by Paula Cox
Cliff studied her for signs of distress as she ushered him inside. She certainly seemed to be nervous. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and her face was just a little bit too flushed. He gripped the gun tighter, refusing her offer to hang up his coat.
“I won’t be staying for long,” he said.
Janelle sighed and led him through to living room. Cliff dropped the gun from his grip like it had burnt him. And Liana, sitting on the couch with wide eyes, dropped open her mouth. His heart clenched. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Her sea-green eyes, lined with dark lashes, were full of light. Her little, pink cupid’s bow mouth called to him, begging for his kiss.
But he had ended things. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Janelle!” Liana hissed. “I told you that he didn’t want to see me.”
“No,” Janelle scolded. “He told you he didn’t want to see you. I know both of you clearly want to see each other, and it’s stupid that you aren’t.”
Cliff turned to leave. “This was a waste of my time,” he grumbled. “Don’t call me again unless it’s actually an emergency.”
Janelle rushed after him. “Don’t go!” she cried. “You’re already here. Just listen to what I have to say.”
“What you have to say?” he barked, wheeling on her. “When did your opinion start factoring into my affairs? This is none of your business.”
“It is when I’m her agent!” Janelle argued. Her eyes grew wide with desperation. “I put up a video of her singing on YouTube, and she’s become a viral sensation.”
“Good for you two,” Cliff snarled, turning again.
Janelle yanked on his arm. He didn’t budge, though it took considerable effort not to treat her like he would anyone else who disrespected him in such a way. He had to leave now. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t. He missed Liana. The day he’d left her in Gus’ apartment had been like tearing a piece of flesh from his body. He’d been bleeding ever since. The temptation to claim her again was strong. Too strong.
“You know, maybe she isn’t too fond of this situation either!”
Janelle and Cliff both turned to where Liana stood at the end of the hall.
“Did you ever think that she has a mind of her own and also doesn’t appreciate being tricked by her friend into seeing the asshole guy who left her high and dry as some sort of stupid, noble gesture?”
Though Liana’s words were directed toward Janelle, she was looking at Cliff as she spoke.
“It was for your own good,” Cliff fired back. “I didn’t leave you high and dry. I left you safe.”
“It was for your own good!” Liana retorted. “Your conscience couldn’t bear it if something happened to me, so you made the decision for me even though it was my right to choose!”
Janelle began to slowly back away toward the wall. Cliff shouldered past her, stopping a few feet from Liana.
“And what would you have had me do, huh?” Cliff challenged. “Knowingly put you in danger just because I couldn’t keep my hands off you?”
Liana tilted her chin up at him, staring him brazenly in the eye. He admired her spirit. He always had.
“I thought that maybe for once in our relationship you might let me have a choice,” Liana spat. Her tone was low. It cut like ice. “But you’re obsessed with the power. It’s what you get off on.”
“And you get off on playing high and mighty,” Cliff retorted. “You think you know better than everyone. That’s your problem. It’s going to get you killed.”
“Killed?” Liana took a step toward him. “It’s the only thing that’s kept me alive so far! I came from nothing, Cliff. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. I’ve had to bust my ass to get where I am.”
“Great. But you came into my world, and to survive there, you have to live by a different set of rules. My rules.”
“I was practically dragged into your world by my hair!” Liana raged. “And I would have still probably made it just fine if you didn’t have to constantly prove you were the boss. And I certainly wouldn’t have ended up dumped, in the apartment of some blast-from-the-past hipster with a broken heart and no job!”
A stony silence descended between them. Cliff had forgotten about her job. Of course, she’d had to quit it a long time ago. He hadn’t even considered that the day he left her. But he couldn’t back down now. Not when it would make it so much easier for him to submit to his desire to hold her again. He couldn’t budge even an inch.
“Hey, can I just say something?” Janelle asked from behind them.
Cliff turned and glared daggers at her. He assumed Liana was doing the same since Janelle looked jumpier than ever.
“I did actually bring both of you here for a reason. Not just so you could get blood on my furniture.”
“Spit it out,” Cliff said.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Liana snapped.
Janelle rolled her eyes. “Cut it out already. At least let me tell you what I have to tell you before you rip each others’ throats out.”
Both Cliff and Liana were silent.
Janelle smiled. “I put up a video of Liana singing on Youtube, as I said. It took off. I’ve been fielding tons of calls wanting to book her as an act.”
“I still don’t see how this applies to me,” Cliff remarked.
Janelle blinked at him as if it were obvious. “Don’t you get it?” she said. “Liana has star potential. And I know how much you guys wanted to open that club. You need to do it. You’ll both regret it if you don’t.”
