But before I could say anything else, Liam nudged my legs apart and sat on his knees between them.
I stared up at him, curious yet in so much mind numbing pain, I could have cared less if he was standing on his head.
But that soon changed when I felt him rolling up the hem of the hospital gown. “What are you doing!” I cried out and then immediately regretted my loud cry. Just speaking above a whisper made me cringe.
“Lay back down,” Liam said calmly. Soon he had the gown rolled all the way up to right below my breasts. I quickly flicked a glance down and was grateful I still had my underwear on. But I soon felt breathless as I looked down at the swath of bandages around my midsection, all turning a bright red.
With quick, skilled fingers, Liam started undoing the bandaging. “What are you doing? I’m bleeding!” I said softly, horrified and yet too exhausted with pain to put up much of a fight.
“Hush,” he said without looking up. With all the bandages removed, I felt smaller, lighter, more fragile. And I could feel the blood pooling around my belly.
I groaned as I felt the bed shift again. I looked down and saw to my horror Liam laying himself down on his belly, between my legs. Hooking his arm around my left thigh, he pulled me a little closer to him.
He finally looked up, his green eyes glowing with a knowing glint. My mouth was open in shock and embarrassment. What was he doing!
And as if to answer my question, Liam showed me exactly what he was going to do. He lowered his head over my lower left belly, the ugly wound still bleeding, and closed his lips over it.
I gasped and tried to jerk back but his arm tightened around my thigh and kept me in place easily. “Wha…What,” I whispered, unsure what to think, how to feel.
I felt Liam’s tongue press itself against the tender wound. I cringed instinctively, expecting that nauseating roll of pain. But instead, a cool soothing sensation began to pour into me. His tongue slowly licked over the wound again, his lips pressed firmly against my abdomen. Another wave of soothing peace filled me.
“What are you doing?” I asked for what felt like the millionth time. But this time, I didn’t care what the answer was. Whatever he was doing felt amazing. I could almost feel every ache, every pain, dissolving and dissipating, leaving me in a wonderful pool of relaxed ease.
Feeling so good and aching for more, I even arched my back, pressing my stomach into his mouth, wanting more of whatever it was he was giving. A large hand flattened against my stomach, pushing me back down. He would give whatever he wanted when he wanted. And I was to just take it.
Closing my eyes, I sighed. I would gladly take it. I felt wonderful. I felt beyond restored. It was hard to believe I was in such agonizing pain only minutes ago. This was incredible. I felt as if I could fly.
Soon, his licking didn’t just soothe me. It began to inflame me. A needy heat started to sizzle within me. I wanted to clench my thighs together but couldn’t because of Liam. I could feel my breasts awakening, my nipples perking up at the rush of sizzling heat. Oh god. He was right there between my legs. He had to be able to tell what I was feeling.
Slowly, I realized Liam had stopped licking. I opened my eyes and looked down. There, between my legs, was my demon with green eyes, grinning knowingly, his chin covered in my blood. He looked downright terrifying. I felt my pussy clench.
I dragged my eyes away from him and looked down at my wound. Except there was no wound. My belly was clean and smooth and whole, with no hint of a scar or anything!
“How did you do that?” I whispered, unable to tear my gaze away from my restored body.
“Demon magic,” Liam answered simply, his body still between my legs. “Much more reliable than human bumbling in hospitals.”
I stared at him. “But why?” I asked. “If I had died…you’d have my soul that much sooner. Why bother? Why do…all this?” I nodded my chin towards my healed stomach.
Liam lowered his head without breaking his gaze with me. He opened his mouth and I watched as his tongue licked me from right above my panties up to my belly button.
I shivered and willfully stopped my eyes from rolling back in pleasure.
“I’m a demon of my word,” he said, his chin red with blood. “I said I would help you and this is how I help.” He rubbed his chin against my belly, tickling me harshly with his rough stubble. “More useful than you thought I’d be, eh?”
His eyes glinted with humor. My heart pounded looking at him. He was so close to the epicenter of my ache, my hunger.
“You should rest now,” he said, shifting his body in preparation to leave. I suddenly couldn’t bear the idea of him leaving me now.
“Rest?” I said. “How? I feel like I could run twenty miles.” And it was true. My body hummed with an energy that was charged and zinging to go.
Liam looked at me, brow raised. “Well, I guess if I’ve helped you this far, I should help you fall asleep as well,” he said, leaning back down.
