“Finished doing your hair at last?”
“Fuck off,” I say at the same time as flipping him off and heading towards the front door.
I’m not surprised when we end up walking towards the shack. Since Dec bought the place, it’s pretty much our go-to. Not only do we get the occasional free drink, but it’s a hell of a lot better than most of the pubs in this little town. What I don’t expect is the familiar feeling that creeps up my spine whenever she’s around. I tried not to think about her sitting alone in her room while we went out; the thought of leaving her alone in the house was pushing my need to protect her to astronomic levels, but it seems she was here all along.
As if she feels it too, she turns and her eyes find mine instantly. The usual flicker of electricity sparks between us before her gaze drops in favour of taking me in. I can tell from her bright eyes that she’s already had a drink or two, and I can’t help hoping that the alcohol buzzing through her system will mean she’ll talk to me, maybe even forgive me.
“Whoa, Liv’s smoking.”
Growling, I turn to BJ, who just laughs at my reaction. I know he wouldn’t pursue Liv knowing I want her, but it doesn’t seem to stop him taunting me.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he asks, giving my shoulder a shove with such force that I stumble forward. Thankfully, Liv had already turned back towards the bar. It gives me time to take in what she’s wearing. The long cream dress is covered with blue and pink flowers and it has a slit up the side, which gives me an insane view of her bare thigh. I bite down on my bottom lip as I continue taking in her exposed curvy leg until I get to the fucking straps around her ankles once again. Fuck me. They’re not quite as sexy as the last pair but fuck if they don’t give me ideas that has my cock swelling.
BJ must get fed up of waiting because eventually the sound of his voice greeting both Liv and Nic filters through to me. “Evening, beautiful ladies. Looking good tonight.”
“Scrubs up pretty good, doesn’t she?” Nic asks.
“Yes, indeed she does. Liam, what are you thinking?” All heads turn my way and I try to pull my mind out of the gutter to answer appropriately.
“Gorgeous,” I mutter, keeping my eyes locked onto Liv so she knows I’m being sincere.
“Two pints?” Nic asks before turning her back to us to fetch our drinks.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I say to Liv, and when her eyes harden, I realise that it was the wrong thing to say.
“Why? Thought I’d be hiding in my room?”
“What? No. I just…” I trail off, wondering how every single word that comes out of my mouth just pisses her off. “You’ve been busy today. The house looks incredible. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I…uh…wanted to. It helps relax me.” She slams her lips together when she realises she’s opening up, and I hate it. The Liv I first met was so easy-going and seemingly carefree. I’m determined to fight to help her find that again.
An awkward silence descends on us and it’s not until Nic returns and places our drinks down on the bar that I feel like I can breathe again.
Nic and BJ managed to keep us entertained with bullshit small talk for the next hour or so, but I fucking hate it. I hate being stood next to her and not having her acknowledge me. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel her stare every few minutes. Her eyes burn into my skin and it’s almost painful not to turn and look at her, but I have a feeling she’d be pissed off if she knew I knew.
That is, until BJ excuses himself to chat up some brunette at the other end of the bar and customers descend on Nic, dragging her attention away from us.
The second I feel her eyes, I turn to meet them. Hers widen and I see her suck in a sharp breath at being caught.
“I can feel it every time you look at me, you know,” I whisper, leaning in towards her, ensuring only she hears. I watch her neck as the muscles flex with her swallow, and I fight to keep from running my tongue up the smooth skin. “Come for a walk with me.” It was meant to be a question.
“I…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’m not going to jump you.” She jolts back from me, and I instantly regret the words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…shit. Fuck. Please, Liv. I just want to talk. I miss you, but you’re right here. It’s crazy,” I admit, hoping it’ll help convince her.
She stares at me, and I can see the war going on in her head. Luckily for me, I can see a lot more than she thinks she shows, and I know she’s going to agree.
Eventually, she slides from the stool and, with my hand on the small of her back, I guide her to the front door. Looking back when I hear my name called, I find Nic staring at me. I nod at her, letting her know that Liv’s safe, and continue to follow her out of the shack and into the silent night of the beach beyond.
“Now what?” she asks when we’re stood on the empty promenade.
“Walk on the beach?”
She doesn’t respond but, after a beat, she turns towards the gap in the wall and steps down onto the sand.
We walk side by side for a long time, neither of us saying anything. But as comforting as her presence is, I need more.
“Talk to me, Liv.”
“About what?”
As much as I want to know the truth about what happened with her boyfriend and his brother, I know I’m pushing my luck to ask.
“Anything. How are you finding being here?” I feel like a twat the second the question falls from my lips; it sounds ridiculous. She’s here because she needed to escape. It’s not like she’s here on holiday or anything.
“I like it,” she whispers after a few seconds. “I dunno, it’s weird…I feel like I belong.”
“You do belong. This little town might be quiet, but it’s pretty awesome. We’ve got everything you could need.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” She turns to me, and it’s the first time since she arrived that she flashes me with her stunning, genuine smile. It melts my heart the second it twitches at her lips.
“Do you like the house?” I cringe as another dumb and pointless question falls from my lips.
