Page 108 of Reluctant Rogue

Naomi chuckled. “Good morning to you. This is my sister, Beth.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Miranda exclaimed, shaking hands with Beth. “Twins?”

Beth nodded, grinning at Naomi. “Guilty as charged.”

Miranda frowned at her. “My dear, you don’t look well.”

“She’s been ill,” Naomi said, coming to slide her arm around Beth in a side-hug. “But she’s staying with us now, and we’ll get her all better.”

“I can see how close you are,” Miranda smiled. “I think that’s wonderful.” She shook herself a little. “Right! Right.” She led the way to the front door, saying over her shoulder, “I brought the newspaper and coffee. I thought I’d wait in the living room while you and Liam show Beth around. I don’t have another appointment until eleven, so take your time.”

“Let’s start in the den, and work our way clockwise,” Naomi said as they entered the house. “This way, Beth.”

Watching Beth explore the room, and explaining Liam’s vision for it, Naomi smiled as Liam came up behind her, his arms coming around her. She leaned back against his chest, turning her head to look at him. He lowered his head to kiss her, and she stiffened in his hold. Panic seized her, making it hard to breath, her hands automatically coming up as if to push him away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Liam said, turning her into him. “It’s okay, Naomi, remember?”

“I’m sorry…” she began, and he silenced her by placing one finger to her lips.

“It’s okay. I get it. You lived all your adult life with the fear of intimacy, it’s not going to go away overnight.”

“It feels so strange, to not have that fear all the time,” she confessed. “When you go to kiss me, it’s the first thing I think about, and I want to push you away, for your own sake. And then I think, wait, no. It’s okay.”

“It’ll come easier with time,” Liam promised, and kissed her nose. “In the meantime, I’ll help you practice all you want.”

Across the room where she was testing an overstuffed armchair, Beth snickered, and Liam grinned suddenly, his hazel eyes bright with mischief. “I do have the perfect solution, though.”

She regarded him suspiciously. “What?”

Liam looked smug, and dipped his head to give her a hard, brief kiss.

“Exposure therapy.”

Beth giggled. “He got you there, Sis!”

“He did.” Chuckling, Naomi looked up at him. “So, exposure therapy, huh?”

“Absolutely,” he said in a solemn tone. “I’m going to kiss you in every room of this house.”

She laughed merrily, lifting up on her toes to kiss his lips. “Bring it on!”

True to his word, Liam kissed her again in the living room, lightly, while Miranda looked up from her paper and smiled at them. The dining room got Naomi the longest kiss yet. Liam took his time, his hands threaded through her hair. Her arms crept about his neck, and she pressed closer against him. Her lips parted beneath the pressure of his, and his tongue touched hers, inviting, coaxing. She tentatively responded, her tongue exploring the curve of his lips, and she was rewarded by a low hum of approval. Liam broke off the kiss, reluctantly.

“We have an audience,” he whispered against her lips.

“Oh. Oh!” Cheeks heating, she peeked at Beth, who mimed fanning herself with one hand.

“Hubba, hubba,” Beth said, wiggling her brows up and down. “Are we ready to go on with the tour yet?” She asked pertly, and Naomi stuck her tongue out at her, untangling herself from Liam.

“Okay, okay.”

She gestured to the open doorway. “Prepare yourself for the horror that is the kitchen.”

“Oh, my god.” Beth stood stock-still in the doorway, staring at the lime/avocado cabinets, every bit as aghast as Naomi had been, and together they were debating a new color scheme for the kitchen as they made their way past the laundry room and around to the staircase. They headed upstairs, Liam in their wake.

“And you get to keep all this furniture?” Beth sounded disbelieving as she ran her fingers with awe over an old, heavily carved Lane cedar chest in the master bedroom.

“Yes,” Liam confirmed. “In fact, one of the reasons the owners accepted our offer was because we fell in love with the furniture and wanted to keep it.”