Unwrapping Liam: A Good Girls Don't Novella Read Online Free PDF

have me,” I whispered. “Don’t you want something else?”
    I didn’t have to say what I was really thinking—that he was crazy for sticking around. After Tara’s not-so-gentle reminder about our dubious future, I wouldn’t blame him for having second thoughts. I loved Liam, but even I couldn’t see a way for us to have a happy ending. Between my condition and his student visa, this was likely our first and last Christmas together, and he had to know that, too. Why waste time?
    Liam rolled his eyes at the question. “From what I can tell, Christmas in America is about getting lots of new and shiny presents. That might be fun for a bit, but I’ve always played favorites with my...toys.”
    “Toys?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you comparing me to your Tonka trucks and action figures?”
    “Oh, you are much more fun—you make so many noises when I play with you.” His hands slipped under the hem of my shirt, moving slowly across my stomach. “And like any favorite toy, I couldn’t fall asleep tonight without you.”
    “Were you scared?” I asked playfully, twisting so I could see him face in the dim Christmas lights. In the warm glow the strong lines of his jaw, the straight line of his nose, the slight dimple in his chin were accentuated. I felt a familiar flutter at the sight.
    “Aye, I was.” The grin fell from his face replaced by the hint of a frown. “Without your beautiful body tucked up next to me, I felt lost.”
    The playfulness was gone now. Instead, there was an ache in Liam’s voice that sent tremors running through me.
    “But what scared me,” he continued, “was what you were thinking, chicken. After what your mother said—“
    “I know better than to listen to what Tara says,” I interrupted him.
    “You still hear her. You can’t help that. She’s your mother, and whether she’s right or wrong, you hear what she says to you. You’re only human,” Liam said. “For the record, she’s wrong. About you. About us. I couldn’t sleep because I knew you were in your bed analyzing her words.”
    I kept my eyes glued to the hearth, shaking my head. “She’s right about one thing. There’s an expiration date on this relationship.”
    Liam’s hands tightened their hold on me. “No, there isn’t. If you want out, that’s one thing. But I don’t care about my student visa or your mother, if we want to make this work, we can do that.”
    “What about my condition?” I whispered. All the determination in the world couldn’t change the fact that I had Parkinson’s.
    “You know what else is fantastic about Scotland? Socialized medicine.”
    My breath caught in my throat and swelled to something that felt very much like tears. I knew what he was getting at, but I wasn’t ready for him to say more on the subject. My own feelings were too confused as it was. “It’s too soon to talk about that.”
    “Maybe,” he said simply, “but it’s not too soon to think about. Have you ever...” His voice trailed away, leaving the question hanging in the air between us.
    “Have you?” I hedged.
    His blue eyes met mine as he answered. “I have.”
    “I have, too.” But my voice wasn’t sure and strong as his had been. My answer quivered from me.
    “We don’t have to discuss this yet,” he said to my relief, “but if you’re thinking about it, there’s something I need you to know.” He slid his hand from my stomach and caught my face, holding it so that I couldn’t look away. “I try very hard to be kind to your mother, but there is one thing about her that I can never forgive or look past. She’s made you believe that you are less than. She’s told you no one could ever want you. I know you’re damn stubborn, Jillian Nichols, but I need you to understand this. I want you. I want all of you.  Nothing can change that. I need you to remember that when you’re...thinking.”
    I couldn’t do anything but nod for fear that I would burst out crying. Guiding my chin