“What? What!?”
“My name!” he laughed, looking down at her. “You got my name right. For like the first time ever.”
“Oh jesus,” she groaned. “Liam, I've always known your name. You're just fun to mess with.”
He playfully glared, then poked her in the side.
“And I'm the bad guy, huh? All this time, I didn't think you cared enough to remember,” he grumbled, continuing to poke her all over as she laughed and squirmed.
“That's awful!” she gasped for air. “Of course I cared, I just thought it was fun to annoy you!”
“Exactly,” he said, using both hands to tickle her. “You're an awful, awful girl.”
“Well, I learned it from you, Edenhooferhasslehoffer.”
They were all but wrestling at that point, Liam leaning over and following her as she squiggled down the couch. She kicked his plate off the coffee table, which caused her to shriek with laughter. He pinned down her legs after that by straddling her thighs, which left her pretty much at his mercy.
“I'd forgotten,” he was panting for air when he finally stopped.
“What?” she gasped.
“How stunning you can be,” he said in a soft voice.
She choked on air for a minute, struggling to shove her wild hair out of her face. She felt him move, then one of his hands was in her hair, helping her. He tucked the still damp strands behind her ear, then he left his hand against the side of her neck.
“You can't just say stuff like that,” she whispered. He smiled.
“But I said I wouldn't lie anymore.”
She was working that over in her brain when he leaned down and kissed her. She blinked a couple times, unable to focus on him because he was so close. Then she softly moved and let her eyes fall shut.
This is a bad idea. Stop him. Stop this. This isn't what you want.
Instead of saying all that, though, she moaned. He shifted around, bracing an arm on the side of her to hold himself upright, then his tongue was in her mouth, causing her to gasp. Both his hands were in her hair, pulling lightly as he kissed her harder.
They'd shared a kiss in Carmel, and he'd kissed her on the street, but it wasn't the same. It had been a long time since they'd been intimate together in any real way. She'd almost forgotten what it was like – how warm he was, the way he smelled and tasted. How his hands were bold as they wandered over her body, but also gentle.
Katya was a red-blooded woman who hadn't had sex in a long time, and Liam Edenhoff was a stupidly sexy man who was very good at what he did, seduction wise. She got lost in the moment, lost in his heat. Gasping and moaning underneath him, arching her back so she could feel his chest against hers.
When he bit into her bottom lip, she also felt his hand on her breast. It startled her a little, the long ignored nerve endings suddenly receiving so much attention. It reset her brain a little, shocked her into the here and now. As his hand wandered farther down, she opened her eyes again. Sucked in a deep breath of air while his teeth cut into the side of her jaw.
“Liam,” she breathed his name.
“God, you feel so good,” he groaned in response as he shoved her tank top so it was scrunched up under her breasts.
“Liam,” she repeated herself while trying to clear her throat.
“A long time, angel cake,” he continued talking, and she felt his hand moving between them. Fumbling to undo his belt buckle. “I have been dreaming about this for a long time.”
“Stop,” she said more forcefully, placing her hands over his before he could shove his jeans down.
“What?” he asked, finally lifting his head, seeming to realize for the first time that she wasn't an active participant anymore.
“I … I'm sorry, I can't,” she whispered, blinking up at him.
“Oh. Oh god, I'm sorry,” he started speaking fast. “You said you weren't ready for anything, I wasn't even thinking. You just … I just … god, I'm sorry.”
He started to move off her, but Katya felt bad. She'd kissed him back, she'd been moaning and whining and rubbing against him. She was just as guilty for starting something she couldn't finish, so she made him stop. Wrapped her arms around his shoulders and forced him to lay down flat on top of her.
“Don't be sorry,” she told him, combing her fingers through the back of his hair. “It was nice – so nice, I forgot what was even happening.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled into her neck.
“I just don't want to use you again, and I still don't know what I want. I don't want to do something we'll both just regret later,” she said softly. There was a long pause, then his arms wiggled their way around her waist.
“I could never regret sex with you,” he informed her, and she barked out a laugh.
“Good to know.”
“Do you want me to leave? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable,” he asked, letting her go and pushing himself upright.
“No, you don't have to go. Unless you feel uncomfortable,” she told him.
“Um, I'm extremely uncomfortable,” he laughed. She could tell – she could feel the bulge in his pants against her thigh. “But I'd like to stay. If that's okay.”
She nodded and scooted to the edge of the couch. He fell into place against the cushions, spooning her from behind. She got comfortable, resting her head on his bicep as he stretched his arm under her neck. He draped his other arm across her waist, his fingers brushing against the exposed skin above her pants.
“This is definitely okay, Liam. Thanks,” she sighed, focusing on the tv.
“Thank you,” he breathed in her ear, making her shiver.
Good idea or bad idea, this feels pretty damn good.
*
Wulf usually thought of himself as a smart man, but sometimes, he got confused. It seemed to happen a lot around a certain baker. So he would switch tactics. Try different things to try and keep her on her toes. Maybe confuse her for once.
Like playing along with her game.
Or installing a new kitchen in her apartment while they were gone.
Even trying to annoy her with his demand for dinner.
Then there was the run in with their ridiculous blonde neighbor, which had been rather fortuitous. Katya's face had been priceless.
Now, though, he was realizing he was kind of an idiot. All those things had just riled Katya up, and a riled up Katya was more like a hurricane than a rational person. It emboldened her and caused her to react rashly. Then after setting all that into motion, he'd given her thirty-two hours alone. Time to ruminate on what he'd done and retaliate.
And, he realized as he stood in her living room, time for her to reconnect with Eden.