by Leah Holt
“Why do you look so unsure?” Questioning him, I danced my fingertips around his chest. “If you couldn't tell last night, I enjoy being with you.”
“This is different,” he said, kissing the curve of my jaw.
Dipping my head towards my shoulder, I let him manipulate me with his touch. “How is this different?”
“Because last night was an impulse. I want to make sure this time, you really want it.”
Puckering my lips, I angled my head so I could look at him. “You don't know me well enough to know if last night was an impulse. Maybe when I want something, I just take it.”
Liam's eyes washed over my face, his lips twisting into a crooked smirk. “You're a naughty little thing, aren't you?”
“I guess you're just going to have to find out for yourself.”
Kiss after kiss slowly morphed from testing to devouring. My hands found his hair, raking over his scalp to keep him close. His fingers twined deep into my locks, knotting strands around each finger.
We were winding our bodies together, lips on lips, hands grabbing and groping, holding and squeezing. The air around us grew hot and thick as my chest constricted with need.
Swooping me off my feet, Liam carried me to the desk, and placed me down on top. Our tongues danced and swirled, tasting and licking. Strong hands gripped my hips, tugging me into his waist and guiding my legs around his back.
We didn't say another word, neither one of us could. We were both so lost in greed, trapped in a savage lust to take each other, our voices weren't needed.
I felt his fingers as they found the button on my pants and jerked it free. Shimmying my hips side to side, he worked my jeans over my thighs, tearing them off my legs. Grunting, Liam ran his lips over my neck, nibbling my collarbone, and shoulder.
“Mm,” I moaned, letting my head fall back as he turned his attention from my mouth to my body.
The man felt so good. His hands, his mouth, his fingers, it didn't matter how he touched me, all I felt was raw trembles as they raced up my spine and through my muscles.
I had never felt like this before, not with any other man I had dated over the years. There was never this level of passion, not like this.
“Fuck, that's sweet.” His voice crushed my ears, turning my insides into mush. “I love when you moan, it's like fucking music.”
With labored breaths, I sat up straight, and started to work at his pants. I wanted them gone, I wanted him inside me. I wanted to feel the same ecstasy I had the night before. The man was like a drug, and all I wanted was more.
His cock pushed angrily against the scratchy material, eager to be let loose. Sliding his pants down his legs, Liam's cock popped free, thick and firm. He was engorged, pulsing and throbbing as I took his length in my hand and squeezed.
Snapping his eyes shut, his head fell back as he groaned. “Uh, damn, baby, that feels good.” Stroking his cock, I palmed the hard muscle from base to tip.
Gripping my knees, Liam pushed my thighs open, and flicked my panties to the side. Shifting his hips, I guided him towards my entrance, completely driven by the addiction running through my veins. My pussy was soaked, drenched in liquid arousal.
I couldn't think of anything right then but feeling him buried deep inside me. There were no rational thoughts inside my head, not one. I had been brought to nothing more than animal instinct. That itching, burning need that claws at your gut and takes control.
Liam's tip glided inside slow and precise, his eyes locking on mine as if nothing else existed in the world but us. His hands swept in, capturing my ass, as his cock continued to fill my sex and my walls stretched to fit him inside.
“You're so tight, so wet,” he said, whispering in my ear as he pulled our bodies together. “Fuck baby, you feel so good.” Dropping his forehead onto my shoulder, his arms wrapped my ribs, and his pace quickened.
Thrusting hard, our bodies meshed together. My legs curled and hooked around his waist, fingers raking his scalp and tearing into the back of his neck as his cock went deep and hit my lower belly.
I felt the tingle start in my core, radiating outward, and attacking every inch of exposed skin. I was quivering from head to toe, completely drunk in a trance that I couldn't shake off.
Liam growled, his hips giving one last thrust. “Ah, fuck, Glory.” His words drifted out, a perfect blend of breath and voice as he caught himself on the desk. “I can barely stand.”
His cock was still buried inside me, pulsing and throbbing as goosebumps decorated his skin like small mountain peaks. Shaking his head, he threw his hands to his face and stepped back.
Tucking his length back into his pants, he bent down to the floor and picked up my jeans. “Here, you might want these.” Drawing in long slow breaths, he stepped back, turning to face the back wall, and ran his hands though his hair. “I. . . I'm sorry about that. I couldn't stop it, I just wanted you so bad again. I don't know what came over me.”
“What? Why are you apologizing? It's not like I told you no.” Jumping off the desk, I slipped my pants back on and stared at the back of his head.
I felt so confused and couldn't figure out why he suddenly felt bad about what we did. I wanted it too, it wasn't like he forced me.
“I know, it's just. . .” Ticking his head over his shoulder, I watched him rub his jaw. “Forget it, it doesn't matter.”
“Liam—”
Throwing up his arm, he turned around to face me with a forced smile. “No, really, forget it.” Glancing around, he walked in a small circle. “Looks like we're done here. It's pretty close to perfection if you ask me.”
What was he going to say?
