Wanting Us Read online

“That was forever ago.” Has it really been that long? “I can’t believe I let Bryan keep me from here.”

  “At least you said it and not me.”

  I chuckle and push him away. “Don’t be a jerk.”

  He places his hand on his chest. “Who me? I would never.”

  Shaking my head, I head out to the beach with Drew behind me where Liam and Mack are setting up the chairs. I set the cooler with our sandwiches and snacks down in the middle of everyone as Drew places the drink cooler next to it. Liam is setting up the final chair next to mine as I’m wrestling Drew for a water in the cooler. “Liz, will you grab me a water?”

  Looking over my shoulder at Liam, I smile and nod. While I’m distracted, Drew grabs the only water on top of the ice and now I have to stick me hand deep in the ice to grab Liam’s and I’s. I’m shaking the cold off my hands as I stand up and turn to Liam to hand him his water but I freeze. Liam is pulling his shirt over his head and I have to fight to keep my mouth closed. God, he’s gorgeous. The way his abs muscles flex as he throws his shirt into his chair makes my mouth water and I want to run my fingers over them.

  Last night he wasn’t wearing a shirt when he came to bed but it was dark and I definitely didn’t notice all of this. Liam reaches out to grab his water which has me snapping my eyes from his abs to his face. Based on his smirk he was trying to get a reaction out of me and he did.

  Fighting my smile, I run my tongue over my teeth thinking two can play at this game. Liam settles into his chair thinking he won but he has no idea I play to win. Step one; remove my dress. Knowing I have Liam’s attention, I grab the hem of my dress and slowly pull it up over my head, showing off my toned body and blue string bikini.

  Step two; Swim in the ocean. I throw my dress on my chair and jog to the ocean. I can feel Liam’s eyes on my butt as it bounces with each stride I take. When my feet hit the water, I almost stop because the water is colder than I expected, but that would ruin my plan. So, I dive in.

  Step three; look sexy as hell as I come out of the water. I slowly walk out of the water letting the ocean water run down my body as I run my hand over my hair just like a classic Hollywood it girl in a movie scene. I look at Liam and catch him adjusting himself as he leans forward resting his elbows on his knees. I have his complete attention and based on his sexy smile, he makes me want to participate in every dirty thought he’s having.

  I can’t sleep. I’ve been laying here for almost an hour and I can’t seem to shut off my brain. All I seem to be able to think about is Liam. Specifically, how hot he looked today, how he felt sleeping next to me, how much I want to be with him, and what happened last time we were both in this room together.

  Looking at my door, a part of me wishes he would walk in while the other is begging he doesn’t so I don’t have to confront my feelings yet. After another several minutes of tossing and turning, I throw the covers off me and climb out of bed. Without making a sound, I tiptoe across my room and open my door doing my best not to wake Mack in the room next to mine. When I get downstairs, I fall into the couch facing the ocean. With it being so quiet in the house, I can hear the waves outside and while it’s dark I can see the whites of the waves crashing.

  As I’m sitting there relaxing to the sounds of the ocean, the silence is broken by the sound of a door opening. I look up at the breezeway above me to see Mack quietly walk out of her room and across the breezeway to Drew’s room. When his door shuts, I just look at it trying to comprehend what I just saw. Mack and Drew? Then it hits me. He’s the guy she’s been dating.

  I lay down on the couch looking up at the ceiling thinking about everything. No wonder they’ve been acting weird around each other. They’ve been trying to hide their relationship. Oh my god! Mack and Drew are dating. This is something I secretly wanted in high school. When Liam and I were dating, I wanted to go on a double date with Mack and Drew but Drew was dating every girl that was single and Mack was dating Samuel. When Mack told me about what happened on New Year’s, I was pissed Drew treated her that way but I was also secretly hoping Drew would come to his senses and change his mind but he never did. Or apparently not until recently.

