Page 77 of How to Write a Rom-Com

Liam traces a finger down my cheek and cups his thumb under my chin to lift my head. I slowly lift my lids and let his gaze absorb me. His face is solemn, like he is about to make the most serious confession of his life. “When I was in middle school, I had the worst acne.”

Yes, of course, I let out the loudest, most obnoxious laugh ever.

“What?” I say, looking at him like he’s crazy. “Where did that come from?”

“I was the dorkiest of the dorks. And I don’t mean to put labels on anything, but I played the clarinet. I loved reading. I would blow through fifty books throughout the school year, nagging my teachers for more until the rest of the class dubbed me the teacher’s pet. I wasn’t competitive. The list goes on and on.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, all laughter disappearing from my voice.

“Because you have me pegged as this ideal romance hero, like I came out of the womb ready to be Fabio on the cover of a mass market—”

“Fabio? Mass market?” I interrupt, stunned by his industry terminology.

“Yeah, I did research. That Julia Quinn knows her shit,” he says matter-of-factly. I a laugh. “I’m just a guy who grew up in a small town. Maybe I remind you of some stereotype that you’ve read about, but that’s not me. I’m real. I have a history and a family, and flaws up the wahzoo—”

“Including the fact that you say wahzoo,” I mutter. When he looks at me knowingly, I roll my eyes at myself. “I’m sorry, it just came out.”

“I’m not perfect. I’m just me. And I hope you can wrap your head around the fact that you’re not getting your fictional lines blurred here. I’m in love with you, Lucy Bowen. Not some character in a book loosely based on you.You.”

I smile sheepishly, but then scrunch my nose at him. “So, acne, huh?”

“Cystic,” he mutters, pursing his lips and nodding his head.

I giggle before I lean in and cover his mouth with mine, pouring everything I have into him. Liam’s grip on my hips tightens and I feel a change in the energy between us. When our kiss breaks, Liam’s eyes don’t move from my lips, and we can both sense that we are heading somewhere.

“Hey,” I say softly, running my fingers through his hair and brushing it out of his face. I scrunch my brows at him, trying to gauge his hesitation. Am I reading him wrong? Is this going too fast? My heart jolts at the possibility of rejection, especially with everything we’ve said to each other tonight. But then Liam reaches for my face, cupping the back of my head in his hand.

“I’m sure there’s something cool and sexy to say in this moment, but I’ve got nothing,” he says, not a hint of laughter in his voice. “Except to say that I’ve pretty much been waiting for this moment since I met you.”

“You should give yourself some credit, because that was pretty good,” I say with a smile. Liam lifts one corner of his mouth up and embraces me again, wrapping his arms around my back and kissing me fervently. Liam brings his large hands to my bottom and wraps my legs around his waist. I grab on to his neck and feel weightless as he carries us to my bed, never once losing the connection between our lips.

When he lays me down on the bed, he takes his time exploring every inch of my body with his fingers. I do the same, running my hands up and down the flexed muscles of his torso once he lifts his shirt over his head. Whenever I’ve done this in the past, my concentration has been on making sure my partner knows I am enjoying myself. I focus on making all the right noises and trying to do what I think I should do, rather than just being in the moment. In all the times I imagined this happening with Liam, I could never imagine it being this comfortable. So natural that I’m only focusing on him, and the way he makes my body feel. I think back to all our subtle moments—brushing hands while we hiked up to The Point, nudging each other’s knees when we fished from his dock, the tingle I felt when he fitted me with a life jacket on his boat. It was all leading to this. And it feels like we finally make sense.

Our noses brush one another and now, there is more urgency to our kiss. While he kisses me, Liam’s hands skim down my body, one cupping in between my legs. When I gasp in response, his mouth crashes into mine harder, more passionately than before. His lips never lose their rhythm while his fingers slide beneath my panties and find the warmth beneath. My grip on his neck tightens as he massages me gently with his thumb, pressing first one, and then two fingers inside. To no surprise, Liam knows exactly what to do to make me shudder. I’m moaning, breathlessly pleading for his pace to quicken, grabbing his shoulders so tightly as he watches me fall apart beneath him.

When finally, the quaking within me settles, Liam traces my face with his hand, pressing his lips to mine gently. “I thought I couldn’t love you anymore than I already did, but then I watched you do that,” he whispers, brushing my hair off my face.

My brain can’t form words at the moment, so I return the sentiment with a slow, tender kiss. I don’t think I ever want to stop kissing Liam. Ever. It is my new favorite pastime.

Liam lifts me up, readjusting our position and placing my head on the pillow. I watch as he retrieves a condom from his wallet. Desire stirs as he slips out of his jeans, and I take a deep breath.

Thumb-to-pointer-finger theory: proven.

Liam slides the condom on in one smooth motion and then moves on top of me. A wide smile spreads across my face as Liam’s blue eyes gaze into mine, and I feel like I am home.

He presses himself into me slowly, gauging my reaction to each of his movements. He moves his hips gently, and with each movement, I feel the pleasure building. Liam breaks our kiss and slows his motions, and I see his face is strained. I nudge Liam’s shoulder until he slows and I can use his weight to help us flip over.

A knowing smile spreads across my face as his surprise registers. Shifting atop him, I adjust my position, rolling my hips until I align perfectly with the exact spot I want. Liam’s gaze tracks my every movement, his hands steadying on my hips. Leaning forward, I kiss him, then quicken my rhythm, my muscles tightening as I pinpoint the sensation that sends waves of pleasure coursing through me. The intensity builds as I lose control, crying out with each thrust. I collapse against him, warmth flooding through my body as release overtakes me.

I roll onto my side and let one leg drape over Liam as we both catch our breaths. I lay my head on his chest and listen to the sound of his racing heart, letting its rhythm soothe my own, drifting off to the feeling of his fingers tracing the lines of my back.

“I’ve dreamt of his moment,” Liam murmurs against my forehead. When I look up at him from my position on his chest, he cups my chin in his hand. “You were my new dream, too,” he says. “And I’m never going to let you go again.”

I admire the beautiful man beside me. Before I met him, I’m not sure I knew exactly who I was. I’m not sure I knew that there was a happily-ever-after out there for me. When I met him, even though I worked every day to bring HEAs to readers, I think I truly had lost the magic in them. But every time I look at him, I can’t help but feel it, not just my love for him, but my love for our story.

He is the hero of my story. My small-town romance. My happily-ever-now.