by Jordan Marie
“You mean that, don’t you? You’d stay by my side, even with that between us.”
“Ellie, I told you nothing can separate us, but you.”
“I’ve been so stupid…”
“Ellie…”
“What you do, the things you’re called on to do, Liam…they still scare the crap out of me.”
“Ellie—”
“But, I’ve been without you all this time and I’ve been miserable. I didn’t even know how miserable until you showed up and I was around you again.”
“Ellie—”
“I was wrong, Liam. I should have waited and talked with you. I should have given us a chance to work through my fears and I didn’t…”
“Does this mean you’re coming back to me, Ellie?” I ask her, my heart squeezing tightly in my chest. I need her to say yes. I’m not letting her get away from me again, but it sure as hell would make things a lot easier if she admits she belongs with me sooner rather than later.
“There are still things we need to work through. Can we take time to do that? You’ll be here in Arizona anyway, right? Can you give that to me, Liam?”
I hold the side of her face, bending down until our noses are touching. I close my eyes and calm my thoughts.
“I’m here for as long as it takes to prove to you that you belong home in Tennessee with me.”
“Liam?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m going to kiss you now. I’m not giving you a choice, more of a heads up,” she murmurs, and I laugh.
In the end, we meet each other for the kiss.
Ellie
“Slush, can you get that carton I left on the dolly in my office?” I ask the new daytime bartender. He’s a good kid. Definitely a kid. I mean, I’m not over the hill by a longshot, but he’s barely old enough to serve. His name is Billy, but for some reason he insists everyone call him Slush or Slushie. I shake my head again at just the thought.
Maybe I am older than I want to admit.
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
I close my eyes. Oh my God! ma’am? I am old.
“Darn it,” grumble under my breath. It wasn’t that long ago I was making boys like him beg for my attention,” I grumble under my breath.
“You don’t need a boy, you need a man.”
My gaze immediately jerks to the man that just sat at the bar. I don’t know him, and yet there seems something familiar about him. He’s older, much older than me. If I had to guess, I’d say late forties, maybe even early fifties. He wears it well. He has black hair that is slightly long. It’s a jet black which might not be natural, but is appealing. He also has a goatee, which I always thought were weird, but on him, it’s a good look.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize we had a customer. It’s usually pretty quiet in here the first hour we’re open.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m enjoying the view,” he says and his grin borders on lecherous. He thinks he’s being flirty. With his looks, I’d imagine it works for him often. It doesn’t work on me, however. I’d like to say it’s because I have Liam in my life again, but the truth is something about this guy spells bad news and not in a hot night and regrets in the morning kind of way.
I jump down off the step ladder, wiping my hands on the cut-off jeans that I’m wearing.
“What can I get you to drink?”
“Will you have a drink with me?” he asks, his eyes darkening so much that they cause chills to run over me and again…they’re not the good kind.
“Sorry, don’t drink while at work.”
“All business and no pleasure?” he asks and there goes those warning bells inside my head again. I can’t say why this particular man seems to trip every alarm I have, but he does.
“What can I get you to drink?” I ask again, ignoring his flirting.
“Beer, house tap is fine.”
I grab the one of the glasses we keep chilled, fill it up, sliding it over to him with a fake smile.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you’re beautiful and I want to know. I really don’t want to call you ma’am either.”
“That I’d appreciate,” I respond, trying to let my guard down a little—not much, but as manager, I’m supposed to be friendly with the patrons. The last thing I need is for someone to file a complaint against me with Harvey. I don’t think he’d listen to them, but with Harvey it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry.
“So, your name?”
“Where you want these, Ellie? Slush asks, giving the guy my name. I don’t know what I would have said to the man, but for some reason, I don’t like him having my name. Maybe I’ve had too much caffeine this morning and just being silly.
“Ellie, is that short for something?” the guy asks. If nothing else, I could definitely give him points for persistence.
“I’m just Ellie,” I shrug, more or less lying, but it doesn’t matter. “Slush help me get these boxes around the bar and I’ll unpack while you take over.”
“You got it.”
“Ellie is a pretty name, but you look kind of exotic. You deserve a name to match. Your parents did you a great injustice.”
“You don’t know my parents. I’m just glad I didn’t end up with a name like Andromeda.”
“They were into Greek mythology?” he asks and I blink.
“Um…no. Geeky, Sci-Fi television shows,” I respond. For some reason, he laughs. The laugh feels fake, much like everything about him.
“How about you go out with me tonight, Ellie?”
“Sorry, I don’t date customers,” I tell him at once.
“I haven’t taken a drink of my beer yet. We can throw it away, that way I wouldn’t be a customer.”
“It still wouldn’t work,” I tell him. “I’m kind of seeing someone.”
It feels weird to think of Liam like that. I mean it’s not wrong. I woke up curled into him this morning. We’re not having sex, but we’re spending a lot of time together. We’re falling into old habits, which to be honest, I missed more than I realized. I’m laughing more and so is he. It’s early and he doesn’t know…everything, but it feels like we’re finding our way back to each other. Some things haven’t changed, but maybe my outlook has. I shrug away the thoughts. I’ll think about all of it later. I can only take things day by day right now and that’s what Liam asked me to do. This is important and I can’t let my fears keep me from trying.
