The Wedding Engagement

Chapter Twenty-Four

The hot water ran over her skin, but despite the fact that Liv liked her shower temperature high, the heat of the flow was nothing compared to the flush she felt from Arran’s touch.

It had been the sexiest encounter she’d ever had in her life. She never came the first time being with someone because she felt too closed off to let go. And twice? That was unheard-of.

But he’d made her feel comfortable as well as turned-on. She felt safe with him, nurtured and secure.

She brushed her fingers over her lips, remembering the feel of his kiss, then trailed them down her body—tracing the places he’d seared his touch on her skin.

The connection they’d shared had been deep and intense, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. But this time she hadn’t been scared, and she attributed that to having trusted him with her complicated jumble of emotions.

She left the shower to towel off and dress. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, nor stop craving his touch. Was this a normal way to feel when one had sex with a person one cared about deeply? Because she had no frame of reference, what with her avoidance of anyone who might’ve been relationship material. What was she even supposed to call the tangled mess of emotion she was feeling anyway?

It had been rather difficult to leave Arran that morning, but she’d wanted a fresh change of clothes before heading back for another sitting. He’d asked her if she could return to get some more hours in, and she had of course been delighted to oblige.

Once she arrived back at his place, the butterflies were so intense that she had to take a few deep breaths, standing at his front door and feeling like a fish out of water. “Calm down,” she told her inner tangle of emotion.

No sooner had she pressed the doorbell than he answered, giving her the sweet feeling that he’d been looking out for her.

The sight of him enveloped her in a rush—the usual surge in adrenaline and joy, but this time an additional element of shyness that she hadn’t quite expected.

She wanted Arran to hug her, but instead he ushered her in with a smile and ran his hand over his hair as if he wasn’t quite sure how he should greet her. “I know this sounds dumb when we only saw each other a few hours ago, but it’s great to see you.”

The small needle of worry at his lack of physical contact melted in the face of that adorable statement. Liv relaxed a little.

She followed him into the studio and settled into her seat. “This sofa has definitely got a Liv-arse-shaped dent in it now.”

He glanced up to waggle his eyebrows at her. “Fine by me.”

She laughed, lifting her legs onto the couch to sit cross-legged.

He cleared his throat as he began to work. “Feeling okay, after earlier?”

Her cheeks heated up a couple of degrees and she shot him a smile. “More than okay.”

His face flushed, and he seemed as if he wanted to say something else, but then he turned back to the canvas and didn’t pass any more comment.

The time went a lot more slowly than usual, and it was clearly because of the sexual tension building in the room. Every time she looked at him, little snatches of the morning’s events flashed in her mind’s eye. The sensation of his hands all over her. The scent of his skin. The way he’d moaned her name and the expression of rapture on his face.

All those thoughts were heating her body and causing her to shift uncomfortably in her seat. It was even worse when he made eye contact. Was he going to make a move?

Time dragged on, with Arran staying zeroed in on the task at hand, and something Brodie had said recently caused an idea to formulate in her mind. Perhaps there was a way to encourage Arran to make a move. It wasn’t like she had a problem with doing it, but she had been the one to instigate it earlier, and she had to admit that his lack of tactile gestures since she’d arrived did have her feeling a little insecure.

She cleared her throat. “Are you nearly where you wanted to get to for today?”

He snapped his gaze from the canvas. “Yeah…I guess I am.” His features settled into a look of concern, and she hoped that was because he didn’t want her to leave yet.

She kept her voice casual. “Cool. Because I wondered…whether you’d do a quick charcoal sketch of me.”

His face immediately relaxed. “I’d love to.” He started gathering a sketch pad and a pencil, and Liv seized the moment to unveil her master plan—literally. She removed her glasses and began unbuttoning her shirt.

Arran lifted his head to glance at her, pencil and pad in hand. His eyes widened and he fumbled the pencil, partially catching and dropping it a couple more times before finally grasping it in his fist. “Ah…what’re you doing?”

She blinked, keeping her face neutral and tone nonchalant as she dropped the shirt to the floor and stood to unzip her jeans. “Didn’t I mention this was a nude?”

His eyes locked in on where she was sliding off her jeans. “That’s…that’s…er…” He seemed to lose the power of speech altogether for a few seconds, until the jeans joined her shirt on the floor. His voice came back hoarse. “That’s awesome.”

