Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player - Chapter 44: Chapter 44
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The pool is packed by the time we arrive. The sun hangs high in the sky, casting a golden glow over everything. Laughter and splashes echo through the air, mingling with the scent of chlorine and coconut sunscreen.
Lacey spots us first, waving wildly from a lounge chair. “There you are! I was about to send a search party.”
She’s lying, of course. Lacey wouldn’t have moved from that chair if her life depended on it. But I appreciate the sentiment.
I smile, more aware of Liam’s hand on the small of my back than ever. I ditched wearing the sundress over my swimsuit, it has an open back, stopping right above my ass and exactly where his hand stops. “Of course you were.”
Liam chuckles beside me, his fingers skimming lightly against my bare skin before he drops his hand entirely. I should be relieved, but instead, my skin feels colder without his touch.
“About time you got here,” Lacey says, adjusting her sunglasses. “I need backup. Some guy in blue trunks won’t stop flexing at me.”
I follow her gaze to a guy doing bicep curls with a suspiciously full margarita. “Well, in his defense, that’s some impressive multitasking.”
Lacey groans and flops dramatically onto her chair. “I hate it here.”
“Sure you do,” Liam says with a snort then looks around. “Where’s your better half run off to?”
Lacey shakes her head, an exaggerated look of exasperation on her face. “We were both sharing the pains of bearing the sight in front of us. Single! Do you know how difficult it is being one of the only couples on this cruise that aren’t actually a couple?! Then every guy here is either hot, taken or cheating!”
I wonder what being hot has to do with anything, but Liam sarcastically sympathises with her. “That must be so hard on you.”
“Thank you! Anyways, back to my story. Then some bastard on Zane’s hockey team comes up to flirt with her. . . with his girlfriend, mind you. And by with his girlfriend I mean they’re both making an attempt to get into her pants. Guess what she does?”
Genuinely curious, Liam and I speak up at the same time. “What?”
Lacey sighs again, more dramatic this time. “She leaves me here and follows them into a backroom!”
I try not to laugh while Liam cackles, getting him a whack on the back. “She’s probably just having a conversation with them.”
“A really fun one I assume,” he mumbles, for my ears only and I whack him again.
“I think I’m more upset she didn’t think to invite me to join.”
“Understandably.”
Lacey looks at me, then at Liam, then at me again before breaking into a smile. “You’re both so adorable.”
Liam groans. “Don’t say that.”
“Yeah, please don’t say that,” I echo.
Lacey only grins wider. “Why not? You are! All the tension, the eye contact, the way you’re practically vibrating toward each other—”
I throw my towel at her face. “Shut up.”
She catches it easily, waggling her brows at me like she’s just cracked some grand conspiracy.
Liam, the traitor, just stretches his arms behind his head and smirks. “She’s got a point, love.”
That damn nickname.
I roll my eyes, ignoring the way my stomach flips. “I think you just love the sound of your own voice.”
He leans in, close enough that I can see the water still dripping from his hair, trailing down the sharp cut of his jaw.
“Nah,” he murmurs. “I like your voice better.”
I refuse to react. Refuse. But the smug look on his face tells me he knows exactly what he’s doing.
Lacey, meanwhile, has had enough.
She dramatically rises from her lounge chair, hands in the air. “I need a drink. I need three drinks. Maybe four.” She narrows her eyes at us. “And when I come back, I better not find you two wrapped around each other.”
“Can’t promise anything,” Liam drawls.
I whip my head toward him. “Liam—”
Liam says nothing, smirking. Then reaches for the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one smooth motion.
I forget how to function.
It’s not like I don’t know, or at least have an idea, what’s under there—it isn’t my first time seeing an athlete without a shirt on, okay? I have expectations, maybe some assumptions, too—but something about the golden sunlight highlighting every sharp line and muscle turns my brain to static.
And the worst part? He knows.
Liam catches me looking, the smirk tugging at his lips like he’s daring me to keep staring. I roll my eyes and turn away before I combust.
Lacey flops back down on her chair. “No margaritas for me anymore, I guess.”
We both ignore that.
“Getting in the pool or just standing there looking pretty?” he teases, tossing his shirt onto the lounge chair.
“Depends,” I shoot back. “Are you planning on actually swimming or just leaning against the edge, looking mysterious?”
Liam steps closer, voice dropping just for me. “That depends. Do you like it when I look mysterious?”
My stomach does a backflip.
Dammit, Calloway.
Before I can answer, he grabs my wrist and pulls me with him.
There’s a second of weightlessness, the rush of wind, and then—splash. The water is shockingly cool, wrapping around me as we sink under for a moment before breaking the surface.
I come up gasping, shoving wet hair from my face. “You’re an ass!”
Liam is laughing, all bright eyes and dripping skin, and I hate how much I love the sight. “And you’re a liar,” he says. “Because you love it.”
I do.
I really, really do.
But I’ll never tell him that.
So instead, I push off the floor of the pool and lunge at him, determined to dunk him under before he can see the smile on my face.
Liam sees me coming a second too late. I throw myself at him, arms locking around his shoulders as I use all my weight to drag him under.
