She didn’t doubt he’d make good on his threat. Which only strengthened her resolve that they would not fail.
“Jesse is leaving with me. Now,” she repeated, and although Howard made another threatening move in their direction, Whittaker restrained him.
“Bradford is free to go. I know where to find you.”
And your loved ones.
He didn’t say it, maybe because he didn’t need to. Both she and Jesse understood the stakes of this game, as did the others helping them with their plan.
“I’ll wait to hear when we can treat the other patients,” she said, and Whittaker confirmed her request with a sharp nod.
Her one hope as she tugged on Jesse’s hand and led him toward the front door was that the players on their team would be stronger. Faster. Wiser.
The lives of so many depended on them.
And on her and Jesse, she thought, braving a smile as she looked over her shoulder at him.
“It’ll be okay,” he urged, a determined look on his face. His blue gaze bright with hope and love.
She wanted to believe. Wanted to hope as he hoped but averted her gaze so he wouldn’t see the doubt there. The fear that whatever emotion they shared could not survive this challenge.
Instead, she tightened her grasp on his hand. When he asked where they were going, she said, “Somewhere safe.”
CHAPTER 29
Some sought refuge in church.
Others with friends.
Still others found it in a bottle or drugs.
To Liliana, her refuge was her home and family.
Home first, she thought as she unlocked the door to her condo and ushered Jesse inside.
“This is nice,” he said as he entered and strolled to the sliding glass doors.
She met him there, staring out at the views of Asbury Park and the crosses along the beach in Ocean Grove.
“Not quite like your home—”
“Home isn’t about the size or location.” Jesse clasped her to him and brought his forehead to hers. “It’s about the heart in the home. The love.”
Liliana moved, brushing her cheek along his. The rasp of his early evening beard chafed her skin, yet she welcomed it. “Love makes all things possible,” she whispered close to the shell of his ear.
The movement of his smile caressed her cheek a second before his lips covered hers.
She welcomed his kiss. Welcomed him into her home and heart as she deepened the intimacy, opening her mouth to his. Pressing her body tight until they were almost melded into one.
An unexpected knock at the door, loud and relentless, tore them apart.
Shooting him a quizzical glance, she grasped his hand and led him to the door. With a deep breath, she called out, “Who is it?”
“Mi’ja. We wanted to surprise you,” her mother said past the boundary of the door.
“I’ll say it’s a surprise,” she muttered before opening the door.
As soon as she did so, her family plowed through. Mother, father, and brother trudged in, arms filled with bags that soon flavored the air with enticing aromas.
Tony was the first to react to Jesse’s presence. He stopped before him awkwardly and said, “It’s really you. I mean, you’re—”
“Jesse Bradford,” he said and held out his hand.
Tony took it in his, pumping it up and down enthusiastically.
“You’ll have to pardon, Tony. He’s a big fan,” Liliana explained, failing to contain the smile on her face at her brother’s exuberance.
“And you’re not?” Jesse teased, enjoying the immediate calm he had felt wash over her as soon as her family had entered her condo.
Tony guffawed. “Liliana? She can barely tell a football from a hockey puck.”
A becoming flush spread over Liliana’s face. She stammered, obviously embarrassed. “You’re exaggerating, hermanito.”
Luckily her parents approached, sparing Liliana from further sibling commentary. “Mi’ja. We’re so glad you’re safe,” her mother said.
Or at least Jesse assumed it was her mother, since there was no mistaking the obvious resemblance between the two, although her mother was a bit shorter and plumper. Before he could react, her mother’s doughy arms were around him, hugging him tight.
“Mi’jo. Bienvenido,” she said.
His college Spanish was rusty, but he gave it a try anyway. “Muchas gracias, Señora Carrera.”
Liliana’s mother stepped back and raked him with a motherly eyeball as she said, “Hablas español?”
He raised his hand, gestured with his thumb and forefinger. “Muy poquito.”
The older man that Jesse assumed was Liliana’s dad, because they shared eyes of a similar color and shape, stuck out his hand, his demeanor entirely serious. “Mr. Bradford.”
“Señor Carrera. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances,” he said as he shook the man’s hand and shot an uneasy glance at Liliana.
“As do I,” the man replied but then swept his arm wide in the direction of the table. The bags with the intriguing smells sat on its surface.
“Sit. Eat. It has been a difficult day,” her father said.
“My family’s solution to everything—food,” Liliana explained, but there was no condemnation in her tones. Just love and possibly pride.
“We’ll go now so that the two of you…” Her mother didn’t finish, clearly at a loss as she glanced from one to the other, obviously aware that danger was close.
“It’ll be okay, Mami. Would you like to join us?” Liliana said, although for safety’s sake she wished they would go.
Her family seemed to comprehend the situation.
“We should leave, mi’ja. I’m sure you and your young man have a lot to discuss,” her father said in a peaceful tone.
“Gracias, Señor Carrera,” Jesse responded and once again shook his hand and Tony’s, returned her mother’s almost tearful embrace.