“It’s incredible. Needs a woman’s touch, though.”
“What are you trying to say? We clean…sometimes,” I protest.
“I…uh…could tell.” Hearing her say it with a laugh gives me hope that things can go back to how they once were between us.
Chapter Nine
Olivia
“Stop fighting, you little bitch,” he snarls in my ear before his fingers wrap around my upper arms.
I scream and thrash about, trying to get him off me. “No, no,” I chant. How can this be happening again? How did he find me?
I continue fighting, even though I know it’s pointless. Even in his drug-fuelled state, he’s too powerful for me. A cold layer of sweat covers my skin, and I shiver as he shakes my body. Shakes? What?
“Liv, Liv. Fucking hell, wake up.” The words slowly start to filter through my panic and, as the fog starts to clear, I realise that I was dreaming and the person who’s currently holding my upper arms and shaking me isn’t Griff, but Liam.
Dragging my eyelids open, still engulfed by fear that I’m not going to find his rich chocolate eyes staring back at me, I burst into tears the second they appear.
His fingers leave my arms and I’m lifted. In seconds, I’m on his lap with his arms wrapped around me. His thoughtfulness only has me sobbing harder.
“Liv, are you…” I hear BJ shout over my cries as he comes rushing into the room, but he trails off when he sees that Liam beat him to it. “Shout if you need me,” he says softly before he walks away.
His interruption thankfully dampened my meltdown a little, but as I sit surrounded by Liam, the tears continue to pour from my eyes, even though my sobs have subsided. My body trembles in his arms as the images and fear from my nightmare fade away.
It’s been a few days since I had one this bad, and I stupidly hoped it was the end of them. I should have known bett
er. That monster is determined to ruin my life even when I’m miles away.
Liam doesn’t say anything as he sits there, his support unwavering. He doesn’t care that I’m covering his chest in snot and tears. He doesn’t care that I’m falling apart because I think he knows as well as I do how much he’s holding me together right now. I’m afraid that if he lets go, I’ll crumble to a pile on the floor. The weight of everything that happened feels unbelievably heavy.
Tucking my face into his neck, I breathe him in, savouring his fresh, manly smell, replacing the putrid memory I have of how he smelt. The stale alcohol and fags on his breath that were so real only moments ago.
“You’re okay, Liv. I’ve got you.” His voice is so soft it makes fresh tears sting my eyes. “You’re safe here. Safe with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” I know it’s not something he can really promise, but hearing him say the words fills me with such security and comfort. I don’t know what it is about Liam, but he has this ability to take all the bad stuff away and replace it with…well, him. He knows exactly what I need to hear, and he’s able to carry the weight for me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper once I’ve got the strength.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, baby.”
Heat blooms in my chest at his word choice. David always called me ‘babe’, and I bloody hated it.
Pulling my head from the safety of his neck, I blink a few times before looking up at him. His deep eyes stare down at me and I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt so safe yet scared at the same time. It’s a good scared, though, if that’s a thing. This fear is because I think he could be silently offering me everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’m so scared to get it to only have it taken away. I’m not sure I could cope with any more heartache. I already know that if Liam breaks me, I’m not going to survive.
His eyes flick around what I can only assume is my red, blotchy face before settling on my lips. Something stirs in my lower belly, the excitement pushing the final few pieces of my nightmare to the back of my mind.
I sit stock-still as my head and body duel.
I want him to kiss me, but it’s such a bad idea.
I suck in a breath when he finally moves, but his lips don’t connect with mine. Instead, they land on my forehead as his hand slides up my back and his fingers twist in my hair. His grip is just a tad too tight, and it’s like everything with Liam. He’s this sweet and considerate guy but I can’t help thinking there’s more to him. The thought of finding out what really makes him tick excites me more than it should.
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” he mumbles against my head.
“I—”
“I’m barely holding it together as it is. I need to do the right thing, Liv. Don’t make me do something I’ll regret.”
“I haven’t done anything.” Aside from have a terrifying nightmare followed by one epic meltdown in your arms.
“Hmm…You’re wrapped in my arms. If you hadn’t noticed, there’s not a lot between us right now.”
His words make me look down. I was so lost when he pulled me to him that he could have been wearing a giant purple Barney costume and I wouldn’t have noticed. But I see that is far from the truth, because inches upon inches of toned and tanned skin greet me. I swallow down the desire that starts to bubble up as I run my eyes over the definition of his abs and down to where I’m sat across his lap. I see no evidence of underwear, so I can only hope he is actually wearing some, because I’m not sure my fragile mind could cope with seeing any more of him right now. Glancing at myself, I remember that I’m just wearing a baby pink vest and a tiny pair of knickers. My cheeks heat and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“You couldn’t look better.” A little laugh falls from my lips because he can’t be serious. “You just think I’m trying to make you feel better, don’t you?”
“Well, aren’t you?”
“No. I’d never tell you something that wasn’t true.”
Looking back up at him, my breath catches once again. His eyes are so dark as they stare down at me. I’ve no choice but to believe his words.