She gave him a smile as she unhooked her bra and held it out to the side, dropping it to join her little pool of clothing. His jaw was twitching now, as he stared at her topless form and shifted uncomfortably in his seat—as if his boxers were suddenly too tight. Aha! Gotcha, Mr. Adebayo.

She dipped down to slide off her underwear, and when she straightened, the guy looked as if he was about to swallow his tongue. He took a shuddering breath.

Liv arranged herself on the sofa, bringing her legs up to stretch out along it. “Okay,” she said with a casual sigh. “I’m ready.”

He hesitated a couple more seconds, gripping the pencil so hard she thought it might snap in two. Then he took another deep breath and shifted in his seat, dragging his eyes off her and onto the paper, where he began scratching out some lines.

She tried hard not to smile as he drew. “Have you done a nude before, by the way?”

He kept his eyes on the pad. “Yeah. I went to a life drawing class for a bit. But I have to say that sketching naked middle-aged men is by far a different experience to this.” He raised his eyes to shoot her a look of molten heat.

Glancing at where his overalls hugged his crotch, she took in the shape of something that she sincerely hoped had not been present at his life drawing class. “I can see that.”

Catching the direction of her gaze, he broke out into a slow smile, which pushed her temperature up another couple of notches. My master plan is working. I’m a frickin’ genius. Well, Brodie is anyway.

Settling into silence, apart from the soft sound of pencil on paper, she watched him sketch. As time went on it became apparent which parts of her he was drawing, because his eye movements would get kind of rapid, glancing quickly from her to the paper a few times in quick succession before settling. Then he’d draw with his lips slightly parted, a slight flush on his skin.

She grinned. “Do you feel like him off Titanic ?”

He paused what he was doing to laugh. “ That is the perfect analogy.” Smiling, he went back to the pad. “I hope that doesn’t mean I’m going to die by the end of the day.”

She shrugged. “Nah. I’d let you climb on my door.”

His smile turned wicked. “Is that a double entendre?”

Liv shook her head. “It’s a poor one if so.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “But the sentiment is appreciated. If you know what I mean.”

“Aha.” He pointed his pencil. “ That one was definitely an innuendo.”

She grinned. “Don’t point that pencil at me.”

“Aw, man.” He laughed. “Don’t use a pencil innuendo. I’ll get an inferiority complex.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

He shot her a grin, holding her gaze for a few seconds before he shifted his eyes over her body. The smile slipped and for a moment he looked as if he was about to get up and come over. But then he ran a hand over his hair and went back to drawing.

Dammit, how long did a sketch take anyway?

She settled back, trying to bide her time. Though she had to admit she hadn’t anticipated he’d hold out this long. The ache between her legs was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Eventually, he leaned back, tossing the pencil onto his desk. “Okay. That’s about as much as I can manage with a raging hard-on.”

She broke down laughing, with relief more than anything that he’d finally voiced that he was turned-on. She lifted the throw from the couch against her front. “Let’s see it.”

He gave her a heated look. “The sketch or the hard-on?”

Her pulse throbbed in her veins, sending a bolt of desire down into her core. “Hmm. Sketch first, please.”

He leaned to pass it over.

“Nope,” she said, raising her eyebrows at him. “You bring it here.”

He immediately got to his feet and nearly tripped over them in his hurry to close the few steps between them. She shifted her feet down to the floor, still holding the throw over her front, and he sat close beside her so their sides were touching.

Arran passed her the sketch, and her intention to have a token glance went out the window, her heart swelling. “Wow, you’ve made me look beautiful.”

The way he’d shaded the dark and the light gave her this kind of ethereal quality, gazing into the distance as if she were finding solutions to the universe’s unanswerable questions.

He lifted a hand to her cheek. “I didn’t make you look beautiful. You just are.”

Her breath caught as the honey tone of his eyes glowed with reverence. She studied him for a few seconds. “What’re you thinking?”

His gaze skidded downward. “That I’m really glad I bought a throw with a very open weave.”

The corner of her mouth tugged up and she lifted a hand to stroke his face. He held her gaze a couple of seconds longer, then gently pulled the throw from where she was grasping it against her chest. He shifted it down her breasts, then let it fall to the floor before leaning in to kiss her neck. “You taste so good,” he told her, gently biting her skin and making her shiver.

The softness of his lips and the graze of his stubble made her skin tingle with sensitivity, and each time he shifted his mouth lower, the new patch of skin was even more sensitive than the previous. By the time his lips touched her breasts, the sensation was exquisite, making her nipples harden and peak before he even took them into his mouth.

