Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I joined in his laughter. “What happened?”
“We had to do extra chores until we paid for the olive oil. And we had to go to bed after supper for a week with no dessert. That was the worst part.”
I stroked his face. “Poor baby. You were probably starved.”
“My dad still laughs about it, but my mom gets downright irate when he does. She liked that olive oil.”
I hummed. “Good olive oil is a wonderful thing.”
“Maddox and Dee bought her a different bottle when they went to Italy a few years later. She kept it in the cupboard with a lock.”
I snickered in amusement.
“Your mom and Ava were outnumbered all the time.”
“They hold their own,” he stated dryly. “I know not to mess with them. My back still hasn’t recovered from the last skirmish with Ava.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About nine years.”
I lifted my head. “What happened?”
He groaned. “I was teasing her. She’s pretty jumpy sometimes, and I scared her as she walked around the corner. She got pissed and told me off, which made me laugh. She’s half my size, so I wasn’t worried.” He met my eyes. “I forgot about the black belt. I did it again the next day, and before I could blink, she had flipped me. One moment, I was standing. The next, I was flat on my back on the floor, blinking up at the ceiling, wondering how a truck had gotten into the Hub and hit me.”
I tried to hold back my laughter and failed. “I guess you don’t hide around corners anymore, do you?”
“Nope.”
I kept my head down, the laughter bubbling up. Suddenly I found myself pinned under a growling Liam. “You think that’s funny, Sweet Pea?”
“No,” I lied.
“How do you like being flipped? Trapped under me?” He ran his hands up my arms, lifting them over my head. “At my mercy?” he rasped, holding my wrists with one large hand and feathering the other over my skin, making me shiver. He lowered his head to my neck and kissed it, swirling his tongue on my skin. “I think I promised you a long, slow lovemaking session,” he breathed into my ear. “And I think you’re about to get it.”
I tugged on my arms, and he released his grip, letting me wrap them around his neck. “I do love a man who keeps his promises.”
His mouth covered mine, and I was lost.
I blinked, realizing I had been reliving last night. I glanced up and met Liam’s sleepy gaze. His hazel eyes were soft, his voice low as he kissed me.
“I could get used to waking up with you tucked against me.”
“Lucy would be in here driving you crazy.”
He smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “My little munchkin. I guess I’ll have to wear sleep pants.”
“Unless you want a lot of personal questions in the mornings, yes.”
He kissed me again. “I look forward to it.” He glanced at the clock. “Speaking of which, I need to get you home.”
Part of me hated the fact that I had to get out of this comfortable bed. Leave Liam’s arms and face the day. But I also knew Lucy would be awake soon, and I needed to be there. I sat up and yawned. “Okay, Mr. Callaghan. Take me home.”
Ronan was sitting on the steps as we pulled up, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He smiled at me as I got to the steps.
“How was your night, kids?”
I laughed. “Good. Yours?”
“Awesome. We built a pretty cool Lego house, watched Finding Nemo—twice—and ate popcorn. Lucy fell asleep on me, Evan passed out on the sofa, and Beth said we were all snoring.”
“Wow, you know how to party.”
He took a sip of coffee, suddenly serious. “I wanted to take everyone’s mind off all the shit. I think it worked.” He nodded at Liam, who came up behind me, resting his hand on my hip.
“You ready for tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
“Good.”
“You guys have a big project tomorrow or something?”
Ronan nodded. “Something.”
I patted his shoulder as I went past. “Good luck with it.”
Inside, I peeked at Lucy. She was still asleep, but her feet were moving. That was always a sign she’d be awake soon.
I hurried to my room and changed, and then I headed to the kitchen, mixing up some “pandcake” batter. A few moments later, I heard the thumps of little feet, and I turned, bending down and holding out my arms.
“Morning, Lucy-loo!”
She flung herself into my embrace, and I sat down, listening to her recount of the night before. I didn’t think she had missed me at all until she squeezed my neck. “I wished you was there!”
I smiled.
“Did you have fun on your date?”
“My date?”
She nodded. “Ronan said you was on a date wif Liam.” She leaned close. “Did he kiss you, Momma?”
“Kiss me?” I repeated again.