Page 54 of Just Between Us

Josie

I’ll be there in five for makeup.

Come on in. Penny is up here keeping me company.

It’s Halloween,and while Penny and Josie handle trick-or-treaters, I’ll be with Liam at the annual Halloween party at Old Town Tavern.

Over the last couple weeks, his mood has continually worsened. The night of our low-key illegal activity, I thought we made progress. Things were back to normal. The following evening, we had dinner with his parents and he was upbeat, all smiles and laughs. But since then, there’s been a shift, a switch flipped.

He’ll go silent for days on end, only to show up at my apartment like I didn’t just spend the last few days being ghosted. If I tried bringing up his absence, he’d change the subject. Once he got up and left, altogether. I know what avoidance looks like, and Liam is Exhibit A. I could name a defense mechanism in my sleep.

But recognizing it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

As a last-ditch effort, I gave him something to look forward to.

Sheila came up with the original idea. This year, Old Town Tavern would host a costume contest for Halloween. The prize: Free beer for a year. Who doesn’t want free beer? It’s fucking brilliant. It was me who came up with the second idea. Liam and I would attend in costume.

He agreed, but we had trouble deciding our costumes. We took so long we weren’t sure if they’d be here in time. My black bustier only arrived this morning. He wanted to be Sonny and Cher and I wanted to be Edward Scissorhands and Lydia. But when I began my annual rewatch ofThe Vampire Diaries, it hit me. I immediately texted him costume ideas.

He’ll be here any second for Josie to put her artistic touch to our fake blood.

Minutes later, I hear the rumble of an engine and a door slam. My heart leaps into my throat thinking it’s Liam, but then Josie’s voice cuts through the air, belting out a Taylor Swift song.

She swings open the door and bounds in like a bull in a China shop, her colorful kimono swaying behind her. Slung onto one arm is a bag, makeup and face paint poking from the top.

“I have exactly twenty minutes, then I need to get back home and help my kids get ready. We’re visiting Mawmaw before we go trick or treating. Sit.”

She points a finger at the chair next to me, and I follow her command.

I’ve no sooner sat than the door opens again. The room goes silent other than the sound of the collective breath Penny, Josie, and I all draw. Liam stands in the doorway, his normally untamed hair slicked back from his face and—god, he looks devastating. Everyday Liam is already sexy as it is, but Liam wearing black trousers that fit like a glove and a white button-down, open halfway down his chest has tipped the scales to a level of temptation I’m not sure I’m equipped for. Achinglyhandsome. But also dangerous. He looks like a vampire on the hunt.

Penny and Josie might see him as their little brother, but it seems even they aren’t immune to his good looks today.

“Good lord, Liam. You look hot as hell. Better than Damon himself,” Josie says, grabbing his arm to seat him next to me.

But Liam doesn’t budge. He stands stock still in the doorway, and I’m suddenly acutely aware what people mean when they say a person has hunger in their eyes.

Because Liam looks like he wants to devour me.

My bustier cinches me tight, creating an hourglass figure while the swells of my breasts spill over the top. The tulle skirt barely skims my hips, only functioning to cover my ass, leaving my fishnet clad legs exposed. I knew I looked good when I got dressed, but by the way Liam’s chest rises and falls as he takes me in, I’ve never felt sexier. I wonder if, at times like this, Liam regrets the friend label we slapped on this relationship. I, for one, sure as shit do.

Josie tries again, tugging Liam’s arm, and this time he allows her to lead him to the seat next to me. The chairs are so close, his knee presses against mine, and I can feel the warmth of it through my fishnets.

“You two are ridiculous. I hope you guys know it. Eye fucking each other like that right in front of Penny and me.”

Penny grabs a throw pillow and lobs it at Josie’s head. “Leave them alone, Josie. They’refriends.” Penny places heavy, unnecessary emphasis on the word, friends. I have to roll my lips to keep from laughing.

“Mm-hmm,” Josie hums. “How manyfriendslook at you like that?” She circles a finger around Liam’s face.

“We’re literally right here. We can hear every word you two are saying.” Liam waves a hand between the two of us.

“Oh, we know,” Josie mutters, tilting my chin up. “But it’s my job to give you shit.”

“A job you were not hired for,” Liam says dryly.

Josie is unbothered, setting out her brushes and paints. “Now, stay still so I don’t make a mess.”

She works in silence for several minutes, the tip of her brush tickling the sensitive skin of my neck. Then she moves to my lips, dragging the paint down each corner of my mouth.