I was tempted to press him, to find out what he was about to tell me. But I decided to just leave it alone. If he had something he wanted to tell me, some piece of information that he felt I deserved to know, I was going to let him do it when he felt it was time.
“I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“It's not a problem, really.”
Biting my lower lip, I squinted my eyes. “Have you heard from you cop friend?”
“Not yet, but I'm not surprised either, this shit takes time.”
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I braided my fingers together and leaned back against the edge of the desk. “Does he need to talk to me?”
“He might, and if he does he'll let me know.” Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he picked up the broom off the floor and put it back in the closet. “So, are you curious about what I want to show you?”
“A little.” Wiping my hands on my pants, I looked around, happy to not have to look at the mess of art bleeding on the floor. “What is it?”
“You're just going to have to wait until we get there.”
Eyeing him curiously, I smiled. “Okay then. Thank you again for all this.”
“You have to stop thanking me.”
“What am I supposed to do then?” Giggling, I watched him slink over the clean floor with a smile.
“Just enjoy what I can give you.”
Cocking my head, my brows scrunched into the bridge of my nose. “And what is it you plan on giving me?”
“A fresh start.” His fingertips slipped over my neck, and his eyes sparkled with a hidden agenda.
But it wasn't just his extremely sexy voice or sharp features that grabbed me. There was something about him; his presence could be felt, his kindness didn't seem like a mask.
When he talked, I felt it. When he looked at me, I felt it. When he touched me, it went deeper than the surface, heating me to the core.
“I don't understand.” Tilting my head against his hand, I stared back at him.
“You will.” Smiling, Liam bent down and kissed the top of my head. “I promise you that.”
My life was starting to feel like a fairy tale. I had suddenly morphed into Cinderella and Liam had become my Prince Charming.
I had never believed in shit like that before. That you could stumble into someone who
could make you feel things you never knew existed. Like the world didn't matter as long as that person was standing right there beside you.
But the look in his eyes was making me reconsider everything I thought I knew.
Because maybe I had found my prince after all.
Chapter Six
Glory
“Open your eyes,” Liam said, whispering the words against my ear.
Slowly, I blinked my eyes open, forcing the bright sun back into normal shadows. “Where are we?” I asked, looking around.
We were standing in an old stone-walled room with a dirty worn wood floor, and large windows that looked out over the harbor.
I could see the sailboats as they bounced against the waves, moving against the current. Florescent orange buoys bobbed and dipped, rocking back and forth like the hand of a metronome. Just beyond the buoy line a large cluster of seagulls flapped their wings, some dropping into the heard as others flew away.
Stepping to the window, I looked down at the street below. We had to be at least ten or eleven stories up, high enough to have a view, but still low enough to see fine details beneath us.
“This is one of the reasons why I came here.” Stepping up beside me, he stared out into the horizon with a smile on his face. “Beautiful isn't it?”
“We're in the old Vienna Mill, right?”
“Yeah, you're exactly right.” Wrapping his hands behind his back, his shoulders squared with proud confidence.
“Why are you showing me this? Are you part of a construction team or something?”
“You could say that.” Smiling, Liam turned, tilting his head as his eyes fell over my face. “What do you think?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I flicked my eyes away. “I don't know. I guess it would be nice to not see this place just get abandoned. It's a beautiful building, but I still don't understand why I'm here.”
“This town has so much potential, it needs more than what it has to survive. I want to help with that. I used to come here when I was a kid with my parents. We had this little summer cottage we rented off of Fault's cove. Every summer we'd be here fishing, swimming in the ocean, sailing. . .” Pausing, I watched his gaze as it sparked with past memories. “I want to bring life back into this place, and that's what this building is going to do.”
“What's this place going to be, another hotel? Because we already have plenty of those.”
His muscles flinched, making him look uncomfortable all of sudden. I couldn't understand why, but I could feel his anxiety start build.
“No, nothing like that. I'm thinking luxury apartments—hopefully.” Shaking his head, he gave me an awkward smile.
Why did my question bother him?
“Hopefully? But you just said—”
“Right now it's just a thought. I still have to convince my partner that it's worth it. He has a different plan.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Liam took a long step in and braided our fingers together. “Because this could help you too. If I can get him on board, then this could bring you more business. You'd have more people to sell to, more buyers to paint for. One business that can help another. That's how you build something great, it all works together. Who knows, maybe you could move your gallery closer, make it so everyone sees it when they walk by.”
His thumb stroked the nub on my wrist as his thick fingers massaged the inside of my palm. My body began to tingle as electricity shocked my veins the longer he touched me.
Pulling my hands away, I put some space between us. It wasn't that I didn't want him to touch me or be close. It was his idea of moving my gallery that made me uneasy.
“I can't move my shop, I won't do that.”
“Whoa,” he said, holding up his hands, palms facing out. “It was just an idea, that's all.” Taking a firm step in, he squinted his eyes and rubbed his jaw. “You do realize that your place is just a set of walls. It's not that building that makes you who you are.”
