He slid his hands all across her heated skin, feeling that he couldn’t get enough of her. The soft sighs coming from her made him want to speed things up, but he’d promised to ruin her for other men and he intended to keep that promise.
Holding her hips tight between his hands, Liam kissed his way across her shoulders, down the valley between her breasts and toward her stomach. Now she wasn’t only trembling, she was also squirming.
She gripped his hair, tugging slightly until he lifted his eyes to hers.
“Problem?” he asked.
“You’re killing me.”
Liam smirked. “I’m pleasuring you. There’s a difference.”
He’d purposely kissed around all the parts he knew she was aching for him to touch. Heightening her arousal was his top priority right now. He’d always cared about a woman’s pleasure before, but never to this extent. Seeing Macy this vulnerable, exposed, and turned on all because of him was more arousing than damn near anything he’d ever experienced.
“Then pleasure faster,” she demanded.
Liam placed a kiss on her belly button, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. “Are you always this impatient?”
“I’ll get you back,” she threatened, narrowing her eyes.
“Looking forward to it, sweetheart.”
Taking his time, he ran his hands down her hips, her legs, and back up. Sliding over the dip in her waist, Liam finally cupped her breasts, earning him a groan and a catlike arch. The way she bit her lip, tightened her eyes, and tossed her head to the side was all the proof he needed that she was relinquishing control. He never thought she’d give up such power, but for now, she trusted him. The thought humbled him, made him want to please her even more.
One thing was for sure—this night would be memorable for both of them.
In an instant, Macy sat up and shoved his chest until he fell backward on the couch. She grabbed the button on his jeans, ripped it open and carefully tugged his zipper down.
“I’m done playing games,” she told him, a serious gleam in her eyes.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t giving up control like he’d thought. But she trusted him because she’d let her guard down. Even for just a few moments, she’d let him take over.
Liam clasped his hands behind his head. “Can’t keep your hands off me?”
In record time, she had him stripped. He was rather impressed, but didn’t want to think how she’d perfected such a skill . . . and with a bandage on her hand.
“Maybe I can’t,” she agreed, her eyes roaming over his naked body. “Maybe I’ve been waiting for this too long and I’m ready to take what’s mine.”
“Am I yours?”
Damn it. Why did things keep slipping out of his mouth without his permission? He wasn’t asking for more than right here, right now . . . was he?
No. Absolutely not. This was all he and Macy could be.
She lifted one perfectly arched brow in a silent reply. Clearly she didn’t want to get into this debate, either. Fine by him.
“I hope you have protection,” she stated as she climbed back up his body. Nipping along his neck, his jawline, she whispered in his ear, “Because I don’t.”
Protection. Right.
“In my bedroom.”
Something came over her face, but she shifted back away. “Go get it.”
Clearly the bedroom was absolutely off limits. He’d figure out why later, though he had a sickening feeling he wouldn’t like the answer. Right now, he needed to make record time in getting there and back because he wasn’t letting this moment with Macy get away.
Liam grabbed a condom from his bedside table and headed back down the hall. Macy stood at the end, hands on her hips, the soft glow of the evening sun coming in the windows illuminating every sultry curve. Her dark hair hung over her shoulders, her blue eyes drew him in.
“What took you so long?” she asked with a smirk.
Like a panther, she started toward him, but Liam was done with her taking charge. He closed the gap, lifted her around the waist and backed her into the wall. Wedging her in place, he quickly protected himself.
“You’re too impatient,” he muttered against her lips as he slid into her.
Macy’s fingertips dug into his shoulders as she gasped. Her head fell back against the wall and Liam didn’t waste another second. He started to move, to hold her hips still as he completely set the pace and demanded she remain in place. His lips found her exposed neck as her hips attempted to rock against his.
“No,” he panted against her. “You’re mine.”
She cried out when his mouth found her breast and before he knew it, her entire body tightened as she let go. He wasn’t far behind.
Liam captured her mouth, riding out the last of her climax as his body started to tremble, to fall over the edge. Macy looped her arms around his neck and held on even tighter. As his entire body lit up, he concentrated on keeping both of them upright.
Bracing his hands on the wall on either side of her face, Liam lifted his head and worked hard to keep his breathing steady and not sound like he’d just run a race.
“Do you need help with the gutter now?” he asked.
Macy’s eyes widened, then she burst out laughing. “Not what I thought you’d say after sex.”
“Great sex,” he corrected.
She bit the side of her lip. “Great sex. Um, you can help if you want, but I really don’t need it.”
Yeah, well, he wasn’t quite ready to let her go and he had no clue of any other way to keep her here.
“I’d say we need to get on some pants first,” he suggested.
Macy’s legs fell to the floor and Liam pulled away from her. “I’ll get dressed.”
She turned and went back to the living room and Liam seriously had no clue how he should feel, how he should act. Raking a hand through his hair, he headed for the bathroom. Apparently he was about to repair a gutter . . . which sounded a hell of a lot easier than figuring out what had just happened between Macy and him.
