Page 60 of Pressure Point

Letting out a long breath, he closed his eyes, wishing he knew what to say. She’d opened up so much to him over these last few weeks, and he wanted to do the same. Wanted to show her that he trusted her the same way she did him—that he was in this wholeheartedly. There was just so much to tell her. And he had absolutely no idea where to start.

“I meant it,” he said, figuring that the best thing to do was just start talking and hope that maybe he made sense. “About never feeling more myself. As much as I miss my family back home, after everything that happened, I knew I needed to get away. Not because I was heartbroken or anything. Although, I can’t say any part of watching my brother marry the girl I had just broken up with felt good, but because I needed to figure out who I was, what I really wanted. There was just no way to do that in Dundalk. Not with everyone looking at me with pity over Orla. And I’m still not sure I really have anything figured out, but you help. You make me feel like maybe I’m not so second-rate. Like I’m finally figuring out who I am and what I want.”

You’re what I want…

Liam’s heart was racing as he finished his rambling. It was more than he’d intended to open with, but now that it was out there, he was happy he did. It needed to be said. Avery needed to know what he was thinking.

He paused for a moment, waiting for her to respond, but all that came was the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing. Craning his neck to see her face, he realized she had fallen asleep. The peaceful look on her face made his heart squeeze. As much as he loved that she was comfortable enough with him to drift off, he hated that it was in the exact moment that he was starting to drum up the courage to tell her how he felt. She might not have heard him, but at least he knew he was capable of doing it.

Reaching for his phone, he flipped on the TV and picked a movie, making sure the volume was down low. He figured he’d move them to the bed later, but for now he didn’t want to disturb her. For the first time he was starting to think he might actually understand the feelings his teammates talked about when it came to their women. That feeling that he’d known was missing with Orla. A feeling that he really, really liked.

And hoped that the beauty in his arms was feeling too.

“Sleep tight, love. I’ve got you.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Avery knew this was coming. She’d even told Liam over dinner last week that she needed to get her butt in gear and do something about it. But it wasn’t until she’d gotten home from brunch with him yesterday and found the lime-green piece of paper wedged into her door that it had really hit her.

Sitting in her office, staring at the obnoxious colored note, she tried not to feel a sense of dread. She hated moving. She hated the idea of trying to find a new roommate on short notice even more. But staring back at her was the reminder that her lease was up at the end of the month—along with the news that her rent was going up. By a lot.

She had a good job, and she could afford to write that check every month. She just wasn’t sure that she would also be able to eat after cutting that check. The apartment was also a lot bigger than she needed. Two bedrooms had made sense when there were two people living there. But now that it was just her, well, no matter how much she enjoyed the solitude at times, it wasn’t worth the number that was glaring back at her right now.

I don’t know where to even begin looking for a roommate…

“Hi,” a voice greeted, knocking her out of her thoughts. Avery looked up to find Talia standing in the doorway of her office, a bright smile on her face.

“Hi,” Avery responded, swallowing hard. She had no idea what it was about Talia, but she seemed to look effortlessly beautiful no matter what. Even standing here first thing on a Monday morning, in jeans, a T-shirt, and a ball cap, she looked like she’d stepped out of an ad for the All-American girl. Avery didn’t want to be jealous, but she couldn’t help it. No amount of makeup, dresses, or cute shoes was ever going to put her in a league with Talia Whitmore. “Are you looking for your dad? Or Liam? I haven’t seen either one this morning, but they should be headed out to the pitch soon.”

“I’m actually here to talk to you,” the brunette said.

“Me?”

What could she want with me? Oh God, is she here to get all sisterly and ask what my intentions with Liam are? Has he told her that we slept together? Oh shit, what if she wants to go on a double date, me and Liam with her and Dash. No, no. That’s crazy, right?

“Er, yeah. Mind if I come in?”

“Oh my God, of course, I’m sorry,” Avery said, flustered. She wildly gestured Talia into her office, pointing at one of the chairs across from her desk. “Sorry, it’s kinda small, but I don’t spend a ton of time in here.”

“It’s fine. I’m surprised you even have an office. I would have thought you’d be out with the team all the time.”

“I spend a lot of time out there with them, or out in the med suite working on the guys. But there’s actually more paperwork than you’d think. I have to keep notes and charts and stuff about what’s going on with each player, what treatment they are getting, and the kind of progress they are or aren’t making. And after an event like Saturday, well…”

“Oh, yeah. Any update on Tiago? I didn’t see Gunnar yesterday to ask.”

“Torn ACL. Out for the season. Not a lot of people happy with me when I sent that text yesterday.”

“Oh, I bet. Still, you’ve got a great view of all those hotties,” Talia laughed, nodding at the big picture window that looked out over the practice pitch. A few of the players had started to make their way onto the grass and were stretching before the session started. Avery noticed Jarrett limping again and made a mental note to examine that ankle this afternoon. “But don’t tell Gunnar I said that. He’ll lose his mind.”

“Secret is safe with me.”

Silence fell, the both of them staring at each other waiting for the other to speak. Avery had no idea what Talia could want, although her imagination was having a field day coming up with scenarios. This conversation had the potential to go south very, very quickly. As long as Talia didn’t ask about her feelings about Liam, then Avery wouldn’t have to lie. No, lie wasn’t the right word. Because the honest answer was that she didn’t have a clue how she felt.

“So,” Talia said, breaking the silence. “You mentioned that night at dinner that your lease was almost up and that you were going to be looking for a roommate, and I wanted to see if you were still on the hunt.”

A roommate? That’s what Talia was here about?

“I am, actually. In fact, you have some, like, borderline creepily perfect timing, since I got this nice little reminder yesterday,” Avery answered, holding up the lime-green paper. “Not only is my lease expiring, but the rent is also going up. Like, close to double going up. So, I either need to find someone or someplace.”