“You hurt me today.”
My breath is shallow, and I wipe a tear away from her cheek. Her hands crawl up my chest and I take a deep breath. Something clicks inside me. It feels like a jigsaw puzzle just dropped into the hole in my heart, and I can take the first full breath of my life. I hold Ashley’s face in my hands and stare into her eyes.
“I don’t want to say anything that reminds you of your ex-husband. I don’t want to make empty promises, or vows that I can’t keep. All I can say is I’m sorry. I know you’ve probably heard it before, but it’s true.”
She exhales, closing her eyes. She wraps her fingers around my forearm and lifts her eyes back up to me. Her voice is soft, but strong.
“Just kiss me, you fool.”
Finally, I crush my lips against hers. I snake my arms around her back as she wraps hers around my neck and we melt together. Her lips fall open for me, her tongue swiping gently across my lower lip. I taste her for the first time, and I know.
I know she’s the only one I need. I know that no one else comes close. I know that all my life, I’ve been waiting for her to walk in and tell me that I’m an arrogant asshole.
I know that I’ll protect her from her past, from her future, from my family, from anything and everything that could hurt her.
She tangles her fingers into my hair and I deepen our kiss. A moan slips through her lips and my whole body vibrates. My cock is rock hard between my legs, and she rolls her hips toward it. I pull her toward me, sinking my fingers into her bathrobe, wishing it was her skin.
We pause, breathless, with our foreheads resting against each other.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you at those stupid awards,” I growl.
She moves her head back to look at me, and I see the corners of her lips curl up into a shy smile.
“Me too.” She pulls me toward her and I kiss her again, and again, and again.
21
Ashley
The turmoil in my heart ends as soon as Liam’s lips touch mine. For the past year, I’ve fought everything. I’ve fought myself, my demons, the memory of Randy. I’ve fought what happened the night he died. I’ve fought the advances of men and everything that makes me a woman.
But Liam is different.
When he looks at me, I feel alive for the first time in years. When he touches me, he sets my body on fire. I’ve punished myself for so long for allowing Randy to do what he did to me, but now…
Now, it feels like there’s hope.
Liam was angry at the party, and it scared me. But when he apologized, it didn’t feel like he was apologizing for himself. It didn’t feel like he was manipulating me into forgiving him.
It felt like he was sorry. As simple as it is, it’s enough for me.
I tilt my chin up toward him and run my fingers along his jaw.
“You shaved. Your stubble was longer yesterday.” He catches my fingers and kisses the tips of them.
“You like it?”
I smile and shrug. “I like you a little scruffy-looking.”
“Scruffy-looking?” He laughs. His eyebrows jump up and his arm tightens around my waist.
I tilt my head and stare into his eyes. They’re bright and clear, with light dancing in them. He kisses the tips of my fingers again and I smile.
“I thought you were a player when I first met you.”
“I was a player when you first met me.”
“What, so I changed you?” I scoff, disengaging myself from his arms and shaking my head. “Yeah, right.”
“What if you did?”
“I’m not an idiot, Liam.”
“I know that.” His face is serious, and he catches my hand. We stand there, staring at each other, as if the world is falling away around us. Finally, Liam shakes his head and takes a deep breath.
“I didn’t care about anything before you came along. I didn’t care about women, or the foundation. I was just angry that I couldn’t run. Being in charge of the foundation was like a slap in the face.”
“So why did you do it?”
He snorts. “You met my family. After my operation, I felt like I owed them, in a way. The doctors my parents paid for saved my life. The foundation was started to help my brother in his political ambitions. My parents made a lot of money when they were younger, and I guess now they want power. I know my brother does.”
“And what do you want?”
“I want to run.” He says it so quietly I almost miss it. His hand drifts up to his chest and he massages the spot where his heart is. For the first time, I think I understand what he lost.
“Can you… are you allowed to run?”
Liam sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. He purses his lips and shrugs one shoulder. “Not like I used to.”
“You’re an Olympic medalist, and now you run one of the fastest-growing non-profit organizations in the state. You have so much to be proud of, Liam, it’s not even funny. You have no idea how lucky you are.”
“I could have everything in the world, and it wouldn’t mean anything.” His eyes drift away from me, toward the window. “Running was my life. My heart… my body betrayed me.” He stares into nothing for a few moments, until I gently turn him back toward me.
“You are strong, and charismatic, and you can make your life into whatever you want, Liam. You’re so smart.”
“I think you’re confusing me with my brother.” He chuckles bitterly, shaking his head. “I’m just a dumb jock. My college degree doesn’t mean shit. I didn’t even have to sit for any exams—they just gave me a passing grade so long as I won my races. I’ve got nothing. I have no skills, no money of my own, no prospects.”
His eyebrows draw together and he laughs bitterly, sighing.
“You’re looking at me like everyone does, Ash. You see the family name, and the medals, and the news headlines. But me? I mean the real me? I’m nobody. I’m nothing.”
I take a step toward him and put my hand on his chest. I can feel his heart thumping under my hand.
