Liam & Maddie Duet

Chapter 2-2

“Morning,” he grumbles, and I hurry and say it back before he notices me staring.

“Made you breakfast,” I tell him cheerfully, handing him a plate.

He looks up at me with a crooked grin. “Where’s the meat, Mads?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Hulk,” I playfully say. “Didn’t feel like cooking it. Trying to get some healthy fat and protein in before doing some yoga.”

“Yoga?” he asks, scoffing. “Wussie.”

I chuckle. “Oh really? Bet you wouldn’t last an hour.”

With a c****d eyebrow, he grins. “That’s a bet I’m willing to take.”

“Yeah? What are the stakes?” I ask, plopping down and digging into my food. I nearly inhale it, considering I didn’t eat last night.

Liam runs his hand across the scruff on his chin. It’s clear he’s not completely awake yet, so I take the opportunity to study the tattoos lining his shoulders and chest. They’re impossible to miss, especially when I’m fantasizing about my tongue tracing them. “If I last an hour without messing up before you, then you have to cook dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.”

“And what’s in it for me if I kick your a*s?” I counter, knowing his big muscles won’t help him when it comes to balance and stamina.

“Then I’ll cook,” he says.

“But I want breakfast tomorrow too. So, a healthy dinner tonight, then breakfast and lunch tomorrow. Do we have a deal?”

Liam holds out his hand, and we shake on it. “Better bring your A game, Mads.”

A snort escapes me. “You’re going down, Hulk.”

“We’ll see,” he tells me, then sets his plate in the sink. “Okay, so now that I’ve had my appetizer…” He pats his rock-hard stomach. “Time for some real food.”

“Sure you want to do yoga with a full belly?” I arch a brow at him.

“I can out-yoga you any day of the week,” he retorts confidently.

I laugh. “That sounds like fightin’ words to me. Eat up then. Stuff your face. I’m gonna stretch because you’re going down, big boy.”

Grabbing my tea, I sip it as I go to Sophie’s room and change clothes. I put on a sports b*a and some yoga pants, then grab the two mats Sophie and I use when we work out together. I walk into the living room and search for my favorite yoga channel. Once I’m stretched and warmed up, Liam tells me to give him a minute to go change. If I had a vote, if we were voting, I’d say no clothes at all. n***d yoga with Liam sounds perfect.

When he comes downstairs, he’s wearing a tight-fitting T-shirt and shorts. I hand him a bright pink mat with a laugh.

He rolls it out, then glances at the screen before looking at me.

“No way. You don’t get to choose which one we do. It can’t be one you already know. Tryin’ to cheat?”

I scoff. “That wasn’t in the rules. And no, I don’t have to cheat to beat you.”

“Someone’s overly confident, aren’t they?” A laugh escapes him as he grabs the remote, then scrolls through all the yoga exercises On Demand until he finds an extremely advanced level one-hour class. I narrow my eyes at him as he presses play and wears a sexy little smirk.

“Wait. Do you actually know how to do yoga?” I ask as we move into a downward dog position, noticing how controlled he is.

“You should’ve asked me that before we started.” He snickers, holding the position.

“Oh my God. You slimy bastard!” I growl.

He’s full-on laughing his a*s off as we start in a basic plank, then quickly transition into a side plank, which is arguably one of the most annoying poses on the entire f*****g planet. He does it so effortlessly, though, you’d think he practices ballet too. Jerk.

The instructor goes back to more basic poses—cobra, locust, fish, bow, and a shoulderstand—before moving to more advanced poses. Liam isn’t winded or complaining about anything. I’m impressed as hell as we continue for forty-five minutes. I’m dreading what’s coming next because there are a few poses I suck at, and if one of those happen, I’ll lose my a*s to him. Liam doesn’t seem like he’ll let me live it down either, especially considering I talked so much s**t.

Hand scorpion, half lotus crow, big toe bow—I nail them all. Peacock, hummingbird, and one-legged staff are all easy, considering how much ballet experience I have.

He glances at me when we go into the dancers split. “Now you’re just showing off,” he says, sweat forming on his brow.

“I can stand like this all day, baby,” I gloat. “But I’ve learned I’m not the only one who’s flexible.”

And then, when I think we’re almost done, the last pose is one I’ve dreaded: sayanasana—a scorpion pose variation. f**k. I want to scream, but I don’t want to show my cards. It’s important that I keep my poker face just in case he can’t do this one either. I look at Liam, and the asshole grins from ear to ear. For as long as I’ve been dancing and doing yoga, I’ve never once in my entire life been able to properly hold this one. I know it’ll be my downfall, but miracles happen, so I try my hardest.

The instructor counts down, and we get ready to move onto our elbows to balance our feet above our heads. Elbow poses piss me off, and hearing we’re supposed to hold it for thirty seconds angers me even more. I tend to keep a palm flat for support, but that’s not the correct positioning. I hold it for a total of eight seconds before I lose my balance and fall, cursing the whole way down. Liam drops right after me.