I eyed him suspiciously. “If you’re planning to do some kind of hocus pocus on me to knock me out, you better just—”
All the air from my lungs evaporated as Liam put his mouth directly over my wet pussy, gently pressing his teeth into my mound. Slowly he dragged his teeth over me as he gripped my panties, pulling them down. Once they slid off my hips, he pulled them off all the way with his hands.
I was now completely bare to his touch. “You aren’t—” I started but he hushed me by shoving the rest of my hospital gown up, revealing my breasts, full and heaving with anticipation.
He lowered his head and pulled a nipple into his mouth. I moaned as the heat of his mouth enveloped me. He laved at the sensitive bud, nearly making me writhe in pleasure.
“I’m not what?” he murmured against my breast, his stubble rubbing against the sensitive flesh. “I’m not going to stop, that’s what, little one.” He turned to the other nipple, giving it similar attentions.
“But you…you—” I could hardly finish the thought as he sucked hard against my nipple, shooting an intense arrow of pleasure right to my pussy.
“But I’m your stepbrother?” he finished, although that hadn’t been what I had meant to say. He looked up, his eyes glinting teasingly. “That’s right. But quite a wicked brother, I think.”
He pushed himself back down and without any moment of hesitation or break, he plunged his tongue into my sensitive wet tissues. I arched my back and cried out in pleasure as his tongue stroked me. Hard and firm, with a relentless force, he tasted me at my most intimate place.
His muscular arms wrapped themselves around my thighs, keeping me pinned to the bed and at the mercy to his tongue. With a scary level of skill, he brought me over and over again to the edge of all-consuming pleasure. But as if he knew he was driving me mad, he wouldn’t let me fall. He just continued to stroke my pussy with his tongue, sending burning wave after wave of ecstasy.
I felt his tongue swirl around my engorged clit. I gasped, the feeling too sensitive, too good. “Oh fuck!” I muttered as he stroked each side of the nub, beckoning it to grow. I heard his muffled chuckle as he teased me cruelly with his tongue.
He gave another pass around my aching clit before clamping his lips around me and sucking hard just as he thrust in a hard finger deep inside me.
I threw my head back and screamed as everything within me shattered. Liam seemed to have wrung pleasure from me like water twisted out of a towel. I was left panting and motionless, too exhausted to possibly move even a finger.
I hardly felt Liam rise from the bed. I barely felt him take off my loose blood soaked hospital gown and then tucking me in under the covers.
My eyes barely opened in time to catch Liam at the door. “Why?” I asked simply. Why did he do that? Why would a demon want to do that?
Liam’s eyes darkened. I could see something happening behind his eyes beyond just the lust shared a few moments ago. “To show you this is how it will happen,” he said simply.
“What will?” I asked, sleep tug
ging impatiently on my eyelids.
“When you give me your soul,” he answered. “You will give it to me fully and willing. And I will devour it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sitting in the office, I marveled at how completely healed my body was. It was still such a miracle. The night of the attack had been a slow destruction of my body and will. It had been painful, god it had been painful, but towards the end, I had become so numb, so removed, I could hardly feel anything more.
But yesterday’s gunshot had completely caught me off guard. Just that one singular point of pain had radiated through my body in such an intense way that I had honestly thought it would tear me apart.
And yet, now here I was, completely restored! I couldn’t believe it.
Liam sat across from my desk, one long leg crossed over onto his hard thigh. When I had woken up this morning, I had wondered if it had all been a dream.
His tongue, his breath, his touch.
But as I sat up in bed, the sheets fell off of me, revealing my completely naked body. My cheeks had flushed a bright red. So it had been real. That devilishly handsome demon, dripping with blood—my blood—had brought me to a screaming orgasm and a peaceful slumber.
I blushed just looking at him now. He looked cool and collected as always. No, not always, I corrected myself. Because I also remembered the look he had the day I was shot. I remembered that dark cloak of demonic aura that had surrounded him. I remembered his green eyes glowing like burning emeralds. And I remembered the lethally sharp rage he held within him as he killed two men with his bare hands.
That brought me up short.
“Were you questioned by the police?” I asked suddenly.
Liam looked up, pulled out of his own thoughts. “The police?” he asked, confused.
