Apartment 2B (9 page)

“Hey, Sidney. Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was being a jerk. Friends are supposed
to talk things out, and I didn’t hold up my end of the deal. Can we try again? I told
you I kind of sucked at this.” His sincere apology was successful in melting away
the anger from yesterday.

“Yeah. Come on in. Tina will be here in a bit. You can meet her and watch a movie
with us if you want.”

Shaking his head, he steps over the threshold and toward me. He doesn’t stop until
he is practically right up against me. Leaning over, he whispers into my ear, “But
I want you all for myself.” The cold breath tickles me and sends shivers down my spine.
I can’t decide if it’s what he’s doing or what he’s saying. Either way, it is making
me want to run to my window for air.

Thankfully he steps back away from me, but not before tugging at a strand of my hair.
The simple gesture that is quickly becoming uniquely ours makes my heart swell. We
may not be able to touch, but he sure does have a way of sharing intimate moments
with me.

“Go make yourself comfortable. I’m going to finish cleaning the refrigerator and then
I’ll come hang out. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

He just shakes his head and makes his way over to the recliner. I quickly finish my
task and then head back in there with him. His head is resting against the back of
the recliner, and he appears to be sleeping. The man is so damn sexy with his dark
stubble that sprinkles his cheeks. In another world, I would climb on top of his lap
and straddle him. I bet it would feel amazing to drag my tongue up his cheek and taste
him.

One of his eyes opens, catching me in the act. I must be turning fifty shades of red,
because now he’s laughing at me.

“Sidney, were you checking me out again?” he chuckles.

I try to feign innocence by shaking my head emphatically, but when he winks at me,
I’m busted as my cheeks burn again.

“Why don’t you come on over here and sit in my lap?” he teases as I heave myself down
onto the sofa. I stick my tongue out at him, which only causes more laughter.

“I wasn’t checking you out,” I huff out at him.

This time, he just rolls his eyes. I can’t help it that he’s so damn hot. Fortunately
my phone rings, interrupting the embarrassing moment. I bound into my room and answer
it.

“Hey, I’ll be there in five!” Tina says without a hello and then hangs up. Sometimes
I wonder what her point is for calling. I think she just likes to talk.

I turn to go back in the living room, and Liam is leaning against the doorframe, watching
me intently. The hungry look in his eyes makes me want to squirm under his gaze.

“What?” I question, looking down at my dress to make sure there’s nothing spilled
on it.

“I could admire your beauty forever,” he growls.

A shiver of desire quivers down my spine. The way he talks to me makes me want to
do naughty things to him like I read about in my novels. Of course, I never will.
But a girl can dream.

“Um, that sounds a little exaggerated, but I’m not going to lie. It is one hell of
a compliment.”

I start to walk out of the room, but he stalks over to me. As he approaches, I involuntarily
stumble backward until my butt bumps the wall. His palms slap the wall on either side
of my head, effectively trapping me in his space. The breaths that come from me are
excited and scared. He smells like mint and leaves, a delicious invasion to my senses.
My heart is beating rapidly as I try to figure out what his next move could be. His
cool breath against my face nearly drives me crazy.

“I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone more than I have wanted to kiss you in my entire
existence. And it isn’t just because I can’t kiss you. It’s because you’re beautiful.
You’re a survivor and you wear your scars unashamed. There’s a confidence about you
that has never had the opportunity to come out, but I can see it lying below the surface.
One day, I hope that you’ll be able to drop your walls that restrict you from happiness
and live free. I would love to see it, but even if I don’t, I’ll be happy just knowing
it will happen.”

His words are so deep and unguarded. I let them soak down to my soul, relishing in
his praise. He leans in so close, just millimeters away from my lips with his, but
doesn’t move any farther. I can almost feel his cool skin begging to meld with my
always-burning flesh. In this moment, I realize that, one day, I will be ready for
a kiss. I want this too badly to never allow myself this luxury in life. How is Liam
able to reach deep down inside me where nobody else can?

He pulls one hand from the wall and tugs at my hair, grinning at me. It absolutely
melts my heart and makes me wish I could throw my arms around him. Of course, I don’t.
I can’t. Not yet.

“I’ve got some work to do next door. I’ll come hang out and watch a movie with you
after your friend leaves. Tell her I said hi,” he says as he releases my hair and
walks away.

I’m still standing there against the wall, lost in my thoughts when Tina enters the
apartment a few minutes later.

“Hey, Sid!” she calls out as she makes her way to the kitchen, her arms full of bags.

I shake the spell away that Liam put me under and greet her. “Hey, girl. What did
you buy? Sheesh. I told you I didn’t need anything.”

She just shakes her head at me and unloads the two giant sacks she somehow managed
to wrestle all the way up here by herself. When she pulls out a couple of bottles
of wine, I grin at her.

“Tina, you’re going to turn me into a drunk,” I tease her.

“Hardly, Sid. But you, my friend, need all the help you can get relaxing. I’m doing
my civic duty by providing you with the means to do that.”

She hands me a handful of DVDs, and I squeal as I take them from her. All four of
them are Patrick Swayze movies. I’m not sure if it’s normal for a person to get this
giddy over movies.

I put away the food she bought while she serves up the chicken salad she brought for
us. Opening the refrigerator, I pull out a couple of bottles of water and join her
at the kitchen table.

“So how’s it going with neighbor boy?” she asks before taking a bite of her food.

Just the mention of him makes me smile broadly.

“I’m not sure what normal people consider normal to share, but I want to tell you
something. Promise you won’t make fun of me?”

She grins as she realizes it’s something juicy. “Never. Now spill.”