Arran broke contact to lean back and lift her legs onto the couch, lying between them in order to carry on his journey, to where the temperatures were at the boiling point and the season very wet indeed.

He gently licked her folds, making her grip his head in desperation. She needed more. “Please,” she told him.

His eyes darkened and he buried his face between her legs, the electric sensation making her legs twitch. She let out a low moan.

He paused. “Is this okay?”

“God, yes,” she said, pushing her fingers into his hair and driving his head back down because that mere second’s broken contact was agony. She could feel him let out a low chuckle between her legs, which turned into a groan when she pressed him further in.

He darted his tongue inside her and her hips reared off the sofa.

“I’m glad to find that you found the whole nude-sketch thing as much of a turn-on as me,” he said, his voice throaty and low. “I feel like I’m in some kind of montage of Leonardo DiCaprio films. First Titanic , and now Inception because this is an absolute dream.”

Liv half laughed and half moaned as he did an awesome swirly kind of thing with his tongue. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and ramped up his movements, responding each time she moaned by pushing her harder and harder, until the sensations pooling and pulsating between her legs and into her belly intensified to the point that the huge tidal wave of pleasure broke and she gripped his head, calling out his name.

She had no idea how much time passed. It could have been seconds or hours. It was as if she were adrift on some kind of pleasure cloud.

He stayed between her legs, dropping gentle kisses onto the insides of her thighs and making her shiver. Then he gently took her legs from his shoulders to lay them down on the sofa, and released the clips of his overalls.

He shuffled them off and climbed up to lie on top of her in his T-shirt and boxers. “I didn’t want the clips to catch your skin,” he murmured as he kissed her.

She smiled against his mouth. “You’d better take the rest off too.”

His breath hitched. “Your wish is my command.”

With one hand, he gripped the back of his T-shirt and pulled it right over his head and off, dropping it onto the floor and continuing to kiss her while he slid off the boxers. She helped him by catching them with her foot and kicking them away.

Arran settled his weight on top of her, and she appreciated the hardness of his body against the softness of hers. Lifting her hands, she ran her fingers over his torso, absorbing the feel of lean ridges of muscle and the contrast of smooth skin against the graze of his chest hair. She concentrated on imprinting the sensations onto her brain. “That T-shirt move was hot,” she told him.

“Thank you.” He smiled. “I saw it on TikTok.”

She laughed, holding his head as he leaned down to bury it in her neck.

He sighed. “You smell so good.”

Need filled her body and she shifted under him, positioning him where she wanted.

“Wait,” he said, lifting his head. “I need to go upstairs for a condom.” He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t normally need them in the studio.”

She kissed his face gently. “It’s okay, I’m on the injection, and clean. So I’m good to go if you are.”

“Same,” he said, teasing her skin with his teeth and making her shiver. “Well, clean anyway,” he quipped. “Not on contraception.”

He lifted a hand to hold her face for a few seconds, meeting her gaze as he shifted his hips between her legs. It was more than apparent that he could have driven right in easily, but for some reason he seemed to be holding back.

Gradually, inch by inch, he eased inside her, moving more deliberately than last time and stroking her face as he looked into her eyes. He used his other hand to grip her hip as he began to thrust, as if trying to anchor himself and his rhythm. His movements were slow and intense, his pupils blown out with pleasure.

Something squeezed hard in her chest, something that told her if this ended, she’d be irrevocably broken. Liv searched his eyes, feeling like her emotions were mirrored in them. He must feel the same way…mustn’t he?

Her conscious mind drifted away, until there was only sensation left. The exquisite friction of his skin against hers. The softness of his lips and the hardness he was rhythmically driving inside her. Then the soothing thrum of his voice as he began murmuring her name.

His movements became more erratic as pleasure derailed his rhythm and his head lolled forward, his forehead touching hers. She wrapped her arms around his head to bury it in her neck as he came hard, his body shuddering.

She wasn’t sure how long they lay in silence, she stroking his hair and he intermittently letting out an adorable sigh and kissing her neck. But still, he didn’t voice anything about what this meant. Did he find it as profound as she did? Or was it only physical for him? He hadn’t been with anyone for a year, as far as she was aware. So perhaps this was just the result of him getting really horny.

