“God…Liam.”
That was enough to make me come. Hearing those words from her mouth was the biggest turn on in the world. I felt the heat in my lower stomach then squirted out of my tip, filling her with aching pleasure. Every time we were together, it got better and better.
I pressed my chest against her back then wrapped my arm around her waist. I clung to her, feeling the heat from our writhing bodies. She breathed deeply, still catching her breath from the aggressive fucking we just did.
“You okay?” I whispered.
She nodded. “That felt so good.”
I licked the sweat off her neck.
“I want to do it again.”
I smirked. “I need a few minutes.”
She turned on her back then pulled me to her. My hips moved between her legs and I rested my weight on my elbow. Her legs wrapped around my waist, their usual place.
She watched my body as she massaged the muscles of my shoulders and arms. “You’re so hot.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That hasn’t changed. You just noticed?”
Her hand moved to my heart. “I’ve always thought he was beautiful. But now I’m starting to see the superficial aspects that all the other girls love so much.”
My eyes softened. I was sick of being wanted for my looks. She was the first one who loved me for me, not my body fat percentage or muscle mass. “We did this backwards.”
“No.” Her fingers glided across my skin. “We did it the right way. Which is why the sex is fucking amazing.” She gave me a playful look.
“You’re right about that.” I moved to the bed and pulled her into my arms. She was the only girl I slept with. The other ones were kicked out as soon as we had our fun.
I remembered how depressed I was during that time. None of that pain affected me anymore. I felt like the others never existed. It’s always been just Keira. She was the other half of me, her heart beating in sync with mine.
Feeling her in my arms every night helped me recover from the trauma of my life. I knew she felt the same way. She was closer than a friend and a lover. There was a new level for what we had. There was nothing that could take her away from me. She was mine until the end of time. And even after that.
Chapter Fourteen
Liam
Five Years Earlier…
Eva continued to date Derek.
I was frustrated beyond words. I hated the guy with every fiber of my being. I wanted to slit his throat and watch the blood drain from his veins. I wanted him to suffer, and suffer still.
But Eva still wanted him.
He beat her, verbally abused her, cheated on her, and who knew what else. Why did she stay? I didn’t understand. If she were afraid of him, I’d protect her. I was ten times the man he’d ever be.
Derek gave me a cocky smile every day at school. He knew I couldn’t do anything on campus. I was constantly being watched, like I would explode and kill the entire student body. Derek was always under surveillance, making sure he didn’t go anywhere near me.
I was pissed at Eva. I wanted to help her but she wouldn’t let me. She came home with bruises on her arms, but she always told my parents she hurt herself in the lab at school. I saw right through the bullshit. Why didn’t my parents?
I loathed my father. His daughter was clearly being abused but he was too stupid to see it. If it were in my power, Eva wouldn’t be allowed to leave the house. Actually, if this happened to my daughter, Derek’s body would be thrown in a dumpster and forgotten. I didn’t care if I was caught and thrown in jail. As long as my child was safe, I’d be okay with my fate.
She and I didn’t talk for the next few weeks. Whenever she was home, she was in her room. And when we did share meals together, we didn’t look at each other. I should be angry that she was willing to be with someone that tried to jump me, but I wasn’t. I was just pissed she was with him. She deserved something so much better. Unable to handle her stupidity, I pushed her away and watched her come home with the bruises and scars.
I was always a keen problem solver. I analyzed situations and tried to resolve problems in the most efficient way. But I couldn’t figure out how to fix this. Would she be with him, letting him hurt her, until he moved on to someone else? Until he got tired of her? How did he brainwash my sister, a valedictorian?
It made no fucking sense.
I went to a party on Friday night. My friends were going, and I tagged along because I had nothing else to do. When we entered the basement, the music played loud in my ears. The thud of the bass was heavy on my eardrum.
I scouted the room and searched for the potential girl I’d hook up with. There wasn’t much talent tonight. They all wore summer dresses, showing their thighs and their cleavage. They blurred together and didn’t have any identifiable traits. All I saw were a bunch of whores.
I would never let my daughter dress like that. I was too young to think about kids, but I knew I’d be a protective father. Seeing the way Eva threw her life away made me more determined to learn from my father’s mistakes.
A few girls showed their interest in me with eye contact and body language, but I wasn’t feeling it. I was just too angry to hook up with anyone tonight. My sister was on my mind. The recent bruise on her arm was burned into my thoughts. I decided to call it a night.
I left the house then headed to my truck a few blocks away. My hands were in my pockets and I listened to the sound of my feet hitting the road as I moved. The melancholy settled on me when I realized the situation I was in. There was a problem to be fixed but I couldn’t resolve it. It was the most frustrating thing in the world. I just wanted my sister to be happy. Was that so much to ask?
When I got into my truck, I sat still and rested my head against the glass. I knew I should forget about my sister and move on with my life. If she was stupid enough to be with Derek, then I shouldn’t care what happened to her.
But I did.
