Page 31 of Pressure Point

“How do they look?” she asked, holding her feet out.

“Like shoes.”

“You know about Atira, but you have no opinion on shoes?”

“I have quite the opinion on cleats. Would you like to hear about that?”

“Actually, yes,” she told him. “I would love to hear all about your preference in studs. I have this personal theory about how certain kinds actually aid in joint injuries. But you don’t care about that…”

Liam barked out a laugh, the smirk on his face ranging from ear to ear.

“You’re adorable. You might be the only person I know who would genuinely have a theory about cleats and athletic injury.”

Avery scrunched her nose at his choice of descriptor. She hated that word. She’d heard it for years, and no one ever meant anything complimentary by it.

“I don’t want to be adorable. I want to be sexy!” Stomping her foot, she pushed up out of the chair. Avery felt the heels wobble slightly, her ankles trying not to give way from the sudden movement. She managed to steady herself, taking a step forward toward Liam, only to get the very bottom of her heel caught on the carpet, sending her flying forward.

Next thing she knew, she felt Liam’s strong arms catch her, wrapping around her waist and drawing her to him. Her hands found his solid pecs, feeling the soft cotton of his shirt, wondering if Liam could hear her heart thundering in her chest. His embrace was just as warm and soothing as it had been earlier, making her feel like she could just live there. He glanced down at her, concern all over his face, and she felt her skin flush in embarrassment. Smooth move, girl…

“First time walking there, Bambi?”

“Shush. I just need some practice.” Stepping back from him, she wobbled again but managed to keep herself upright this time. She could do this. Felicity Sutherland lived her whole life in shoes like this, so surely she could figure out how to manage for one night. She just needed to spend time getting used to them. "Speaking of…”

“Speaking of…” he repeated.

“When do you want to go dancing?”

“Do we have to?” he questioned.

“Yes, it’s part of the plan. What good is the dress and the makeup and the shoes if I still look like I’m have a seizure on the dance floor?”

Liam muttered something under his breath that she didn’t catch. She considered asking him to repeat that but reconsidered. He’d let her know in his own way that he wasn’t thrilled about the dancing part, but she couldn’t back down now. She was so close, and she needed to nail this part to help seal the deal.

“We're at home this weekend, but it’s an early afternoon game, so you’ll probably be exhausted that evening. But then we play in Vancouver the following Thursday, so we’re off all weekend. We could go then.”

“Fine. But I’m picking the place.”

“You can be as in charge as you like,” she said.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that they sounded a lot dirtier than she had intended. But Liam wouldn’t take it like that, right? A worry niggled at her for a moment, until the thought of Liam actually taking charge—like that—came crashing in, pushing that worry out of the way. It sent a shiver up her spine, thinking about just how good his hands had felt against her today, and that was through fabric. Just how good would they feel against her bare skin?

It wasn’t something she’d thought about before. But now she was dying to know.

Chapter Eleven

“Rewind!” Hazel hollered through the phone. “You kissed him?”

“No!” Avery hissed, her phone sitting on a towel right next to her hairbrush as she got ready for work. Her best friend’s voice reverberated off the walls of the small bathroom, making her glad that she hadn’t found a roommate yet. “We just…almost kissed. That’s a thing, right? Almost kissing?”

“Oh, it’s a thing. A super-hot, full of pent-up sexual tension thing. Was there leaning? Oh, please tell me there was leaning.”

“I mean, he’s six-five, so he had to lean down to get closer to me. Our bodies were flush with each other so…” she trailed off. Just how much detail could she go into for an almost kiss?

Oh, who was she kidding? She could go into a lot of detail. She’d thought of very little else since that almost kiss. It seemed like every spare moment she had, that was exactly where her thoughts rushed off to. The feel of his hands on her, of his hard body against hers, of his heart beating steadily under her hand. All of it still seemed like a dream, like she’d been watching herself have this experience rather than actually living it. In her daydreams she took it a step further, their lips actually touching. Wondering just how soft they would feel against hers, and just what kind of kisser he would be.

Twisting the top off her brand-new mascara, she brushed the excess off the tip just like the lady at the Atira counter had shown her. She still wasn’t feeling fully confident about applying this on her own, but knew she needed to practice. Just like anything else in life, the more you did it, the better you got, right?

“Damn, girl. The only way this could have been any better is if he’d pushed you up against the wall.”