Wicked Heart (Starcrossed #3)(19)

“I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you,” he whispers, and grazes my lips again. “You don’t even know how beautiful you are.”

I lay my hands at against his chest as he kisses me again, deeper this time. Light suction. Sudden inhale.

Goddammit.

Reality melts away in a lusty haze, and I’m physically incapable of not kissing him back. I suck on his lips as I push up onto my toes. He grunts in response and presses against me, all hard-bodied and strong. When our mouths open and tongues slide, every last shred of resistance frays and snaps. His mouth is heaven, and I want to live there.

“Unbelievable,” he mutters before kissing me harder.

I’m gone. Lost in his touch, and smell, and sweet, sweet taste. There’s no coming back from this.

I once read an Oscar Wilde quote that said, “A kiss may ruin a human life.” It perplexed me, because up until now, I’d always thought kisses were sweet but unimportant. But this kiss? It’s ruined me. This is the type of kiss I never knew existed. It’s like falling and flying, all in the same moment.

His fingers slide into my hair, and I hook my hands around his shoulders, desperate to get closer. I feel people passing us and even hear a few mutter, “Get a room,” but I really don’t care.

Liam kisses me like he was born to do it. Like he invented the concept and does it better than any other man on the planet. His mouth moves over mine with instinctual ease, and before long, our hands are grasping and pushing under clothes.

When his hands slide under the back of my T-shirt, a warning bell in my brain reminds me I’m making out on the street. With an actor. A really hot, probably fickle actor.

How much further am I going to let this go before I come to my senses?

Large hands close around my butt, and then he pulls me tight against him. The feel of his erection pressing against my stomach makes me moan.

Okay, then. A little further, apparently.

I’m about half a second away from exploring exactly how hard he is when my common sense screams at me to stop.

Gasping, I hold up a hand and pull back. “Wait a minute.” I suck in a few quick lungfuls of air. “I need to ask you a question, and you have to give me a straight answer.”

He breathes in shallow pants, his pupils huge. “I know what you’re going to ask, and yes, I do have a condom. Also, I’d be more than happy to risk being arrested so I can fuck you against this wall.”

“That’s not it.”

“You sure? That’s the vibe I was getting.”

“I know you avoided this earlier, but . . . what do you do for a living?”

He flinches. A sick sense of dread settles in my stomach, because I know I’m not going to like the answer.

“So if I said I’m an actor, you’d, what? Walk away from this?”

“I’d have to. You know why.”

Please, please, please don’t say it. I really like you and want more, but not if you confirm my suspicions.

He sighs. “Okay, fine. I get why you’re hesitant. After Leanne, I figure I won’t be dating any brunettes from Jersey for a while.”

“So now imagine you dated Leanne three times in a row and she dumped you each time. Then another Leanne came along. Wouldn’t you feel like a dumb-ass if you went there again? I just can’t do it.”

I see pity in his expression when he cups my cheek. “I understand. And luckily, I can say without a hint of a lie that I’ve never set foot on a stage in my life. I work in construction with my dad. Have ever since I left school.”

For a moment, I swear I’ve heard incorrectly. “Wait a minute. You’re actually a . . . construction worker?”

“Yes.”

I stifle a laugh. “You don’t happen to have friends who are policemen, cowboys, and Native Americans, do you?”

His brows furrow. “No. Why?”

“Not important. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? Maybe I would have ripped off your shirt on the roof after all.”

He shrugs. “My girlfriend just dumped me for being a broke blue-collar worker. I guess you’re not the only one who’s afraid of rejection.”

I feel myself beaming. “Well, Leanne’s an idiot. I couldn’t be happier that you’re a construction worker. Best job ever.”

“Seems to me if you were truly happy about it, you’d kiss me again.”

I rise on my toes and capture his mouth. He makes a noise in his throat that vibrates all the way through his body. Then, he presses me back against the wall and takes charge again. Lord, his mouth is talented. And what’s more, he tastes incredible. Milk and cookies is now my favorite flavor.

After a few more frantic minutes, I really can’t breathe, so I pull back and stroke his chest. “Okay, we could do this all night, but it’s almost three a.m., and I wasn’t lying about having a big day tomorrow.”

He leans his forehead against mine, and his breathing is tight. “What are you doing tomorrow? And please say it includes seeing me again.”

“I can’t. I’m stage-managing Romeo and Juliet for the Tribeca Shakespeare Festival and our Romeo auditions are tomorrow.”

For a few seconds he looks confused. Then he smiles and shakes his head. “That’s . . . well, that’s great. Romeo auditions. Important job. So . . . uh . . . how are they going to figure out who gets the role?”