Hit & Run Bride (Hit & Run Bride Contemporary Romance Series) (17 page)

Her face softened, and she put her other hand on his arm. “Of course. I’m glad you brought me. We’re just moving so...fast.”

“I promise you’re in for a treat. My mother’s lasagna is the best on the west coast.”

Becca sniffed the air. “It smells fabulous.” She glanced around at the art and furniture as they passed the front room and made their way to the back of the house where the kitchen was located. “Look at this place! It’s like a museum of modern-day richness.”

He laughed. Growing up with the funky art his mother loved and the straight, clean lines his father favored had been an interesting clash. Much like his parents’ marriage.

Queen of the kitchen, his mother ordered Liam around as she checked on the lasagna and finished washing the greens for the salad. He opened a classic merlot and poured for each of them. Becca answered the questions Anita slipped in around her orders for Liam to pull a tray of appetizers out of the fridge and mix up the lemon poppy seed dressing.

Becca was laughing in no time at one of his mother’s stories, and Liam relaxed.

Then Becca asked after his father. “Will he be joining us?”

Liam and his mother exchanged a look. “Not tonight,” she said.

They sat in the dining room and ate. Liam refilled their wine glasses as his mother did what all mothers loved to do—embarrassed him by telling stories about his childhood.

Whatever had been bothering Becca before seemed to diminish. Or maybe it was the fact she was so engrossed in getting all the juicy details about Liam’s quest to swim across Lake Murray when he was six, and how he ran away from home when his father told him he wasn’t big enough.

While his mother reveled in the storytelling, eventually she grew less animated. She served dessert, and while she was plating the fancy cake she’d made earlier that day, she had Liam make coffee. Becca had begged off to the powder room, so it was just Liam and his mom.

“Your girl is beautiful, Liam.”

He smiled to himself as he filled the coffee maker with water. “She’s sweet and smart, and well...she’s pretty awesome.”

His mother laughed. “You always had such a way with words.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel. “She does seem lovely inside and out. I hope you’ll bring her again.”

He kissed his mother’s cheek. “I will.”

After dessert, he knew his mother was exhausted. “Becca and I will clean up, Mom. You go rest.”

“I will not have a guest in my house cleaning up the dirty dishes, Liam. You two kids go do your thing. The dishes will wait until tomorrow.”

Becca chimed in. “Really, Mrs. Caldwell, it’s no problem. I don’t mind cleaning up.”

But his mother wouldn’t hear of it. She shooed them toward the front door, hugging them both and insisting they go be young and adventurous. Liam hung back for a moment, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Dinner was delicious. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“You’ll come by tomorrow for lunch and help me eat those leftovers.”

He grinned at her. “Yes, Mom. See you then.”

The ride back to Becca’s was quicker since traffic was light. Night had fallen, and Liam took a side route, driving them by the water. Becca held on tight to him, laying her head on his back. He wanted it to last.

Eventually, they arrived at her place. He helped her off the bike, and she removed her helmet and handed it to him. Even under the streetlamp, he could tell she was upset again. “You sure about me staying here tonight?” he asked.

She nodded and led him to the front door. “I have something to tell you.”

His gut sank. She was breaking up with him. Taking her home to Mom had been too much too soon. “Okay.”

But instead of laying the news on him, she keyed open the door and took him up to her apartment.

* * *

Becca’s stomach twisted. For a few hours, she’d been able to forget. For a few hours, she’d been able to have some fun and enjoy herself. She’d been able to just be with Liam and his mom. She could totally see where he got his kindness and compassion.

But now she had to face reality. She had no job. And with no job came the inevitable no money. Which meant she had to make plans pronto, and that might include leaving San Diego to go home if she didn’t come up with something quickly.

Liam let her drag him into her apartment, but he paused just inside the door. “Becca, want to fill me in? Because if you’re going to break up with me, I’d rather you did it outside.”

She blinked. Break up with him? Was he insane? “No. Nothing like that.” She paused, unsure of what to say exactly. “Uhm, I got fired today. And I’ve got some savings, but not much. I’m going to sort of be scrambling for a time, and I might have to take the first job I can get my hands on. Problem is San Diego isn’t necessarily the best market for what I do.”

He stared at her. “Fired? That is such bullshit. You’ve been killing yourself on that project.”

Yeah, she had. “My boss got pissed that I called Addison Torres. She declined to sponsor us, and he claims it’s because I broke rank and made us look like amateurs.”

One second she was standing in front of him, shifting from foot to foot, the next, he surrounded her with his warmth. His strong arms cocooned her, protecting her from everything unpleasant. She felt safe. It was how she always felt in his arms.

For several long moments, she let herself be held. As much as she tried to fight the tears, a few still escaped. She hated to cry. Especially where anyone could see her. It made her feel weak.

With Liam, it didn’t matter. He just held her and stroked her hair, crooning in her ear. “Becca, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve to get fired.”

She sniffled. Oh great, that was attractive. She was one step away from ugly crying, and no one wanted to see that. “If I’m being honest with myself, it wasn’t the best fit. It was just the first thing I got out of New York, so I grabbed it. If I had paid better attention, I would have seen that I’m very much a square peg, and well, they’re some kind of fucked up spiral hole.”

He chuckled, and the motion made his chest vibrate against hers. “This isn’t your bad selection. They just didn’t realize how awesome you are. And someone else will. I’m sure you’ll have something in no time. And don’t worry about where the new gig will be. I just found you. I’m not giving you up just yet. We’ll work it out. It’s just…well, I can’t leave my mother, you know. Other than that, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us going.”

They’d work it out? Becca’s heart filled. He wouldn’t freak about long distance. He actually wanted to try to keep things going? How in the world had she gotten so lucky? “You’re serious?”