“You lost!” He pokes at me. “I beat a f*****g ballerina at her own game!” He stands, pumping his fist in the air, and I groan. I want to slap that smirk right off his cute face.

“You cheated! I didn’t know you knew how to do yoga. d**k!” I pout.

“Let me tell you something, sweetheart. I never make a bet I don’t think I can win,” he says before wiping his brow. “I used to do extreme yoga back in the day. When I played football in college, a few of us would do stupid-as-f**k challenges, and yoga helped with balance. Doesn’t make me a cheater because you don’t know every little detail about me.”

“Does anyone else know that you’re a goddamn yoga guru?” I ask, still pissed.

“No. I work out a lot to stay fit for my job. I throw in a few advanced poses every once in a while for fun.” He smirks, impressed with himself.

Frustrated, I shake my head and wonder what else he’s hiding. Liam’s full of secrets, ones I want to uncover. I’m even more intrigued than I was before, which is bad news for him.

“So tonight…” He rubs his palms together as the corner of his lips tilt up. He’s so loving this. “I’d like a sirloin steak cooked medium-rare, a baked potato with all the toppings, and steamed broccoli. Tomorrow, since I don’t plan on waking up until noon, I want the full brunch experience. Since the roommates will be back tomorrow afternoon, we’ll need to probably clean up around here at some point. Don’t want them returning to a mess in the kitchen.” He squeezes my shoulder and flashes his cocky grin again. “Might wanna make sure we’ve got all the ingredients, too.”

“I did not agree to grocery shop too,” I state, standing and placing my hands on my hips. “And you’ll eat whatever I cook you. There was never any mention of choosing the menu. So deal with it.”

Chuckling, he goes to the kitchen and returns with two bottles of water. “Pretty sure you said healthy food if you won, right? I just helped you out a bit and told you what I wanted to eat. Also, I’m cutting you a break because you demanded three meals, remember?”

I groan. “You’re impossible. But you won fair and square. Guess I’ll think twice about betting you again.” Rolling my eyes, I know he’s enjoying this way too much.

“Smart girl,” he tells me. “I need to hit the ATM. Then we can go to the grocery store.”

Shaking my head, I huff. “Great. But you’re paying.”

“Planned on it,” he tells me, walking toward the stairs. “Gonna shower, then we can leave.”

I arch a brow, implying I’d join him, but he ignores me with an eye roll and climbs the stairs. Though I hate that I lost, I can’t stop smiling. Liam is something else, even when he’s giving me a hard time.

While he’s showering, I change clothes, fix my messy bun, and try to look somewhat presentable. I play on my phone while I wait on the couch for him. Ten minutes later, he’s clean and dressed, wearing a smirk. As I suspected, he talks s**t about winning during the whole drive across town.

After stopping by the bank, we go to the store. Our cart is nearly full, and all I’m worried about is f*****g up an expensive sirloin and not being able to prepare it to his specifications.

Once we’re home and the groceries are unloaded, I take a shower, then get to work in the kitchen. I place everything on the counter to figure out the best way to attack this. I know the basics, but I’m not a chef. As I pretend I’m a pro, Liam rubs it in that I’m cooking for him, and after a while, I can’t bite my tongue.

“If you don’t shut up, I might poison you!” I threaten as I watch a YouTube video on how to properly cook a steak. Though it takes me longer than it should to prepare everything, I begrudgingly serve him exactly what he requested. Liam makes a big show as he cuts into the b****y meat, and I look at him with wide eyes.

“Well?”

“It’s perfect,” he says after taking a huge bite, a big a*s smile on his face.

I let out a relieved breath. “Whew, good. At least I’ll have practice for when we’re married,” I throw out with a snort.

Liam nearly chokes on his food, which makes me chuckle. He makes messing with him too easy.

Laughing, I watch him while I eat my well-done steak. “Do we have any wine around here?”

“I’m not serving a minor,” he says matter-of-factly. “s**t outta luck, Mads.”

“We aren’t at a bar, so technically, you aren’t serving me at all.” I give him my best puppy dog eyes when he shakes his head. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

He clears his throat. “How about we make a bet then?”

My eyes widen. “I think I’ve had enough bets for one day.”

“Chickenshit,” he taunts.

After we finish eating, I clean up, then we watch a movie before I call it a night. I want to spend as much time with Liam as I can, even when he keeps me at a distance, but I can’t stop yawning. Standing, I stretch, and he turns off the TV.

“Good night,” I say, looking over my shoulder as I walk toward Sophie’s room.

“Night, Mads. Thanks for making dinner.” He throws me a wink, which makes me chuckle because we both know I had no choice. Liam continues staring at me as though he has something more to say but doesn’t.

The next morning, I wake up and cook his log cabin bullshit brunch compiled of eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits, and pancakes. It’s a ridiculous amount of food, but he eats it with a smug smirk. The sincere thank you and hug he gives me afterward, though, makes it all worth it. Going forward, I might bet him every single chance I get.