by Nora Ash
“You look fucking amazing,” I said. My voice was hoarse even to my own ears.
The way she lit up at my compliment sent another stab of urgent need through me. She was so impossibly beautiful when she smiled like that, with complete sincerity and happiness. Was this what Liam had seen straight from the beginning? Where I’d seen an uptight, pretty-but-plain woman, he’d seen this fucking goddess I’d somehow missed at first glance.
That smile did it for me. I shouldered my way through her door and pulled her in tight as I kicked it shut behind me. She managed a startled laugh before I swallowed her breath with a heated kiss and grabbed her by the arse so I could pull her pelvis flush with my own.
She was so warm and soft in my grip, and perfectly pliable as I molded her against my own body. Her cherry-flavored kiss sent sparks of desire through my blood, ramping up my lust until I wasn’t capable of holding it in any longer. But when I moved to press her up against the nearest wall while simultaneously hiking up her dress, she pushed me away with a small huff.
“I thought you were taking me out.” Her dry tone almost covered the look of hurt and uncertainty flashing through her eyes as she looked up at me, lips still slightly parted and her chest heaving from our kiss.
“Well, yeah, but then you went and opened the door while looking like a fucking goddess,” I countered as I reached for her hips again. “And now I’d much, much rather stay in.”
“Oh.” She relaxed her shoulders so she was no longer pushing me away, but the look of disappointment on her face made me hesitate. And then, finally, it clicked.
“Oh, shit, you thought I was taking you out-out?” I took in her pretty makeup and sexy dress and mentally slapped myself. Of course she’d been expecting a fancy club and some dancing.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s my mistake,” she said, pulling away from me. Her shoulders slumped the tiniest bit as she turned around and headed for the bathroom. “We can stay in. I’ll just get changed—help yourself to some wine if you want, there’s a bottle in the fridge.”
“Hang on, love.” I grabbed her by the shoulder, halting her retreat. She didn’t look at me, but her intense disappointment cut straight through me like a near tangible thing. I spun her back around and nudged her chin up with a finger to make her meet my gaze.
She really was a gorgeous woman, even without the makeup. Her chocolate eyes seemed to shine with their own light, even now, as she was obviously fighting-and-failing to hide her disappointment. And for a moment, I wished I could have taken her out. To Red, or Eleonore, two of the posher clubs my Family owned. Given her the VIP treatment, because a girl like Audrey deserved the fucking best.
I blinked, pulling myself from my ridiculous thoughts.
Even if getting seen with her wasn’t a terrible idea—which it was—I wasn’t here to fucking date the girl. I only needed to get her comfortable enough with me that I could show Liam she wasn’t the one for him—that she was just like the other girls who’d never know nor care who of us was between her thighs.
Which probably also meant I should take her to where I’d originally planned for us to go, instead of fucking her up against the nearest available surface. She was pretty leery of me, for obvious reasons, so making her think I just wanted to screw her wasn’t the best of ideas, either.
“I do want to take you out. It’s just not something that requires heels and makeup. I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear when I texted you. We should go.”
She frowned. “What should I wear then?”
“Sportswear if you have it, leggings and trainers if you don’t,” I said.
Audrey’s frown turned deeper. “Sportswear? Where exactly are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” I offered her a wide smile. “But it’ll be worth it. Trust me.”
She hesitated for a little while, but then nodded and turned back around. “All right. Wait here while I get changed, then.”
Audrey looked up at the huge cathedral with complete confusion as I stopped her by an unlit part around the back. St. Paul’s Cathedral, with its white walls and trademark dome, was a stunning piece of masonry from the eighteenth century and quite a bit of a tourist attraction—during the day time. At night the roads surrounding it, particularly at the back, lay quiet and more or less abandoned. I’d taken us to a particularly shaded part as well, to avoid pulling random passersby’s interest, too. As far as it was possible in a city like London, we wouldn’t be interrupted for what I had planned next.
“It’s closed,” she said, obviously still having not clocked on to my intentions. “Did you mean for us to go in?”
“Not exactly. How are you with heights?” I shot her a cheeky smile.
“I usually don’t mind them, why?” She looked as confused as ever.
I swung my backpack off and reached in for the gear I’d brought. When I pulled out the two harnesses and rope, her cute frown of confusion deepened.
“What’s that?”
“That, my dear, is climbing equipment.” I jingled the metal-and-nylon gear in front of her.
“I don’t underst—” her voice broke with a startled gasp when she finally grasped my plan. “You’re joking!”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweets.” I gave her a wink and then shook the harness I’d brought for her free, easing it around her hips and between her thighs before she shook herself out of her stunned stupor.
“Liam, what the hell? Are you insane? You want us to—to climb a building?”
20
Audrey
“Not just any building. This cathedral.” He finished trapping me in the harness, tugging sharply on several loose ends before he slipped into his own. He looked way too comfortable with it, and at the back of my mind, I wondered if I was about to discover exactly what sort of activities had given Liam his amazing body. “The view’s amazing from up there. I betcha you’ve never seen London like you will once we’re up.”