He tipped her chin up so she could meet his gaze. “I’m serious. I know we’re moving a little fast, but I don’t care. I’ve never felt this way about someone before.”

She shook her head. “It’s not too fast.”

Liam grinned and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Now, tell me where your wine and chocolate are stashed, and I’ll give you a foot massage.”

Becca grinned. “Oh, my god, it’s like you know me.”

“That I do.” His grin was charming and lopsided. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself.

“As good as wine and chocolate sound, I have something better in mind.”

“You’re forgetting the foot massage. I have the best hands this side of the Colorado Rockies.”

Becca smirked. “You know, I’m not even going to ask you who told you your hands were so good.”

He flashed a full grin, and Becca’s insides melted. He really should come with a warning label.

“I took a class once.”

She giggled and shook her head. “I don’t believe you.” How did he manage to have her laughing in no time? Being with him was so easy. Like this was right where she belonged. She ignored the niggle of doubt about how fast they were moving. Being with him felt right. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

“Oh? Sounds like my kind of game.”

Her skin heated and flushed as she paused in front of her spare room. “Okay, before I open this, I want your assurances that you aren’t going to judge me.”

His grin was wicked. “Have you forgotten that I know every inch of your body already and I know that you don’t have a tattoo on that gorgeous ass of yours that says ‘Tap that!’”

She smacked his arm. “It was a joke. I said, my friends and I were going to do it as a joke.”

“I am so glad you chickened out.”

She laughed. “Yeah, me too. But I warn you, this is just as bad, so can I have my assurances please?”

He put up three fingers on his right hand. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were a Boy Scout?”

He winked at her. “Not exactly.”

His laughter was infectious. With a laugh and a sigh, she opened the door and hit the light switch.

Liam’s eyes bugged. “Oh, my God. The inner sanctum of lost gym equipment. I thought this place was just a myth.”

Becca groaned. “I wish it was a myth.”

He immediately went to the Pilates table and knelt by it. “Okay, I’ve seen this at a million gyms, and I’ve seen women work themselves onto it and contort, but what does it do actually?”

“I haven’t got a clue. It’s a Pilates table, so I think it’s supposed to provide resistance, but I’ve never used it.”

“Not once?”

“Nope. They were giving them away at work, so I took one. I thought I’d become this uber stretchy, fit, Tribot type...Then I didn’t.”

He turned his attention to the upright machine to the left. “Okay, I have no idea what this is. Although I’ve seen these at the Del Mar gym.”

“It’s a running stair master. I think it’s supposed to mimic you walking and climbing stairs all at the same time.”

“Have you used it?”

“Yes,” she said triumphantly. Then reluctantly, she added, “But then I fell and broke my coccyx. So that was the end of that.”

Liam rolled his lips in, and she could tell he was trying to contain a laugh. “Oh, Becca, I’m sorry.”

One by one, she took him through her room of useless things. When she got to the workout videos, he whistled low.

“I know. It’s a lot.”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah. Well, you know fifty isn’t really so many.”

Becca cleared her throat. “More like a hundred.”

Liam laughed as he shook his head. “But why, baby? You don’t need all this stuff.”

She ducked her head. “Well, I get caught up with work promos a lot. Or at least I used to. All these reps came in and gave this stuff away. And you know, sometimes, I think I want to be that tanned, leggy, Cali girl.”

“I don’t know why. You’re stunning and beautiful. In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t keep my hands off of you.”

“I know,” she said with a small smile. “It’s easy to believe the hype though. I like my body. But like every woman, I think, oh, I’ll be perfect. I can just fix this or change that.”

“In that case, allow me to help you dispel all that.”

Liam pulled her to him, and she went, willingly, into his arms. His kiss was soft, his tongue gently coaxing its way into her mouth. But the moment she relaxed into him and looped her arms around his neck, the tone of the kiss changed, becoming more urgent, more insistent.

He dug his hands into her hair, taking complete control, giving Becca no option but to surrender to him, to the kiss. He picked her up easily, and Becca wound her legs around his waist.

Pulling back a little, Liam studied her with a hooded gaze. “Which way to your bedroom?”

It took Becca a second to start her brain. “Out the door. Next one on the left.”

He carried her out and managed to find his way in the dark. Once in her room, he tore his lips from hers and laid her on the bed. “You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”

She slid her gaze from his. There was something so raw and so honest in his eyes that she didn’t know if she was ready to see.

His voice was low. “Okay, then I guess I’ll just have to show you.”

Starting with her feet, he unzipped, then yanked off her ankle boots. They clattered into a corner where he tossed them. Gently, he cupped her feet and massaged. A moan slipped out before she could stop it. Wow, this man
was
good with his hands.

As he slipped his hands up her calves, he whispered, “You’re so petite, but your legs are so long and very strong. It’s been a struggle not to stare at them during your lessons. I keep thinking about kissing my way up each one and wondering what will make you moan and call out my name.”

He skimmed his hands over her thighs to her waist. “And let’s not even talk about what that ass of yours has been doing to me for weeks. I love your curves. Even in a standard swimsuit, it’s more than a distraction. I work very hard to keep my hands to myself. Do you even know what you’re putting me through most days?”

A shiver ran down her spine as he slid her leggings down her legs and kissed inches of exposed skin along the way. “N-no.”

He tsked. “You know, that probably makes it worse. You not knowing that you drive me crazy every time you brush past me. Or, God help me, when I’m helping you float on your back.”

Becca bit her lip. He was barely touching her, and her body hummed and vibrated. He seduced her easily with soft, barely there kisses and his voice alone. “Liam.”