“Liam,” I say gently. “You won an Olympic Gold Medal with a hole in your heart. You’ve raised more money for septal heart defects than anyone before, and you’ve already saved the lives of hundreds of babies. You survived the operation and you ran a ten-mile race a couple years later. You’re not a dumb jock. You’re not useless. You’re amazing.”
I can tell he doesn’t believe me, and my heart breaks for him. He’s right—I misjudged him. I thought he had it all, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t know himself, just like I didn’t know myself when I was with Randy. His bravado, his cockiness… it’s all an act.
When he stopped running, he lost a part of himself. When I met Randy, I lost a part of myself, too. It’s different, but at the end of the day, it’s the same. I understand how empty and directionless he feels. It feels like everyone else got a blueprint for life except for us.
I wrap my arms around his neck and lay a soft kiss on his lips. He groans, putting his hands on my waist and nuzzling his nose against mine.
“I guess I am pretty amazing.”
“You’re okay,” I grin.
He laughs, and then drops his hands to my thighs. I yelp when he picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. His arms circle around me and I press myself against him. Our lips crush together and he holds me closer.
My center starts to heat up, and I can feel him pulsing underneath me. I nod to the bedroom, and he grunts in acknowledgement. We don’t need words.
He carries me all the way to the bed, and then lays me down, caging me between his hands.
“You’re so beautiful, Ashley,” he growls. He nuzzles against my neck, his breath washing over my skin. My head is spinning. He’s big and muscular, powerful… and yet, he’s gentle. His hands work to open my bathrobe and I shiver when they touch my skin. He pulls it open, revealing my nearly naked body.
He groans, slipping his fingers over my stomach and up my sides. Everywhere he touches feels so sensitiv
e, as if I’ve never been touched by anyone until now. I nip his lip and then kiss him deeper, moaning as he cups my breast.
Liam teases my nipples, and I exhale. I lean back in the bed and pull my arms out of the bathrobe. I look down at my pajama shorts.
“Sorry I’m not wearing something sexy for our first time together.”
Liam’s eyebrows lift up as he takes my body in. He chuckles and shakes his head. “Everything you wear is sexy, Ash.”
My heart thumps and I bite my lip. I reach up and start unbuttoning his shirt. Button by button, I reveal his perfect chest. It’s broad, and strong, and I run my fingers over every ridge and valley of muscle all the way down to his belt. I trail my fingers down his deep V toward his buckle.
He pulls his shirt out of his pants and tosses it aside. I run my hands back up and over his shoulders, sighing. He’s pure masculinity in human form. It’s like he’s been chiseled from warm marble, with every muscle rippling and contracting under his skin as he moves toward me.
He leans down, pressing his chest against mine as I roll my hips toward him. I wrap my arms around his neck. My nipples harden to stones as they drag across his skin, and he reaches up to cup my breast again.
Then, he kisses me.
He crushes his lips against mine and drives his tongue inside me. Our teeth crash together, but it doesn’t matter. He moans as he takes my lips, my tongue, tasting every bit of me as I pull him closer. He tangles his fingers into my hair and pushes his hips toward me.
I gasp.
I felt it before, in the living room, but now…
“You feel that?” His eyes are dark as he fists his hand into my hair. “You feel what you do to me?”
“I thought the gold condom you had in your wallet was just your typical arrogance… maybe I was wrong,” I grin. “Maybe you do need that size after all.”
I trace his abdominal muscles down to his belt and start to unbuckle it. He tsks, shaking his head.
“You first.”
Then, he slips his hand under my faded pajama pants and over my wet, waiting slit.
22
Liam
I’ve been with a lot of women in my life, but this feels different. I slip my hand between her legs and watch her mouth fall open. Her eyes close and I exhale.
She’s wet, and warm, and perfect. I slip my fingers back and forth, watching her writhe and moan underneath me. Her fingers sink into my shoulders and then she slides her hand down my chest. I move off her and lay down on the bed beside her, and she spreads her legs wider.
I want to see her—all of her—but I don’t want to change this moment. Being here, with her, with my hand down her shorts is everything I want it to be.
She lets her hand rest on my cheek as her eyes flutter open.
“That feels so good,” she whispers. I circle her clit with the pads of my fingers and then find her opening. Her mouth falls open when I enter her with my fingers and my cock throbs.
I wish it was my cock inside her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted a woman, but at the same time, I want to enjoy this. I want to savor every movement, every sound, every touch, every smell, until she’s imprinted on my memory forever.
I slide my fingers in and out of her as she moans. Her chest rises and falls with every breath. I move my mouth to her nipples, taking the hard little pebbles between my teeth. Ashley tangles her fingers into my hair and pushes me down.
I drive my fingers deeper inside her and slide my thumb over her bud. Her back arches, and I know she’s close. Her breath is ragged, and she fists her hands into my hair as her body bucks toward me.
“Liam,” she pants.
“Come for me, baby girl. Come all over my fingers.”
She moans, and I move my hand faster. My own cock is so hard I think I might explode in my pants. I drag my eyes over her body, her curves, her faded pajama shorts, watching the movement of my hand back and forth. With one last twirl around her clit, she comes.
