Hummingbird

Liam continued his pace for only a moment longer when he let out a groan and slowed to an eventual stop, breathing heavily. Rye braced herself for him to collapse on top of her, but he took the time to pull out and throw away the condom before finally collapsing beside her, considerate as always.

"How are you real?" Rye asked him, unable to hold it in after having watched him be a perfect gentleman with a vulnerable woman for the last few hours.

"That good?" He asked with a grin.

"Not just the sex. Everything else! Doesn't this revoke your man card or break the bro code or something?"

Liam let out a surprised laugh at her comment and exasperated tone.

"What do you mean?" He asked amidst his chuckles.

"I mean, being so considerate of my pleasure, and my comfort. Even when we were done earlier, you spend half an hour massaging me, even though you were probably just as tired."

"Aftercare is important to me." He said with a shrug, as if it was the simplest thing ever. "I don't give a shit what other guys think. I only care about what my partner wants. And right now, my partner is you."

"No, you're too good to be true. This is a dream." She declared.

Liam chuckled again and draped his arm across her chest, resting his hand on her cheek so he could turn her face towards him. And despite his small smile, she saw that he was more serious now.

"It makes me happy that I was able to make this such a good experience for you. But I'd be lying if I said I was satisfied with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to spend more time with you. Not just for the sex. Don't get me wrong, I think we can both agree that sexual compatibility is not an issue for us. But, assuming you're ready to move on from Mr. Douche, I'd like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night."

Before Rye could even answer, he frowned, looked at his watch and then sighed in exasperation.

"By tomorrow night, I mean tonight."

Rye couldn't help the giggle that escaped her right then, and immediately reached behind his head to bring his face closer. She planted her lips on his, smiling through the kiss. After a moment, she pulled away.

"Yes, you big dork." She answered.

Liam grinned and wrapped his arms around her. Rye couldn't stop the laughter from spilling out of her as he hugged her and began sweetly kissing her all over her body.

They eventually agreed that after all that, a shower would be in order. Liam even washed Rye's hair for her, massaging her scalp while the hot water caressed her skin. And afterwards, they climbed into bed, and Liam immediately curled his body possessively around hers, wrapping his arm around her waist, pressing her back against his chest. They talked for a bit once they were comfortable, but fell asleep soon after, leaving the conversations for the next day.

But just as sleep was overtaking her, Rye thought about the last few hours of her life, unable to believe that they had actually happened. Only that morning, she had woken up next to Brent, and had dreaded coming home to him that night. Instead, she had gone out with her best friends, and met a wonderful man who shared a passion with her.

Rye had really enjoyed knowing Liam, the dom. From the moment he had entered the Mystic Velvet, with his cool, confident charm, she knew she was a goner. And she was right. The dominant Liam was able to make all her fantasies come true, and she couldn't wait to experience more of that with him.

But the man currently lying next to her was Liam, the dork. The one who grinned like a goofball whenever she did something that made him happy. The one who liked teasing her, tickling her, and being silly with her. And she knew that Liam the dork was a man she could very easily fall in love with.