No Holds Barred(19)

After he helped her out of the bath and dried her off she brushed her teeth and crawled into bed. He slid in beside her and pulled her flush against his naked body. Cait sighed and burrowed in close, craving the contact and the feel of his warm, strong frame cradling her. Right now, she desperately needed his reassurance and approval. She needed to know he loved her as much as ever. His hands moved gently over her back, her buttocks, soothing and calming.

She fought back a yawn.

“Tired?” he murmured against the crown of her head.

“Mmm.” She loved the feel of his arms around her. Would never get tired of this.

“Love you.”

Tension she hadn’t even realized she been holding released from the muscles in her shoulders. “Love you too.” With her head cradled on his shoulder, she allowed herself to slide into sleep.





Chapter Five




The next morning, Cait tensed when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Bracing herself for the ensuing confrontation, she placed the coffee carafe back on the machine as Liam came into the kitchen.

“Got any more of that for me?”

A blush crept into her cheeks. Act normal. Pretend like it never happened. “Sure.” She took another mug down from the cupboard and filled it for him. “Here you go.” She set it on the counter without meeting his eyes. This was so damn awkward. Her facial muscles felt stiff.

“Sleep okay?” he asked.

“Yes, you?”

“Great.”

The pitiful attempt at conversation was starting to wear on her. Next they’d start talking about the weather. She wanted to leave before that happened. “Well, I guess I should go see if—”

Liam stepped in front of her, blocking her from moving the sink. “Hey. I don’t want to lose your friendship over this.”

Cait pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. “I know, and you won’t. It’s just…hard for me.”

“Do you regret it?”

Blushing harder, she shook her head. Maybe it made her depraved, but she couldn’t deny she’d been fully into what they’d done last night. So much it scared her. No one had forced her. That was the hardest part to face in the cold light of day when she’d first opened her eyes. They’d both been considerate and generous with her. So tender, it made her ache when she thought about it. She’d never dreamed she could be that uninhibited, go that far.

At least Nathan didn’t seem to be holding it against her. He’d kept her tight against him all night, snuggled with her all morning before she’d found the will to drag herself out of bed and confront this. He’d told her he loved her more than ever, and that was the only thing that made her feel okay about it.

Liam cradled his mug in his big hands. “I’m glad. But you know why he allowed it, right?”

When she didn’t answer, he put a finger under her chin and forced her head up. It took all her strength to meet his gaze, but this time there was no heat there. Just tenderness and empathy.

She relaxed and swallowed past the dryness in her throat, glad Nathan wasn’t there, because she needed to have this conversation with Liam in private. “He did it for me.”

Liam shook his head. “That’s not the whole reason, honey. He adores you, would do anything for you. But if you were going to go through with it, he wanted it to be with someone who loved you to death. That’s why he asked me.”

“Do you still, after last night?” She couldn’t help the note of insecurity in her voice. God, the things he’d done to her. The things she’d done to him. The flush burned hotter.

Liam chuckled. “Of course, still. I’ll admit I was surprised at first, but I’m glad he trusted me enough to ask. I just want to make sure you and I are still okay.”

A lump settled in her throat. If he and Nathan were mature enough to deal with it and act like everything was normal, then she would too. “We’re okay,” she said softly. “I’m just…embarrassed, I guess. I’ve never…you know.”

“Yes, I do know,” he said with a trace of amusement. “But there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I never kiss and tell.” He had the audacity to wink as he raised the mug to his lips.

Cait couldn’t help but grin in reply. Handsome, charming Liam, who now knew her as intimately as Nathan. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about that. “I’m glad to hear that.” Not that she’d ever worried about him telling anyone. He had way too much integrity to do that. She waved a hand as she reached for her own mug. “Sorry if I haven’t handled this very well.”