Collided: Dirty Air (Book 2)(79)
Liam carries his niece on his shoulder, tugging at every single heartstring inside of me like a pull-apart pi?ata. Weeks ago, he told me how he and Kaia have never been close. I would have never believed it. Seriously, I can’t breathe at the sight of him tickling her and throwing her up in the air. Kids are amazing and forgiving because the two baby Zanders accept Liam wholeheartedly.
Lukas grabs the hand of his tiny clone and leads us toward the podium where Liam hopes to place first on Sunday.
This time, Liam trades champagne for sparkling apple juice. The girls get showered in the sticky substance while Liam and Lukas dance around them to a Disney song. I keep a safe distance away until Liam drags me onto the stage and sprays a fresh bottle on me, liquid spraying on my face and body. The sickly sweet smell invades my nose.
Liam gets down on one knee and chugs straight from the bottle.
“You look ridiculous.” I fail at holding back my smile.
He pulls the bottle away from his lips. “Well, I’d prefer you on your knees, but I’ll compromise.”
I release a loud laugh. “You can’t talk like that in front of kids.”
Liam glances over at Lukas washing the girls down with a hose. “Seeing as they’re about to knock out from a sugar high, I think we are safe. Plus, I can’t help myself, with what you stir up inside of me.”
“Erections don’t count.”
“God, I love your mouth.” He shoots me a smile that has my knees shaking.
Somewhere between Shanghai and Germany, this happy yet noncommittal man wrapped his hands around my heart and owned me. I memorize his every detail, from the hidden scar at his hairline to the razor cut he got on his neck yesterday from a fresh blade.
I love him from his head to his toes. For his quick wit, boyish charm, and back scratches in the middle of the night. Our story fits a tragedy. It’s ironic how, while exploring myself and learning who I am, I discovered someone else who brought out the absolute best and the downright worst in me. Falling in love is ugly like that.
And damn if ours turns out to be the ugliest of them all.
27
Sophie
“I never pegged you as a narcissist, but now I’m second-guessing myself.” I stare at the custom shirt Liam had made for me with his number and name.
“What gave me away? My stiff cock at seeing you wear my name or how I fucked you in front of a mirror this morning?”
“Here I was thinking you were staring at me in the mirror.” My cheeks sear at the memory of Liam pulling me into his suite bathroom, claiming we needed to cross off try mirror sex from our list. Our list like we made it together.
Never in a million years would I have thought mirror sex could be one of the most erotic experiences of my life. Leave it to Liam to tear down all my beliefs, challenging my expectations at every turn. He does it so well with everything else in my life.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off you, let alone check myself out. But we can go for round two and give me some equal attention. What do you think?” He tugs me in for a kiss. We stand in an empty hall next to his suite, no onlookers present for our display of affection. Or lust.
Does affection imply loving feelings Liam lacks for me?
“You two can’t keep to your respectable room? I want to hear about your sex life almost as much as I want to hear about the latest stock market updates.” Jax’s voice reverberates off the walls.
I break apart from Liam, putting a good foot of distance between us.
Liam winks at me. “Is that a challenge? I can make the Dow sound sexy as fuck too.”
“You’ve stooped to new lows. The pit called us down, so let’s get a move on, mate.”
“Duty calls.” Liam brushes his lips against my temple before we go down the stairs toward the garage.
“You’re hanging with my fam. Hope you can handle them because they tend to be a lively bunch.” Liam’s eyes shine, looking lighter than ever at the mention of his family.
“What’s the worst that can happen?” I fight down the nerves clawing at my chest. His parents are kind, but it doesn’t mean I’m not scared to spend a couple hours alone with them.
“Besides the fact that they’ll become as obsessed with you as I am? I’m guessing by the 30th lap, they’ll offer you a home and a car if you move to Germany.”
“I’d say yes to a BMW convertible.”
Liam covers my mouth. “We don’t speak of that company here. McCoy or bust.”
I shrug once he drops his hand. “Guess Germany’s not in my cards then.”
He laughs as he drags me toward his waiting family. With a quick goodbye, the crew shuffles him and his car toward the track.
“So, Sophie, we’ve heard so much about you. We didn’t have a chance to chat much at Liam’s birthday party with him hogging you.” His mother, a strikingly beautiful woman with hair rivaling gold, tilts her head at me.
“He tends to monopolize my time.” Isn’t that the truth. Liam prefers to spend his free time with me or in me.
“We see. He sends us pictures of his new friend. We loved the one of you two in Paris.” Her smile fails to warm the chill running through my blood.
Stupid F-word. I hate myself for labeling us because it looks like Liam describes our relationship the same with his family. Seeing as I came up with the stupid plan, I don’t have a right to be sad. Instead, I take whatever he gives me, willing to live in the moment and suffer the consequences later.