Tears welled up in her eyes as she relived the emotions of that night, knowing now that he was nothing like her mother, that he’d left because he’d thought he wasn’t good enough and not because she wasn’t good enough for him.

Turning in his arms, forcing him to release her, she pulled his head up, framing his face with her hands. “Thank you for telling me. It doesn’t take that pain away, but it makes all the difference now that I understand.”

Sensing her emotional distress, Max squeezed in between them, tail wagging, up on his hind legs, pawing at her shirt with his forelegs, trying to lick her tears away.

Liam gave him a rub. “I wish I’d had a Max back then.”

“He’s the best.” She gave Max a reassuring cuddle and reached for one of his new toys. “He also won’t leave us alone now. Emotional Daisy usually gives him a lot of attention.”

“We could . . .” He jerked his head toward the stairwell. “Go upstairs.”

“Hmmm.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “I was planning to seduce you here, but it might be easier without Max watching.”

He smiled, and the last of the shadows that had darkened his face slid away. “I am delighted to be seduced anywhere by you.”

Daisy took Max to his basket in the kitchen with all his new toys and gave him a good-night cuddle. Liam was waiting at the top of the stairs when she was done. He dragged her against him and captured her mouth, devoured it, holding her so close she could feel his heart pound.

Sliding her arms around his neck, she walked him backward, reveling in the feeling of being in control. “Prepare yourself. Nothing has changed in my bedroom since I was a teenager.”

He slid one hand down to squeeze her ass. “I don’t plan on spending a lot of time looking at the décor.”

“The rules still apply,” she said. “One time. No obligations. No feelings. No expectations. No sleeping over. This is my make-up-for-prom fantasy. It’s all I want.”

Disappointment flickered across his face so fast, she wondered if she’d seen it. “I’ll take you any way I can get you.” He gave her a slow, sensual smile. “But I promise, one night with me won’t be enough.”

“We’ll see about that.” Once in her bedroom, she backed him up to her bed. Daisy had never had a man in her room before. It was her sanctuary, the one place she could truly be herself. Over the years, she’d traded the princess décor for shabby chic, but the white country-style furniture remained the same.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I like the contrast of Avengers posters on pink walls.” He nodded at the bed. “And the pink cover is very . . . girlie.”

Daisy laughed. “I’ve never been able to bring myself to change it. My mother decorated it for me before she left. I didn’t realize it was because she was planning to say goodbye. I kept it the same way hoping she’d come back. And when she did, she wasn’t even interested in seeing it. I should have redecorated it then, but I couldn’t be bothered.”

“Time for a change.” Liam sat on the edge of her bed. “Wipe the slate clean.”

“I’ve never seduced a man before.” She closed the door in case a curious Max came looking for her. “How am I doing?”

Liam gestured her forward, then pulled her into a straddle over his lap. “You’ve got me on the bed. I’d say you are ninety-eight percent there.”

“I want to see you.” She tugged on his Sharks jersey, and he obliged her by pulling it over his head.

Daisy licked her lips as she took in the hard planes and angles of his broad chest, the ripples of his six-pack and the narrow trail of hair leading below his belt.

“Sweetheart . . .” His voice dropped to a husky growl. “If you keep looking at me like that, you won’t have to seduce me. All you’ll have to do is take off your clothes.”

Daisy lifted an eyebrow. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you.”

“Very much.”

She ran her hands possessively over his chest. “You’ll have to wait. I’m enjoying my prom fantasy.”

“You might enjoy it more if you took off my jeans.”

“Don’t make me laugh. I’m trying to concentrate.” She leaned forward and nuzzled his jaw.

“You want serious sex?” He reached for her shirt, but she gently knocked his hands away.

“No touching.”

Liam groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“I know.” She pulled the shirt over her head and grinned when his eyes widened.

“I see I have some competition.” He studied her black bra with the Hulk’s face printed on each cup. “Is that a challenge? Because not even the Hulk is going to stop me now that I have you on the bed.”

“The Hulk is pretty strong,” she teased.

“I’ve got something he doesn’t have.”

“What’s that?”

He moved quickly, grabbing her around the waist and tumbling with her back onto the bed. “You.”

They wrestled for control, but he finally pinned her with the weight of his body, his breath fanning the side of her neck. “How should I pleasure you first?” he mused, amusement dark in his voice. “I need to make you feel so good you’ll never make me climb over your roof again.”

Desire flushed through her veins, heating her skin. Why did she react this way to him? It was like her body was tuned to his frequency, tingling at his every touch. “You already make me feel good. I can be myself around you. I don’t have to worry about being too serious, or too odd, or sharing weird numerical facts, or making plans and lists, or having a sense of humor that no one seems to get.”