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“Here we go,” Liam said, grinning at me and linking his fingers in mine.
I smiled back, nervous energy buzzing through me as we began to drop down through the clouds. I prayed this weekend would go well and that Madame Scarlet didn’t have any actual fortune telling skills. Even if I hadn’t confessed it out loud, I knew I was falling hard for Liam McCauliffe and I didn’t want this fairytale to end—particularly with an earthquake.
* * *
A car servicepicked us up from the airport, collecting our luggage and whisking us away to Liam’s house in the hills of Malibu. By the time we arrived at the gates of his house, the sun had begun dipping low, turning the sky a light pink.
Liam buzzed us in via his phone and the car climbed the windy, gravel path up to the grey-and-white Cape Cod-style two-story. The driver pulled around the circular drive, idling as he deposited our luggage at the front door.
“This is it. Home sweet home.” Liam took my hand and guided me up the cobblestone walkway. A maelstrom of emotions spun inside me, my throat suddenly dry, as we walked to the house.
Unlocking the door, Liam ushered me inside.
“Well? What do you think?” He fixed his blue eyes on me, waiting for my response.
“Wow. Just wow. How do you ever leave here?” I asked, transfixed by the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the most stunning ocean vista I’d ever seen. Turns out, the Pacific Ocean perfectly matched Liam’s eyes.
“I try not to,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist and bringing me in close to his strong body. His now-familiar scent woke me from my trance, and I blinked once, twice.
“Liam, it’s stunning. I love it,” I breathed.
Every wall was white, the occasional large, tasteful beachy photograph thrown in at the exact right spot. Light, wide-plank hardwoods blended seamlessly from room-to-room, and I glimpsed a staircase in the distance.
“If you can pull yourself away from the ocean view, I’ll give you a tour,” Liam said, tapping me lightly on the ass. “This is obviously the formal living area. To the right, through here, is the kitchen.”
I trailed behind Liam to the kitchen, which showcased more large windows and ocean views. Dark, glossy cabinets flanked the walls and an oversized island with modern barstools stood in the center of the room.
“My office and the gym are down that hallway, and to the left is a media room and the wine cellar.” He pointed to the staircase. “C’mon, let me show you upstairs.”
We passed the sleek stone fireplace, climbing two flights of stairs to the second story.
“Here’s the master.” I followed Liam into a large, airy room. A king-sized, all-white bed stood in the center, with touches of blue and grey in the pillows and furnishings to play off the palette of the ocean in the background.
“And through here is the bathroom.”
Liam led the way into the master bath, which could have easily fit at least half of my apartment back home. I took in the oversized dark grey tile shower with dual showerheads, the huge white soaking tub overlooking the water.
“Don’t worry, we’re high enough up that no one can see in. One of the benefits of living in the hills,” Liam said. “Lots of privacy, plus the hiking is great.”
“I can’t believe you live here,” I whispered, staring out at the vast expanse of blue.
“Sometimes I can’t believe it, either. It’s a bit large for me at the moment, but I figured real estate’s a good investment. And I’d hoped I’d eventually grow into it.” Liam shot me a shy smile, a hot blush creeping up my neck like a wild vine.
“I’ll open a bottle of wine and we can watch the sunset out on the deck. Then we can eat dinner if you want. I had food delivered; I figured we’d be pretty beat by the time we got here.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, nodding.
While Liam ducked into the cellar for the wine, I wandered out to the sprawling deck overlooking the pool and tapped a quick text to Everly.
Macy: Got to Cali safely. All good.
A few seconds later, Everly texted back.
Everly: How is it?
Macy: Amazing. His home is gorgeous. Right on the beach
Everly: He has a beach house? Cute!
