Consumed (The Breathless Series, #1)

by Toppen, Melissa

  As I make my way back, my phone signals an incoming call. I scramble to remove it from my purse. An unknown number displays across the screen and I immediately answer it in hopes that maybe it's Liam.

  “Addison, it's Grayson. Don't hang up.” Is what I hear instead. I breathe out a sigh of aggravation but for some unknown reason I don't end the call.

  “What do you want?” I snap, not trying to make friendly talk at all.

  “Look I know that you are really angry with me. I feel awful about everything. Can we meet up somewhere for coffee or something? I really need to see you.” His voice is soft and pleading, something far from the normal Grayson that I am used to.

  “I'm sorry Grayson, I really don't think that's such a great idea.” I answer immediately.

  “Please Addie, just one cup of coffee.” He pleads.

  “I can't today, maybe another time.” I do my best to pacify him.

  “Monday? Come on Addie. Please.”

  “Fine, Monday.” I agree really just wanting to end this conversation. I don't care what he wants, I just want him to leave me the hell alone.

  “Great, I will meet you in the lobby at noon.” His voice takes on a more chipper approach. “I can't wait to see you.” He adds in a more serious tone.

  “See you then.” I say indifferently before ending the call.

  Leave it to Grayson to put a damper on my perfectly peaceful morning. Not really feeling up to going home all of a sudden, I continue walking with no real destination just simply losing myself in my mind.

  It is hard to keep up with how quickly everything has changed but I don't regret a single moment of it. When Grayson ended things I thought my world had ended. Now I see it really is only just beginning. I have Liam to thank for that. Not to mention some pretty awesome friends.

  My phone starts ringing again just as I reach the bike trails where I used to spend almost every day running. I make my way to a bench off to the side and retrieve my phone from my purse just as the ringing stops.

  The missed call message shows it was my mom. Realizing it has been over a week since we last spoke, I click the number to call her back. She answers on the first ring. “I was beginning to think you had disowned us.” She lashes at me, not harshly, but enough to get her point across.

  “I know mom, I'm sorry. Things have been so busy. How are you? How's dad?” I ask.

  “Everything is good. Dad is spending a lot of time in the garage recently. He bought himself a new toy to fix up. It's the biggest piece of junk yet.” She whines clearly not understanding my dads constant need to buy old cars and rebuild them, something he has done since I was young. I used to love sitting out in the garage with him, handing him tools, and listening to old Johnny Cash songs. Those are some of my fondest childhood memories and the thought of him back at it again makes me wish that I could be there with him.

  “Cut him some slack mom. You know how much he loves it.” I remind her. “How is everything else, anything new?”

  “Well that's actually why I am calling. Aunt Kelly is coming in next week and was really hoping to get the chance to see you. You really do need to visit. We miss you like crazy dear and with Grayson out of the picture there should be no reason not to.”

  “I wish I could mom but I have work. I am extremely busy with a big charity event that's in a couple of weeks. It's really not possible for me to take time off right now.” I say apologetic.

  “Kelly is going to be so disappointed.” She lays the guilt trip on me.

  “I know mom. Will it make you feel better if I promise to come visit you the weekend after the event? I can fly out on Saturday morning and stay a couple of days.”

  “That would be amazing honey. Your dad will be thrilled.” She says, the excitement clear in her voice. I really do need to get out to visit them and it probably isn't a bad idea to just get away for a few days.

  I promise to let her know as soon as my flight arrangements are made and by the end of our conversation she is perfectly happy. I make an excuse about needing to get some housework done and quickly wrap up the phone call.

  After hanging up I stare down at my phone for a few seconds, lost in my own mind. I don't know if I should be worried or relieved that Liam has not tried to contact me yet today. Regardless I can't help but feel more than a little disappointed. I mean it was after all the best night of my life.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Liam's voice breaks me from my haze. I look up, sure that him standing there, a wide smile across his face, is a figment of my imagination. “Care to join me? It's a beautiful day for a walk.” He says holding his hand out to me.

  I take it without hesitation and let him pull me to my feet. I twine my fingers with his, loving the feeling of his skin against mine. I want to question him on how he found me. How he always seem to know where I am. But in this moment I don't want to ruin it. I just want to enjoy being here with him. As great as this all seems, I still have the nagging feeling that I better enjoy this while I can because it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down. Nothing this good ever turns out to be true.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As we make our way hand in hand down the long winding bike trail, I take the opportunity to learn about the man that has so quickly swept me off my feet. It's time like this that I realize how little I still know about him and how unsettling that is for me.

  “Question nine.” I say breaking the silence. He lets out a small laugh.

  “By all means, ask away.” He says keeping a slow leisurely pace at my side.

  “You said that you spent most of your childhood in Italy. Tell me about that.” I say not really asking a specific question.

  “There's not much to tell.” He says growing quiet as if considering what exactly to tell me. “My mom is a lawyer, dad is in politics. I don't remember much of my early childhood. I know that my parents weren't around much and a lot of my younger years were spent in the care of a nanny. My grandparents had a field day when they found out that my mother had allowed me to be raised by a complete stranger and insisted on me moving to live with them. My parents didn't hesitate and sent me off to them. I was six.” He says, his voice remaining indifferent even though I can tell it bothers him.