Suddenly, I’m moving, gently lowered to the bed as Liam finds the space between my legs and his forearms land on the pillow on either side of my head.
My lips part as my breathing turns into embarrassing pants. My chest heaves and the slow throb that was already happening down below picks up pace with my need to be touched.
Nothing’s said as he holds my eyes captive. I’m powerless to look away from his heated gaze.
I feel his body tremble as he holds himself above me, and I want to feel his weight on me so badly that I almost reach out and pull him down.
“You need to get some sleep,” he whispers as he drops his head towards me and rubs his nose against mine.
“I’ll be fine without.” My voice is nothing more than a breathy whisper, and I’m mortified by how desperate I sound.
When he rolls off me and onto his side, I’m relieved to see he’s wearing a black pair of boxer briefs, but at the same time I want to groan because, although covered, I can see everything, and everything is very hard. My mouth waters as I stare down at him.
“I should go.”
Panic immediately pushes aside my lust. “No, please. Don’t leave me.” Since Friday night at the shack, things between us have been getting back to how they used to be. Every day we get that little bit closer, and every day I wish more and more that something’s going to happen between us. That he’s going to do what I need him to to help push my past away.
“Liv.” The pain in his voice almost means I allow him to go, but the thought of being alone with my memories of that nightmare is enough to have me begging.
“Please. I don’t want to be alone.”
His eyes run down my scantily clad body before he scrambles off the bed. My mouth opens to say anything to convince him but I don’t get a chance because the second he’s off the bed, he’s pulling the duvet back and getting in.
After a few stunned moments I do the same, and in seconds I’m pulled back so his large body’s spooning mine. He’s pressed so tightly against me that I feel every muscle. The one against my butt is the most obvious, and I try my best not to move an inch so I don’t cause him any more pain than I already am.
Liam
Olivia is like my very own piece of heaven and hell all wrapped into one sexy package. Every single muscle in my body is pulled tight as I hold her. This is not what I imagined the next time I was in a bed with her to be like.
As her breathing shallows, she fidgets to get more comfortable, resulting in her rubbing her arse into my rock hard cock. Biting down on my bottom lip, I manage to contain my groan of frustration that tries to bubble up my throat.
I lay, wide awake, with my arms wrapped around her for hours. I’ve never experienced fear like I did the second her screams dragged me from my sleep. Images of him hunting her down and trying to finish the job he started assaulted me and I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I was ready to fight, but as I flew her door open, the only thing I saw was her thrashing around on her bed as she tried to fight off an imaginary predator. I can’t even begin to describe the sheer relief that washed through me as I realised he wasn’t here, that she was okay, but it only lasted a second because seeing her like that shattered me. How fucking dare another person cause her so much pain that it haunts her in her sleep?
I was fucking furious as I walked over, gripped her arms and tried dragging her from her night-time hell. What I wasn’t prepared for was the look in her eyes when they found me. The relief, the pain, the fear. It almost broke me. A lump the size of a fucking basketball clogged my throat as I thought about the fact I could do little to take her pain away. That fucker’s going to be inside her head for a long time; I’d do just about anything to wipe him away.
The moment I pressed her trembling body to mine, I felt a little more grounded. I’ve never experienced someone’s presence alone affecting my thoughts and mood, but
it’s another thing that tells me Olivia is the one I’ve been waiting for. And I know in that moment that I will wait for however long it takes to make her mine.
Eventually, the sun begins to filter in through the crack in the curtains and I know I need to move. As much as I want to stay put and be here when she wakes up, I can’t. I’ve got a job that’s waiting for me.
I’ve wanted to be a radio DJ for as long as I can remember. I used to set up my own decks at home and chat away to my toys as a kid; if my parents were lucky, they’d have to listen and pretend to be my callers. My lip twitches at the memory as I smoothly slide out from behind Liv’s sleeping body. I drop a light kiss to her shoulder before silently leaving her room, not before looking back at her when I get to the door, committing the sight of her to memory. It should help me get through the next few hours knowing I could still be in there with her.
After showering, I throw some clothes on and head out into the early morning sun. I love this time of day, whether I’m up to go to the station or to hit the waves. It’s so calm and peaceful, and it helps to rid me of the image of Liv last night.
Once I’ve got my headphones on and I’m sat in my studio, I allow the world to slip away and focus on the job at hand. Knowing my voice is the first one a huge portion of this little town hears when they wake up amazes me just as much today as the first time I was on air. The fact that people set their alarms just to hear me rambling on and playing a few tunes blows me away.
“Good morning to those of you just waking up and starting your day. It’s Friday, and you know what that means. All the songs we play from nine o’clock are chosen by you. Do you need something to help get you through the day? Do you need a song to get you in the mood for tonight? Whatever it is, pick up your phone and let us know. Today might be your lucky day. We can all hope, right?” I add with a laugh as the image of Liv fast asleep in my arms flashes in my mind. Setting up my next song, I drag my hand down my face as the possibility of me getting lucky any time soon pulls me back to earth. Things between us are much better since our long walk on the beach last Friday night, but we’ve still got a long way to go before I’m going to get what I want.
Falling For Liam (Falling Book 9) Page 9