Page 26 of Just Between Us

“Mutt, you can’t go in for a kiss like that, man. You gotta take things slow. What have I told you?”

Liam sets Mutt back down, and I rise, letting my eyes roam the room. It’s immaculate yet cozy, all dark navy walls and sable leather furniture that looks soft as butter. A couch and oversized chair face a stone fireplace with an enormous TV mounted above the mantel. And beside the fireplace are built-in bookcases, upon which dozens of leather-bound books sit side by side. I squint, trying to make out the titles, but I’m too far away.

Beyond the living room is a kitchen with cabinets the same color as the living room walls, butcher block countertops and gleaming stainless steel appliances.

To my left is a room with the same dark walls, and sitting in its center is the most exquisite baby grand. Instruments of all types lean on stands against the wall. A cello, several guitars of various shapes, and at least five ukuleles. Without asking permission, I’m entering the room, with Liam following behind. In the corner, sitting on a small table, I see some sort of tabletop accordion and I step over and play a few notes. Next to it is a credenza with pages upon pages of music, notes scribbled out, bars of half realized melodies.

This feels like a home.

I turn to Liam, my surprise probably written all over my face.

“Your house is gorgeous!”

Liam smirks. “I enjoy being surrounded by gorgeous things.” His gaze performs a slow crawl from my legs back up to my eyes. “And people. Is my house not what you were expecting?”

“Honestly? I figured you lived in a mojo dojo casa house.”

Liam cocks his head. “Mojo what?”

“Never mind, it’s from theBarbiemovie. And no, this is not what I expected. I was fully prepared for a party house bachelor pad with neon beer signs and posters of naked girls.”

“Ah” is all Liam says.

A look crosses his features, gone before I can decipher it and all the wind leaves my sails. Did my assumption insult him?

“Um, I brought the beer.” I pivot, holding up the six pack I grabbed on my way. “I hope you like Back Road Honey. The cashier said it’s brewed not too far from here.”

Liam nods, takes the six pack from my hands, and heads back to his kitchen, taking his abs and delicious smell with him, while Mutt and I trail behind. He grabs a bottle opener from a drawer and lifts the top from two beers, handing one to me, tapping the mouth of his bottle to mine.

Excusing himself, he disappears down the hallway, returning seconds later, and to my great and utter disappointment, he’s pulling a T-shirt over his head, muscles shifting from the movement.

I take a long drink from my beer and lift it toward the hallway he just returned from. “Do I get a grand tour or is that reserved for VIP guests?”

A smile pulls up one side of his mouth. “It’s not that exciting.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

He gestures down the hallway. “All right. But don’t expect Versailles.”

Liam pushes the first door open, revealing a full gym. A squat rack, a bench, dumbbells organized by size on a rack. Resistance bands hang from hooks on one wall.

“Well,” I say, leaning across the door frame, “this explains the abs.” I flick my eyes to where a shirt now covers the hard planes of his stomach.

Liam snorts. “It’s mostly stress management.”

“Mm-hmm,” I hum.

We move to the next room, and what I see inside is everyunfinished thought Liam has ever had. The four-walled equivalent of a junk drawer.

“Ah,” I say. “The universalI’ll deal with this laterroom.”

Liam shows me an average bathroom and laundry room but stops in front of the last door. “Sorry, ma’am. My room’s not part of your tour package.”

I roll my eyes to the ceiling. “Wow. Stingy.”

He shrugs, already turning back toward the kitchen. “I can’t help that you went with the lowest package option.”

“Excuse me?” I laugh, hurrying after him. “I didn’t realize there were tiers.”