“Maybe I don’t want to perform at his club,” Liana said. “You said it yourself—I’ve got star potential. Why would I want to hook up with an ex-boyfriend who dropped me like a hot potato the moment things got a little dangerous?”
“A little dangerous?” Cliff asked dryly. “Several people received death threats. One actually died.”
“Just think about it,” Janelle said. She moved toward the coat closet, grabbing one off the hanger. “You guys are too good together to break up like this. You’re being dumb.” She sighed, threading her arms into the arms of her coat. “You can’t live in fear. Do you know what living in fear is just a fancy phrase for?”
Neither of them replied.
Janelle smiled sadly. “Giving up.” She pushed past Cliff and placed her hand on the front door. “I’m going to go out for a couple of hours. When I get back, either you’ll be here or you won’t.”
And with that, she was gone.
Chapter 29
Liana’s throat felt constricted. Now that it was just her and Cliff, anything could happen. Having Janelle as a buffer before had made her brave. It had fed her rage and kept her standing strong when she’d wanted to crumble at the sight of him. But how much longer could her rage sustain her now that they were alone?
He stared down at her like he had the day he left. Studying. Capturing. Remembering. He was planning to leave again, and suddenly Liana knew she couldn’t let him. After everything she’d said, she still wanted him with every fiber of her being.
“You’re just going to leave again?” Liana asked.
Cliff’s feet had subtly turned toward the door. He was retreating slowly, but he was retreating. “It’s not safe.”
“I’m so fucking tired of hearing you talk about safety,” Liana blurted. “How fucking hypocritical can you be?”
Cliff clicked his tongue. “Language, Liana.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You can’t live the life you lead and then chastise me for wanting to be a part of it! I might not want all the crime, but the prospect of danger is part of the package with you. Who the hell are you to tell me I’m wrong for pursuing that?”
Then Liana noticed the small smile of amusement on his lips. He was messing with her. She groaned in frustration.
“I never know what to think with you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Cliff faced her again, dark e
yes sweeping from her forehead to her toes. This wasn’t a glance that betrayed a desire to leave. It betrayed another desire entirely. A shiver ran down Liana’s spine.
“I’m mad at you,” Liana said.
Cliff raised an incredulous brow. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Don’t do that.” She pursed her lips in anger. “Don’t act like this is just another one of our little skirmishes. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
Cliff gazed down at her thoughtfully. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right.”
Liana smirked. Of course, she was right.
“Why won’t you let me slay this demon with you?” she asked. “Why are you pushing me away?”
Cliff’s jaw tightened. “I told you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“But it’s not just that, is it?” Liana stepped toward him, placing a shaking hand over his heart. He stilled, like her touch had transformed him into a statue. Liana waited to see what would happen next. Would he open up to her? Or would he leave?
Cliff took a deep breath. “I’ve never cared about anyone or anything the way I care about you, Liana.” His hand rose to her cheek, brushing her skin with his calloused fingers. “And that means I’ve never had so much to lose.”
“You’re not going to lose me.”
“I could.” He swept his fingers down to her jaw, coming to rest on the side of her face. “In so many ways. Whether it be Colin, or my family, or a drunk driver.”
Liana’s heart ached for him. What kind of life must he have had up to this point to make him so scared of being happy? Could it even be called a life at all?
“You can’t live like that.”
“So I’ve heard,” Cliff muttered. “Since when did Janelle become a source of worldly wisdom?”
Liana chuckled. “She always becomes much wiser when there’s money on the table. I think it helps her think.”
Cliff’s expression warmed. “Is there anything I can do to make you not mad at me anymore?”
Liana’s heart skipped. She mined deep down for confidence, pulling it to the surface. “There is one thing,” she said.
Cliff tipped his head, indicating he was listening.
“You could say you love me back.”
Cliff was silent. He cocked his head to the side a little, though it didn’t look like he’d meant to. Liana’s heart raced so fast she thought it might give out. She thought she might pass out. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“To say I love you back would imply that you’d already told me you loved me,” he said.
Liana shrugged apologetically but said nothing.
Cliff took her in his arms, holding her tight to his chest as he gazed down at her. “I love you back,” he said. “Like you wouldn’t believe, I love you back.”
Liana’s face broke out into a smile, and she arched up on her toes to press a peck to his lips. “I love you too.”
“I still don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said gravely.
“And maybe it isn’t.” She pressed her cheek to his chest and closed her eyes, listening to the steady thump of his heart. “But that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re in this together.”
Cliff stroked the back of her head, swaying gently from side to side. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Could you please repeat that for the record?”