  “Did you like Italy?” I ask wanting to keep the conversation going. I am grateful for every piece of information I can get from him, hoping that the more I get, the more I will understand the person he is and the past he came from.

  “Italy is beautiful but living with my grandparents left a lot to be desired. Where my parents were uninvolved and pushed me off on anyone that would take me, my grandparents were the exact opposite. They were extremely overprotective and rarely let me do anything that didn't include them. I went to a private school and had very few friends because they were very selective about who I spent my days with. My grandparents came from old money and old traditions and expected me to act a certain way. I did my best to fall in line, any life was better than a life with parents who wished I didn't exist.” He breaks off as if lost in thought. I can see his internal battle raging but that doesn't stop him from continuing.

  “I lived a very sheltered life for a good portion of my teens. That is until Ronnie convinced my grandparents to let me return to the states with him when I was sixteen. He used the excuse that my mother wanted to see me even though I knew it wasn't true. My grandparents reluctantly agreed to let me go for a couple of weeks but once I was gone, I never went back. Since my grandparents did not have official custody of me and my parents could care less about my whereabouts there was really nothing they could do about it. Ronnie took me under his wing. He showed me what life was supposed to be like, what it meant to really live.”

  “What happened to him?” I ask when he falls silent, losing himself in a memory. I can only assume that he is gone just based on how our last conversation he referred to him as past tense.

  “He died when I was nineteen, heart attack. He left me everything he owned, everything. Her
e I was a young guy with money to burn and women willing and ready to do anything I wanted. I lost myself for a very long time. I lost myself in the Vegas lifestyle, the girls, the alcohol, the gambling. It wasn't until recently that I realized I no longer recognized the person that stared back at me in the mirror, every part of who I was has been erased over the years, one day I just realized there was nothing left.” He gives my hand a light squeeze and then leads me to the bench where we sat the first time I ran into him here.

  I digest his words and everything he has told me. The drinking, the girls? My stomach twists in the worst sort of way when jealousy rears its ugly head. I know I have no right to be jealous but the thought of him with another woman makes my blood boil and it's a thought I am having a hard time stomaching.

  “And your parents, where are they now?” I ask taking a seat next to him on the bench. The trees that surround the trail offer just enough shade that the heat is bearable. I still have not become accustomed to the Nevada heat.

  “Haven't seen them since the funeral. They wasted no time in letting me know what a disappointment I was. My grandparents barely spoke to me. I guess they never really got over me leaving and never coming back. My dad and I got into a bit of a tiff after the services. He said that I was just like my uncle Ronnie and that I was destined to be a life long fuck up. Took me about ten seconds before I punched him square in the face. I'll never forget the look on my mother's face as she tried to stop his nose from bleeding. Serves them right.” He says on a gruff laugh.

  “That sounds awful.” I say rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand that is still joined with mine. He turns towards me giving me a weak smile.

  “I would do it all over again if it meant that I would find you.” He says, letting my hand fall to reach up and tuck my hair behind my ear, away from my face. Instantly I can feel my heart go into overdrive. The look in his eyes, the words, it's almost like he has been waiting for me. Waiting for me to come along and make his life worth something. It's a ridiculous thought and one that I am sure isn't true but I want to believe that's what he's telling me.

  “What about your parents, you still close?” He asks turning the tables on me.

  “Very. Well I mean we were, I guess we still are though we don't see each other often and I am really awful about calling. My mom is one of those gossip queens. She always has to know everything about everyone. Her and the neighbors were always whispering about other people in the neighborhood. She's ridiculous really but she loves me and she's a good mom.” I pause for a second before continuing.

  “My dad is the best. He's quiet and keeps to himself. I never understood how he put up with my mom's dramatics but he does. He always stands by her even when he disagrees with her. He's rebuilding a car, something we used to do together when I was a kid. My mom is having a fit about it.” I laugh.

  “You built cars?” He eyes me suspiciously.

  “Okay so I didn't actually help with the car part. More than anything I just liked hanging out in the garage with him. I promised mom I would visit here in a couple of weeks. As much as I hate flying, I am looking forward to seeing them, especially my dad. We have always shared a special bond. I think it's because I am so much more like him than I am my mom.”

  “And what about ass hat?” The words come out in a rush catching me off guard. I hadn't prepared myself for him to ask me about Grayson nor do I really want to talk about it either.

  “What about him?” I bite out, quickly realizing the aggravation apparent in my voice. “Sorry.” I apologize immediately. “I really just don't want to get into that whole situation.” I say, standing to stretch my legs.

  “No pressure.” He says standing to join me. “I intend on spending every moment I can getting to know you. And I am a very patient man.” He says leaning down to place a small kiss to my cheek. I can feel the heat swarm my face instantly. Something about this man lights a fire deep inside me.