Taking in a deep breath, I let his words settle for a moment. He was wrong.
And I wasn't going to let my building go, I wasn't going to move out of it, I wasn't going to let anyone take it from me.
You might not have a choice.
“Can we not talk about me?”
Frowning, his chin crooked to the side. “Look, all I'm trying to to say is that this would breath life back into this town and life back into your shop. You could have a line out the door with people who want to buy your stuff.”
If only it was that easy. If only I had all the time in the world to sit around in limbo waiting for his apartments to come to alive.
I had problems that were happening right now. What he was talking about could take months, years, maybe longer. That wasn't going to fix shit.
“So this is what you were talking about before? This is the business opportunity?”
Rocking his head on his shoulders, he sucked in a gulp of air. “No, not originally.”
Walking between the windows, I watched the street below. “Look, I think you have a great idea, I really do, but this isn't going to help me. All of this will take time, it wouldn't be up and running for months or longer. I can't wait that long.”
“What do you mean?”
I wanted to spill my guts and tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him that the loss of my art could mean the end of my business. That I didn't have to worry just about me, but that I had my mother to take care of too. That I had not only one, but two mortgages to pay. That I had made a promise I could never break.
But I didn't, because he couldn't fix my broken world with big dreams and wild ideas.
“Nothing, it's not your problem, don't worry about it.”
“What's going on, Glory? Tell me so I can help, I want to help.”
“Liam, I appreciate what you've done already, but you don't need to worry about me. I'll figure it out, I always do.”
I should just sell the fucking place. I'll never be able to get out of this shit if I don't.
No, that's not the answer.
“Why are you so afraid to get help?”
My eyes grew big and large as my ribs tightened and strangled my lungs. “I'm not afraid.”
How the fuck does he do that?
“Yes you are, I can see it all over your face.”
“I don't know what you think you see, but it's not fear.”
“Yes it is. You've been afraid of me since I walked in that door. I want to help, you should let me.”
“Liam, your idea of help is a fictional building that may or may not bring me business. There's nothing there that says it will help, not a fucking thing. I don't want to sound like an asshole, but there's nothing in what you're saying that is a fact. All I hear are wishes and thoughts, dreams and theories. Everything you're saying is built off an idea, not truth. I can't live off dreams, that's even worse than the nothing I have now.”
Liam's vision was just that; a vision. I needed my place right now, not his creation later. I needed my customers, not imaginary people that may exist if he builds that place up. And even if it did work, if he brought new people who wanted my art, time was against me.
Veering his stare, he tucked his hands into his pockets and turned on his heels. “I think you'd be surprised with what I can do. I can tell you to trust me—” Snapping his head to look at me over his shoulder, he arched a brow. “But you wouldn't listen to that, would you?”
“I don't even know you. How could you expect me to just believe what you say? Besides, it's more than just trusting you, I don't have the time to wait.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I closed my eyes. “You don't understand.”
“You're right, I don't understand,” he said, stalking further away. “And I can't understand if you don't tell me. Come on, I'll take you back. Like you said, you have work to do.” His feet pounded away, anger and frustration filling every step.
I couldn't understand why he would be angry with me. I hadn't meant to upset him. I just needed
him to realize that I didn't work on dreams, I didn't live my life on false hope and wishes. And I couldn't just sit back and wait.
I loved my gallery, I loved what I did. That place was more than just a building I painted in, it was another connection to my father who was no longer here. And the thought of losing it was horrible.
Maybe he isn't used to people doubting him? Maybe he's used to people pecking at his heels and giving him the answers he wants.
I didn't bother asking him about his reaction. I didn't really have the time to coddle his feelings, I had bigger shit to focus on.
I liked Liam, I really did. But my career was on the line, my mother needed me to succeed. That was what I needed to worry about, not about hurting his feelings.
Standing on the sidewalk, Liam hailed a cab. The yellow taxi pulled over and he pulled the rear door open. “I'll catch up with you later.”
“Okay,” I said, slipping inside. “You're not coming too?”
“No, I'll grab a different ride, I have some shit to do.” His voice was dry and scratchy, like he was ready to lash out at me for being so negative.
“Alright, so we'll talk later?” The question hung in the air for a moment, dangling uncomfortably between us.
“Maybe.” Closing the door, he slapped the top of the car and walked in the opposite direction.
This feeling came over me and I wasn't sure what to do with it.
I felt. . . empty.
I couldn't make sense of it, I couldn't place it comfortably into some part of my brain.
Because I didn't want him to leave. . .
I wanted him to stay.
Chapter Seven
Liam
Standing outside, I leaned against the building and waited. Glory was inside her shop, painting the walls to cover up all the graffiti. She looked like she was almost done, putting the cover on a can and sticking it into the closet.
She had been the only thing on my mind.
I had never felt so completely powerless before. She had the biggest hazel eyes I had ever seen, littered in gold and bronze sparkles. Her hair was a striking shade of brown, almost the color of copper.