Cliff’s laugh rumbled through Liana. “I suppose you’re right, little minx.”
She grinned and looked up, resting her chin against his chest. “So we’re going to do this?” she asked. “You and me?”
He nodded. “You and me.”
“I wonder if Hermana’s been sold already.” Liana knitted her brow. “I hope not. We should call the owner and see.”
Cliff shook his head. “It sold,” he said.
Though she knew there would be more clubs they could buy, Liana’s heart plummeted. Something about Hermana had felt like home to her. It was one of the places she’d gone with Cliff when they were first falling in love. Back when they fought all the time.
Who was she kidding? They still fought all the time.
“You know that for certain?” Liana asked.
Cliff nodded. “Beyond a doubt.”
Crestfallen, Liana let her cheek drop back against Cliff’s chest. “That’s a shame,” she said. “It would have been a great venue.”
“You’re not going to ask me how I know that?”
Liana looked up at Cliff. There was mischief in his eyes. “How do you know that?” she asked.
The mischief spread to his lips, which curled into a bright smile. “Because I bought it.”
Liana reeled back. “Are you serious?” Her mouth dropped open, stomach filling with restless glee.
Cliff nodded. “Of course. I wasn’t going to let the club of our dreams slip through my fingers. All it took to secure it was a few thousand dollars.”
“A few hundred thousand dollars,” Liana reminded.
Cliff shrugged.
Liana leaped up against him, fervently seeking his lips. The hole that had been in her chest for the past week was gone. In its place was only happiness. Only delight. Only Cliff.
“I missed you,” she murmured against his mouth.
His hands dipped to her butt, pulling her up until she was able to wrap her legs around his hips.
“I missed you too,” Cliff replied. “God, I fucking missed you.”
He began walking with her attached to him like a koala, while Liana urgently explored his mouth. Everything that had once been ash became fire again. Her body responded to the smallest of touches, sending her reeling with pleasure before they’d even made it to the bedroom.
“Do you think Janelle will mind?” Cliff asked, chuckling. He lowered her onto the bed, clearly not caring whether the answer to that question was yes or no.
“I think this is what she intended, to be honest.” Liana began pulling at Cliff’s wool coat. It was much easier to shed than the shirt underneath it. As usual, Cliff was wearing a button down. Would it have killed him to put on a t-shirt once in a while?
Cliff answered her need with a need of his own. His cock was already rock hard and grinding against her mound through their pants. He bit and sucked at her lips, hands wrenching her top until it was on the floor. Liana groaned and arched against him, already aching with the need to be filled.
Unable to wait any longer, Liana ripped his shirt open—buttons be damned.
“This is a three-hundred-dollar shirt,” Cliff said, grasping her chin in his hand.
Liana smiled devilishly. “I couldn’t wait.”
The lust in his eyes burned with an intensity Liana had never seen before. She was sure hers matched it. She couldn’t get enough of his body, dragging her hands over every perfectly muscled inch of it. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and the kisses he dragged down her chest both tempered and fueled the flame.
Cliff threw her bra to the ground, and her peaked nipples ached with the need to be touched. She groaned as he captured one in his mouth, teeth clamping down on the sensitive bud. Liana tossed her head back in ecstasy. She rolled her hips up against his leg, needing the friction.
Cliff moved to the other nipple, kneading her breast with his hand while he worked. His groan of delight vibrated through her like an electric current. The ache between her legs only grew.
“Cliff, it’s too much,” she moaned. “I need your cock so bad. Please.”
Cliff didn’t need any more prompting. He leaned back on his knees over her, unbuttoning his jeans. His eyes scanned her flushed face and pert breasts, and hers slid approvingly over his bulging muscles.
Cliff released his cock, and it bobbed above her. She licked her lips.
A few jerky movements later, both Cliff and Liana were completely naked. He’d ripped off her pants like they were nothing more than mist. Liana didn’t know whether she could expect to find them in one piece when they were finished. She didn’t care.
The
next moment, Cliff was poised above her. He gritted his teeth and thrust inside in one smooth movement. The sensation was overwhelming. Her body spasmed around him, and Liana let out a dull shriek. It felt like somebody had crushed the air from her lungs. Had she actually just cum from him entering her. Was that possible?
“Fuck,” Cliff groaned, pulling out and shoving himself back in. “That was so fucking hot.”
Liana, still out of breath, could only nod in agreement. He caught her mouth again and pressed a bruising kiss to her lips. If she was breathless before, now she thought she might pass out. And it would be worth it. Liana returned the kiss with everything she had, scraping her fingers down his back as he pounded into her. The coiling sensation in her core began to build again.