One thing was for sure, though. They’d crossed a boundary whether they were ready for it or not. He didn’t do casual sex and he knew she did. She was about to find out when he said “mine” he meant it.
But then what? Yes, he wanted her for more than sex, but he wasn’t staying. He’d already made that clear to his brothers.
Nothing had been set in stone, so there was no reason to tell her anything right now. Anything going on with his future in Savannah could wait. He wasn’t about to ruin this night.
* * *
Macy had no clue how she held her balance on the ladder with her shaky legs. She’d come to fix a gutter and ended up having amazing sex against the wall right outside her old bedroom. When Liam said he’d bring his A game, he hadn’t been kidding. But the longer he’d tortured her on the sofa, the more she realized just how quickly she could lose herself to him.
And she vowed never to let that happen again. So she’d taken the reins and still ended up beneath his power hold. Oh, but what a glorious place to be.
Macy examined her work on the gutter. Pleased, she gripped the rungs on the ladder and climbed back down. She’d barely gotten both feet planted on the concrete before Liam gripped her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
“For the record, your ass looks amazing from down here.” He nipped at her lips. “And as long as you’re sleeping with me, you’re not sleeping with anyone else.”
Macy’s heart kicked up as she held on to his biceps to steady herself. “You’re implying we’re going to sleep together again.”
The side smirk that turned her heart over in her chest spread across his face. “I’m not implying. I’m promising.”
With a quick kiss, he released her, nearly sending her backward right on that rear end he’d just complimented. Before she could even grasp the fact he’d assured her another romp, he was pulling the ladder down and carting it off to her storage shed behind the store.
Macy touc
hed her lips and resisted the urge to smile. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that his ordering her around was a bit . . . thrilling. She’d never thought she wanted that before. Then again, she’d never been with anyone like Liam before. Any man she’d been with in the past had been easy to control, to manipulate. Perhaps that was the turn-on where Liam was concerned. He was a man of power, quiet, mysterious, yet still able to pack a punch when he chose.
When he came back out, she hadn’t moved. Liam stood in front of her, crossed his arms over that impressive chest, ink peeking from beneath his taut shirt sleeve. She knew full well just how potent that muscular body could be. She may very well have been ruined for any other man.
“Hungry?” he asked. “I’m still working on this recipe and I need a guinea pig.”
Macy shook her head. “I can’t keep up with you. One minute you’re yelling at me, then putting a Band-Aid on my hand. The next thing I know we’re having sex in your hallway. And then you want to help fix the gutter and now you want to make me dinner?”
Liam kept his head turned slightly just so the scar faced away from her. She could see his entire body, but he still tried to shield the imperfection.
“You’ve summed up the evening quite well,” he mocked. “Do you want to come up or not?”
Okay, maybe that attitude was sexy when they were naked, but she was back in control. “This isn’t a date.”
With a shrug, Liam started up the back steps leading to his apartment. Seriously? He had a habit of walking away when he didn’t want to answer her. What was with him?
“What’s the recipe?” she called before he reached the top.
His laugh carried down to her, but he kept his back turned. “If you want to know, you’ll have to come up.”
Fine. She would come up, but not because she wanted to spend more time with him, but because . . .
Damn it. She wanted to spend more time with him. She couldn’t even lie to herself at this point. After what they’d just shared, she didn’t want to cheapen it by leaving like the experience meant nothing at all.
Resigned to the fact she had clearly lost her mind, Macy started up the steps and let herself into Liam’s apartment. When she closed the door at her back, he didn’t turn. From across the room she watched as he pulled out ingredients, poured random things into bowls, whipped up something, and then set it aside. He made no move to even glance her way. Obviously he was in his zone.
Who knew watching a man cook could be so sexy? Liam was definitely a rare find. He had that whole mysterious, sexy, gentleman thing down pat and she was sliding deeper and deeper into uncharted waters with him.
“Are you going to come on in or just stand over there and stare?” he asked without looking up from the sauce he was stirring in a pot.
“I’m perfectly content with staring.”
With a slight grin, he shook his head and gestured toward one of the bar stools. “Take a seat and keep me company.”
“How’s the leaky sink in the bathroom?” she asked, sliding onto one of the saddle-style stools. “All fixed now?”
“Just needed a little putty.” Liam pulled a baggie full of chopped meat from the refrigerator and dumped it into the sauce. “I hope you like Italian.”
Macy’s stomach growled. “I’d be happy with a bowl of cereal.”
Throwing her a glance over his shoulder, he quirked a brow. “Don’t insult me in my kitchen.”
Unable to stop herself, Macy smiled as her stomach did more of those ridiculous flutters whenever Liam threw her that sultry stare. She’d just slept with him and he was still able to make her flutter without even touching her. What did that say about her? More importantly, what did that say about the level they’d taken their relationship to?
“I’ve been doing some thinking about your dad’s party.” Liam pulled out another pan and put water on to boil. “I think a heavy meal is too over the top, but we need substantial finger foods. I have a good recipe for mac ’n cheese bites and if we pair that with some little slammers, that’s a good start. Any objections?”