As her family walked to the door, her mother handed Liliana another bag.
“Your brother Mick wanted to be here, only… He sent this. He thought it might help,” her mami said and pressed the bundle into her hands.
Once they had departed, Liliana leaned against the door and faced him. “I think you just survived the first challenge. My parents.”
“What’s the second challenge?” he asked, and she glanced down at the package in her hands.
“Mi hermano, Mick,” she said, but as she opened the parcel, she smiled and passed it over to Jesse.
“You’re about the same size. He must have suspected that we would have to leave your house in a hurry.”
Jesse peered inside, and when he looked up, she detected the glint in his eyes.
Walking up to him, she laid her hand on his cheek, aware of where his thoughts were traveling. “You’re family now. You won’t ever be alone again.”
The groan that erupted from his body shook her to the core. She stepped into his arms and grabbed him tight, rocking to and fro with him as he bent his head and pressed it to the top of hers.
“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you,” he muttered, his voice thick with emotion.
She raised her head until her lips were barely an inch from his. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
His groan rumbled through her body this time, close as they were. Pressing herself to him, she made their embrace even more intimate until she knew she had to break away or take it to the next level.
Slightly breathless as she stood before him, she said, “Let’s eat, then get some rest. What we have to do will be difficult, and we’ll need to be strong.”
Jesse agreed, and together they emptied the takeout dishes from the bags and sat down at the table.
As he sat beside Liliana, eating and discussing their plans, Jesse wondered if it had only been one night since they had come together. Was it possible to feel this way in so short a time? So part of another human being?
While he ate, the aromas of t
he meal enveloped him, as did the lingering warmth of her family’s visit. As he picked up his fork and took a bite of the shredded meat swimming in a tasty tomato sauce, he recalled Liliana’s story. Imagined her and her mother sitting together, talking and shredding the meat. Sharing as families should do.
Unlike his family had done.
“It will be okay, won’t it?” Liliana asked from across the narrow width of the table, almost seemingly picking up on his disquiet.
He hadn’t realized that he had stopped with the fork halfway to his mouth, prompting her attention. Finishing the motion, he forked up some more and, as he chewed, said, “It has to be.”
She leaned close and squeezed his hand and resumed eating, although her bites were delicate compared to his.
Silence reigned as they finished the early evening meal and cleaned up the table. Working together in the kitchen to load the dishwasher, acting as if it was just another ordinary day.
As Liliana dried her hands on a kitchen towel, she turned and faced him. Her gaze was filled with such a mix of conflicting emotions.
He grabbed hold of the ends of the towel she held and drew her near, embracing her. “It is going to work out.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, finally giving in to the doubt that had been plaguing her since they had agreed to the plan.
He bent his head to hers, nuzzled her nose with his as he said, “Because I’ve waited too long to meet someone like you. I’m not going to let anything screw this up.”
“Me neither,” she admitted, and he tightened his hold on her.
She inched up on her tiptoes, brushed her lips along his. Opened her mouth to invite him in. To show him his place in her heart and seal the promise that there would be more tomorrows together. When she finally stepped away, it was only long enough to take his hand and guide him to her bedroom.
He didn’t stop to ask this time if she was sure.
Maybe because he no longer had any doubts, either.
Hand in hand they walked to the side of her bed and faced each other. Before he could act, she was slipping her suit jacket off her shoulders and tossing it onto a chair by her bed.
“No need to rush,” he said as she reached for the first button on her blouse.
“Really?” she asked when he brushed aside her hands and replaced them with his.
“Really,” he replied and skimmed the back of his forefinger along the V of skin exposed by the open collar of her blouse.
She peered downward for only a moment, raising her gaze to watch his face as he leisurely reached beneath the edge of her shirt with his thumb and traced the swells of her breasts.
Her nipples tightened in reaction, wanting his touch, but he continued to delay, slowly building her need.
She was trembling by the time he finally undid the buttons. Parting the fabric, he exposed her breasts in the pale pink bra, and the soft flesh of her midsection. Leisurely he skimmed the back of his hand across that skin, inching upward until he bared her breasts.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said with a sigh, cupping her breasts and strumming his thumbs across the tips, bringing them to ever tighter peaks. Initiating a corresponding pull between her legs that wanted assuagement.
As he butted his hips against hers, his erection pushed against her abdomen.
She wanted to feel him beside her. Feel the warmth of his skin.
She displaced his hands only long enough to yank off his sweatshirt, pants, and underwear, leaving him beautifully naked.
As he returned his attention to her breasts, she encircled his erection in her hand, exploring the length and width of him. The responsive head that made him jump in her hand as with one finger she traced the edge of it and then the sensitive underside. The bead of moisture as he sucked in a breath and covered her hand with his to still her caress.
“No rush, love. I want to sample all of you first,” he said and she acquiesced, sitting on the edge of the bed and opening her arms in welcome.
“I’m yours,” she said.