My phone rang but I didn’t answer it. There wasn’t a single person in the world I wanted to talk to. No one understood me. No one knew how I felt, how frustrated I was every single day. I was alone in the universe, missing someone to share it with.
The phone rang again, and I sighed in annoyance. When I looked at the screen, I saw my mom’s name. I didn’t feel like talking to her, but she never called twice in a row. She usually left a message and waited for me to call back.
I called her. “Yeah?”
She was crying. “Liam…”
My heart fell into my stomach. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
She sobbed. “Eva…”
My vision blurred. The worst possible scenario came to my mind. “Where is she? Is she okay?”
“We’re at the hospital. Come quick.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I dropped the phone and hauled ass.
After I dashed into the hospital, I finally located my sister’s room. I walked inside. My sister was in the ICU. Tubes and cables were hooked up everywhere. She was on a breathing monitor. The beep went off every few seconds. I stood, frozen to the spot.
My mom held her hand, still crying.
I didn’t recognize Eva. Her face was indistinguishable. Dried blood was still caked in places. Her eyes were black and swollen. An IV pole hung beside her bed, the tube going into her wrist. When I came closer, I realized the damage was worse. Her leg was broken and her right forearm was in a cast.
The blood pounded in my ears. “What happened?”
My mom wiped the tears away but they kept falling, blurring her vision and making her nose run. “It was him…”
Derek. Derek did this to her.
I was going to fucking kill him.
Slaughter him.
Rip apart every limb until he was a damn corpse.
I breathed through the anger, feeling my arms and hands shake. I stepped back, unable to control myself. I wanted to demolish the room. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
I can’t believe it.
Please be
a dream.
I gripped my skull, trying to steady my emotions. It was getting more difficult for me to control my furry. The therapist and the program didn’t help me at all. I was too far gone.
This was all my fault. If I just killed Derek when I had the chance, my sister wouldn’t be in the hospital bed right now. Her limps wouldn’t be broken. Her face wouldn’t be so demolished that I couldn’t recognize her.
All my fault.
I paced the room, unable to stay still. “Is she going to be okay?”
My mother sniffed. “The surgery went well. They said they needed to observe her for a few weeks. She had some internal bleeding. They had to repair a lot of the damage.”
God, kill me right now.
I couldn’t sit. I stood in the corner, my arms across my chest. I couldn’t look at my sister. I didn’t ask what happened or how it happened. I didn’t want to know. What did Derek do to her? How did they find her?
No, I didn’t want to know.
“Was he arrested?”
The answer better be yes. It better fucking be yes.
She nodded. “They took him into custody.”
“Fucking asshole…”
My mom didn’t berate me for cussing.
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to calm down. At least Derek had been caught. That was something to be thankful for.
My dad came into the room, looking wide-eyed and tired. He went to Eva’s other side then rested his face in his hands. He didn’t notice me.
“Liam is here,” my mom whispered.
My dad turned to me, a sad look on his face.
I turned my face away and refused to look at him. I couldn’t stand him.
My dad didn’t speak. When he withdrew his look from me, he stared at Eva, stroking her hand and breathing hard.
Hours passed and not a word was spoken. I didn’t want to be there. Seeing my sister lying there, weak and practically dead was too hard for me. I felt the guilt weigh on me. I’d give anything to switch places with her.
Anything.
When the monitor started to shriek, everyone flinched. Her blood pressure dropped and her heart rate spiked. It happened so suddenly, we were unsure what to do. The beeping sound reverberated in my ears.
My mom sat back, unsure what to do. My dad looked at the monitor like it would tell him something he needed to know.
The nurse rushed in, followed by the doctor and the respiratory therapist.
“Get back,” the nurse yelled.
My parents were pushed to the side as they swarmed around Eva.
“Cardiac arrest,” the doctor said.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The nurse leaned over Eva and performed CPR. The doctor ordered a few meds to keep her blood pressure stable. The respiratory therapist monitored the airflow.
My dad held my mom while she sobbed in his arms. I tried to look away but I couldn’t.
Come on. Please. Come on.
Minutes went by and her heart rate finally disappeared over the monitor. The single tone emitted from the speaker.
My heart stopped.
Everyone stood back. The doctor looked at my father, sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
My dad broke down in tears. He rushed to Eva and held her in his arms, openly weeping. My mom came to the other side and sobbed hysterically, holding Eva’s hand to her cheek.
I stood still, numb.
This can’t be happening.
God, please be a dream.
No. No. No.
My chest caved in, squeezing me and inhibiting the air from entering my lungs. My eyes burned with falling tears. Pain like I’d never known shot through me, crushing me completely.
If I had done something differently, things would have been different. If I just tried harder to protect her, she’d still be alive.
Then I looked at my father. I warned him about Derek. I said I didn’t like him and I didn’t trust him. I told him she was covered in bruises. After Derek jumped me in the locker room, my father should have suspected the abuse. But he sent me to a specialist instead, saying there was something wrong with me.