  I must have closed my eyes and gotten lost in the thought of Mack and Drew together that I didn’t hear someone walking down the stairs. I jolt up, opening my eyes when I feel something soft fall over me to see Liam laying a blanket over me. Liam quickly stands tall so our heads don’t hit as I jolt up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you were asleep.”

  I sit up on the couch curling the blanket around me and patting the seat next to me. “It’s okay. I was just lost in thought. What are you doing up?”

  He sits next to me and I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I couldn’t sleep. I was heading to your room when I saw you down here.”

  I lift my head up to look at him and see he’s smiling at me. “What are you smiling at?”

  “It makes me happy to know you can’t sleep without me either.”

  “And who said that?”

  “You did when I found to down here.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.”

  Liam leans forward so we’re eye to eye and only inches between us. “Don’t act like you don’t miss me next you. I know you like being in my arms and having our bodies against each other as you sleep. You cling to me at night like you never want to let me go.”

  “I... I” Liam interrupts me trying to come up with an excuse by closing the distance between us and kissing me. The kiss is quick. So quick I don’t have time to react. Before I get to pull him back to me, he stands up and heads for the stairs. “I want you next to me as much as you do and all you have to do is accept it. Come to my bed when you’re ready for us.”

  I should take this moment and tell him I do want him but instead I just sit there quietly as he walks up the stairs and closes his door behind him. I can’t believe he kissed me. Touching my lips, I think about how great it felt to have his lips against mine. And it feels better than I remember. Throwing my head back against the couch, I silently groan. Why didn’t I just tell him?

  I jump off the couch and climb the stairs ready to tell him and open myself up for him again but when I reach the top step, I freeze. Should I go back to my room on the left and try to go to sleep or should I go to his room on the right and accept the fact that I want to be with Liam?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Liz

  Yum. Bacon. I slowly open my eyes as the smell of bacon pulls me from my sleep. A part of me wants to just roll over and go back to sleep since I probably only got a couple hours last night. I decided to torture myself by sleeping in my own room instead of Liam’s and I’m really regretting that right now. I stretch my arm out behind me hoping Liam decided to sneak in here last night after I fell asleep but the bed is cold, telling me he didn’t.

  I hear Mack downstairs calling my name and I groan as I roll out of bed. I hope Liam is as tired as I am. After brushing my teeth and hair, I throw on a t-shirt and gym shorts and head down stairs. Mack and Drew are whispering to each other when I get downstairs and Liam is setting the table. Liam sees me first and his smile makes me smile. “How did you sleep?”

  There is no way I’m telling him the few hours I did get were awful. “Fine. You?”

  “Like a baby.” Yeah right.

  Mack comes in between us and she seems happier than normal. “Hey Sleepyhead! I haven’t seen you sleep this late in a while.”

  “Oh really?” Liam steps up beside Mack and I shoot daggers at him with my eyes.

  I loop my arm with Mack’s and follow her to the table. “It’s just the bed was so comfortable I didn’t want to get out of it.” I take a seat across from Mack and Liam sits down next to me as Drew carries over the bacon and eggs. “Thanks for making breakfast.”

  Mack looks up at Drew as he sits next to her and they’re both smiling at each other. “We’ve been up for a while.”

  Yeah, I’m sure they’ve been up for a w
hile and probably not just making breakfast. Knowing now that they’re together, their small gestures to each other are now more obvious. As we fill our plates, I watch as Drew’s hand disappears under the table and a second later Mack’s hand goes under the too as she looks at Drew with happiness in her eyes. They’re so cute and they shouldn’t be hiding their relationship. I should just tell them that I know, but have a little fun with it.

  “How did you sleep last night, Mack?”

  Mack looks at me and smiles. “Pretty good.”

  “Great. I was just wondering if it was easier to fall asleep in Drew’s bed because Liam and I were discussing last night if sleeping with someone was better than sleeping by yourself.” Mack is frozen with her fork in the air and Drew is just smiling at me like he’s glad it’s out in the open. He reaches over and pushes Mack hand that’s in the air, down so her fork is on her plate.

