the thought of him seeing her as weak and needy.
When he drove past the exit to her hotel, she frowned. “Where are you going?”
“My place.”
What? “N—”
“You need to eat and you need to sleep, and if you’re at my place then you can’t kick my ass out later on.”
She flushed. “I didn’t kick you—”
“Did so, and even though it made me madder than hell, I went because I knew you needed the space. But not this time. I’ll pay for your room tonight, since you won’t be using it.”
She bristled at his peremptory tone. “Excuse me, but who the hell are you to decide what I need?”
He glanced over, his dark gaze spearing into her. “The guy who cares about you and wants to take care of you. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”
“I’m not a charity case,” she answered tightly.
“This had nothing to do with charity. It’s about me stepping up and giving you what you’re too stubborn to ask for.”
Stunned, she stared back at him. Something in his tone made it clear he wasn’t just talking about help with her mother. He meant him . He’d willingly give her anything she needed from him. It rendered her speechless.
Liam shook his head in annoyance. “You don’t have to look so surprised. Christ, isn’t it obvious by now how I feel about you? I can’t stand to see you hurting like this, so the least you can do is let me try to make it better. And yeah, I know hearing that scares the hell out of you, but too bad. Deal with it.”
That was exactly the problem. She didn’t know if she could.
Since arguing with him would be pointless, she crossed her arms over her chest and suffered the rest of the drive in silence while the tension mounted inside her. This could only end badly. How the hell was she supposed to distance herself from him when he kept making it impossible?
* * *
With effort, Liam reined in his temper as he let her through the foyer into the kitchen.
Talia stood in the doorway uncertainly, looking around at his place. “I didn’t know you’d bought a house,” she said at last.
“Last year.” Not that he was home to enjoy it that often. He’d taken almost every contracting job offered to him in Afghanistan these past three years. The money was good, and he figured he should make the most of his military skills while he could. “You hungry?”
She pulled a face and shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat right now.”
The dark circles beneath her eyes bothered him. She looked worn out. “A bath?”
Her face brightened. “That sounds good.”
“Right this way.” He led her through the master bedroom and into the ensuite, noting the way her gaze moved to the king-size sleigh bed set against the far wall. Was she picturing them on it together? Wondering what he’d do to her when he got her naked this time? She had to know he still wanted her. If things went according to plan, he’d have her writhing beneath him very soon. He was done being patient.
In the bathroom, he started the water to fill the tub then turned back to her. She stared at him in surprise when he reached for the bottom of her sweater and began to draw it upward.
Her arms locked over his. “What are you doing?”
He brushed her restraining hands away. “Undressing you.”
“I can do it myself.”
After yesterday she was still embarrassed at the thought of being naked in front of him? After tonight she wouldn’t be. He’d make sure of that. “Not today.”
Her sharp inhalation and dilating pupils told him everything he needed to know. The air around them suddenly crackled with sexual energy. He could practically feel it humming over his skin, like a low-level electrical charge.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, but Talia slowly relaxed her arms and allowed him to pull her sweater over her head. The pale blue push-up bra she wore was sexy as hell and displayed the tops of her breasts for him. She sucked in a breath when he trailed his fingers over the tempting curves, standing
When he drove past the exit to her hotel, she frowned. “Where are you going?”
“My place.”
What? “N—”
“You need to eat and you need to sleep, and if you’re at my place then you can’t kick my ass out later on.”
She flushed. “I didn’t kick you—”
“Did so, and even though it made me madder than hell, I went because I knew you needed the space. But not this time. I’ll pay for your room tonight, since you won’t be using it.”
She bristled at his peremptory tone. “Excuse me, but who the hell are you to decide what I need?”
He glanced over, his dark gaze spearing into her. “The guy who cares about you and wants to take care of you. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”
“I’m not a charity case,” she answered tightly.
“This had nothing to do with charity. It’s about me stepping up and giving you what you’re too stubborn to ask for.”
Stunned, she stared back at him. Something in his tone made it clear he wasn’t just talking about help with her mother. He meant him . He’d willingly give her anything she needed from him. It rendered her speechless.
Liam shook his head in annoyance. “You don’t have to look so surprised. Christ, isn’t it obvious by now how I feel about you? I can’t stand to see you hurting like this, so the least you can do is let me try to make it better. And yeah, I know hearing that scares the hell out of you, but too bad. Deal with it.”
That was exactly the problem. She didn’t know if she could.
Since arguing with him would be pointless, she crossed her arms over her chest and suffered the rest of the drive in silence while the tension mounted inside her. This could only end badly. How the hell was she supposed to distance herself from him when he kept making it impossible?
* * *
With effort, Liam reined in his temper as he let her through the foyer into the kitchen.
Talia stood in the doorway uncertainly, looking around at his place. “I didn’t know you’d bought a house,” she said at last.
“Last year.” Not that he was home to enjoy it that often. He’d taken almost every contracting job offered to him in Afghanistan these past three years. The money was good, and he figured he should make the most of his military skills while he could. “You hungry?”
She pulled a face and shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat right now.”
The dark circles beneath her eyes bothered him. She looked worn out. “A bath?”
Her face brightened. “That sounds good.”
“Right this way.” He led her through the master bedroom and into the ensuite, noting the way her gaze moved to the king-size sleigh bed set against the far wall. Was she picturing them on it together? Wondering what he’d do to her when he got her naked this time? She had to know he still wanted her. If things went according to plan, he’d have her writhing beneath him very soon. He was done being patient.
In the bathroom, he started the water to fill the tub then turned back to her. She stared at him in surprise when he reached for the bottom of her sweater and began to draw it upward.
Her arms locked over his. “What are you doing?”
He brushed her restraining hands away. “Undressing you.”
“I can do it myself.”
After yesterday she was still embarrassed at the thought of being naked in front of him? After tonight she wouldn’t be. He’d make sure of that. “Not today.”
Her sharp inhalation and dilating pupils told him everything he needed to know. The air around them suddenly crackled with sexual energy. He could practically feel it humming over his skin, like a low-level electrical charge.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, but Talia slowly relaxed her arms and allowed him to pull her sweater over her head. The pale blue push-up bra she wore was sexy as hell and displayed the tops of her breasts for him. She sucked in a breath when he trailed his fingers over the tempting curves, standing
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