“Liam, please,” she murmured.
“Yeah, baby.” He rolled her under him and pushed her panties down enough to allow his cock to brush against her intimate flesh. His hard shaft stroked against her and she could barely cling to her resolve.
“Liam, no,” she begged.
He stopped moving and gazed down at her. He’d clearly thought she was begging for him to fuck her. But she gazed up at him … his cock still cradled against her soft, wet flesh … and she whimpered. She wanted this so much, but … she knew it was a very bad idea.
“Please, Liam. I need you to help me.”
“Of course, baby. Anything. What do you need?”
“I need you to stop. I need you to be the strong one.” She grasped his shoulders. “We both know if you want to, you can convince me to give myself to you. But I promised myself … and I promised Del … that I would not have sex with you.”
His gaze turned dark.
“We both know you can have me right now if that’s what you set your mind to,” she continued. “But please … if you really care about me … help me walk away.”
* * *
Liam stared at Abi in shock. He thought she’d been begging for him to be inside her. To slide into her depths and take them both to heaven. His cock was still nestled against her soft, wet folds. At the tiniest movement, it would glide inside her.
The fierce need in Liam turned cold in his belly. She’d promised Del she wouldn’t be with Liam this weekend. And even though she clearly wanted him … even admitted that she would give herself to him … she was asking him to stop.
Fuck!
He would do anything for Abi. This was not playing fair. He wanted her and she wanted him. That should be all that mattered.
Even when she denied her need for him, he could always persuade her. He knew that wouldn’t work if she didn’t really love him. That’s why he pushed his edge at every opportunity. Hoping she would finally admit it. To herself. And to him.
But she had turned it back on him.
Asked for his help.
And, fuck … he couldn’t refuse her, no matter how potent his need for her was right this moment.
He sucked in a deep breath. Then slowly he drew his cock from the sweetness of her warm flesh and fell back on the bed. He sucked in a few more breaths.
Before he could change his mind, he stood up and scooped her into his arms, then carried her out the door. Moments later, he set her down in her room, just inside the door.
She stared up at him. He kept this gaze on her eyes, not her delectable naked breasts.
“Thank you, Liam.”
He gave her a curt nod and turned to go, then stopped and turned back to her.
“Abi, I’m human. I’ve made mistakes. But the last one cost me you.” He tipped up her chin and his solemn gaze locked on hers. “I won’t let that happen again.”
She nodded, her eyes glistening.
He stepped through the doorway.
“But I am human, so lock the fucking door behind me in case I change my mind.”
* * *
Liam walked into the kitchen to find Abi preparing breakfast.
“Something smells good.”
“Probably the coffee,” she said, her back turned to him as she stood at the stove, flipping something in one of the two pans in front of her.
She wore a colorful, loose flowing shirt and snug black pants. He would love to wrap his hands around her waist and draw her close to his body, then press his lips to her soft neck. But instead, he turned to the cupboard, grabbed two mugs and set them beside the coffeemaker.
The coffee was still trickling into the pot. He leaned back against the counter, waiting. The pot wasn’t very full, so it would be another few minutes.
“Do you want me to set the table?” he asked.
He knew offering to help make breakfast was pointless. She didn’t like anyone in the way when she was cooking.
“Nope. Already done.”
Liquid stopped flowing into the pot and he glanced at it. It only looked like enough for about two cups.
“That’s not very much coffee. I’ll put some more on.”
“Only if you want it,” she said. “I’m having tea.”
“Really?”
That wasn’t like Abi. She loved her morning coffee. She’d often grumbled in the morning when she’d been pregnant, unhappy at not being able to have her morning kick start.
He poured himself a cup and took a sip.
Abi placed an omelet on one of the plates stacked beside the stove. She handed it to him and placed another omelet on the remaining plate.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked as he followed her to the dining table.
“Um … yeah, fine.”
When she sat down, she poured herself a cup of fragrant herbal tea. As they ate, they talked about how sunny it was outside, how high the temperature would go today, and various other mundane things. He didn’t want to push her by talking about feelings or anything to do with the divorce. Not so soon after what happened last night.
But he didn’t intend to let her get away without more discussion this weekend. He intended to convince her they should be together. Last night had been very positive. They’d actually shared their feelings about losing the baby. She’d opened up to him about it more than she ever had before.
And he’d opened up to her, expressing feelings he’d never spoken about before. He was sure this was a good thing.
After the meal, he helped her clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. It felt so good doing these ordinary things together. Like when they’d been living together as husband and wife.
“How about we go for a swim, then relax in the hot tub after?” he asked.
“A swim would be great.”
She walked back to the table to scoop up the two empty mugs, then returned to the kitchen. As she walked toward the sink, she tripped, seeming to catch her foot on the side
