Page 28 of Liam (Preston Brothers #4)

Liam

Every inch of me aches, I’m covered in sweat, and I have a stitch so painful it’s making my eyes water. Add that to the heavy downpour of rain that appeared out of nowhere, and I’m having the time of my fucking life.

I left for my run less than an hour earlier, and until two minutes ago, it was nothing but birds chirping and clear skies ahead.

I can’t remember the last time I physically pushed myself this far, but after the night I had, I needed to get out of my head, and this was the only way I could think to do it.

The conversation with Mia and Benny forced me to dig up memories involving Addie, and the emotions that came with those memories weren’t all that great.

The dream I had about her once I finally got to sleep? The complete opposite.

It’s one thing for my mind to be as conflicted as it is, but now my body seems to want to play ball, and I’m fucked.

Beyond it.

In my dream, she was naked, on her knees, her lips thinned and spread around my cock, and her eyes—her eyes were on mine the entire time, widening right before I… woke up. Hard as a fucking rock.

Christ.

I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this now—rehashing it in detail like I am. It’s taken almost an hour just to get my cock to calm the fuck down, and now I’m back to the beginning.

I need to cut this shit.

Immediately.

I just need to get to the studio, collapse in the tub under a stream of ice-cold water, and possibly fall asleep. Or die. Whichever comes first.

But I can’t do either of those things, because Addie is running toward the studio at the same time I am—also caught in this stupid rain—and I really should have timed my run better. She’s in denim shorts and a plain white tank, purple ribbon in her hair—not that any of that matters.

I slow when we get to the porch steps, letting her get to shelter first. She stands her skateboard up against the rails, then moves to the edge of the porch, looking up at the now gray skies. “Where the fuck did this come from?” she yells over the sound of rain hitting the tin roof.

“No idea,” I attempt to say, but the only thing that comes out is a grandpa-style wheeze. Real tough. I open the door for us and square my shoulders, act is if my body isn’t screaming for reprieve. Once she’s inside, I tell her, “I’ll get you a towel to dry off.”

“And maybe a change of clothes?” she asks, and it’s only now I realize how drenched she is. Her top is practically see-through. Not practically . Actually. I can clearly make out the color of her bra, the shape of her breasts, the dip of her cleavage, and what I wouldn’t give to just rub my face?—

“Liam!” she snaps, lifting her arms to cover herself.

All it does is bring attention to the rest of her.

The fabric of her top clings to her flesh, outlining her waist and the curve of her hips and goddamn.

Fantasy Addie has nothing on the real thing.

She giggles, and I slowly come back from my haze.

I blink hard, stop my mind from going places it shouldn’t.

Or maybe it should. Maybe I’ve suppressed these thoughts long enough and—“That towel?”

“My bad.” I lead her first to the bathroom, where I grab a towel, then to the bedroom for the change of clothes, where I pause in front of the dresser, look over at her standing just in the doorway, her arms at her sides and her tits on full display.

My cock stirs at the sight of her, and I’m sure she notices because she’s looking right at the bulge I’m too far gone to hide.

“Clothes…” I attempt to say, but the dryness of my mouth makes it impossible to speak.

I open the only drawer I keep clothes in, asking over my shoulder, “I don’t keep a lot in here. Boxers and a shirt, okay?”

“That’s fine,” she answers, suddenly right next to me. “Are you okay? You seem…”

My shoulders drop, and I turn to her. Things are going to be awkward no matter what, so I may as well own it. “I may have had a dream about you last night.”

“A dream?”

Pressing my lips tight, I nod, waiting for her mind to catch up with my words. I can tell the exact moment it does, because her dark eyes widen, just like they did in my dream, right before?—

I hand her the clothes. “You can change in here. I’m going to shower.”

I take the coldest shower I can physically handle, but it does nothing to lessen the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Or the blood rushing to my dick. I give up hope and get out, dry quickly, slip on my shorts, then mindlessly go back to the bedroom.

Where Addie is. Facing a full-length mirror, her back to the door, she slowly, and I’m almost certain— deliberately —drags her shorts up and over her ass as if she’s putting on a show, just for me.

Jesus, take the wheel.

In fact, take the whole damn car.

