Prompt request from @brightpinkpeppercorn for “We can’t do this” kiss for Liam x Damien. This is a scene that happened in my head but that was skipped over in the A Royal Disgrace universe. It takes place between chapter 4 and chapter 5.
“Do you hear something?”
Damien sleepily opened his eyes to see Liam sitting at the foot of the bed. His tired brain tried to shift into gear but kept slipping on the image of his naked, muscled back. “Um…” Bzzz bzzz. “Yeah, phone?”
“Yes.” Liam stood up and Damien swallowed hard at the view.
“I gotta piss,” he said quickly, ducking into the bathroom as Liam searched for his phone.
He almost laughed out loud at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Hair standing on end, pointing in at least three distinct directions. Face, neck and chest red from the friction of the light stubble on Liam’s face.
His brain stalled out again at the memory of Liam’s mouth all over him.
Shaking his head, he turned on the tap and let the water run ice cold before splashing it over his face and hair, running a quick comb through his chaotic bedhead.
In the harsh light of his cramped apartment bathroom, reality started to creep unwelcome into his consciousness. His mind had known that a man like Liam – a king, for fuck’s sake – would never be his. But he’d let his body believe it, if only for an hour. And the spell was starting to break.
When he got back to the bedroom, Liam was mostly dressed, holding his tie and one sock in his hand while searching frantically for the other sock. He muttered under his breath in a language Damien didn’t understand, but it didn’t take a Cordonian to recognize that it was a string of profanity.
“Uh, you OK?”
His head snapped up in Damien’s direction, eyes wide and wet. “I have to go,” he said shakily.
“Oh, of course.” Damien picked up the comforter and gave it a shake. Liam’s stray sock fluttered to the ground. “Is something wrong?”
Liam ran a hand through his tousled hair, nodding. “Riley was attacked.”
“Wait, what!? Is she OK?”
“She’s not hurt. But I have to go now.” He knotted his tie with practiced precision and headed for the front door, not even glancing backwards.
“Just…wait…dammit.” Damien nearly tripped in his haste to pull his boxers on before jogging across the apartment to catch Liam tying his shoes. “Should I come with you? I need to know what happened.”
Liam stood, uncomfortably close, close enough that Damien had to tip his head upwards to meet his eyes. “Let’s not ambush her tonight, OK? I just need to be there for her.”
“Of course…right.” A hard lump was forming in his throat. Don’t go, don’t go, we need to talk, please… Liam pulled the door open, stepping into the hallway. “Wait.”
He paused, hand still on the doorknob, looking back at Damien with…pity? Fuck.
“Damien, I can’t…”
“I know, I just…” he swallowed hard, willing his brain to catch up with his mouth. “We can’t do this; I know, it’s not fair to Riley and it’s going to mess up my involvement in the case…This was a mistake. But I still want to work with you, OK? I need to help. Please don’t shut me out of this.”
Liam’s face softened. “I’m not going to shut you out. We need you.” He glanced at the empty hallway, then back at Damien, before lightly squeezing his hand. “You know I can’t…but I…I think I needed this.”
“Me too,” Damien agreed, his voice coming out hoarse. “I just…” his eyes locked on Liam’s again – dark, hungry, searching – and he lost his train of thought. “Fuck.”
He didn’t know which one of them moved first but they were suddenly wrapped up in each other again, their mouths crashing together hard. Liam dropped his briefcase to hold Damien’s head in both hands, his fingers buried in his soft damp hair. He still tasted like expensive rum and something else hard to define, like the charged air before a storm. The kiss seemed to go on forever, Liam’s tongue softly but precisely caressing his mouth, his fingers digging into his scalp, his whole body pressed against him, overwhelming his senses.
And then it was over and the loss of it left him breathless and empty. “I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?” Liam asked, picking up his things from the hallway floor.
“I bet you say that to all the guys.”
He smiled in response, easy and genuine and bright enough to light a whole kingdom. “About the case, Damien.”
He grinned in response. “Of course. All business.”
“All business,” he repeated, softly pressing his lips to Damien’s one last time, pulling away before they could get wrapped up in each other again. “Get some sleep.”
“You too, Liam.”