“Yeah!” Ally squealed. “I want ice cream!” At least her niece was the one accepting the invitation and not her. And Whitney couldn’t possibly tell her niece no.
Somehow Whitney ended up sitting right next to Liam on the bench in the parlor. Now she knew for sure that it was a conspiracy. Liam was acting far too smug and sitting way too close.
As their sundaes arrived, his leg brushed against hers and she had to force herself not to react. Refusing to look at him, she focused on both Ally and Brayden, who were scarfing down their sundaes like something they’d never seen before and would never see again. And it was winter!
“Slow down before you get brain freeze,” their doting aunt told them with a chuckle.
The kids didn’t even acknowledge her statement. But Liam was paying attention. “You have a bit of chocolate on the corner of your mouth, Whitney,” he said.
Her cheeks went up in flames. “Oh, where?” she asked.
“I’ll get it.”
Before she was able to tell him “No flipping way,” he was caressing the side of her mouth with his thumb and then running it across her bottom lip. Whitney should have turned away, but the heat in his eyes was enough to melt her ice cream.
When he lifted his thumb to his own mouth and sucked the chocolate off, she squeezed her thighs tightly together, trying to subdue the pressure she suddenly felt in her core.
“Mmm, missed a little,” he told her.
Liam bent down and he swiped his mouth across her lip, once, twice, and a third time, before he raised his head and sent a flood of desire ripping through her.
“Gross,” Brayden said.
It took a moment, but her nephew’s aghast expression broke her from the spell Liam had put her under, and she turned away in horror.
But Brayden wasn’t looking at her. He was looking down at the floor, where a giant spider was crawling by. Thank goodness! What had she been thinking? How could she have allowed Liam to act so intimately with her in front of the kids?
“That is gross, Brayden,” she told her nephew, drawing his eyes back to her. “If you two are finished up, we should get back to the manor. It’s pretty late.”
And she couldn’t take much more of being pressed between the wall and Liam’s hard body, especially when the man continued to look at her as if she were next on the menu. A hot menu.
Liam paid for their treats and they rode back to the manor. Though the kids were tired, Ally chatted all through the drive home about the excitement of the evening. Whitney could have kissed her niece for keeping Liam’s attention on her and Brayden.
After they parked and made their way inside, they all went wearily up the winding staircase and made their way down the long hallway. To Whitney’s surprise, Brayden threw them a smile before he entered his room. It was a beautiful sight for sure.
Liam and Whitney walked Ally to her room — the little girl had been so animated before, but it had worn off — and together they tucked her into bed. And the man stayed there while Whitney read their niece a story. Ally had insisted that her uncle stay during the bedtime ritual; she was growing attached to him, even after such a short time.
A little later, as Liam accompanied Whitney to her bedroom door, the two adults were silent. Would he kiss her again? She was focused on stopping it. She doubted that she’d have the willpower to resist him two nights in a row, especially after his little performance at the ice-cream parlor.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Liam told her outside her door. “It was hardly a typical date for me.”
“This wasn’t a date, Liam. I was actually on a date with another man, if you recall.”
“I’ll consider it a date,” he insisted. “I laughed tonight, and it’s not something I do too often. I enjoyed your company — both yours and the children’s. So I’ll say it again. Thank you.”
She was afraid to make eye contact with him. Her body was humming with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms, especially when he was being so … so … almost … sweet.
“It was very kind of you to bring the children to the concert,” she said without looking up. “And to ask me to join you when Sam became ill.” She was counting the specks on her sparkly shoes.
He grasped her chin gently, and she struggled with herself not to panic.
Looking determinedly into her eyes, he bent his head forward and paused, making her breath catch as she waited for what was to come next. After an eternity, or so it seemed, he brushed his lips lightly against hers, and her heart thundered. Then, before she knew it, he let her go and backed away. With a seductive smile, he turned and left her leaning against the solid oak door.