But I was right. I was fucking right.
And that gave me no satisfaction.
I marched to him then grabbed him by the throat. Punches slammed into his face. “She’s dead because of you!” I was insane in my rage. All I saw was red. I hated my father, wishing he were dead. He was a piece of shit, a pathetic excuse for existence. He covered his head to hide from my punches but I wailed on him harder.
“Liam!” My mom screamed. “Stop it!”
I hit him harder. “You did this to her!”
“Stop!”
Security rushed into the room and yanked me off. Livid, I spit on his face. “Go to hell.” I maneuvered out of their hold then held my ground, glaring at my father. I gave him one more look of hate before I stormed out of the room.
Chapter Fifteen
Keira
Everything had changed.
In the eight months that Liam and I had been together, he repaired the damage inflicted on my body and mind. I was a new person, whole and new. I was madly in love with my best friend, the man I was meant to be with.
I just wished my parents could have met him.
Every day with Liam was better than the one before. I could tell him anything, even sing in front of him. And the nights we made love were beautiful and sexy at the same time. I was never satisfied with him because I wanted more—a lot more.
While I would never be completely supportive about his job in the ring, I still pushed through it and accepted it. It’s what Liam wanted and I would give that to him. If it was important to him, it was important to me. And I knew Liam would never hurt me—for any reason.
Our relationship was perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Now I hated school. Because when I was there, he wasn’t. I’d spend hours apart from him, fantasizing about feeling that muscled mass on top of me.
I was sick of seeing girls hit on him. Even though they knew he had a girlfriend, they did it anyway. It didn’t matter where he was. It happened at the grocery store, on campus, and everywhere else.
I trusted Liam and knew he wouldn’t even look at another girl, but it still annoyed me. Why couldn’t they respect his love for me? They were constantly trying to jump his bones—my bones.
Now that I was stronger, I was more aggressive. When a girl threw herself at him, I swooped in and told her to back off. Liam usually walked away but sometimes he was cornered. And I needed to defend my territory. I just wished I didn’t have to do it so often.
After I finished my tutoring session, the devil approached my table.
Adrianna crossed her arms over her chest, the sinister smile on her face. “How’s it going?”
God, I hated this bitch. “Get the hell away from me, tramp.”
“Someone grew a backbone.” She continued to smile like she was amused.
I returned my book to my purse. “Harass someone else. I don’t have time for this.” I rose from my chair.
“I can’t believe you’re still with him after he lied to you.”
“Liam doesn’t lie to me.” I didn’t even need to defend him. There was no point.
“So he told you we slept together?”
I stormed off. I didn’t have time with this bullshit. Liam said he didn’t sleep with her. And if he said that, it was true. There was no doubt.
“After his sister’s death, you think he could handle being alone?”
I stopped in my tracks. How did she know that? I was the only person he ever told. And I didn’t tell anyone…
“You think he can protect you because your ex abused you?” She shook her head. “Honey, he doesn’t care about you. He just likes to feed on girls before he moves on. He did the same to me.”
What?
She knew what happened to me?
Liam told her?
What?
Blinding hot pain shot
through all my nerves. When it reached my heart, it crippled me and made me break.
Liam told my secret.
Wait, calm down. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. There was another explanation.
“You’ve been researching me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Researching you? No. Liam told me he was sick of your Bambi act. Then he fucked me.”
My heart raced, speeding faster than a freight train.
She smiled. “Poor girl. You thought he actually cared about you? He told me everything, Keira. You’re easy prey. When he’s done with you, he’ll play Prince Charming to someone else then abandon them. It’s how he gets his kicks.”
The walls were caving in. I couldn’t breathe.
How did Adrianna know that unless he told her? And why would he tell her unless they were close? Maybe he did sleep with her…
God, this couldn’t be happening. Did he really lie to me? Did he betray me? I didn’t know which was worse; the fact he slept with her and lied about it or the knowledge he shared my darkest secret with my greatest enemy. It was an explosive betrayal.
This can’t be happening.
I loved Liam with my whole heart. I was so happy with him. Every afternoon in the garden was spent in companionable silence. We hardly said we loved each other because we didn’t need to. The truth rang strong in the air.
But all of that was a lie.
He played me.
He lied to me.
He betrayed me.
Adrianna shook her head slightly. “You’ve hated me this entire time but I’ve never been your enemy. It was always him.”
I wasn’t listening to her. My mind had turned off. All I saw was darkness. My heart was about to explode. My hands shook. I had to get out of there. I stumbled out of the library and headed to my car. When I finally got behind the driver’s seat, I couldn’t remember how I got there.
Liam was in the shower when I got home. I stayed in the living room, trying not to cry. My arms were across my chest and I was breathing heavily. I couldn’t calm down. Tears burned behind my eyes. I shook, and shook harder.
When I heard the stairs creak under his heavy mass, I whimpered in pain. I didn’t want to look at him. I didn’t want to speak to him. I just wanted to run and never stop.
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