Her body goes rigid. Her back arches and her head presses into the pillow as her mouth falls open in a silent scream. Her fingers curl into the bedsheets and she rolls her hips toward me.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, the tension in her body breaks and she goes limp. The only movement is her breath in her lungs. I move my hand inside her once again and ever so slightly brush her clit with my thumb. She bucks and pushes my hand away.
“Stop, stop.” Her voice is gravelly. “That’s so sensitive.”
I brush my lips along her breast, her collarbone, her neck. “Did you come?”
She chuckles and lets out a breath. Then, she lifts her hand up and pats me on the head.
“You did good,” she sighs. “You did good.”
I laugh, watching her eyes flutter open. She blinks slowly, as if even doing that requires more energy than she has to spend.
“Your… your turn,” she sighs. Her eyes close and she forces them back open. She rolls toward me, and I chuckle.
“Relax, Ashley,” I growl. “We have all the time in the world. Just relax.”
I wrap my arm around her, and she nestles into the crook of my shoulder. Her hand curls against my chest and in an instant, she’s asleep.
I look down at her delicate features and run my fingers down her arm. A small, circular scar dots her upper arm, and I touch it with my fingertips. Ashley shivers and curls her fingers against my chest. I kiss the top of her head and sigh.
I must be a changed man—I don’t remember the last time I gave myself blue balls and was actually happy about it. My cock is still throbbing in my pants, but I just take a deep breath and hold Ashley a little bit closer. I close my eyes for a moment, but I know I won’t sleep.
“Sorry, buddy,” I whisper to my cock. “You’re going to have to be patient with this one.”
Ashley lets out a soft moan and shifts against me, throwing her leg over mine. My cock throbs again, and I sigh. That erection is going nowhere.
I reach into my pocket and grab my phone, balancing it in one hand and opening up a browser window. I need to distract myself. I type in ‘Police Chief White’ and wait for the results to load.
Within minutes, I’m reading every article I can get my hands on. My boner is starting to subside, and I let my fingers gently massage Ashley’s head as I read.
He’s been the police chief in Denver for almost a decade. He rose up through the ranks quickly, and has been an upstanding, scandal-free member of society since the day he was born.
Which is probably the reason my brother wants to get rid of him. I take a deep breath and try to remember everything Adrian said to me at the party.
He told me that he’d asked for John to fire Ashley as one of the conditions of their deal. John had protested—and I don’t blame him. Somehow, Adrian got the idea that Ashley and the police chief are close, and he wanted her nowhere near his dirty, corrupt construction deal.
But as far as I can tell, she has no love for the chief. What did she say earlier? If I never saw the man again, it would suit me just fine. That doesn’t sound like someone who is loyal to the man. But then again, if she was faced with blatant corruption, who knows what she would do? Ashley’s a good person.
I don’t know this woman at all—not really. It feels like I do, but I don’t think I can trust my feelings for her right now. If she were to throw my whole family under the bus, I would never forgive myself. They’re conceited and arrogant and annoying, but they’re my family.
I glance at her face. It’s completely peaceful as she sleeps. I run my fingers through her hair again and place a kiss on her forehead. I turn my head to stare at the ceiling and I try to think.
Why did Adrian think that Ashley was close to the police chief? Why did she deny it?
And maybe most importantly, how far would my brother go to make sure that Ashley was nowhere near his campaign?
My heart starts to burn when I think of the anger in his eyes. I’ve only seen him like that a few times, but I know that loo
k. This election is everything to him, and he will do whatever it takes to win it.
Whatever it takes.
I squeeze my arm around Ashley as I take a deep breath. I can’t let him ruin her life. He already got her fired from another job for no reason, and now he’s trying to get me to fire her, too. I can’t do that.
But if I don’t listen to him, would he hurt her? Would he hurt me?
I take a deep breath to try to clear my thoughts. Ashley makes a small noise and takes a deep breath. Her eyes flutter open and she lifts herself up, looking at me in sleepy surprise.
“I fell asleep.”
“You did.”
“Oh gosh… I’m sorry.”
I chuckle, running my fingers over her cheek. “Don’t be sorry.”
She sighs, laying her head back down on my chest. “You’re just so comfortable.”
I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I don’t know what to do. Everything in my heart is telling me to trust Ashley, to protect her… but betraying my brother is asking for trouble.
23
Ashley
Liam feels different than he did earlier. I can tell there’s something on his mind by the tension in his body. I run my fingers back and forth over his chest, and finally work up the nerve to say something.
“Is everything okay?”
He glances at me, surprised. “Yeah, why?”
“You seem lost in your own head.”
He grins, running his hand down my spine. “And you can read me that easily, can you?”
“I can, actually,” I laugh. I roll over and lean on his chest, propping my chin on my arm. “Tell me.”
His eyebrows draw together, and his mouth closes. I feel his body tense, and I know he’s resisting with everything he can.
Then, he takes a deep breath.
“My brother told me to fire you, but I don’t want to. If he finds out I haven’t done it, I’m not sure how he’ll react.”
Love/Hate: The Complete Enemies to Lovers Series Page 29