I can’t breathe. I can’t form a single thought. I can, however, force my gaze to meet hers through the mirror.

She doesn’t speak.

Neither do I.

Did she do that on purpose, just to mess with me? No. I should’ve knocked. I don’t know why I didn’t. Clearly, my mind is gone. Completely lost. Slap that bitch on a graphic and share it on socials, and type: missing.

Addie breaks the stare first, bending over to collect the pile of wet clothes by her feet. “Do you have a dryer?”

I come to, stepping forward and taking the clothes from her. I make quick work of dumping them in the dryer, and when I return, she’s at the dresser, picking up my headphone case, inspecting it, then placing it back down. “So,” she says.

“So,” I return, sitting on the edge of the bed.

With her back still turned, she asks, “What exactly were we doing in this dream of yours?”

Of course, she wants the details. If the roles were reversed, I’d want them, too.

Luckily for her, I’ve been trying out this new Adelaide Baker routine lately—saying exactly what’s on my mind.

I keep my eyes trained on her, watching for a response, when I tell her, “ We weren’t doing anything. You were doing all the work.”

Her shoulders stiffen, just for a moment. “Hmm,” she says, finally facing me. “Was I clothed?”

Ignoring the heat rushing to my cheeks, I shake my head.

She eyes the ceiling, pondering. “Was I hot?”

“Addie,” I scoff. “You’re wearing my clothes—clothes way too big. I can barely make out your body—and you’re hot right now.” In fact, she’s never been hotter.

“You think I’m hot?”

“I have eyes.”

“Today is just full of surprises,” she says, going back to the random junk on my dresser. “Speaking of surprises, where did you disappear to last night?”

I clear my throat, try to rid my mind of filth. “They didn’t tell you?”

“No.”

“I was at my brother’s,” I answer. “He works nights sometimes, so I like to be there with his wife and kid when he can’t be.”

“His wife is Mia?”

I breathe out a “Yep.”

She turns to me, her eyes skating over my bare torso, then turns around again. “You run a lot, huh?”

“I guess.”

“And you do boxing lessons?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So that’s how you get your… physique?”

I shrug. “I do weights, too.”

“At a gym?”

I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “We converted part of the garage to a gym,” I tell her, watching her every move. “And our boxing trainer comes here.”

“Right,” she says, sniffing a candle I didn’t even know was there.

“I was thinking of getting a guest pass to a gym. I haven’t worked out in a while, and I should probably train more.

” She pats her stomach, as if proving she’s out of shape.

The girl’s insane if she thinks that way, because from what I’ve seen, she’s damn near perfect.

“The only exercise I’ve done since I got here is skating from Roman’s apartment to the end of your driveway and walking up here. ”

“There’s a new gym over in Shemeld,” I say, trying to settle my breaths without drawing attention.

I’ve told her I’ve seen her naked in my dreams, and now I’ve seen her practically naked in real life, and I don’t know how I’m even able to have this conversation.

Usually, I would’ve fled the scene already.

Probably jumped behind the wheel of the minivan, never to return.

“We invested in it. Well, Linc did. I just agreed to it.”

“Wait,” she says, head tilted as she turns to me. “So you’re part owners of a gym at nineteen ?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s insane , Liam.”

I shrug, ignoring the fact that my cock is still throbbing . Dramatic? Yes. But it is what it is. “So, you’re used to training a lot?”

“Yeah.” She inspects a rock Benny gave me. “I play college softball.”

“Really?” I ask, though it shouldn’t surprise me. She has the body of an athlete. The mental fortitude of one, too.

“Don’t get excited,” she rushes out. “It’s a tiny college, and my foster dad’s the coach, so…”

“So, you still had to try out, right?”

“Yeah, but?—”

“But nothing,” I cut in. “I bet you beat out a ton of girls for that spot.”

“I guess.”

For a moment, neither of us says a word.

I consider offering her the use of the garage gym, but I’m still unsure how much and how often I want to let her into my space.

Clearly she’s invaded enough of it, even in my sleep.

“I have my boxing lesson tomorrow, if you want to join. Linc usually does it with me, but he’s going somewhere with Julie for the night, so he likely won’t be back in time. ”

“Yeah?”

