“I predict your ego will be just fine. Good night, Liam Quinn.” I hold out my hand as he goes for a hug. Then we laugh and step back. When he offers his hand, I shake it.
Jesus, most awkward moment ever. It gets even more awkward when we stop smiling and neither one of us lets go. We just continue to stand there and shake hands.
Liam lets out a breath. “Okay, so . . . this is where you walk away.”
“Yeah. I’ll just . . . go.” I take a tentative step away from him, but he doesn’t let go of my hand.
My back hits the wall of the building behind me as Liam steps forward. He’s so tall and his shoulders are so broad, they block out the light. In the shadows, his expression looks ravenous. I’ve had men look at me with desire before, but nothing like this. I can feel him holding himself back. Every muscle is tense, yet his fingers are gentle as they caress mine.
“Elissa.” He cups my face and leans down. When our noses brush, I can’t help but grip the front of his T-shirt. “Maybe you don’t have to leave just yet.”
My blood pressure is getting higher every second. “I really should.” My heart is thundering, roaring blood through my ears.
“Or maybe you can just stand there for a few minutes and let me do this.”
I stop breathing as he gently grazes his lips across mine.
Oh. Fuck.
No.
No, no, no.
Giant mistake.
My mind seizes. I’ve never felt lips so soft. He does it again, and my whole body flushes, inside and out.
“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice raspy.
I grip his T-shirt tighter. Not really.
I’ve tried to resist him all night, but now that I’ve felt his mouth, not wanting more is impossible.
“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.”