  This snaps Mack out of her shock. “You saw me going to Drew’s room last night?”

  I smile at her and nod. “I was in the living room because I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Are you mad? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  I reach for her hand and squeeze it. “Of course I’m not mad. I’m happy for you.”

  “Really?!” Mack jumps out of her seat and comes over to me and I stand up to accept her hug. “I’m so happy you aren’t mad. I’ve been stressing out on how to tell you. You can ask Drew. I’ve been driving him crazy.”

  I look to Drew and he just shrugs his shoulders like it hasn’t bothered him. “Well then I’m glad I just caught you guys.”

  She chuckles. “Me too.” We both sit back down and Mack leans over to give Drew a kiss.

  Liam places his arm on the back of my chair and taps my shoulder. I look over at him and he’s smiling at me like he’s about to kiss me. I shake my head warning him not to try it. First, this is Mack and Drew’s moment and secondly, I don’t want to explain Liam and me to them because I have no idea what Liam and me are. Without looking away from me, Liam asks, “How long have you been dating? And why didn’t you tell me?” Liam looks to Drew. “I understand why you didn’t tell her, but why not me?”

  I elbow Liam as Drew and Mack laugh at us. “We’ve been dating for about a month. I didn’t tell you because you can’t keep a secret. You would’ve blabbed to Liz by accident several weeks ago.”

  “That’s not fair. I can keep a secret.” Drew just shakes his head like Liam is delusional. I get up to get some coffee, holding my tongue because I completely agree with Drew. If you’re hiding something from someone, Liam can’t seem to keep it to himself. It’s not like he intentionally tells, it’s more like he gets so excited that it slips. My brother comes up next to me and he’s quiet for a minute as I pour cream and sugar into my coffee. When I’m done, I turn to him.

  “Are you okay with me dating your best friend?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve wanted you guys to like each other since before I can remember. But I was really pissed about how you treated her after New Year’s. Don’t hurt her again. I don’t want to have to kill my twin.”

  “I’m not going to hurt her. I promise.”

  I believe him. I can tell he’s falling for her and if something does happen between them, he’s going to be just as broken as she will. I wrap him into a hug. “I love you and seeing you happy makes me happy.”

  “I love you too. And you being happy has nothing to do with me and Mack and has everything to do with someone else.”

  I look over Drew’s shoulder at Liam who is laughing with Mack. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Drew chuckles. “Yeah okay.” We both head back to the table and as Drew sits down, he kisses Mack. Liam looks at me like he’s waiting for his kiss and I laugh to myself and pat him on the shoulder.

  After we all finish breakfast, Mack and Drew head upstairs to change and I start clearing the table. As I’m washing the dishes, Liam walks up behind me and place his hands on my hips. “You didn’t come to my room last night?”

  “I know.”

  “Are you going to come tonight?”

  “I haven’t decided.”

  Liam turns me around and I set my wet hands on the edge of the counter behind me. “That’s not a no. How can I persuade you?”

  “I’m not sure you can.”

  I try to step out of his hold to grab the towel but he pulls me back quickly and kisses me. This kiss was just as quick as last night’s kiss and it has me craving for another. Before I’m able to lean in for more, he’s out of the kitchen and walking up the stairs. “Why do you keep doing that?”

  I follow him into the living room and watch him walk up the stairs. “Because you want it and you’re too afraid to ask for it.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Fine. Then tell me what you want.”

  You. “I want you to stop kissing me.”

  “Nope. That’s not what you want.” Before I get to respond, he closes his bedroom door stopping my denial and giving him the last word. I let out a huff and walk back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. Liam’s wrong. I do want him to stop kissing me because it’s messing with my head. I have convinced myself that Liam doesn’t need for me to tell him my feelings right now with him dealing with his mom, but if he continues to kiss me, I’m going to have to rethink that thought.

