8

NORA

By nighttime, I was so tired I could barely see straight. I'd spent all day prepping ribbons and climbing ladders so much so that my arms and shoulders ached terribly from it all. On the plus side, we’d made some serious progress with the decor. All we had left to do was decorate the stage and the huge Christmas tree Elise had splurged on.

I wasn't exactly sure what position she held at the resort, but everyone seemed to respect her so I guessed she was pretty important.

I sighed, kneading my upper arms as I made my way into the shared suite. I half expected Liam to be absent from the room as he usually was, but this time around, there he was, his shirtless back to me as he drank from a glass of something.

I stopped kneading my arm, eyes trained on the span of Liam's back.

What a sight for sore eyes.

I couldn't see much considering the little bit of distance between us, but I could see the little scratches on his broad back from where I'd dug my nails during our passionate night together.

I swallowed, a swarm of emotions twisting my stomach in knots. Liam's body visibly tensed, and it took all my willpower to tear my eyes off him as he turned to face me. He was dressed in grey sweatpants that exposed his V-line, and lord, those abs. Liam looked like a runner. He had that lean toned athletic build that told you he wasn't ‘hot girl fit.’

“It was a little chilly here, cranked the heat up a bit,” he said, forcing me to tear my eyes away from his defined abs and settle them on his face. The heat? Was he talking about how hot he was, because he certainly was hot.

“Nora?” Liam's head was tilted to the side a bit, eyes watching me intently.

“Are you okay?” he asked, adding, “How's the throat?”

My throat? What exactly were we talking about?

“I'm good,” I managed to say, shaking my head to rid myself of the indecent thoughts I was having of Liam. His hands wrapped around my neck, squeezing as I choked around his—

What the fuck is wrong with you, Nora? Get it together. He's just a dude with a really good dick, why are you foaming at the mouth?

I smiled, composed, “I'm sorry, I had my head somewhere else. I'm a little confused and tired from working all day,”

“Yeah, heard the staff put you to work in the hall,” he swallowed the rest of the drink in his glass, placing it on the coffee table, blue eyes never leaving mine.

“That's right, I needed to put myself to good use,”

“Oh really? Thought it was payback for throwing up all over their fancy floor,” he chuckled.

“Haha, very funny,” I deadpanned, sinking into my bed.

“You look really tired, are you sure you can handle all that work?”

I could've sworn I saw a bit of concern in Liam's eyes as he watched me, but I was probably hallucinating from the ache in my shoulders.

“I've handled worse, hanging up decor isn't what's going to break me,”

“Easy there tiger, I'm just saying. You're on vacation to relax, it's not going to mean much if you spend the entire thing lifting heavy objects,”

“The heaviest thing I lifted today was a pair of scissors,” I retorted.

“Like I said,” Liam started, smirking, “heavy objects,”

“Fuck you,” I muttered, but I was sure he could hear me if his little chuckle was any indication. I pursed my lips. Even his laughter was pleasant to the ear. Why couldn't he keep being the arrogant prick I'd gotten to know? Why did he have to be appealing?

“Hey, you look sore. If you don't mind, I could give you a massage,” If I didn't know any better, I would've said Liam was nervous. I blinked up at him, narrowing my eyes as though I could see through him.

“Are you offering—?”

“I get it if you aren't interested. That was a bit forward of me, and there's a spa if you need a massage, and—”

“Liam!” I yelled, cutting off his chatter. Oh my goodness, Mr. Arrogant was nervous. I could almost laugh if he didn't make me nervous with his request. I giggled at his rambling, putting my hair up in a messy bun and sitting invitingly.

“I'd like one,”

From my peripheral, I saw Liam hesitate, almost as though he was fighting some internal battles before he finally gave in and closed the space behind us. His scent enveloped me as he took his place behind me. I was never much of a scent person, so I couldn't exactly place a finger on it, but Lord, he smelt divine, like something musky and masculine.

His hands were the next thing I felt, a little rough, but firm and soothing. He pressed gingerly into my shoulders, gently coaxing my muscles to relax.

The heat of Liam's body was almost too tantalizing to not think about. He was still shirtless and the room was warm from the heating, but I could feel the shift in the warmth around me as soon as he placed his hands on my body.

“I think I saw some jasmine oil in the bathroom, it'll help with the pain,”

In a second, Liam was in and out of the bathroom, brandishing a bottle of jasmine oil. “You're not allergic, are you?”

I shook my head, shedding my jacket and sighing in relief as the sweet jasmine scent enveloped us. “That feels so good,” I confessed as he worked the oil in my freshly exposed shoulders.

“Let's take this off too,” Liam said, voice gruff and rough around the edges.

I nodded in compliance, lifting my hands so he could pull my top over my head. I was left in my bra, a white lacy one I'd thrown on last minute. It was sexy and I caught myself wondering if Liam thought the same. Did his eyes catch on how full my breasts were? Were his eyes locked on the dimples in my back? Did he find me appealing?

His hands remained firm on my skin, softly massaging and spreading the sweet oil about.

“Here,” I whispered, taking his hand and placing it on my shoulder. My bra strap was in the way.

“Do you want me to take it off?” he asked, voice low and tempting.

I nodded sharply. I wanted him to, after all, I needed a pretty good massage if I wanted to be up and running in the morning. My breath hitched in my throat, eyes falling close as Liam expertly unclasped my bra. I could feel the fabric fall off my body, and could hear it land softly on the rug beneath us.

“Nora,” Liam called, voice deeper than I'd ever heard it before, “keep your eyes open,”

My eyes flew open, immediately adhering to his command. I watched as his large hands rubbed against my skin from behind, taking my breasts in his hands and squeezing gently. A gasp escaped my lips as I shuddered.

“Easy,” he said, voice low, breath fanning against the shell of my ear, “lay down for me, Nora, face against the sheets,” he instructed, loosening his hold on my body so I could obey.

I stretched out lazily on the soft sheets, breathing in the sweet scent of washing detergent, jasmine, and Liam. It was heavenly. I felt his hands gently knead into my back, moan after moan leaving my lips as he gingerly catered to my aching muscles.

My body couldn't help it. The feeling was just too stimulating, too pleasant for me to ignore.

“Do you like that?” Liam asked, fingers trailing down the small of my back, pressing into my waist and dipping lower.

“I do,” I nodded, all common sense gone through the window. Was this the same woman who wanted nothing to do with Liam? I'd fallen off so bad. But I couldn't dwell on that right now, not when I could already feel the wetness soaking my panties.

“Can I take off your jeans?” Mr. Arrogant asked, his fingers perched at the waistband of my very tight jeans.

But before I could nod yes, I felt his weight leave the bed, felt the absence of his heat and scent.

“Liam?” I whispered, lifting my head to find him. He was pulling on a shirt, grabbing his jacket from the coat hanger as he made to leave the room.

Where was he going? I felt tears prick the back of my eyes, and I willed myself to not cry as I watched him leave.

“Put some clothes on, Nora,” he said, leaving the suite and shutting the door behind him.

I could almost swear I felt my heart shatter for the second time in a few weeks.

What have I done?