Eventually, he lifted his head to meet her gaze and she held her breath in anticipation.

He let out a big sigh. “I think I deserve a place in the Guinness book of records.”

She frowned, hesitating. Not what she’d expected him to say. “How come?”

He stroked her hair. “For the longest time sitting with a boner hidden inside painting overalls. I don’t know how I got that sketch done without exploding in my pants.”

Her disappointment at him not uttering something more profound was still palpable, but her laughter went a little way to taking the edge off. “You could be right. But I reckon that’d have to go in the adult version of the publication.”

Arran smiled as he brushed his lips across her cheek. “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded, stroking a hand over his hair.

He propped himself up on one elbow. “Do you ever regret staying in Glenavie? After Maya and Elise went off to university and then set up elsewhere, I mean.”

“No. I’ve always loved it here. Though I have to admit that Dad leaving and Sam being with Cat affected my decisions at the time. I didn’t want to leave Mum on her own or leave Sam in Cat’s hands without me being around to keep an eye on him.” She gave him a smile. “I know that Sam had similar reasons for staying around, wanting to keep watch over me and Mum. I didn’t tell him until recently that I was also secretly looking out for him in return.”

Arran smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me. You’re always there for everyone.”

“I never regretted my decision, though; I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. What about you? Do you regret staying here?”

“Nope. I love it. I love that Jayce gets to grow up among the mountains. But I still want to travel a bit. I would have done it a little earlier, but then Jayce came along, so we delayed the plan for a while.”

“You and Jess were going to travel?”

“Yeah. She wasn’t too bothered, but said she’d come along for the ride.” He paused, tracing his fingers across her cheek. “I would still like a travel buddy, though. Someone who’s as enthusiastic about the adventure as I am.” For a moment it seemed as though he was going to say something more, but then he closed his mouth and let his fingers slide onto her neck. “Oh shit,” he said, lifting his hand.

She frowned. “What?”

He shot her a “yikes” expression. “I’ve got paint on you. Sorry, I should’ve washed up first.”

She lifted a hand to her neck, and there was a little green residue on her fingers. A glance downward confirmed a few little streaks of it on her breasts, hips, and round onto her arse. Everywhere his hands have been. “That’s all right. It’s kind of sexy.”

Arran kissed her. “Probably be sexier if I wash it all off for you.”

A thrill coursed through her. “Sounds good to me.”

He eased off, taking her hand to help her to her feet, then led her up to his en suite, where he turned on the shower.

His eyes were on her as she stepped inside. She could feel his gaze stroking over every inch of her skin as the water washed over her, before he finally stepped in behind her and closed the door.

He moved his hands over her, soaping up a lather and removing all traces of paint. Then he held her from behind, paying some more attention to rubbing the soapy bubbles over her breasts.

She smiled. “I think they’re clean now, Arran.”

“Just to be sure,” he murmured against her neck.

The slickness of his skin slid over her back, contrasting with the graze of his chest hair and the hardness of his arousal. “Better call the Guinness book of records, because I can feel your prizewinning pencil again.”

He chuckled against her, the rich sound thrumming into her being. “I told you not to call it a pencil.”

“Sorry.” She smiled as she bent her head further to the side, allowing him more access to kiss and bite her neck. “Prizewinning…very thick branch?”

“That’s better.” He took hold of her and spun her around to press her against the shower wall, sliding his hand between her legs and making her gasp. “Just one more time.”

No way a girl could refuse that offer. She had a brief thought that it might take her a while to get there, with this being her third orgasm of the day. No, wait—was it her fourth? But Arran clearly was some sort of sex god because it was an embarrassingly short number of minutes before her orgasm was rolling over his fingers and she collapsed onto him as he held her up.

When he stepped back as if to turn off the shower, she dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth, enjoying his gasp of surprise, which turned into a groan of pleasure.

Once they did finally emerge, she felt as if all her bones were soft and her brain had turned into a relaxed mush. It went some way to quieting the little voice of doubt telling her that Arran still hadn’t uttered a word about what any of this meant to him.

They toweled off and she watched him throw on some clean clothes, before he led her back down in her towel to get her things back on. Whenever she looked up, he was watching her, and he didn’t try to conceal it.

As soon as she was clothed, he grabbed her into a hug, and for a moment, she thought he was going to voice something meaningful. But then he released her with a kiss to the cheek.

Arran smiled. “Best day ever.”