Except.
He’s stronger than I ever give him credit for.
Instead of going down like he’s supposed to, Liam tightens his grip, flipping our positions in an instant. I shriek, laughing as my back hits the water first, his hands gripping my waist as we both go under.
The world turns to bubbles and muffled sounds.
For a moment, it’s just the two of us. The rush of cool water, the feeling of his chest brushing mine, the way his hands linger just a little too long on my waist before we both break the surface again.
I come up gasping, pushing wet hair out of my face. “You cheated!”
Liam grins, wiping water from his face with one hand. “How, exactly?”
“You were supposed to let me dunk you.”
“That doesn’t sound fair.” He tilts his head, eyes glinting. “I think you just wanted an excuse to throw yourself at me.”
My stomach flips. I splash water in his face. “In your dreams, Calloway.”
His grin widens. “Oh, you have no idea.”
I freeze. Oh.
He doesn’t give me time to recover before he disappears under the water.
Before I can even react, hands wrap around my thighs, lifting me clean out of the pool. I shriek, instinctively grabbing onto Liam’s shoulders as he resurfaces, still holding me against him.
“Liam!”
He laughs, spinning us both in a circle as I cling to him. “What? Didn’t see that one coming?”
My legs instinctively tighten around his waist, and that’s when I realize—oh. This is dangerous.
Because his hands are on my thighs, fingertips pressing into my skin like he’s holding back from something. Because my chest is way too close to his. Because his grin is still there, but his eyes have darkened just a little, and I know if I don’t get out of his arms right now, I won’t want to.
“Put me down,” I demand, voice way less steady than I want it to be.
Liam’s lips quirk. “Say please.”
I narrow my eyes. “I will drown us both.”
His laugh rumbles through me. “Fine, fine.” He loosens his grip, but instead of dropping me like a normal person, he lets me slide down his body.
I hate him. I hate him.
I hate the way my stomach clenches, the way my skin burns despite the cool water, the way his hands skim my sides as I settle back onto my feet.
I hate that when I look up, he’s still looking at me like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
"Better?" he murmurs, voice just for me.
I swallow. “I will get you back for this.”
Liam smirks, backing away toward the deeper end. “Looking forward to it, sweetheart.”
Lacey’s voice cuts through the moment. “You two are disgusting.”
I whip around to find her lounging on her pool float, sunglasses perched on her nose. “I hate to break up whatever weird mating ritual you’ve got going on, but some of us are trying to relax.”
Liam barks out a laugh, and I groan, covering my face with both hands.
This isn’t happening.
Except it is.
And I have a feeling Liam isn’t done playing yet.
Lacey spots us first, waving wildly from a lounge chair. “There you are! I was about to send a search party.”
She’s lying, of course. Lacey wouldn’t have moved from that chair if her life depended on it. But I appreciate the sentiment.
I smile, more aware of Liam’s hand on the small of my back than ever. I ditched wearing the sundress over my swimsuit, it has an open back, stopping right above my ass and exactly where his hand stops. “Of course you were.”
Liam chuckles beside me, his fingers skimming lightly against my bare skin before he drops his hand entirely. I should be relieved, but instead, my skin feels colder without his touch.
“About time you got here,” Lacey says, adjusting her sunglasses. “I need backup. Some guy in blue trunks won’t stop flexing at me.”
I follow her gaze to a guy doing bicep curls with a suspiciously full margarita. “Well, in his defense, that’s some impressive multitasking.”
Lacey groans and flops dramatically onto her chair. “I hate it here.”
“Sure you do,” Liam says with a snort then looks around. “Where’s your better half run off to?”
Lacey shakes her head, an exaggerated look of exasperation on her face. “We were both sharing the pains of bearing the sight in front of us. Single! Do you know how difficult it is being one of the only couples on this cruise that aren’t actually a couple?! Then every guy here is either hot, taken or cheating!”
I wonder what being hot has to do with anything, but Liam sarcastically sympathises with her. “That must be so hard on you.”
“Thank you! Anyways, back to my story. Then some bastard on Zane’s hockey team comes up to flirt with her. . . with his girlfriend, mind you. And by with his girlfriend I mean they’re both making an attempt to get into her pants. Guess what she does?”
Genuinely curious, Liam and I speak up at the same time. “What?”
Lacey sighs again, more dramatic this time. “She leaves me here and follows them into a backroom!”
I try not to laugh while Liam cackles, getting him a whack on the back. “She’s probably just having a conversation with them.”
“A really fun one I assume,” he mumbles, for my ears only and I whack him again.
“I think I’m more upset she didn’t think to invite me to join.”
“Understandably.”
Lacey looks at me, then at Liam, then at me again before breaking into a smile. “You’re both so adorable.”
Liam groans. “Don’t say that.”
“Yeah, please don’t say that,” I echo.
Lacey only grins wider. “Why not? You are! All the tension, the eye contact, the way you’re practically vibrating toward each other—”
I throw my towel at her face. “Shut up.”
She catches it easily, waggling her brows at me like she’s just cracked some grand conspiracy.