I blinked, still sure he was having me on. “I’ve been up the Eye before. You know, during the opening hours, safely cocooned in one of the cages. Like a normal person. I’m not doing this.”
“Why not?” The way he looked at me, with that eternal smile on his lips, made me bite my lip. He sounded like he truly didn’t believe there was a good reason not to freakin’ climb up a several centuries old—and very tall—religious building, like it was something all couples did on date night.
“Uh, how about because it’s dangerous? We could fall.”
“Nah, love.” Liam gave my harness a playful tug, making me stumble closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my body and kissed the top of my head before I could straighten up. “You’re all safe. This’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. Besides, you’ll be with me. I’d never let you fall.”
I swallowed at the smoldering fire in his eyes, willing my ovaries to calm the heck down. I wasn’t going to let him talk me into this ridiculous idea just because a single look from him could fry my ability to think straight.
“It’s illegal,” I countered. “And did I mention an all-round terrible idea? I’m not exactly some gymnastics god here. You might be able to Spider-Man a building, but I’m not. And besides, why do you even want to do this? Just tell me one good reason!”
Liam nudged my chin playfully again and then stepped away, looking up the cathedral. “It’s an easy climb, and I’ll help you. Trust me, love, if you want to, you can. And as for the why…” He looked back at me, and for once, the smile was gone. Something more solemn, but so sincere it nearly stole my breath away, glowed back at me from his shadowed eyes. “When was the last time you felt truly free, Audrey? You work an office job, your life revolves around figures and numbers. I bet you follow all the rules, like you have done since you were sitting at the front row of your class, hand up to show the teacher what a good girl you were.
“Do you even know what it feels like to be free? Do you ever look up at the sky and wonder who you’d be, if you’d been allowed to choose? That’s w
hat’s up there, love. Freedom. And it’s waiting for you to come and fucking take it. So come. Take it. With me.”
I was vaguely aware of the tears blurring my vision as I stared at Liam. Maybe if I’d been able to look away from his burning gaze I could have retreated behind my normal shield of rationalization. I could have huffed and argued that there was no way some illusive sense of freedom could be found at the top of a bloody building.
But as his gaze bored into mine, it felt like he saw me—saw my very essence, and every hope and every dream I’d abandoned along the way as I molded myself to become the person my parents thought I should be.
“How do you know?” I whispered, my throat constricting around the words. “How do you know me so well?”
He reached out and brushed a thumb against my cheek, capturing a trailing tear. “We’re all caught in the same bullshit, love. Of who we’re supposed to be—of expectations we think we have to fulfill. When I need a reminder of what truly matters, I come here.”
I nodded, wiping the last few stray tears from my face and stepped up the the side of the building. Someone who could see me this well… I wanted to follow him wherever he would lead.
“Okay. Show me how.”
My initial fear of being caught by police and then having to explain to them why I was trying to climb up a cathedral was quickly replaced by something much more life-preserving once I got more than two meters up the white wall. I clung to the handholds Liam had shown me before he climbed up ahead of me with an ease that suggested he wasn’t bothered by such mundane things as gravity. I wasn’t even that high up yet, but the realization that if I fell once I got just a little higher, it was only this much-too-thin-looking nylon rope attached to Liam that’d save me from certain death was hard to shake.
As if on cue, the rope secured to my harness shook a bit and I glanced up. Somehow, Liam had already made it to the first roof several meters above me, and he’d apparently found something to tie his end of the rope to.
“Need a hand?” he called.
“Yes.” I’m not sure my small squeak was actually audible up from his vantage point, but the way I clung to my small perch without moving must have clued him in to my state of mind. Scraping sounds from up above made me glance back up, only to see his strong form climbing back down the building—this time without a rope.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked once he made it down by my side. His fingers dug into the furrows as if it was second nature to him to hang off buildings like a damn monkey, and he looked completely unfazed as he shot me a grin.
“Coming to your rescue. You’ve been clinging on to this poor ledge for about ten minutes now.”
“No, I mean, where’s your rope?” I hissed. “What if you fall?”
“I won’t fall, Audrey.” His expression turned serious, and I got the sense it was to calm me down. Like he knew I was teetering on the edge of hysteria. “I’ve done this climb dozens of time. It’s easy.”
“Easy?” I gasped. “How tall is this damn cathedral anyway? Nothing’s easy about it.”
“Sure it is. Was it hard to get where you are now?”
I reluctantly shook my head—after Liam had shown me how, it’d been surprisingly easy to climb the few meters. The old wall had plenty of handholds and ledges to grab onto.
“Well, the rest of the climb is just as easy. You just have to focus on one step at a time. Come on, Audrey, you can do this, I know you can. You’ve come this far—don’t give up now.”
I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. He was right. I’d made it this far. If I gave up now, I knew in the core of my being that I would regret it for the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was looking to prove with this climb, but inside my chest, a tight feeling of longing ached for me to continue.
Shakily, I reached up for the next ridge above me.
“That’s it, now find the hold just above your left knee with your foot. A little further to the left. There.”