  “And I am a very stubborn woman.” I reply on a laugh as I walk away. He quickly catches up to me, my short legs no match for his long lean ones. He grabs my hand and pulls me sideways off the trail and into the woods. I have no choice but to follow and am utterly confused about where he's going until he turns around quickly and pins me to a large tree behind me.

  His mouth closes down on mine instantly, the internal heat going from a simmer to a full on burn in the matter of seconds. I part my lips giving him full access to my mouth. He takes full advantage, his tongue leaving no part of my mouth unexplored. He breaks away leaving me panting and trying to catch my breath.

  “I have wanted to do that all day.” He says taking my mouth in his once more. My body goes limp against him, melting into his kiss, his body. His hand trails down my side leaving goosebumps in their wake until his fingers find the band of my yoga pants.

  He slips his hand inside before I have a chance to protest and once his fingers are on me, I no longer have the will to stop him. He slowly caresses me, trailing up and down until his finger slips inside my folds. He easily glides in me, the wetness giving him easy access. He groans deep in his throat as he plunges another finger inside of me.

  I try to stifle my cry from the pleasure but find it's harder than I thought. I know that we are in the woods, I know that we are not far from the trail and that someone could stumble upon us at anytime, but honestly I can't bring myself to care. The world around us no longer exists and my only thought is Liam. The way he feels, the way he smells, how badly I want to feel him inside me again.

  “Take me.” I say not really thinking just doing. He breaks away from my lips to look at me.

  “Here?” He asks as if he thinks I have forgotten where we are. I nod to confirm. “You don't have to tell me twice.” He says taking my mouth once more. Somehow he manages to remove one of my pant legs but leaves the other in tact so that I am not completely exposed. I fumble at the his jeans, my fingers refusing to work properly as I fight my way through the button and zipper. I free him from his boxers without removing them and hold the heavy weight of his massive erection in my hand.

  I trail my hand gently upward to the head before swirling my thumb over the tip. His breath hitches and I can hear his heavy breathing as I continue my tortuously slow pace. “Enough.” He barks out grabbing me under the ass and lifting me from the ground.

  I wrap my legs around his waist, my full weight supported in his arms. He backs me once again against the tree for support and in one quick thrust enters me. I cry out in both pain and pleasure. He fills me so full I feel like my body can not take anymore and then he finds a hard slamming rhythm.

  My back lifts up and down against the tree, the bark scratching me through my shirt but I don't care. All I feel is him, inside me, filling me. I can feel the build start and can't believe that I am there already. I never climaxed with Grayson, not during intercourse anyways. It was a total shock when it happened last night but I never expected it would be a normal thing.

  I let myself revel in the pleasure. His hard body pressing into mine. His hot breath on my throat. He increases his pace, going at an impossibly hard and fast pace given our current position. I feel his body tense against me, feel him swell inside me, stretching me even further. This pushes me over the edge and I cry out through another mind blowing orgasm just as he finds his release.

  He doesn't pull out right away. Instead he backs me away from the tree and just holds me. He buries his face in my hair, his breathing returning to normal as he caresses my back.

  Eventually I can feel him soften inside of me and he reluctantly withdraws, setting me to my feet so that I can put my pants back on. Now that the heat has worn off I can't help but notice that the woods are not near as thick as they once had seemed and we very well could have given some people a pretty interesting show.

  I don't see anyone and the trail is out of view from where we are so I am fairly certain that no one saw us but that doesn't change the fact that I am shocked by my carelessness. I have never done anything
like this before and have a feeling that the land of the unexplored is something I should probably get used to.

  Liam reaches out from behind me to trail his fingers lightly across my back. “I think I owe you a shirt.” He says pointing out that my shirt is ripped and torn from our love fest against the tree. “Fuck.” He breathes out angrily.

  “What?” I ask turning to face him. He stops me mid turn.

  “Your back. You're bleeding. Fuck, fuck. Did I hurt you? Shit, I'm so sorry.” He says dropping his hand from my back and taking a step backwards. I whip around quickly to find him taking another step backwards.

  “I'm fine, are you kidding me?” I ask completely taken aback by his behavior. “It doesn't hurt, I'm sure it's fine. Besides it was my idea remember?” I remind him hoping this will ease any guilt he may have about hurting me.

  “I said I wouldn't hurt you.” He says more to himself than to me.

  “And you didn't.” I say matter of factly, stepping directly in front of him. I take his face in my hands and force his face down to look at me. “Please don't. This was incredible. I want to remember it that way.” I say pushing up on my tip toes to place a small kiss at the side of his mouth. I can see him visibly relax, a small smile forming on his face.

  “You are amazing, you know that?” He asks pulling me into his arms.

  “I try.” I joke, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him tighter to me. I really can't imagine life gets any better than this.

  Chapter Twenty

  I spend the good portion of my Monday morning in meetings. To say I am on cloud nine would be an understatement. For the first time in a very long time I feel genuinely happy. I know I owe my happiness to one person and one person alone. I can't help but kick myself for holding out so long on letting myself be with Liam. Every fear that I had has quickly faded to the background. Every fear but one. Losing him.