“I can’t. I’d love to, but something keeps holding me back. I’m sorry.”
Liam rubbed a hand over her back, and she relaxed into his chest. “We’ll deal with it then. Forgive me for being such a fool. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She shrugged but didn’t say anything.
“Hey. Want to help me make a salad before the steaks are burned?” He felt her relax more and gave himself a mental slap. Bradley had said to prove to her that he was genuine. He’d never said anything about making her face up to her fears. Good move, Liam. Good move.
By the time the steaks were done, Aggie seemed to have forgiven him. “That was good, despite the burned edges.” Aggie pushed her plate away and reached for her glass. She held it between her hands and stared at the stars overhead. “It’s so pretty here. You were lucky to get this cottage, Liam. I’ve always loved it.”
He gazed out over the back yard at the small garden. He’d grown up spending his holidays here, and when his grandmother passed away, his parents had rented it out for holidays before putting it on the market. They hadn’t even thought he’d be interested in buying it, considering his job at the time was in Seattle. They hadn’t known he was keen to make the move back to Hope Island until Drew offered him the job. Everything had fallen into place once he’d signed on the dotted line and collected the keys.
A patient who was a keen gardener kept the yard looking good for him. The cottage was on the outskirts of town, slightly above the houses in front of it.
“Yes, I was fortunate to get it.”
Her head turned and she stared at him. “That sounded ominous. I sense a but in there.”
“Not meant to be, but I’d like more one day—a family of my own. Watching Drew get married brought it all home. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want to live alone forever.”
“I can’t see that happening, Liam. You’d make a great husband and father with the right person.”
“But I’m only interested in one girl.”
* * *
He stared at her with his heart in his eyes.
“Don’t go there. If that is what you want to talk about, I’m outta here.” She wouldn’t let him railroad her again, no matter how much she wanted to believe that everything would be all right between them.
“Sorry. You can’t blame a guy for trying. Hey.” He swiveled around to face her, his smile full of excitement. “Guess what I have in the freezer?”
“A body?”
His shoulders dropped and Aggie giggled.
“Seriously? Are you ever going to let that go?” It’d been the standing joke ever since Liam had entered medical school and had an early aversion to dissecting cadavers. Luckily it was something he’d outgrown, because it was a necessary part of training. “And yes, maybe I do.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and she giggled again.
“I have homemade honey ice cream from a very satisfied patient. We could cover it in chocolate sprinkles and pig out in front of a movie. What do you say?” Ice cream dipped in sprinkles had always been her favorite growing up, and Liam had never forgotten.
“Well, since you make it hard for a girl to refuse, thank you. Make mine a big serving. I feel the need to make the most of it.” Aggie helped clear their plates and load them into the dishwasher while Liam pulled the ice cream from the freezer. He held the door open wide enough for her to see there was no body inside.
“Smart ass.” She nudged him with her hip and he slid his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her lips. She froze, her emotions tumbling through her stomach. He let her go. Aggie lifted her fingers to her lips and touched them, the zing of his kiss still on the surface. She walked over to the lounge windows and looked out, not seeing a thing. Aggie glanced over her shoulder and watched him spooning ice cream into bowls, marveling at the effect he had on her.
“Is this enough for you?” He turned to her, a bowl held out. Liam’s eyes widened and he put it on the counter. “Aggie. Are you okay?”
She blinked and stared at him. “I guess.”
He stepped up to her, his face inches away as he stared into her eyes. “Was it something I did?”
Before she could reply, his lips touched hers and his hand went around the back of her head.
Aggie sighed into his mouth and slid her arms around his waist, feeling the heat of his body against hers. She pressed her tongue between his lips and explored his mouth, hungry for something to hold onto, something to make her feel normal again, even if only for a moment.
Liam took everything she had to offer, bringing out the passion she’d kept under lock and key. With him she could be wanton and take what she needed. She could feel almost normal and needed. Not dirty or used. But she also felt mean for leading him on when this wouldn’t going to work. He wanted more than she felt comfortable giving him. Once the passion died off, her fears would be realized. He’d overthink her past, try to make her feel better, and end up making things worse.
Aggie pulled away reluctantly and took a few breaths. “Sorry. We shouldn’t have done that.” She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away. She had to get a hold of her emotions and not let him derail her.
“You okay?” Genuine concern, not condemnation, resounded in his voice. He wasn’t going to give her a lecture or insist on more. Liam wasn’t
