Page 132 of Vicious Little Snakes

The first is that Liam’s a foot away from me, sitting on the bed smiling, and the second is the smell of the coffee from the mug he’s holding.

I yawn out my words. “How long did we sleep?”

“Not long. A few hours but we have plans. So get up.”

He presses the warm coffee mug into my hands before pushing off the bed to stand. It’s then that I notice he’s fully dressed—donning another signature hoodie and gray sweatpants, along with that yummy beanie he had on that night in the club.

“Why are you dressed?” My head shifts to the window, realizing it’s pitch-black outside. “And why am I drinking coffee when it’s dark outside?”

He winks, raising a toothpick to his lips. “Because I need you to wake up quickly. Like I said, Carebear, we have plans. Throw something warm on, and let’s go.”

We fucked our morning and afternoon away, becoming insanely acquainted with each other’s bodies before we ordered food and ate. Liam also caught me up to all the details about his jail sentence, the last month, and even Arden. Then we fucked again.

So why he’s waking me up in the middle of the night is a mystery—sleep, that’s what we should be doing.

“Again, I ask. Why?” I push to sitting up, taking a sip of my drink.

He scowls at me, but not really. It’s more of a pout on a beautiful face atop a sexy as hell body. Fuck—this combo might be my kryptonite.

“Because I said. Now get up.”

I stare back at him, holding my coffee with both hands as I take another sip, contemplating whether or not to challenge him even more. It’s like he knows because he smirks as he walks back toward me, removing the toothpick before crawling onto the bed. Liam dips his head under my arms, forcing them to break apart as his lips land on mine.

“Be a good listener, Carebear, and you’ll be rewarded.” He winks before pushing back off the bed, leaving me flushed.

Oooh, those eyes and that smile.

“‘Kay,” I answer, trying not to smile.

Liam wags his brows, disappearing back out of the doorway, bellowing, “Ten minutes” from down the hallway, kicking me into high gear.

I set my coffee down after taking another big swig and throw on the sweats he’s pulled out of my bag. I don’t think he’s really ever seen me this dressed down—the no-makeup, sweatpants version I usually only allow when I’m alone. Like I thought I’d be for this week, which I’m glad he ruined, but still, I’m kind of…shy—dear God, he’s ruined me. How is this what I care about?

He’s been inside of me. Seeing me without a full face of makeup shouldn’t feel more intimate. And whatever, this is what he gets for waking me in the middle of the night. Weirdo.

What are we even doing?

I rush, putting my clothes on, laughing to myself over my dumb thoughts, and head quickly into the bathroom to wash yesterday’s makeup off my face. Once I’m done, I throw my hair on top of my head and trot out to the living room. Liam’s standing at the counter, stuffing something inside of a bag. So I clear my throat to garner his attention.

“All right, this better be worth the loss of my beauty sleep.”

He chuckles, not looking at me. “You’re already ready? I thought I was going to have to yell again.”

“Well, apparently, I didn’t have to dress for an occasion. So—”

I raise my brows as he looks up at me, but he doesn’t say anything, just stands staring at me. The longer he looks at me, the more self-conscious I start to become until he shakes his head like he’s coming out of a daze.

“Sorry. It’s just… You’re so fucking pretty. Sometimes it takes me a minute to come back from that reality.”

I roll my eyes, pulling on the strings of my black hoodie, fighting the urge to say,“Shut up. You’re dumb,”because when he says things like that, I instantly want to die. I’m pretty sure nothing will ever feel better than Liam loving me back.

“Ha. Ha. Nice line. Charmer.”

Liam closes the distance, prying my fingers off the strings, and lifts my chin to look at him. “I’m not trying to charm you, Carebear. When I look at you, sometimes it feels like I can see my whole future, and that takes a minute to snap out of.”

My brain stops working. Liam’s robbed me of the response I had readied—my wit, bested by his sincerity.

He takes my hand, leading us toward the back patio. “Come on, I have a surprise.”