Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(19)

Liam runs his tongue along his teeth as he approaches. “Do I get a warm bath, too?”

His words trip the switch that causes arousal, and my hardening nipples have nothing to do with the cold. I frown at the teasing grin I expect on his face. Instead, there’s an unmistakable one of want in his green eyes.

“Your hands must be freezing!” I say, looking at his red fingers.

Liam places an icy palm on my cheek. “Yup.”

“Jesus, Liam! That’s cold! Go inside.”

“When we’ve finished Ella’s snowman.” His palm remains on my cheek too long to miss the intimacy of the gesture, and he gazes at my lips before blinking and removing his hand.

I duck my head and focus hard on the task, fighting my own foolish need to touch this man. Liam remains where he is and I tense against his next word or touch. Ella comes to my rescue as a ball of snow smacks Liam on the side of the head. I chew down on my mouth suppressing a giggle at his shocked look.

Liam cocks a brow at my amusement, snow sliding down his cheek. “Funny, huh?”

“Kind of.”

“Oh, yeah?”

As soon as Liam scoops snow into his hands, I know what’s coming. “Don’t you dare!”

“I’ll give you first shot.”

“I grew out of snowball fights, thanks.”

Liam shakes his head. “You need to have more fun in your life, Cerys. You can still be a mum and throw snowballs at hot rock stars.”

“Oh? Is Dylan here?” I make a pretence of looking around for him.

“For that comment...” The snowball narrowly misses my head as I duck.

“Bad shot.”

“As I said before, if I wanted to get you, I would.”

Another ball of snow hits Liam and I’m secretly impressed by Ella’s accuracy but also worried she’s pushing him too far.

Liam turns and holds his hands up in surrender. “You win! But be nice or I won’t help you finish the snowman.”

“Okay,” says Ella and drops the snow from her hand.

Liam gathers another handful and begins making the snowman’s head. “Come on; let’s show your mum how much better I am at building snowmen than she is.”

“I like you,” says Ella as she watches Liam place the head on the snowman’s body.

“Why, thank you, little lady,” he says in a false American drawl.

Ella suddenly hugs Liam around the leg and he looks down in surprise before glancing at me. Now he’s out of his depth as his arms hover over whether to hug the girl back or not.

“Ella, let Liam go so he can find a carrot for Olaf’s nose.”

“I’ll go! I want to choose!” Ella releases Liam and heads to the house with Goldie in tow.

Crap, here comes another of those silences Liam insists on filling with uncomfortable talk.

“Sorry about yesterday,” says Liam. “I was stressed; I forget who I am sometimes.”

“It’s okay; I can understand you don’t want to be seen with me.”

“Not true. I just don’t want you getting hassled.” He wipes the loose snow from my hair, snow that mysteriously hit me in Liam’s fight with Ella. “I like being with you. It’s weird but it feels natural somehow.”

“I’m from your past and you’re in your past right now, that’s why,” I reply.

“There’re lots of people around from my past, but I don’t obsess about kissing them all.”

“Liam, don’t.”

“Just being honest, Cerys.”

Oh, God, don’t kiss me again even though at this moment his mouth on mine is the only thing I can hold in my thoughts.

Luckily, for me, Ella returns with a carrot. The snowman is a metre and a half high so I lift her up to push the carrot into the snow. She and Liam set about searching for sticks and stones to finish decorating the snowman while I fight down the affection I have for Liam. He not only heats my blood, but his behaviour around Ella melts my heart.

Liam lifts Ella so she can place two stones as eyes and she grabs his black beanie. “He needs a hat!”

“Ella!” I say.

“I agree; he needs a hat.” Liam places his beanie on the snowman’s head and releases Ella.

He grins down at her, his hair sticking up and I want to scream at him ‘don’t do this to us; don’t make me care about you by playing with us’. But I don’t think he’s doing any of this on purpose; he doesn’t realise Ella is getting attached to him as quickly as I am.

“Will you come to my birthday?” Ella asks him.

Liam rubs the back of his neck. “Umm. I don’t know. When is it?”

“June,” I say.

He laughs. “I’d love to if I’m free.”

This is going too far, he can’t make promises like this to her. Liam doesn’t understand Ella’s black and white world.

“I think Liam might be busy. He doesn’t live in Wales and he might be working.”

“What day is your birthday?” he asks Ella, ignoring me.

“Tuesday?” She looks to me for confirmation.

“Liam, a four year old isn’t going to know her birth date. It’s June 10th.”

“Really?” He pushes Ella on the nose. “That’s why we’re friends! That’s my birthday, too!”