.

I hung my head, cursing.

I looked up, meeting her bewildered gaze. I brushed a tender kiss to her forehead, grateful she didn’t fling me off and stomp away. “Sorry, Beaker. Sometimes I feel so much when I’m with you, the words just…burst out.”

I began to move away, but she tightened her hand on my arm. “So, you didn’t mean it?”