Playing Games
Page 22

I nodded. He was definitely dirtier than I was.
Liam grinned and stripped off his shirt, displaying his bare chest. I tried not to look, but couldn't help myself. When it had been Abby, Dean, and both of us in the room? He'd been careful to stay fully clothed. Now that it was just me, though? All bets seemed to be off. I watched him as he undressed. His back was decorated with several random, smaller tattoos, and one pectoral seemed to be covered in a giant spider-web tattoo. After a moment, he undid the fly of his jeans and dropped them to the ground, standing in only his boxers. When he turned, I saw his back was sculpted enough that he actually had back dimples just above his rather tight ass.
Oh. Damn. I lay back on the bed and grabbed one of the pillows, closing my eyes and pretending to sleep. I didn't move a muscle until I heard the bathroom door shut and the water turn on. After that, I relaxed, flipping onto my back and staring up at the ceiling of the small hotel room.
Was Liam this casual with Tesla? Did he strip down to his boxers in front of any chick? Or was it just because of our special situation?
And why was I paying so much attention to it?
I shook my head, annoyed with myself. The guy probably had no idea I was so ultra-focused on everything he did.
 
 
~~ * * * ~~
 
 
An arm slid around my waist, a warm body spooning against my back. I gave a small sigh and snuggled in closer, enjoying the feel of the person wrapped around me. His body was big and long compared to mine, entangling with my limbs, and the arm around my waist felt heavenly. And as my bottom shifted, I heard a barely audible male groan.
My eyes flew open. I stared around me, disoriented. Hotel room. Okay. Unfamiliar hotel room. Through the window, I could see the skies were pink with dusk, the curtains fluttering as the air conditioner blasted. I lay on a comfortable bed, and a man had his arm around my waist. I glanced down and saw the familiar black lines of Liam's tattoos.
We were spooning in the only bed.
It was my fault, I told myself, squeezing my eyes closed. I'd sprawled on the bed and grabbed at pillows while he showered. I must have fallen asleep, and when he'd gotten out, instead of waking me up, he'd crawled into bed next to me to catch a few hours of sleep. Totally plausible. Logical. No problem.
Except for that tiny groan that had made my pulse race and my nipples harden. They were hard even now, aching points of awareness as my backside pressed against him.
Okay, maybe he'd been asleep and hadn't realized that he'd groaned aloud. Maybe he didn't realize that my bottom was pressed up against his groin, and I could feel his cock growing hard. Guys got boners when they slept, right? Right. No problem. I'd just sneak away, hop into the shower, and make enough noise that would wake him up and we'd go back to our normal companionship.
After all, there were no cameras around right now. There was zero benefit to kissing me. None. Zilch.
I rolled onto my back, slowly, and opened an eye, daring a look at Liam.
He was awake. His hair was nearly dry, he'd shaved, and the look in his eyes was sleepy, but he was awake.
Heat flushed through my body all over again, and I lay there, frozen in place, my heart thumping in my chest. He was inches away from my face, his arm still around my waist.
He'd groaned while awake.
My nipples were so incredibly hard at the realization. We were in bed together. Alone. For the first time since we'd started this crazy journey, we were alone.
And suddenly, I wanted to kiss him again. I reached out, hesitant, and brushed my fingers along the planes of his jaw. He gave another soft, low groan, but didn't move. His eyes watched me with intensity as I stroked my fingers along his skin, then brushed them against the ring on the side of his lip, the mark that Brodie's elbow had left on his mouth, and then just traced his lips because they were there.
He nipped at my fingers as I did.
I whimpered then, feeling heat pool between my legs. I leaned in closer, until my forehead pressed against his, and my gaze went to his mouth. I hesitated for a moment, then changed the angle, slanting my face so I'd meet with his mouth in a light, teasing kiss.
"Katy," he whispered, my name a mere breath on his lips. And that made me shiver all over again.
I brushed my lips against his once more, then ran my tongue along his lower lip, exploring it. His mouth parted under mine, and I sucked on his lower lip, gently, tasting him. He groaned against me, and his tongue brushed against my lips, a silent entreaty. I angled my mouth against his again, and met his tongue with mine. Suddenly, the kisses changed in intensity from a slow exploration to a wild hunger. The kiss grew deep, and I felt Liam's arm tighten around my waist, dragging me closer to him in the bed. My nipples brushed against his chest and I gasped, even as his tongue thrust into my mouth.
And then I forgot about everything but that kiss. Because holy hell, the man could kiss. His tongue stud flicked against my mouth, at once foreign and titillating as his tongue stroked over mine. The kiss deepened again, his tongue stroking deep into my mouth, even as his thigh moved over my leg, twining my body with his. I dragged a hand to his hair, wanting to twist my fingers in those dark locks, and gasped when he used his tongue stud to flick against my tongue again. I whimpered when the kiss grew deep once more, as his hips rolled against mine in a suggestive manner that left nothing to the imagination, and felt my own body move in response.
He groaned and his hand slid from my side up to my breast, cupping it. I felt his thumb brush over the hard, aching peak and my cry of pleasure was swallowed into his kiss. I pushed against his hand, need ratcheting upward as our kisses grew more intense.
And then my stomach growled. Loud.
I broke the kiss in horror, my eyes flying open.
Liam chuckled. "Hungry?"
"I…I guess." But he was still giving me that sleepy, delicious look that made me want to fling my arms back around him, roll him onto his back and then straddle those hips that had rocked so deliciously against mine a second ago.
"Your stomach probably has more sense than us," he said in a low voice. "We should eat a big meal and sleep it off before continuing on the race."
"You're probably right," I said, my voice sounding far more normal than I felt. "How long was I asleep?"
"About two hours," he told me, and rolled away to sit on the edge of the bed. "You want to take a shower? We can head out afterward."
"Okay," I said breathlessly, but didn't move. My body was still thinking about that deep, wicked kiss, the way his mouth had moved against mine, the way his hips had ground against my own. That strange and wonderful tongue piercing. His big hand on my breast.
But Liam put on his earbuds and dragged his backpack over to his lap, and began to tap out a song. It was as if I wasn't there all over again. And that made me feel…weird. Like I was just a convenient stand-in for Tesla.
Frowning, I slid off the bed and grabbed my own backpack, heading to the shower.
 
 
~~ * * * ~~
 
 
The shower did a lot to restore my mood. By the time I emerged from it, fresh scrubbed and in a clean set of clothes, I felt almost human again.
Liam sat up when I emerged from the bathroom, my wet hair twisted into a sleek knot on top of my head. "Shall we go out to dinner?"