I suppose that’s something. She flashed him a smile back, suppressing her disappointment, then checked her watch. Time to meet Maya and Elise at the tearoom. “I need to head out.”

He nodded, following her to the front door, where she stuffed on her shoes and put on her jacket.

“See you at the weekend?” he asked, a hopeful tone tingeing his words.

“Yeah.” She kissed him. Then she reluctantly eased away. But he grasped her jacket, pulling her back into his kiss with a thrilling force and then pressing her against the wall.

He kissed her hard at first, his movements untamed, making her heart beat hard in her chest and white heat rush through her veins. Then he broke off to brush the tip of his nose against hers, and when his lips met hers again, he tempered his pace. His kiss became assiduous. Unhurried. As if he wanted to savor her. As if he needed to imprint her on his being.

Then, slowly, he eased back to bite her lower lip, making her tremble against him.

Once he eventually broke off, her breathing was pretty heavy for what had already been a four-orgasm day.

He lifted a hand to stroke her face, staying silent, his eyes dark and intense.

She cleared her throat. “See you soon.”

Arran nodded, his voice hoarse. “Yeah.”

She left the house and climbed into her car, and he stood watching her until she was out of sight.

One thing was for sure: The sexual chemistry was spot-on between them. But was there anything more to it than that for Arran? She dragged her mind back over everything he’d said from the night of their first kiss on Skye up to the present day. He’d indicated he wanted more from her physically, but had he alluded to anything deeper than that? Not that she could put her finger on.

But Arran wasn’t the sort to hide how he was feeling. He’d been very vocal over the past year about not wanting another relationship. He’d been as clear as he possibly could have been. And although it was obvious he cared about her—they were such close friends—it didn’t mean that he wanted an exclusive relationship. Navigating the way into a serious relationship was so alien to her, especially when the idea of it had given her palpitations and made her physically sick in the past. She didn’t feel comfortable starting that conversation with him, nor was she equipped with the skills to do so.

She parked near the tearoom and wandered down the street, lost in her thoughts as the door jangled at her entrance.

Maya and Elise waved from their table and Liv gave them a smile as she approached and dished out hugs.

She took a seat and shrugged off her jacket.

“Tea and scones are on their way,” Maya said, watching Liv’s movements.

“Cool,” Liv said. “How’re things? Are we sorted for a dress-fitting date?”

“Yep,” Maya replied, her voice seeming a little subdued. “I’ve got the three of us booked for the fitting, and Mum and Tara are tagging along for a fashion show.” She shot Elise a concerned look and Liv realized that they must have been talking about her defeat of Dave prior to her arrival.

Elise shifted her chair closer to Liv’s. “How are you? After yesterday. I hope you don’t mind that Maya told me.”

Liv shook her head. “Of course I don’t.” She gave Maya a smile. “Or that Sam told you. To be honest, it makes it easier for me that I don’t have to do the telling.”

Maya took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Just then, the waitress arrived with their tea and scones, so they leaned away from each other to let her deposit everything on the table, and said their thanks as she departed.

Elise placed a scone on Liv’s plate. “Here. You deserve this.”

Maya poured some tea. “Tell us how you’re doing.”

“Fine, to be honest,” Liv said.

“You don’t have to pretend, you know,” Elise said softly.

She shook her head, giving Elise a smile. “I’m not, but thank you. I really don’t give a crap about what happened with Dave. He deserved it, and I’m glad I was the one to give him what he deserved.”

The others were silent for a moment. Then Maya nodded. “Can’t argue with that.”

Unusually for Liv, the desire to tell them everything she’d told Arran surfaced, and she paused to assess it. It was normally something she would suppress, but today felt different. As if Arran had opened the dam gates.

She eyed her best friends, summoning the courage to voice what she’d been avoiding for years. Her instinct to bury it came to the fore, her reluctance to burden those she loved taking hold.

But then she remembered how good it had felt to confide in Arran. She took a deep breath to bolster her nerve, her heart hammering. “However, it did make me face up to my issues.” She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the whoosh of blood in her ears. “The ones related to me having been a massive commitment-phobe for most of my adult life.”

She paused, unable to believe that admission was finally out there.

It hung in the air between the three of them, as she glanced from Maya to Elise, trying to gauge their reactions, her nausea intensifying at the idea that telling them this was selfish.

Maya was watching her curiously. “Commitment-phobe? You?”

Elise smiled gently. “Tell us more.”

