Chapter 1

[Iris' POV] I had just experienced the most unforgettable Christmas night of my entire life. I initially planned a pajama-themed Christmas party with my best friend, Lia Wright, and, after changing into my black, lacey nightgown, I took a photo of myself in a provocative pose and sent it to her. "Hi, Daddy. Wanna open up your Christmas gift yet?" I texted Lia, teasing her on purpose. Three minutes later, she replied, "Are you sure you want to play this game?" I chuckled out loud at how serious she was suddenly being with me. I then texted back with drunken stupor, "Just say it if you don't have the guts to come over." Exactly 20 minutes later, the door to my room was thrown open with a loud bang. My childhood friend, Liam Blake, stood at the door. He burst in, all covered in snow, with his eyes rimmed red, and pushed me back onto the bed, kissing me fiercely and fervently. "What did you just call me earlier?" Liam asked, backing up slightly so that his warm breath fanned over my wet lips. His voice was low and hoarser than ever before. "Call me that again." I shuddered hard and quickly jolted awake, sobering up at once. I then grabbed my phone from the side of my bed and realized that the chat window I'd assumed to be Lia's had somehow turned into Liam's. Liam's body was hot against mine, and it made my head spin. "Wait—" I hadn't even managed to get another word out when Liam cut in, stopping me from saying anything else, and began slipping his hand under my nightgown. Liam's palm, calloused from years of holding his ice hockey stick, grazed my side and sent a shiver down my spine. "Wait? For what?" he asked, practically pressing his lips against mine as his hands continued wandering up north. "Are you trying to say that you weren't the one who sent the photo or the text just now?" Damn it. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't find a word to say. Liam's hand was already firmly caressing the soft mounds on my chest in a familiar manner as he'd already rehearsed this hundreds of times in his head. I inhaled deeply and couldn't stop my body from arching upward in pleasure. "Use your words," Liam said, staring at me, his eyes flashing eerily in the dim light of my bedroom. "I thought you were pretty good with them in your text just now." "I was sending those texts to Lia. You're overthinking—" I wanted to chase him away with cold, harsh words, but every word caught in my throat as soon as I met his fiery gaze. Then, I did something even more stupid. Under the influence of the alcohol still in my system, I instinctively raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck. Liam froze for a while. A split second later, he reacted as if he'd just been set alight as he tugged harder at my nightgown until it came off. A cold rush of air engulfed my body at once, but it was quickly chased away when Liam enveloped me with his warmth. "Say it again," Liam said, leaning down to nibble on my earlobe and breathing against my ear. "What you just called me in the text… Say it again." I kept shaking my head and suppressed the urge to moan out loud. However, when he finally entered me in one swift thrust, I couldn't hold it back anymore and let out a lewd moan. Liam began moving inside of me, thrusting hard and fast inside me. My poor bed began creaking aloud with his movements as well, but it still couldn't mask my lewd gasps or his breathless panting as we slid against each other. "Say it," Liam growled against my neck, still forcing me to do it. "Say it out loud, Iris Jepson. You know what I want to hear from your lips." I bit my lips and shook my head again. Liam's face turned cold as he slowed to a stop inside me before he said, "If you're not calling me that, then I'm not continuing." I hated how honestly my body was and how my lust and desire for him far outweighed my reason. In the end, I forced myself to squeeze my words out from the depths of my throat. "D-Daddy." Liam gasped and began thrusting into me even more intensely than before. Soon, we reached our peak together. I couldn't believe that my "reunion" with my childhood best friend after half a year would turn out this way. Liam was the captain of the ice hockey team at the University of Mitchean and a rising star in the world of sports. He only had to give a sign, and every pretty female student attending the university would immediately drop their skirts and climb into his bed in a heartbeat. But now, Liam was lying next to me, in my bed, as he buried his head into the crook of my neck and nuzzled me lovingly with his lower chin. Why me? Why wasn't he sleeping with Elena Cooper instead, that tall, blonde, and big-chested captain of the cheerleading squad who was always fawning over him? Liam shifted next to me just then and spooned me from the back. Then, his breathing slowed and deepened. Ten minutes later, I carefully removed his arm that was draped over my waist. Then, I cautiously made my way to the entrance and looked back into the bedroom. Liam was still lying in bed, looking absolutely vulnerable and defenseless in his sleep with a wide smile on his face. I felt something tighten in my chest, as if someone was gripping it. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. No matter how perfect Liam was, he didn't belong to me. I pulled the door open and walked out without looking back. [Liam's POV] Liam opened his eyes just three seconds after the door closed. He then sat up in bed, the blankets sliding down to his waist, and leaned down to sniff at his fingertips. They still smelled like Iris, even though she was already gone. He'd let her slip right through his fingers once again. Liam smiled bitterly and retrieved a velvet box from his pocket. This was supposed to be a Christmas gift for her. When he received the two messages from her just now, he had still been at a friend's party, and he'd suddenly grabbed his coat, thrown it on, and run out, giving all of his friends a huge fright. He thought that the cold war that Iris started six months ago would finally come to an end tonight, and that their years of friendship would finally turn into love. As it turned out, Iris had simply sent the messages to the wrong people after all. It had just been wishful thinking on his part. Liam lay back down in bed and tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. A long bout of silence later, he finally let out a soft, helpless laugh.