I shrug. “Why not?”

She faces me, and the way she smiles… swear, it makes me want to offer her the world. “How long have they been together?”

“Linc and Julie?” I ask, and she nods. “Since they were thirteen, but they’ve been on and off the entire time. Whenever one of them wants to go all in, the other has reasons not to, so…”

Addie nods slowly, then picks up a bottle of cologne I rarely use.

She sprays a tiny amount on her wrist and sniffs it.

“Mmm,” she hums, before making her way toward me.

Her knees graze mine when she stands in front of me, and my breaths halt, trap in my lungs.

Without a word, she reaches forward, settles her forearm on my shoulder.

I part my legs, inviting her closer, and hide my smile when she does what I want.

Our eyes meet, stay that way while she presses her wrist to my neck, then leans in so close I can feel the warmth of her breath against my collarbone.

I swallow, thick, while she inhales the scent.

“Incredible,” she murmurs, pulling away.

I immediately grasp her thighs, keeping her there.

She falls forward, both arms on my shoulders now, to keep her steady.

It’s the closest we’ve ever been, but it’s not close enough.

“Speaking of incredible,” I murmur, looking up at her. “ You, last night. That dress…”

Her eyes roll. “You barely saw me.”

I lean back on an outstretched arm, just so I can appreciate more of her. “We have cameras outside.”

Heat flares behind her eyes. “You stalking me through cameras?”

I can’t hide my smile. Don’t even try to. “How many of our videos have you watched?”

She leans forward, her lips so close to mine that if I move an inch—just one—I could capture her mouth, kiss her until we’re both begging for more.

Instead, I stay frozen. The only part of me moving is my hands on her thighs, squeezing harder.

She asks, “Is there a term for stalking when it goes both ways?”

My phone rings before I have time to reply, and I groan in response, flop back on the bed and reach for it on the nightstand.

“It’s my sister,” I mumble, hitting answer and putting it on speaker.

I cover my junk while Addie stays between my legs, her eyes raking over my abs.

“Hey, Luce,” I say into the phone. “Is there a term for stalking when it goes both ways?”

Addie grins down at me while Lucy replies, “That would be mutual infatuation, my guy.”

“Mutual infatuation,” Addie echoes in a whisper.

“You and Lachy are still coming today, right?” Lucy asks, and I bite back my frustration. I’d forgotten she’d asked me and Linc to help move bookshelves around in her shop. Not surprisingly, Lincoln made himself unavailable, so Lachy it is.

“Yeah, I’ll pick him up now, and we’ll head over.

” I smile to one side when Addie pouts, and I’m sure she’s having the same thoughts I am.

There are far, far better things we’d rather be doing today.

Unfortunately, the people-pleaser side of me won’t let down my sister.

I ask Lucy, “How long are you expecting this to take?”

“All day,” she says. “Probably all night, too.”

“Great.”

Lucy laughs. “Hey… tell Addie, aka your mutual infatuator, that book club is this Thursday, so she better swing her big booty ass by.”

“Big booty ass?” Addie murmurs, her eyebrows lowering as she steps away, moving to the full-length mirror. She half turns, lifting the bottom of the shirt to inspect said ass.

“Do I—” Addie starts.

I groan, cutting her off while hanging up the phone. “Don’t do that shit in front of me, Addie.”

“Sorry,” she says, all innocent and coy, as if she has no idea what she’s doing to me.

She knows damn well.

I get up, pull out the dresser drawer with more force than necessary, and grab some clothes. “I need to get out of here,” I mumble. “Fast.”

Addie grasps my arm, urging me to face her. “Why?”

Why? I think the tent in my shorts makes it pretty fucking obvious, but hey—if she wants to play games, then games we shall play.

I lean forward, settle my hand on her hip.

“Because if I’m in this room with you a second longer, I’ll devour you, Addie.

Every inch. Your tits.” I run my hand down the curve of her ass.

“This ass.” Then I shift closer until she can feel the effect she has on me.

With my mouth to her ear, I whisper, “Your pussy…” I run my nose along her jaw, smiling when I hear the unevenness of her breaths.

“I won’t leave an inch of you untouched.

And in the end, it still won’t be enough. ”