by Amber Skyze
He laughed and Brooke’s heart warmed. There was something about him that ate at her soul. She liked him way too much for her own good. This whole situation was supposed to be a fling, to get over her dry spell. Feelings weren’t supposed to be involved.
She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. She eased her body off Liam’s.
He held the swing while she climbed on. This time she stayed planted.
“Perfect.” He moved closer.
She anchored her legs around him and he glided into her with ease. Why it hadn’t worked the first time was beyond her, but she was thrilled they’d figured it out. This was much easier than her sitting on his lap.
She snaked her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. She peppered his skin with tiny kisses as he pushed deeper. His hands gripped her ass and pulled her closer, filling her completely.
“Yes. This is what I needed, Liam.”
“I’m gonna give it to you. I’m going to have you begging me to stop.”
She doubted it. She could only see herself begging him for more. Her pussy and her body couldn’t get enough of him. She felt insatiable.
“Give me all you got, Liam.”
Liam forced his cock deeper and she felt the rumbling of her orgasm. It was coming and there was no stopping it.
“I’m so close,” she admitted.
Liam scooped her off the swing by her ass and held her tight. He guided her up and down his shaft.
“Cover me, sexy. Give me all your juices.”
“Harder,” she cried. “Harder.”
Liam obliged, pumping faster and harder.
The feeling of euphoria incased her body as she shuddered into a climax. She clenched on to his back and rode out the overpowering spasms.
Liam roared as he burst into his own orgasm.
He collapsed to his knees, still holding her. He gently laid her down before tumbling down next to her.
“Holy shit. I won’t be able to walk for a week.”
She cuddled into the crook of his arm. “What do you mean? I’m ready to go again.”
He kissed her hair. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be more than ready.”
* * * * *
Liam woke with a start. Sitting up in bed, he realized he was all alone.
“Brooke?”
No answer. They’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms. He was so wiped he’d never even disposed of the condom. Climbing off the bed, he went to the bathroom.
Empty.
“Fuck!” She’d taken off on him again. “What the fuck is her deal?”
Frustrated, he ran the shower. He’d clean off and head home. It was his day off so he didn’t need to stick around Freedom Fantasies.
After his shower he dressed and looked for a note or some kind of sign she hadn’t left in a rush.
Nothing. Though somehow she’d managed to clean up the room without him hearing her.
Liam was at his wits’ end. She was driving him mad. He couldn’t get enough of her, yet he couldn’t figure her out. Why did she constantly leave? Why couldn’t she wake up with him?
He searched for his cell and dialed her number.
No answer.
He wasn’t totally surprised. She ran out on him, so why would she pick up the phone and give him an explanation?
Liam headed home. He had to figure out a way to deal with Brooke. He wasn’t about to let her go that easily, not without a fight. She meant too much to him.
* * * * *
A week went by and she still wasn’t accepting or returning his calls. He was beyond frustrated at this point. He was hurt. They’d shared a wonderful experience together. They had chemistry. Their easy rapport was evident and they were a perfect match.
Pushing through the door of the furniture store, Liam was surprised he was thinking this way. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to possess her—mind, body and soul. Shit, he was back at the store ready to buy the couch and bedroom set so he had more to offer her in his bachelor pad.
He wanted his place to be referred to as a home. Somewhere comfortable for Brooke to settle into, maybe even move into one day.
Christ, he was really in deep. Considering having her move in some day? He’d lived alone peacefully and happily for a few years now. Talk of settling down hadn’t been in the cards for him. Not until he was closer to thirty. Yet he couldn’t help it. Brooke made him want to become a couple. She had him considering all sorts of possibilities.
“Can I help you, sir?” a salesman asked.
“Yes, I was in here last week and picked out some furniture. I had to measure to make sure it would fit. Turns out it will fit just fine. After giving it some thought, I’ve decided I’d like to buy it.”
“Did someone take your information?”
“Yes, Paul put it all in the computer.”
“Great. The name?”
“Liam. Liam Flannery.”
Buying the furniture didn’t take long. It was step one in his quest to win Brooke over. Though it might help if he knew why she was avoiding him. He considered asking Kim then thought better of it. They were best friends and all, but Kim was his boss. He had to tread lightly with that situation. He was surprised Kim hadn’t approached him either. Maybe Brooke hadn’t told Kim what took place. Not that he’d done anything wrong, that he knew of. Just the opposite.
“Women.”
Liam walked down the block passing all the different shops. He loved the little town. The smell of fudge wafted in the air. His nostrils carried the scent to his stomach, which craved the gooey treat.
He entered the Fudge Factory. Immediately his thoughts were transported back to his last night with Brooke and how she’d doused him in chocolate. Her tongue gliding slowly over his cock, sucking on his head.
His cock sprung to life picturing Brooke’s mouth on him.
He groaned.
“Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked.
“Sorry, I forgot something.” Liam ran from the shop, sporting a painful hard-on. In long strides he rushed down the street, only slowing when he was far away from the smell of fudge and the reminder of Brooke.