  After I finish with the dishes, I change into my bikini and meet everyone on the beach. For the rest of the day we switch between the pool and the beach and while I hoped Liam would listen to me about not kissing me, he doesn’t. Every time we’re alone or Drew and Mack are too consumed with each other, he pulls me to him and kisses me. So, let’s just say at this point my head is all over the place. I even catch myself knowing when he’ll kiss me and lean into them.

  I want to lie and say I don’t like them, but I can’t. Even though the kisses are always quick, they send a spark through me that I think Liam can only do. When I go upstairs after a late dinner to shower and get ready for bed, I expect Liam to kiss me again but he doesn’t. I almost lean in myself to give him a kiss goodnight but I stop myself because Mack and Drew were sitting right there. As I shower, I find myself wishing it was okay for us to be stealing kisses from each other and not have to worry about if Mack and Drew see it.

  By the time I finish showering, braid my wet hair, and throw my oversized shirt on, I’ve made up my mind. Why have I been driving myself crazy all day with wanting to be with Liam, but not acting on it? He’s obviously putting it out there that he wants me too. I just need to accept it.

  Knowing Mack and Drew are already in her room because I heard her door shut thirty minutes ago, I head to Liam’s room. When I open the door, his room is dark and I almost turn around and leave thinking he’s already asleep, but when I see him move on the bed and pull the covers back, I stop myself. I crawl into his bed facing him and he pulls me closer. We entangle our legs together and he wraps his arm around me as I place my hand on his cheek trying to read what’s behind his eyes. “If we do this, I’m never letting you go. I want you sleeping next to me. I want you in my life all the time. I want us. This is your last chance to stop this.”

  I’m silent for a minute taking in everything that he said. And while it seems serious, the commitment he’s wanting, it’s what I want too. “Okay” is all I say before closing the distance between us and kissing him. This kiss is not short and it’s not sweet. It’s full of hunger as I show him how much I want him and us. I want him to know that he can never lose me because I’m drawn to him even when I try to fight it.

  Liam pulls away first and I settle into his arms laying against his chest. Being in his arms is where I want to be always. Liam and I have had a rocky past but it’s time to get over it. As we lay there and slowly drift off to sleep, I feel myself completely opening up to him and allowing him back into my heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Liam

  Waking up this morning I almost think the image of Liz curled into me is a fig
ment of my imagination. I lay there motionless thinking if I move, she’ll disappear. My stiffness must’ve unsettled her because she curls into me more, rubbing her head against my chest and tightening her arm that is laying over my stomach. I let out a breath, relaxing, and pull her closer. With her in my arms, a smile grows on my face. Liz wants me and she didn’t run from me.

  Kissing the top of her head, Liz stirs. “It’s not time to wake up.” She moves her hand on my stomach up my chest, patting blindly to my face and when she gets to my eyes, she tries to push them closed. “Go back to sleep.”

  Laughing, I grab her hand and bring it to my lips but instead of placing kisses on her fingers, I bit down on her finger softly causing her to pull her hand away and look up at me. “I think we’ve slept long enough.”

  She rolls over a little so she’s laying on her stomach and both hands are on my chest and she rests her chin on them. “I think we should spend all day in bed.”

  That is very tempting. I move so I’m over her and settled in between her legs. “Is that what you want?” She nods with a sexy grin on her face that makes me want to take off every piece of her clothes. Liz rocks her hips underneath me while running her hands over my abs and down towards my boxers where my growing erection is prominent. God, I love the feeling of her hands on me. Her purple panties are on full display for me as I run my hands up her thighs. When I get to her hips, I trace the edge of her panties with my finger over her thigh and along the inside of her leg. She squirms underneath me as a moan escapes her. Seeing the heat in her eyes, I know what she wants and I want to give her everything.

  Entwining my fingers in her hair, I pull her mouth up to mine, kissing her with everything I have. Liz kisses me back wrapping her arms and legs around me and we get lost in each other. All of my senses are on Liz that I barely notice my phone ringing. It takes me until probably the fourth ring before I pull away and look down at Liz to see her as breathless as I am. “It’s probably my mom. We’ve been talking in the mornings.”