Liam climbed next to me this time, showing me where to hold when I couldn’t find purchase and encouraging me every step of the way. I focused only on the wall and on his voice, placing my hands and feet at the furrows he pointed out as I pulled myself up one step at a time. It felt like we’d been on that wall forever when finally, the roof spread out above me.
“This is the tricky part,” Liam said, his voice cheerful. “Once you get up, make sure to find your balance before you try to stand. The wind is a bit strong.”
“Uh-huh,” I managed through gritted teeth. My arms were shaking from the unaccustomed exercise, and sweat made the wisps of hair that’d pulled free from my ponytail stick to my face. When I wiped it against my arm while reaching for the roof, my foot slipped.
I yelped and scrambled for purchase, adrenaline kicking in with a burst of raw power, but before I could think anything more than, “oh, shit!” Liam’s arm wrapped around my hips and arse, steadying me.
“Easy now, I got you,” he said. “The foothold’s just a little to your right, about a foot and a half up. A little more. There you go.”
I managed to find the small ledge I’d missed before and pushed up. Liam boosted me the last bit above the balustrade and suddenly I was on my hands and knees on the gently sloped roof.
“Oh, my God, I did it!” I gasped. My entire body trembled from the still-lingering adrenaline, but I felt absolutely unstoppable.
“Told ya it was easy.” Liam’s cheerful voice was followed by a smack against my backside as he joined me on the roof. When I looked up, he pulled a water bottle from his backpack and handed it to me. “We’ll have a little break before we climb the dome.”
Normally, I would probably have protested against the idea of continuing up. I’d already proven I could do it, so why continue even higher and add more risk? But that was the entire point of this little excursion, I was starting to realize. We were doing it simply because we could. Leave the rationale and rules on the ground—tonight, with Liam as my guide, I was experiencing a different side of life.
It was as intoxicatingly freeing as everything else about him had been since the day we met.
The climb up the pillars toward our final destination, the balustrade balcony surrounding the dome known as the Stone Gallery, was much harder than the initial walls had been, but I was determined now. Liam helped me every step of the way, guiding me and occasionally pushing me when I couldn’t reach a particularly high hold, and just over half an hour after we’d made it to the first roof, I scrambled over the stone balustrade and fell onto the balcony in a graceless heap with a victorious, albeit breathless, laugh.
I’d done it. I’d climbed all the way up St. Paul’s Cathedral, without dying or getting arrested. I’d actually done it.
“Come look at the view with me.”
I looked up at Liam, who scaled the balustrade with quite a bit more finesse. He held a hand down to me, that warm smile of his playing at the corner of his mouth as he looked at my splayed form.
I groaned and took his hand, letting him carry most of my weight as he pulled me to my feet.
It was breathtaking.
London’s skyline stretched out before us with its many lights. There were taller buildings to be sure, but none close to us. It was just us and the open sky, and the city with all its stress and rules far below. And I felt… free.
Something pressed against the insides of my chest, as if fighting against the confines of my ribcage. I breathed deeply, big gulps of air, filling my lungs until I thought they might burst.
Free.
Only riding a horse at a full gallop across the meadows when I was a kid had ever compared to this.
“How did you know what was up here?” I whispered, not looking at the young man by my side who’d shown me what I’d been missing all along without knowing it. I wasn’t sure I could, because if I looked at him right now, I knew I’d never be able to hold back the flood of emotion bubbling up inside of me and threatening to burst out.
> “Me and my brother, we always used to climb the trees in our garden to get away when things got too rough at home. Every problem seems so small when you’re up high. It’s only your own strength that matters then. When… when things got worse, we climbed higher. I’ve been scaling buildings since before I hit puberty.”
“When your mother got shot,” I said softly, grabbing his large hand in mine. I knew what he meant from the emotion in his voice—it was the same as when he’d first told me about how she died.
Something in the small gasp of air that escaped him made me finally look up at him. He was staring at me with pure shock, and I frowned in confusion.
“What?”
“He told you?” he said, his voice not much more than a whisper.
21
Louis
“Who told me what?” she asked, her flushed face pulling into a confused frown.
He’d told her. She knew about our mother and how she died.
For the longest moment I couldn’t do anything but stare down at the small by my side, who knew about my most painful loss because my twin had shared it with her. We never spoke about her, with anyone. Hardly even each other. The loss had been too painful to ever fully process, even if we’d been too young to understand at the time.
But Audrey knew.
And for some reason, it shook me to my core.
“Liam?” she asked, clearly worried by my sudden shocked silence. “Who told me what?”
“Sorry, I… forgot you knew about that,” I said, shaking my head to dismiss my odd outburst.
“I guess you haven’t told that many people,” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
“No one,” I said. “No one before you.”
She bit her lip and gave my hand another squeeze. “Do you want to tell me how it happened?”
I opened my mouth to tell her no, but something about the way she looked at me made me hesitate before I could get the words out. There was so much emotion in those beautiful brown eyes of hers, so much trust, and for reasons I could never explain, right then I wanted nothing more than to tell her everything. With a certainty that shook my very foundation, I suddenly knew that I wanted her to see all the pain of my mother’s death and everything that’d happened around it.