Read Online Stories Beneath Our Skin by Veronica Sloane - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Veronica Sloane
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away. "Goddamn, you're trouble."
" M'not," he protested, warmth settling around him. "M'good. Always good now."
" Yeah, you are." A hand brushed over his forehead, and the ghost of a kiss passed over his lips. "Sleep well."
And Liam did.
Chapter Five
Liam dreamed of drowning. A heavy weight rested on his chest, pushing him below the waves. Sunlight filtered through the water, getting improbably brighter. He woke syrup slow, coming up through the dense waves and still struggling for breath.
Solemn amber eyes met his with sleepy interest while a deep rumbling purr rattled through Liam 's ribs.
" Hello there." Liam reached out cautiously, letting the cat sniff his fingers before running his hands over chocolate brown ears and cream head. "You must be George."
The cat purred impossibly louder , like rocks in a washing machine, eyes sliding shut. He was a massive thing, long and plump. It was difficult to imagine him as a rain bedraggled kitten abandoned in the parking lot. Ace must feed him three times a day, judging by how hard it was getting for Liam to breathe.
" He'll stay there all day if you let him," Ace said from somewhere off to the left of the couch. The smell of bacon and eggs penetrated along with the faint sounds of industry. "Lazy beast."
" Me or the cat?" Liam got up slowly, giving George ample time to depart as if the move had been his idea. Reluctantly, the cat jumped to the floor and set in on washing the long dark snake of his tail.
" The cat. I didn't think you'd be awake for another few hours."
" I don't sleep much. Can I use your bathroom?"
" Go for it. You might have to jiggle the flusher. It gets sticky sometimes."
The door to the bedroom was cracked open which left finding the bathroom an easy game of elimination. Humidity hung in the air despite an open window , and the smell of peppermint was overwhelming as Liam washed his face in an attempt to feel less grimy. He hated sleeping in his clothes.
When he emerged, he found Ace on the recently abandoned couch with a plate in his hands , and on the coffee table sat another food-laden plate that George was regarding with proprietary interest.
" Thanks."
" No problem. Figured it was the least I can do after you hauled us all over creation yesterday." Ace stretched out, propping his bare feet up on the coffee table. There was a blurry black tattoo on his ankle, old and unprofessional. "There's coffee too, but I wasn't sure how you took it."
" Lots of milk if I'm drinking it, but I usually stick to tea."
Liam folded himself onto the other half the couch and set into his eggs. He couldn 't remember the last time someone had cooked for him. It was just scrambled eggs and bacon a little crunchier than he liked it, but it was still good. Better than good.
" What's that supposed to be? On your ankle?"
" That old thing?" Ace sighed. "An old bad idea. Go ahead, take a look and you tell me what it is."
Liam leaned forward, tentatively putting one hand on Ace 's shin for balance. He could feel hard muscle jump a little under the skin. It was hard to tell what the artist had intended, the piece looked more like a Rorschach test than anything else, but Liam could make out wings of some kind.
" An eagle?"
" Worse." Ace didn't pull away, letting Liam's hand linger. "Phoenix. First thing I ever inked."
" You tattooed yourself?" Liam stared at the mess of it, rubbing his thumb over one wing. Ace's skin was thin on the spot, pulled taut over bone. For a brief lunatic second, Liam wondered what would happen if he laid a kiss there.
" Seemed like the thing to do at the time. Told you. I was a dumb kid. Made bad choices."
" So did I." Liam let his hands drop away before the moment stretched too long.
" Can't imagine that." Ace raised his eyebrows. "You're so... well-behaved most of the time."
" That's me. A real Eagle Scout." Recovering his plate, but having lost his appetite, Liam chased the eggs around with his fork. "I should get going."
" Why?
" M'not," he protested, warmth settling around him. "M'good. Always good now."
" Yeah, you are." A hand brushed over his forehead, and the ghost of a kiss passed over his lips. "Sleep well."
And Liam did.
Chapter Five
Liam dreamed of drowning. A heavy weight rested on his chest, pushing him below the waves. Sunlight filtered through the water, getting improbably brighter. He woke syrup slow, coming up through the dense waves and still struggling for breath.
Solemn amber eyes met his with sleepy interest while a deep rumbling purr rattled through Liam 's ribs.
" Hello there." Liam reached out cautiously, letting the cat sniff his fingers before running his hands over chocolate brown ears and cream head. "You must be George."
The cat purred impossibly louder , like rocks in a washing machine, eyes sliding shut. He was a massive thing, long and plump. It was difficult to imagine him as a rain bedraggled kitten abandoned in the parking lot. Ace must feed him three times a day, judging by how hard it was getting for Liam to breathe.
" He'll stay there all day if you let him," Ace said from somewhere off to the left of the couch. The smell of bacon and eggs penetrated along with the faint sounds of industry. "Lazy beast."
" Me or the cat?" Liam got up slowly, giving George ample time to depart as if the move had been his idea. Reluctantly, the cat jumped to the floor and set in on washing the long dark snake of his tail.
" The cat. I didn't think you'd be awake for another few hours."
" I don't sleep much. Can I use your bathroom?"
" Go for it. You might have to jiggle the flusher. It gets sticky sometimes."
The door to the bedroom was cracked open which left finding the bathroom an easy game of elimination. Humidity hung in the air despite an open window , and the smell of peppermint was overwhelming as Liam washed his face in an attempt to feel less grimy. He hated sleeping in his clothes.
When he emerged, he found Ace on the recently abandoned couch with a plate in his hands , and on the coffee table sat another food-laden plate that George was regarding with proprietary interest.
" Thanks."
" No problem. Figured it was the least I can do after you hauled us all over creation yesterday." Ace stretched out, propping his bare feet up on the coffee table. There was a blurry black tattoo on his ankle, old and unprofessional. "There's coffee too, but I wasn't sure how you took it."
" Lots of milk if I'm drinking it, but I usually stick to tea."
Liam folded himself onto the other half the couch and set into his eggs. He couldn 't remember the last time someone had cooked for him. It was just scrambled eggs and bacon a little crunchier than he liked it, but it was still good. Better than good.
" What's that supposed to be? On your ankle?"
" That old thing?" Ace sighed. "An old bad idea. Go ahead, take a look and you tell me what it is."
Liam leaned forward, tentatively putting one hand on Ace 's shin for balance. He could feel hard muscle jump a little under the skin. It was hard to tell what the artist had intended, the piece looked more like a Rorschach test than anything else, but Liam could make out wings of some kind.
" An eagle?"
" Worse." Ace didn't pull away, letting Liam's hand linger. "Phoenix. First thing I ever inked."
" You tattooed yourself?" Liam stared at the mess of it, rubbing his thumb over one wing. Ace's skin was thin on the spot, pulled taut over bone. For a brief lunatic second, Liam wondered what would happen if he laid a kiss there.
" Seemed like the thing to do at the time. Told you. I was a dumb kid. Made bad choices."
" So did I." Liam let his hands drop away before the moment stretched too long.
" Can't imagine that." Ace raised his eyebrows. "You're so... well-behaved most of the time."
" That's me. A real Eagle Scout." Recovering his plate, but having lost his appetite, Liam chased the eggs around with his fork. "I should get going."
" Why?
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