Liam, the traitor, just stretches his arms behind his head and smirks. “She’s got a point, love.”
That damn nickname.
I roll my eyes, ignoring the way my stomach flips. “I think you just love the sound of your own voice.”
He leans in, close enough that I can see the water still dripping from his hair, trailing down the sharp cut of his jaw.
“Nah,” he murmurs. “I like your voice better.”
I refuse to react. Refuse. But the smug look on his face tells me he knows exactly what he’s doing.
Lacey, meanwhile, has had enough.
She dramatically rises from her lounge chair, hands in the air. “I need a drink. I need three drinks. Maybe four.” She narrows her eyes at us. “And when I come back, I better not find you two wrapped around each other.”
“Can’t promise anything,” Liam drawls.
I whip my head toward him. “Liam—”
Liam says nothing, smirking. Then reaches for the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one smooth motion.
I forget how to function.
It’s not like I don’t know, or at least have an idea, what’s under there—it isn’t my first time seeing an athlete without a shirt on, okay? I have expectations, maybe some assumptions, too—but something about the golden sunlight highlighting every sharp line and muscle turns my brain to static.
And the worst part? He knows.
Liam catches me looking, the smirk tugging at his lips like he’s daring me to keep staring. I roll my eyes and turn away before I combust.
Lacey flops back down on her chair. “No margaritas for me anymore, I guess.”
We both ignore that.
“Getting in the pool or just standing there looking pretty?” he teases, tossing his shirt onto the lounge chair.
“Depends,” I shoot back. “Are you planning on actually swimming or just leaning against the edge, looking mysterious?”
Liam steps closer, voice dropping just for me. “That depends. Do you like it when I look mysterious?”
My stomach does a backflip.
Dammit, Calloway.
Before I can answer, he grabs my wrist and pulls me with him.
There’s a second of weightlessness, the rush of wind, and then—splash. The water is shockingly cool, wrapping around me as we sink under for a moment before breaking the surface.
I come up gasping, shoving wet hair from my face. “You’re an ass!”
Liam is laughing, all bright eyes and dripping skin, and I hate how much I love the sight. “And you’re a liar,” he says. “Because you love it.”
I do.
I really, really do.
But I’ll never tell him that.
So instead, I push off the floor of the pool and lunge at him, determined to dunk him under before he can see the smile on my face.
Liam sees me coming a second too late. I throw myself at him, arms locking around his shoulders as I use all my weight to drag him under.
Except.
He’s stronger than I ever give him credit for.
Instead of going down like he’s supposed to, Liam tightens his grip, flipping our positions in an instant. I shriek, laughing as my back hits the water first, his hands gripping my waist as we both go under.
The world turns to bubbles and muffled sounds.
For a moment, it’s just the two of us. The rush of cool water, the feeling of his chest brushing mine, the way his hands linger just a little too long on my waist before we both break the surface again.
I come up gasping, pushing wet hair out of my face. “You cheated!”
Liam grins, wiping water from his face with one hand. “How, exactly?”
“You were supposed to let me dunk you.”
“That doesn’t sound fair.” He tilts his head, eyes glinting. “I think you just wanted an excuse to throw yourself at me.”
My stomach flips. I splash water in his face. “In your dreams, Calloway.”
His grin widens. “Oh, you have no idea.”
I freeze. Oh.
He doesn’t give me time to recover before he disappears under the water.
Before I can even react, hands wrap around my thighs, lifting me clean out of the pool. I shriek, instinctively grabbing onto Liam’s shoulders as he resurfaces, still holding me against him.
“Liam!”
He laughs, spinning us both in a circle as I cling to him. “What? Didn’t see that one coming?”
My legs instinctively tighten around his waist, and that’s when I realize—oh. This is dangerous.
Because his hands are on my thighs, fingertips pressing into my skin like he’s holding back from something. Because my chest is way too close to his. Because his grin is still there, but his eyes have darkened just a little, and I know if I don’t get out of his arms right now, I won’t want to.
“Put me down,” I demand, voice way less steady than I want it to be.
Liam’s lips quirk. “Say please.”
I narrow my eyes. “I will drown us both.”
His laugh rumbles through me. “Fine, fine.” He loosens his grip, but instead of dropping me like a normal person, he lets me slide down his body.
I hate him. I hate him.
I hate the way my stomach clenches, the way my skin burns despite the cool water, the way his hands skim my sides as I settle back onto my feet.
I hate that when I look up, he’s still looking at me like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
"Better?" he murmurs, voice just for me.
I swallow. “I will get you back for this.”
Liam smirks, backing away toward the deeper end. “Looking forward to it, sweetheart.”
Lacey’s voice cuts through the moment. “You two are disgusting.”
I whip around to find her lounging on her pool float, sunglasses perched on her nose. “I hate to break up whatever weird mating ritual you’ve got going on, but some of us are trying to relax.”
Liam barks out a laugh, and I groan, covering my face with both hands.
This isn’t happening.
Except it is.
And I have a feeling Liam isn’t done playing yet.
End of Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player Chapter 44. Continue reading Chapter 45 or return to Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player book page.