Liv swallowed. “It’s not something I’d told anyone, until Arran and I discussed it last night. But the whole Dave thing…well. To cut a very long, complicated story short, I’ve always worried that Sam takes after Mum and I’m more like Dad.”

Maya frowned, taking Liv’s hand. “You are not .”

Elise lifted a hand to tuck a strand of Liv’s hair behind her ear, and Liv absorbed the warmth of her friends’ affection and support.

She took a breath. “I know it’s dumb. But stuff kind of added up, then snowballed over the years, and all the daddy issues must have twisted it in my heart and mind. Especially with some issues between me and Mum and then when I broke up with Dean in a less-than-constructive way and he told me I was just like my dad.”

Maya narrowed her eyes, putting on a Liam Neeson–esque voice. “I will find Dean. And I will kill him.”

Liv smiled, squeezing her hand. “That’s okay. I’ll allow him to live.”

“Our minds can play tricks on us,” Elise said, giving her a soft smile. “And they’re sneaky little buggers, because they make us believe things that couldn’t be true in a million years. What you’ve told us isn’t dumb, but we can assure you it is one hundred percent untrue.”

A lump formed in Liv’s throat, making her eyes prick with tears. She blinked a few times in quick succession.

Maya leaned in to kiss her cheek, making a noisy slobbering sound. Then she did the same to Elise. “You two are the bestest people ever and I love you both.”

Liv blinked again, as the tears began to fall. Elise passed her a tissue. “Thank you.” She drew a breath to steady her wobbly voice, dabbing at her eyes. “I love you guys too.”

“Same,” Elise said, smiling, her voice also a little unsteady.

Maya leaned back, giving one of Liv’s curls a gentle tug. “You can tell us anything, you know? We wouldn’t ever judge you. And for the record, I agree that it doesn’t sound dumb. I totally understand where you’re coming from because I know how your beautiful mind works.”

Liv studied Maya’s face. “You do?”

“Yep. You’re such an empath that you always take on board and agonize over other people’s opinions of you. You validate them even when it’s a load of absolute bollocks.” She kissed Liv’s cheek. “Because you are such a fucking delight.”

Liv laughed. “Thank you.”

Elise squeezed her shoulder. “I’m really glad you’ve told us, Liv.”

She nodded, her voice catching again. “Me too.” Taking a breath, she realized that her whole being felt lighter somehow. As if she were the freest she’d been in years.

The scones on their plates caught her gaze, and she gave Maya some side-eye. “I just remembered that I forgot to tell you guys that Arran discovered some important scone-related intel.”

“Oh yeah?” Maya said, raising an eyebrow, as Elise gave them both a wry smile.

Liv nodded, pausing for dramatic effect. “Queen Elizabeth herself used to put the jam on first.” She grinned. “I figure Liz was the greatest authority. Hence, I win the great scone debate.”

Elise laughed. “I think she’s got you there, Maya.”

Maya stared at Liv for a couple of seconds, then narrowed her eyes. “Adebayo is going to get it for this.”

Liv blinked. He got it, all right. Twice. Or was it three times? The shower probably counted as a separate encounter. Heat rose in her cheeks at the thought, and Elise gave her a curious look.

Lifting her scone, Maya made intense eye contact with Liv as she aggressively slathered it in cream first.

Liv hid her smile behind her teacup.

Maya smiled back, then cocked her head. “Something’s up with you. You went all pink just now when we mentioned Arran.” She took a bite of scone and mumbled through the crumbs, “Spill it.”

Liv glanced around the tearoom. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Elise smiled. “I spotted it too. There was definitely a blush about your cheeks.”

Her heart rate picking up, Liv grasped her cup. She kept her voice low. “Okay. Don’t overreact, but we had sex today.”

Maya squealed a mouthful of crumbs across the table, and a pair of elderly ladies at the next table gave them curious looks.

“Shh,” Elise said, glancing behind them at the older ladies and mouthing, Sorry .

Liv shot the women an apologetic look. They gave her a knowing smile in return, and Liv felt like the whole café probably knew she’d gotten lucky today. “I told you not to overreact,” Liv told Maya through the side of her mouth.

“Oh. My. God,” Maya said in a low voice. “This is epic news.”

Liv leaned in toward them both, gesturing them to do the same. “And it happened twice. This morning and this afternoon.”

Elise raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Twice in one day?”