Crossing her arms on the counter, Macy leaned forward and shook her head. “None from me. Is there something I’m going to actually be able to make?”
“You’re going to do all of it.”
Macy waited for him to laugh or clue her in on the punch line of the joke. But he kept cooking, not grasping at all that she sat in utter shock.
“You do recall that I can’t boil water properly, right?” she reminded him.
Still unfazed, he kept working on dinner with his back to her. “I’ll be with you, but you’re going to put in just as much work as I am. You can also help me with the wedding cake.”
Macy sat straight up. “Excuse me?”
Liam’s laugh filled the open space. He grabbed a towel, wiped his hands, and flung it over his shoulder. Turning to face her now, he rested his hands on the island and leaned toward her.
“I’m making the wedding cake for my brothers. Double ceremony, you know.”
Macy’s nerves went into overdrive. “A wedding cake? I’ll ruin it. I’m not helping with something that important. Forget it.”
Easing around the island, he came to stand right in front of her. His hands covered her shoulders as he turned her to face him fully. “We’re working on this together because you’re going to stop being afraid of things that scare you. You’re going to face those fears. We’ll start with the kitchen and move from there.”
Then he leaned in within a breath of her lips and whispered, “And you’re going to sleep with me again. In my bed.”
Macy stiffened. “No.”
His eyes held hers, but he didn’t back away. “Facing your fears, Macy. Whatever stranglehold you’re in, I’m going to break it.”
Yeah, but at what cost? She didn’t know if she could handle being in a bed with a man. A man powerful and persuasive. A man who made her want things she knew were likely impossible with him. They both had their own issues to deal with and she didn’t want to face hers with an audience.
What if he got her to the bedroom and she flipped out? Humiliation wasn’t something she welcomed in her life, wasn’t something she cared to have rear its ugly head during an intimate moment.
“Whatever is in your head, stop,” he demanded, taking her face between his strong hands. “Don’t let your past ruin what you want.”
Macy lifted a brow. “And what are you doing? You’re still running, too.”
His eyes closed for the briefest of seconds, as if he needed to gather his thoughts or push aside the demons he didn’t want to face. “I’m not running. I’m just trying to get back to where I need to be.”
A little piece of her heart cracked. This was precisely why she didn’t want to feel anything for him. She could tell he wasn’t staying, didn’t want to be here. But she’d slept with him and any feelings she’d had before that moment were now intensified and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.
Macy swallowed. “And that’s in Savannah.”
“I have a life there,” he defended as he dropped his hands and stood straight up. “I have an opportunity to own the restaurant I’ve been at and I have to try.”
Macy understood all about dreams. Wasn’t she pursuing her own right now in trying to adopt? How could she be selfish in wanting him to stick around simply because her feelings had grown for him? The emotions she’d had as a teen were nothing compared to what she felt now, but telling him would only put him in a position that wasn’t fair. If he wanted to stay or go, ultimately he had to make that call.
“So, while you’re here, we’re what? Friends? Lovers?”
Liam held her in place with his sultry gaze. “Both.”
Okay, well. She could go with that, couldn’t she? Yes, it would hurt when he left, but she had already come this far. Why shouldn’t she enjoy their time together?
“Have you told your brothers?” she asked.
“I have.” Liam went back aro
und to the stove, stirring the pots and then pulling down two plates. “They were supportive. I don’t know what I expected, but knowing I have their approval makes my decision easier.”
Macy didn’t want to discuss this any further. She had no hold on him. She had no right to even ask him to stay to see where this led. But at the same time, when they’d been together, he’d called her “mine.” What did he mean by that? That she was his for now? She was his until he left and was finished with her?
As he sat their plates on the counter and joined her in the empty stool next to her, suddenly Macy had more questions than ever . . . and she feared she didn’t want to know the answers.
Chapter Thirteen
The customer load this week was light, for which Liam was slightly thankful. He could handle the three women in the dining room. The one woman he couldn’t handle was the one who’d gotten inside his head and had him all torn up in knots.
Liam placed the caprese salad on the glass plate and headed toward the sideboard in the dining room.
Now that they’d arrived, Liam remembered Livie and her friend, Jade. The other lady, Melanie, was from Atlanta, and Liam knew that’s where Livie and Jade lived now.
The ladies were drinking their tea, and as much as Liam hated to interact with people outside his comfort zone, he couldn’t ignore the reason they were here, either.
“Livie, I’m sorry about your dad.”
Paul Daniels had owned and operated the small airport strip in Haven. Liam had the impression Livie was set to follow in his footsteps, from what he’d heard during their school days, but then she graduated and left. Liam didn’t keep up with the hows or whys, but Paul had run the airport until his death two weeks ago. Now, to Liam’s knowledge, the mechanic who worked for Paul for years was running the place, but for how long was anyone’s guess.
With a tight smile, Livie nodded. “Thank you. It’s hard being back, but this resort is absolutely amazing and exactly the escape I needed.”
Liam returned her smile. “We’re here to honor Chelsea.”
“She would be proud of what you guys have done.”
Lost in You Page 17