He took a seat on one of the benches that overlooked the ocean. A brisk breeze drifted off the ocean, cooling his skin. He had no clue how he was going to win Brooke back. It was hard to fight the unknown. If only he had someone he could ask.
“Is this seat taken?”
The sound of her voice was like music to his ears. He glanced up and there she was, looking very sexy in a pair of shorts and tank top. She wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“No, please.” He stood and waited for her to sit.
Once she was settled he returned to his seat.
“How are you?”
That was a loaded question. How did he answer that? Frustrated. Hurt. Confused. There was a long list of feelings invading his body.
“I’m hanging in there. How are you?”
She shrugged and sighed.
“I’m okay.”
There were so many questions he had, but he didn’t want to barrage her. Silence hung so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife.
He fought the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her tight. He wanted to inhale the scent of her perfume, feel her silky hair rubbing against his cheeks. He wanted to kiss her and never let her go.
“Is it my age?” He knew his voice was agitated, but couldn’t help it. He was pissed. He had no clue why she continued walking away from him the way she did.
“No, I told you before your age isn’t a factor for me.” She didn’t look him in the eyes, instead she gazed out at the ocean.
He thought about turning her to face him, then thought better of it.
“What is it then, Brooke?”
“I’m not sure.”
She was lying. Call it a gut feeling or whatever you wanted, but he knew she was lying. She knew what was wrong and why she was acting the way she was. She didn’t want to tell him. Was she embarrass
ed?
“I guess there isn’t much more to say then.” He stood and started to walk away. A bold move he knew. He couldn’t sit there with her any longer. He wanted answers. If she wasn’t going to give him any, he had nothing left to say.
He paused and looked back to see if she would stop him. She continued staring out at the ocean. Shaking his head, he turned and walked on. It wasn’t the closure he was looking for, but in that moment he knew what they had was over. His heart broke into a million pieces.
Chapter Seven
A tear coursed down her face as he walked away. She could’ve stopped him. She should’ve told him to stay, but she didn’t. She stared straight ahead, gazing out at the boats sailing in the ocean. She watched the waves building speed as they came rushing into the shore, pounding against the sand. She felt every crash like it thudded into her chest.
When she turned to call after him and beg him to stay he was gone. Vanished into thin air. That’s when she realized she’d probably just let someone special walk out of her life without a fight.
Brooke sat on the bench for another hour, allowing the tears to fall. When she thought she was all cried out, she called her best friends. She needed them now.
“Can you meet me, Kim?”
“What’s wrong, honey? You don’t sound good.”
“We’ll talk when you get here.”
“Sure, give me about twenty. I have to see if David or Claire can hold down the fort.”
“Thanks, Kim.”
They hung up and she quickly dialed Paige.
“Where are you?”
“Downtown. We’ll meet at the bar in the hotel.”
“Gotcha. I’m on my way.”
Relief washed over her as she headed to the bar. They would know what to do. They would tell her if she was making the right choice or being foolish. Right about now she wasn’t sure.
Brooke walked to the bar and ordered a glass of wine while she waited. It was quiet for the middle of the afternoon and she was thankful. She didn’t want to make small talk with anyone. She needed her girlfriends and their advice. Nothing more.
Paige arrived first. Dressed in shorts and a tee, she looked like she’d rolled out of bed and thrown on clothes haphazardly.
“Did I interrupt something?”
“Not really. We were getting up anyway. Jed and Tommy had plans to shoot some hoops.”
“Oh. How’s the living arrangements going? Still okay with Tommy living there?” Paige and her husband Jed had problems the first few months his best friend was living with them, but after a few times at Freedom Fantasies, their marriage got back on track.
“Life couldn’t be better.”
Brooke offered her a weak smile.
“But we’re not here to talk about my life. We’re here to help you with yours. What’s going on, sweetie? You sounded so down on the phone.”
“I am. I might have fucked things up with Liam and I don’t know if I should fix it or let it go.”
“Let me order a drink and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Brooke watched as Paige tossed her oversized bag on the bar. Brooke swore she carried everything including the kitchen sink with her at all times.
“Barkeep,” she called, waving her hand.
She ordered a glass of wine and turned to Brooke.
“Spill it and I don’t mean the wine.”
Brooke laughed. It felt good to release some of the tension.
“I’m not sure where to start.”
“Let’s see. Do you like Liam?”
“Yes.”
“I mean really like him…like more than friends with benefits.”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, so we’ve established that this is not a fling.”
“No, but…” She wouldn’t call it a relationship either. Oh she was so confused.
“But nothing. I can see the pain in your eyes. This is not casual sex for you.”
Kim appeared just as Paige finished analyzing her.
“Casual sex? Brooke doesn’t do casual sex. We all know that. So what’s the issue here?”
“Brooke is having issues with Liam.”
“Oh honey. Do you want me to fire him?”
“No!”