“I didn’t figure a pretty thing like you would be single. But, maybe I could show you I’m a better option.”
“Well, I can say that modesty is not your problem,” I laugh.
“If I don’t know my worth, who will?” he says with a grin, but I got a feeling he’s not really joking. Still, I guess he’s not wrong. His is however, arrogant as hell. He reeks of it.
“I’m guessing everyone will know, because you’re the type to tell them,” I respond, studying him closely for the first time and trying to figure out why he makes me feel so uneasy.
“You make that sound like a bad thing, Ellie.”
“Not always.”
“But sometimes?” he prompts.
I wish I could figure out why he looks familiar. I can’t. I’m still certain I don’t know him, however. I guess it’s possible he’s been in here before. He’s wearing jeans and a faded t-shirt. It’s an INXS shirt, so he’s into rock music, I guess. I never liked the band, but that’s a personal choice, I guess. Plenty did.
“Hey, El? You got a phone call,” Trina calls from out back.
Saved by the bell.
“Excuse me for a minute,” I tell the strange customer, picking up the phone.
“Charlie, you can call me Charlie, Ellie. Our names kind of rhyme. Maybe that’s fate.”
“Charlie…” I repeat.
“You don’t like the name?”
“No, it’s a good name.” It is. Liam hates it, but that’s because his first name is Charlie and he loathes it.
“My ex-husband’s name was Charlie.”
“Don’t hold that against me. Maybe you just got the wrong Charlie the first time around,” he says. Then, he puts down a fifty-dollar bill beside his untouched beer. “Be seeing you around, Ellie.”
“Hello?” I hear Fury growling through the phone, pulling my attention away from the man leaving the bar.
“Hey, Liam.”
“What was that shit about?”
“What shit?”
“Why are you talking about my first name, Ice?”
“Some customer said his name was Charlie and I just told him my ex-husband’s name was the same. Geez, did Captain grouchy pants forget his coffee this morning?” I mumble, walking from behind the bar toward my office. “Holler if you need me, Slush.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he responds and I cringe.
“Liam, am I old?”
“What?”
“This new kid keeps calling me ma’am.”
“Ice,” he growls.
“I’m serious, Liam. It’s freaking me out.”
“Christ, woman, you’re not even thirty.”
“I know, but it’s out there, floating around, waiting to drown me.”
“I can’t deal with this bullshit right now. I want to know why you were telling some fucker I’m your ex-husband.”
“Because you are. Liam, please focus here. He called me ma’am!”
“I told you I’d remedy that shit. You want a paper, I’ll come pick you up now. We’ll get you a fucking paper.”
“That’s not how this is done.”
“Seems to me it is.”
I breathe a heavy, annoyed sigh into the phone. “When I drown because I’m old, shriveled and thirty, will you still be this annoying?”
“If you drown, I’ll give you mouth to mouth. No more telling loser-assholes that I’m your ex. I’m your man, period.”
“You’re my ex and maybe my man,” I argue, knowing I’m even kind of lying, but enjoying arguing with him. “Besides how do you know he’s a loser? He could have been a really nice guy.”
“He’s at a bar hitting on a woman who belongs to someone else at ten-thirty in the fucking morning. He’s a loser.”
Okay, it should be said that Liam is kind of smart in an annoying, bossy as heck, kind of way. I ignore that, choosing to concentrate on the other part of what he said.
“Belongs to someone else? You make me sound like an old bag you pack your workout gear in and take to the gym,” I mumble.
“I can give you a workout if you want,” he says, his voice deepening in pleasure.
“Tell me why I like you again.”
“My big dick?”
“Liam!”
“You going to deny it, Ice?”
“Please tell me you’re not standing in the middle of the church right now?”
“What would it matter? God knows he gave me a big dick and he knows you like it, too.”
“I may kill you.”
“You remember the way you used to cry out and moan when I’d fuck you, Ellie? Everyone knew you liked my dick.”
I squirm in my seat, trying to ignore the way his words make my panties wet and my nipples harden. The problem is I do remember and God, I miss him.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m horny, I need you.”
“You said you were going to give me time, Liam,” I remind him, closing my eyes because I want him just as badly.
“I will, but doesn’t change the truth. I need you, Ice.”
“I need you, too. I just…” I break off, because I don’t know what to say, I just know that taking the next step with him scares me.
“That’s enough… for now.”
I sigh. There’s so much I could say—so much I should probably say. But, I don’t. Instead, I change the subject because that seems safer for now.
“I take it that Wolf didn’t show up this morning?”
“Not so far, no. I don’t want to leave yet, though. I was just checking on you.”
Warmth fills me. “I’m good, Liam.”
“Yeah, you are,” he purrs quietly, making the warmth inside of me intensify.
What am I waiting for?
“Can you take a lunchbreak?” I ask.
“It’s probably not smart.”
