Free HDU #2: Dirt by India Lee Page B

exposed brick of her apartment, Amanda
saw smooth, sage green walls of the master bedroom, somehow illuminated by the
tiny sliver of moonlight coming through the white curtains.   She’d hardly had time to admire the
marble mantle and intricately carved white moldings before falling asleep.   She and Liam had been entirely too
satisfied from dinner — decently full and perfectly tipsy.   They’d both hit the mattress and fallen
asleep, somehow finding their ways under the covers in the middle of the
night.   With Liam’s arm wrapped
around her waist, Amanda felt as if she were in the most wonderful dream.   The only thing indicating otherwise was
the beginnings of a hangover headache.
    Too much cider .   She needed water, badly.
    Peering over her
shoulder, Amanda slipped quietly out of bed, barely making a sound thanks to
the smooth silk of her ivory chemise.   Even in his sleep, Liam looked so strong, powerful — so much so
that Amanda wondered briefly what she was even doing out of bed and out of his
arms.
    Tearing her eyes
away from him, Amanda tip-toed out the room and quietly down the winding spiral
staircase.   Smiling to herself, she
tried to remember the last time she had felt so peaceful or satisfied.
    You’re hungover, not dreaming , Amanda
reminded herself when she briefly wondered if her evening with Liam had been in
her imagination or not.   It was
simple but somehow so incredibly perfect — the home-cooked meal, the
conversation, the master bedroom, the deep slumber in his arms.   His
insanely gorgeous arms.
    Amanda bit her
lip as she leaned against the kitchen counter, bringing her glass of water to
her parted mouth.   She laughed
softly to herself — life was definitely too good if she was fantasizing
about a man whose arms she had only just left, whose body she would once again
sleep against in just a matter of minutes.
    Dragging her lip
between her teeth, Amanda pressed the cold of the glass against her warm
cheeks.   It was probably the
lasting effects of the alcohol, but she suddenly couldn’t fathom how her body
had managed to wait so long to sleep with Liam.   She had waited less than a month with Brandt.   Oh,
Brandt .   She had lost her
virginity to him and it had been astoundingly unremarkable.   From books, shows and movies, Amanda had
always understood the virginity loss thing to be some sort of magical moment
during which both parties shared a beautiful, electric connection that made the
world around them shatter into twinkling stars or something awesomely corny
like that.
    There had been
none of that with Brandt — possibly because Amanda had had almost no
physical or sexual attraction to him.   But watching movies with him on the couch was certainly fun, so there
was that.   She could only imagine
what the tabloid headlines would’ve been had the media followed them around as
a couple.   “Entire Package of Chips Ahoy Demolished in One Night, Season 2 of
Doctor Who Finished,” “Bramanda Discovers ZINC movies On Demand, Stays in for
Sixth Friday in a Row.”
    Rolling her
neck, Amanda smiled faintly to herself.   It was a cruel, almost sick game that she liked to play, but sometimes,
she compared Brandt to Liam for fun.   Just to remind herself of how drastically different her life had
become.   Five-foot-eight and a
hundred fifty pounds versus six-foot-five and two-twenty.   An occasional soul patch that Amanda
lamented versus the sexiest facial hair on the sexiest jawline in
Hollywood.   And of course, all
those things she never even knew to notice on a man until Liam.   Strong hands.   Forearms.   That
perfect V-shape his shoulders formed down to his hips.
    Her neck still
tilted to the side, Amanda closed her eyes, running her cheek along her bare
shoulder, pressing her naked knees together and suddenly feeling every shift of
the silk chemise on her skin.   Bathed in moonlight, her body felt suddenly filled to the brim with a
toasty, pleasant