“Oh thank God, because it would kill me to lose him. He’s a great bartender and an all-around great guy.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I don’t get it. If you know all this why are there problems?” Paige asked.
“Did he hurt you? Because if he did I’ll kick him to the curb. No one messes with my girlfriends and gets away with it.”
Brooke knew she was half serious. Kim wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt either of them without some kind of retribution, but Liam was different. He was her employee. She couldn’t go firing him for something he did outside the office. And besides, Liam didn’t do anything. He’d been nothing but kind to her.
“Liam hasn’t done anything. I swear. He’s the most stand-up guy I’ve ever met and he likes to experiment, if you know what I mean.” She felt her cheeks flush.
“No need to get embarrassed with us. I own the best place in town to experiment in for cryin’ out loud.”
They all laughed.
“I keep running out on him,” she blurted.
“What?” they said in unison.
“Both times we were together I left. Once right in front of him, the other while he was sleeping.”
“Why?” Paige asked.
“I don’t know. I get this overwhelming feeling in my chest and I take off. I can’t explain it.”
“Are you sure you want to be with him?” Kim asked. “Is there something about him that creeps you out?”
“It’s nothing like that. In some ways I think I’m falling for him.”
“In love?” Paige let out a low whistle. “We told you to go have sex, not fall in love.”
“Is it his age?” Kim inquired.
She shook her head. “No, he asked me the same thing. It’s really not his age.”
“You’re afraid of commitment.” Paige slapped the bar. “You don’t want to get into another relationship. You’re afraid of getting hurt.”
Kim wrapped her arms around Brooke.
“Sweetie, you can’t be afraid to fall in love. You’ll miss out on so much. Liam isn’t Carl. He’s not going to be killed.”
“Kim’s right, Brooke. Carl didn’t hurt you intentionally. He died fighting for our country. An honorable thing.”
Brooke felt safe in Kim’s arms until she spoke Carl’s name. It was like a slap across the face that stung like hell. Tears poured from her eyes and sobs racked her body. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. She let all her bottled-up fears and grief pour from her.
“There. There. Let it all out, honey.”
And she did. She cried until she had no more tears.
Paige handed her a napkin. “Do you feel a little better?”
“Yeah, thanks.” A hiccup escaped her lips, sending her into a fit of laughter. She laughed so hard she thought she’d wet her pants.
“Okay, now that you’ve calmed down again. Let’s figure out how we’re going to fix this.”
Brooke laughed. Kim always had to be the fixer-upper. She couldn’t help herself.
“I’m going to have to do this on my own, ladies. Only I really know how to repair this one.”
“What are you going to do?”Paige asked.
“See if I can overcome my fear of commitment.”
“Do you need a room?”
“Not this time.” The look of hurt didn’t go undetected. “I’m not saying I’ll never be back, because there’s more I want to try at Freedom Fantasies. I just have to woo the man first.”
“Fine. You ladies want to eat? I’m famished.”
* * * * *
Brooke let a few days pass to see if what she was feeling went away. It didn’t. She only missed Liam more and more with every minute. Unable to take it any longer, she called Kim and aske
d her what night he had off. Kim informed her that he would be off the next evening. That was yesterday and since then Brooke had thought about how she was going to handle the situation.
She knew she would go to his place. She wanted to talk to him and see if they could work things out. She thought about calling first but was scared he’d reject her. No, the best way was for her to go straight over there and not give him a chance to say no.
She thought about dressing in provocative clothing but decided against it. She didn’t want to lure him with sex. She wanted him to want her for more, because she wanted him for more.
After changing clothes too many times she settled on capris and a nice shirt. An hour later she arrived on his doorstep. Her heart was in her throat as she knocked on the door.
He didn’t call out and ask who it was. He immediately opened the door and the shock was written all over his face. He was expecting someone else.
Oh dear God, please don’t let it be another woman.
“Brooke, what are you doing here?”
“Is this a bad time?”
“Not at all. Please come in.” He stepped aside, allowing her entrance.
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced.”
“I wasn’t expecting company, but I’m glad you’re here.”
“You got the new leather couch.” They’d had so much fun looking at different furniture together. She probably knew then that she was falling for him. She’d never known picking out furniture could be fun.
“Yup. They actually just delivered it this morning.”
“Oh wow.”
“So what brings you by? I’m sure it wasn’t the furniture.”
Right to the point. Did he want her to speak her piece and get out? The urge to flee consumed her. She couldn’t. She had to stay and stand up to her fears.
“I’ve missed you.”
“You could’ve picked up a few of my phone calls. Shit, you could’ve just called me yourself.”
His words were like knives slicing her skin.
“You’re right. I’ve been a coward.”
She stepped closer and he turned away.
“Liam, please look at me.”
He ran his fingers through his hair before turning.
“Go on, say what you came to say.”
God, he hated her. He wanted her out of his house and out of his life. She’d fucked things up royally. But that’s why she was there—to make them right.