“Well, yesterday after another run-in with the creeper from downstairs, I nearly lost
my shit.” I start to continue on to the good stuff, but she’s frowning and interrupts
me.

“Again, Sid? What happened? Who is this man and why is he harassing you? Have you
talked to building management about it?” She’s concerned counselor right now and not
my girlfriend. I instantly feel ill as I think about that man from yesterday.

“Not yet. I’ll talk to Donna about it tomorrow. He pressed his body against me in
the laundry room and I passed out.”

“What the fuck?!”

“It must have spooked him because he left and Liam found me. I was sort of losing
it, but he helped to calm me back down. After I got back upstairs, I took a long cold
shower and felt much better. Liam showed up and stayed with me. I thought he was asleep
and…” I trail off because I am nervous about telling her the next part.

Her expectant look forces me to continue.

“Anyway, I was looking at how hot he was and had the desire to touch myself.” I look
over at her and her mouth is hanging open.

“No freaking way. Sidney is a closet freak. Who knew?”

“Once I determined he was asleep, I tried out my first attempt of self-pleasure. I
was near climax when he awoke and blew cold air on my bare breast. It was incredibly
hot and the orgasm was amazing. Is that too much? Should I be sharing this?”

She’s grinning like a madwoman now. “Hell yeah! This is the highlight of my entire
weekend. So, in a way, he helped bring you to your orgasm? Oh my God, I can’t wait
to meet this hottie who’s getting under your skin.”

“You were supposed to meet him today but he had to go work. I’m still clueless as
to what he does. He’s so damn secretive, yet he wants to know all about me. It’s hard
forging a friendship when he won’t open up.”

“Honey, I would say this is more than just friendship. He hasn’t even touched you
and you’ve been to third base. This is so hot.”

I giggle because he is so hot, and deep down, I know we are more than friends. But
for the life of me, I don’t understand why he won’t talk to me.

“It’s just strange. With him, I feel like we can see into each other’s souls. And
even though he won’t speak of his past, I can see right into his inner tortured being.
I know that he hurts, and I just want to make it better.”

Tina nods as she chews on her salad, thoughtfully mulling over what I’ve said. After
she swallows, she speaks again.

“Clearly he has issues, but honestly that’s okay. Having a ‘friendship’ with someone
like him seems to be helping you with some of your problems. Do you notice any changes
in your own behavior by being with him? I can already see a change for the better
in your personality.”

“Actually, I find myself wishing he would touch me. There have been many moments that
the desire to kiss him is unreal. I’m scared as hell though. I mean, yesterday, I
lost my shit when that man touched me. If I react that same way to Liam, it will break
my heart. I care too much for him already.”

She listens thoughtfully. Finally, she stands and takes her plate to the sink. “Sid,
I think the fact that you want to touch and kiss him means that you have come leaps
and bounds from where you were weeks ago. Just because up until this point you haven’t
been able to do this doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be able to. I think Liam is
the perfect person to help you with this. What better person to help than someone
you are physically attracted to?”

I nod, trying to imagine the idea of kissing him or simply holding his hand. It sends
a shiver through me, but it’s one of excitement. The idea of doing it is much easier
than the reality though.

“I’m going to try and see where this goes, Tina. Believe me, I want nothing more than
to try and live a normal life. Now, what should we watch?”

I grab the stack of movies and head into the living room to start my Patrick Swayze
marathon.

We spent the next couple of hours watching The Outsiders, much to my delight. There
was so much eye candy in that movie that I spend the entire time grinning like a fool.
Tina’s face matches mine, so I figure this is normal behavior.

Tina has already left and I am about to put in Point Break when Liam comes through
the front door like he owns the place. The man needs help understanding boundaries.

“Hey, Sid,” he greets and plops down onto the sofa.

I roll my eyes as I start the movie and sit beside him. “Hey, Liam.”

“What are we watching now?”

“Point Break. Patrick Swayze, of course.” I wink at him.

His smile falls and his eyes darken.

“What?” I demand.

“You look so fucking sexy when you wink,” he grumbles like it’s a bad thing.

Confused, I shrug my shoulders and watch the movie. About halfway through, I notice
that his knee has slid over to where it’s nearly touching mine, and my heart patters.
Against my own wishes, I move my knee farther away. It makes my heart hurt and I have
to suppress my tears. Not interested in this movie, I put in a different one where
Demi Moore is Patrick Swayze’s costar and sit back down.

Why can’t I just let him touch me? It is so unfair. I’m destined to be a miserable,
lonely person. My chin quivers as I fight to choke down the sob that’s building. I
turn my face away from him so he doesn’t see that I’m about to lose it. It seems that
I’m doing a good job of hiding the tears that are rolling down my face until he tugs
on a strand of my hair.

“What’s wrong?” he asks softly. “Sid, look at me.”

Reluctantly, I turn to face him. “Nothing,” I whisper unconvincingly. I can tell that
he knows I’m lying because he quirks up an eyebrow questioningly.

“Sid?”

I sigh as more tears roll down my face. “It’s not fair,” I admit honestly.

“I know, babe. I know. Sometimes life can be a real bitch. We’ll figure it out.”

When my eyes drop to his beautiful full lips, I feel my own bottom one poking out
sadly. We’re just two melancholy souls looking at one another. It’s so weird, but
I feel like he gets me. I suppose that’s why it makes it that much harder. With Liam,
I want to touch him more than anything in the world, but that barrier puts a wall
we both desperately want to scale between us.

My breath hitches when he reaches two large hands up to either side of my neck and
twirls his fingers into my hair. I close my eyes for a moment to enjoy the only touching
my crazy mind will allow. He grins at me before untangling them and pulling away.