Liv hesitated. “I suppose it was three times really.”

Maya slapped a hand over her mouth, squealing behind it.

Elise’s eyes were as wide as saucers and Maya’s face was turning blue. Maya leaned farther in, removing her hand from her mouth. “You mean to tell us you’ve come straight from a sex session?”

Liv nodded, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Maya held her hand out for a low five. Which Liv obliged.

“Nice,” Maya said, giving her a nod of approval and lifting her cup to clink against Liv’s, then Elise’s. She took a sip. “So what does this mean?”

Liv sighed. “Fuck knows.”

Elise frowned. “Why?”

She rubbed her forehead. “I feel like there’s something major going on between us. Like I’ve made a bit of a breakthrough with my own emotional baggage. But he’s not voiced anything serious, except that he clearly finds the whole thing hot. I don’t know what he wants and I’m reluctant to tell him what I want, in case I scare him off.”

Elise shook her head. “I’m sure it wouldn’t scare him off.”

Liv bit her lip. “After all the Jess stuff? I think it might. He’s been so sure he didn’t want another relationship, and I can’t help thinking…” She tailed off, staring into her tea.

“Thinking what?” Maya asked, her eyes wide.

Her heart squeezed painfully. “That the reason for that, as much as he denies it, is because deep down it’s still her that he wants.”

“It can’t be,” Maya said. “He would’ve gone after her by now.”

Liv shook her head, her mouth dry. “He’s too proud. Once she backed off, he wouldn’t try to pursue it. Especially when she’s with another guy.”

Maya blew her fringe out of her eyes. “You were right about this being complicated.”

“Yep,” Liv muttered. “I don’t know what to do about Arran. So I’m going to sit on it for a bit.”

Maya snorted. “I bet you are.”

Liv let out a laugh and caught the ladies at the next table giving her an amused look. She curtailed the laugh and smiled back at them.

Elise was glancing nervously around the tearoom, so Liv touched her hand. “Sorry for being loud,” she told her, aware that her friend always worried what other people thought.

She smiled. “Oh no, that’s okay. I just wanted to check none of my patients were in here.” Her smile broadened. “Just in case they go around spreading the rumor that Dr. Kowalski runs sex-therapy sessions at the local tearoom.”

Liv laughed, and Maya joined in.

Maya’s features settled into a more serious expression. “Shall we ask Sam what he thinks you should do?”

Liv pushed her glasses up her nose. “You can tell him what’s happened. I’d probably prefer it came from you. It’ll be a bit weird if I tell him myself. But as for advice…I don’t know. I need to mull stuff over. Give Arran time.”

Maya nodded. “Whatever you think is best.”

One of the older ladies from the neighboring table got out of her chair to approach them, and for a moment Liv panicked that they were no longer amused at the raucous laughter. Elise appeared concerned too.

The lady leaned between Elise and Liv, to address the three of them. “Sorry about this, but see my friend Agnes over there?” She gestured to her companion, who gave them an enthusiastic wave, which they returned. “Well. She’s a bit of a brazen one. She tuned her hearing aid in to your conversation and wants to give you some advice, but she’s got a bad hip so I’ve been sent over as messenger.”

At that point the lady had to stop talking because Liv burst out laughing, Maya and Elise joining in. Liv pushed her finger under her glasses to wipe her eyes. “That is awesome. Not the bad hip, but the hearing aid thing. I love Agnes already. My middle name is Agnes too, by the way.”

“Is it?” Agnes asked loudly from her table, clearly still tuned in to their conversation. She gave Liv a wave. “All the best people are called Agnes!”

Liv managed a nod and a thumbs-up through her laughter.

“Anyhow,” Agnes’s companion continued. “My name’s Nancy, by the way. She told me what you were discussing, and we both say—go for it. Tell the laddie how you feel.” Nancy leaned in to stage-whisper. “And have plenty of fun along the way.” She gave them an exaggerated wink, which set the laughter off again, as Nancy left to rejoin the audacious eavesdropper Agnes.

Maya lifted a napkin to wipe her eyes as she gave them a wave. “They’re awesome.” She pointed. “Yes, you, Agnes. I know you’re still listening.”

Agnes gave them a big smile.

Elise chuckled. “You should definitely keep Agnes and Nancy’s advice in mind, while you’re mulling over what to do.”

“Absolutely,” replied Liv, shaking her head as she drank her tea. “I’ll keep it in mind.”