CHAPTER 30
The night was young, and it might be their final one together. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint. They’d had little tenderness the other night in their rush to satisfaction. Jesse wanted this time to be different.
He stepped close until his erection nestled at her center, and the warmth and wet of her teased him. She raised her legs, grasping him with her thighs, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently urged her onto her back.
At her confused look, he said, “I want to make love to you all night long. Until I don’t have the strength to stand. Until I have no breath left in my body.”
“Mi amor,” exploded from her lips and he pinned her hands above her head, covered her body with his.
“I am your love, Liliana.”
She smiled, but her eyes were heavy with sadness he understood.
“We’re stronger together.” He brushed his lips across hers, once again offering her promise and hope in his kiss.
“Powerful, querido,” she murmured beneath his lips and opened her mouth, accepting the thrust of his tongue. Raised her legs to cradle his hips with her thighs and rock her center along the length of him, yanking a strangled moan from him.
Jesse answered the call of her invitation, trailing his lips down the side of her neck to the sensitive crook of her shoulder. Moving his hands down to her breasts to caress the sensitive tips until Liliana wanted more. Needed more.
“Por favor, Jesse,” she pleaded and he responded, lowering his head to suck her nipples, tugging and pulling them into the warm moistness of his mouth. Swirling the dampness left behind by his mouth with his fingers.
Between her legs the heat built. Intensifying her desire to be one with him.
Reaching between their bodies, she covered him with her hand and held him to the softness of her belly. Stroked him and shifted her hips to mimic what would soon follow.
“Liliana, love. I want you so badly—”
“Then have me,” she said and, exerting gentle pressure on his shoulder, she changed their positions, urging him to his back.
Copying his earlier actions, she pinned his hands above his head as she draped her body along his side. Lowered her head and teethed his dark brown nipple while she encircled him with her hand. Slowly stroked up and down as she bit down gently, and he cradled her head, urging her to continue.
A plea she was not going to ignore.
She shifted, laying her body along the length of his. Straddling his hips, she reached beneath her, guided him to her center. She paused with his tip just breaching her core, but then his hands came to her hips, nearly spanning the width of them with their large size.
“Love me, Liliana.” To leave no doubt about what he wanted, he guided her down. Held her still as her body acclimated to the length and width of him.
Liliana bit her lower lip, fighting the desire to moan from the pleasure of his filling her. Sucking in a broken breath as he cradled her breast, teased the tip with his fingers, and then surged upward, kissing her nipple. Tugging on it, encouraging her to move with the subtle upward press of his hips.
She rocked her hips, drawing him in and out. Creating friction and heat throughout her body as he loosely wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her near. Her breasts rubbed along his chest, teased by the soft hair there and by his touch and kisses.
Inside her, pressure built until she had to close her eyes and focus on the motion of her hips. On the wet of his mouth at her breasts. At one rough tug, she finally cried out, but in pleasure as that caress nearly pulled her over the edge.
Jesse knew she was near her release. He was almost there himself. Just another stroke of her hips. Another brush of her gorgeous breasts against his chest.
Just another, he kept on repeating in his brain, fighting his climax. Wanting to fall over the edge with her, but above him she was tiring.
“Let me, love,” he said and she understood, falling to her side as h
e rolled and trapped her beneath him.
He stopped, wanting to memorize her features. Wanting to savor the look on her face. One of wonder. One of love.
He bent and kissed her. She whispered against his lips, “Te quiero.”
“I love you, too,” he said and began to move. Pumping his hips. The force so strong that it drove her up along the bed.
That pushed them both to a climax that left them shaking as they cried out their completion.
It took long minutes for their breathing to return to normal and for the tremors of satisfaction to subside. But even then Jesse couldn’t leave her. The physical union of their bodies was so much more than that. And being within her…
Peace such as none he had ever experienced before filled his soul. Calmed his heart.
As he moved only far enough to give her some breathing room, he stayed tucked within her, his erection ebbing slowly. Moving his hands along her side, he savored the softness and warmth of her skin.
When she shifted her hand to his ribs, he stiffened, but she dropped a kiss on the side of his face and whispered, “I wish I could take away your pain.”
“But you have, love” he said, trapping her hand beneath his and sliding their joined hands to a spot over his chest.
Beneath her palm his heart beat strong. Sure.
Liliana propped her elbow on the mattress and leaned her head on her hand, allowing her to see his face. She rubbed the spot above his heart, deep in thought.
When she was with him like this, it all seemed right to Liliana.
But it wasn’t.
He had lied to her, although she had forgiven him due to the reasons behind the untruth.
He was her patient, something more difficult to handle. Ethically she had crossed a line, but had ethics ever considered a situation like this one? she wondered.
“I’d say, ‘A penny for your thoughts,’ but I’m afraid to know what you’re thinking,” he said and ran his index finger along her forehead, smoothing a furrow of worry.
“There’s just so much to contemplate,” she confessed and inched up to see his face more clearly, but as she did so, he slipped out of her.
Stronger than Sin (Sin Hunters) Page 20