“I could bring lunch to you. We could eat outside on one of the tables in the church yard, or if you need to be more covert—”
“Covert,” he laughs and I grin into the phone.
“We can eat in my vehicle.”
“I’ll take that, even though I shouldn’t. I want to see you, Ellie.”
“I’ll be there around one.”
“Sounds good, baby,” he says, his voice soft, as then he ends the call. I hold the phone for a little bit longer.
And I do it smiling.
Fury
It’s almost nine. I’ve been outside church, along the tree line, so I could keep the perimeter in my eyesight at all times. I’m tired, hungry and cold. I also have no clue where Wolf is, because he didn’t show today.
I’ve been careful, so I don’t think he had a chance to see me. I doubt I have him spooked in any way. Hell, even when I took lunch with Ellie, I had her park in the parking lot across the street from the church. I could still see the church like that, but kept her away enough that hopefully Wolf wouldn’t see her. The last thing I need is for that fucker to get her in his sights. I thought for sure the bastard would have shown up today, though. He’s not one to just take the Sister’s no and move along. He would come back in to investigate. There’s security on the church, so if he tries to break in tonight, the police will be alerted. I have Scorpion back home keeping an eye out for any break-ins here. It’s shitty that I’m not doing it myself, since I’m closer, but I wanted time with Ellie. Besides, considering she’s all I could think about this last hour, I’m useless watching the church right now anyway.
When I walk in the house—using the key that Ice gave me this morning, the place is quiet. I kick off my boots, lock the door, and walk into the living room. Ellie is lying on the sofa. She’s got a well-worn paperback in her hand, but she’s not reading it. It’s on the floor, because her hand has flopped down. Her blonde hair is secured on top of her head, but strands are going everywhere, pulled loose, ruffled from sleep.
It seems like a lifetime ago when I first fell in love with her. Being around her again has only made it clearer that I will always love her. I just need to convince her to fight for us. The truth is, I always expected Ellie to leave one day. She wasn’t of my world. She didn’t fully understand it. She pushed away any reservations she had just to be with me. I knew as much as she loved me, she wasn’t one hundred percent in our relationship. Which meant, I prepared myself for her leaving since day one. Maybe that’s the real reason I never tried going after her. I thought she’d be better off without me. Finding her again, seeing how much weight she’s lost, the sadness in her eyes…I knew I was wrong. She might deserve better, but she’s as twisted up in me as I am in her.
I walk over to the couch. Taking my cut off, I carefully lay it and the holster with my pistol on the end table. Then, I take her in my arms. “Fuck, Ice, you’re warm.”
“Liam?” she says while yawning, stretching against me as I pick her up. I settle on the couch, keeping her curled up in my lap.
“I forgot how you used to fall asleep reading, Ice. I’ve missed it.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost nine,” I tell her, leaning down to kiss the crinkle on her forehead.
“Are you hungry? I can heat you some of the leftover pizza,” she mumbles.
“I grabbed something while I was out, Ice. You okay? No headache?”
“Nope. Not a sign of one in days. I hardly know how to act,” she laughs, squeezing me as she wraps her arms around my waist.
“It’s because I’m here with you,” I reply with a grin, kissing the top of her head.
“You’re so full of yourself,
Liam,” she laughs, but she doesn’t deny it. “So, no Wolf.”
“No Wolf,” I mumble.
“Dag-nabbit.”
I laugh, jostling her with my movements and shaking my head. “God, Ice.”
“What?” she mutters, tilting her head to look up at me.
“You just make me happy, baby,” I murmur. My words makes her face light up, all signs of sleep instantly gone. Maybe I should be cautious now, but I don’t stop to think about it. I just bend down and kiss her.
Every kiss we share feels like the first one. It’s always new. This one is no different. It’s slow, but just as intense. Our tongues dance with one another, slowly remembering things forgotten, reacquainting each other with things we’ve missed, and discovering the new. I lose myself in the kiss, in her—just like I always do.
Slowly, my hand moves down to her breast. I stop there, half expecting her to stop me, but to my surprise, she doesn’t. If anything, she deepens the kiss, pressing against me, silently asking for more. I knead her breast, brushing my thumb against the taunt nipple, feeling it grow even harder. Her fingernails bite into my back, our mouths getting more desperate to taste each other. A kiss that started off slow, is now becoming intense, hurried and full of need.
I feel her hand tunnel under my shirt, her fingers sliding against the top of my jeans. We break apart, dragging air into our lungs, I kiss along the side of her neck, raking my teeth against the sensitive skin and then sucking it in my mouth, tasting it, marking it. She angles her head, offering it to me, and satisfaction slams through me.
“You’re playing with fire, Ice,” I warn her, my voice low and hoarse with the hunger I feel for her.
“I want to. It’s been so long, Liam. I want to feel you inside of me again,” she whispers so softly that I have to concentrate to hear what she’s saying, but the minute I do, it’s as if the words wrap around my dick. I’m so hard that it’s painful.
“You need to be sure, Ellie. I’m hanging on by a thread here, baby.”