“Yeah, for you know, the gunmen,” I said, feeling unreasonably shy about mentioning what he did to them aloud. But there must’ve been questions. After all, two men were left dead at the scene! Granted, they were the ones that stirred all the trouble up but still, I couldn’t believe that with two bodies, Liam had just been allowed to prance off free of charge.
Liam slowly smiled as he realized what I was asking. “Yes, there were questions,” he said. “They wanted a witness’s account of what happened.”
I sighed in frustration. “You know what I mean.”
He laughed. “No, they didn’t ask me about the bodies,” he said finally, sating my curiosity. “Nobody did.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “Nobody asked you about the two dead gunmen?” Even about the one you punched so hard, you burst open his guts?
Liam shook his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. “I think the cops who arrived on the scene thought it impossible that someone could dispose of the bodies in the way that they were disposed of.”
“Delicately put,” I said, thinking about how he had backhanded a man with one swing to completely break his neck.
Liam chuckled again. “Quite,” he replied.
Another beat of silence fell between us as we retreated into our own thoughts. It was funny. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt with Liam now. If anything, he has shown me how much he isn’t human with every passing day and yet, I only felt more secure by his side.
He didn’t waver. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t scare. He was just so constant and ready and present. He stood by me and let me take the lead in meetings with Harrison or with dinners like at Senator Folsom’s. But I knew he was by me, watching over me, and guarding me from whatever might arise from the situation.
And then there were moments like yesterday. Liam had immediately thrown me behind him as soon as he had seen danger. He had covered me with his body and tried to get me out of danger.
But when danger had found me anyway, I had seen a glimpse of what his true side was like, what true demonic anger was capable of. And it was wrathful.
I knew the bargain we had struck was, by any standards, an insane one. I knew that in the end, it was me who would be losing the most. But with every passing day, I cared less and less. Having someone next to me who was just as invested in my revenge, just as invested in having my heart’s wounds healed, made me feel calm and…happy.
I looked up at Liam and saw him in what looked like deep thought. Weird. I wonder what demons pondered. I was curious about what he was thinking so hard about. With his brow furrowed and his eyes lowered, it was clear he was thinking something. I was about to ask when he suddenly snapped his head up.
Catching my eye, he nodded and said, “So when do we kill Lawson?”
I blew air out in a sudden puff. “Well,” I said. That had not been what I had expected him to say but at the same time, he was right. Lawson was the one.
And I was here to serve vengeance.
“I suppose there’s no need to be too sneaky,” I said slowly as I tried to think over the situation. “I mean, afterwards, it’s not like they’ll have a body to arrest. Right?” As comfortable as I was with the situation, saying out loud was another matter. Killing Lawson meant the end of my time on earth as well.
Liam locked eyes with me. “Right,” he said firmly.
I swallowed and nodded. “Well, I know that around this time of the year, Lawson has a house in the Hamptons he likes to go to during the weekends. I can find out and confirm if he is going there this weekend.”
Liam pressed his lips together as he took in the information. “Does he go with his wife and family?”
I thought about it. “No, I don’t think he’s gone with his wife in years,” I said, thinking about their estranged marriage. “And Lawson has only one kid. A daughter. And I think she’s living in Europe somewhere.” Not wanting to be part of the family business but also not wanting to really work for a living either, Tricia Lawson had become some kind of artist and had moved in with a string of boyfriends in Paris, last I heard.
“Good,” Liam said, slapping a hand on his knee. “This shouldn’t be too hard then.”
I shook my head, still a little confused. “Why would Lawson try to do something so public like that?” I asked, referring to the shooting. It made no sense.
Liam shrugged. “Who knows?” he said. “Maybe he thought he’d be less likely to get caught the more outlandish and crazy the murder attempt. I mean, it’d be hard to peg that one on RL Co., if you ask me.”
That was true. Who’d believe that a multi-billion dollar company would just set loose two gunmen on the streets of New York?
“In the end,” Liam continued, “it won’t matter.”
I felt the darkness of his statement. It wouldn’t matter because Lawson would soon be meeting his end.
Liam rose and headed towards the door. “Double check Lawson’s position for this weekend,” he said. I nodded before he left the office.
Finding myself with a moment alone, I looked over the big broad desk. It had always been quite messy when dad had been around. He had always been such a meticulous businessman and yet his workspace had looked like a crazy person had been living there.
The large desk was empty now. I didn’t run Madewell Ltd like I had always thought I would. Knowing my time would be limited, I knew that it wouldn’t be fair to the company. And appointing Jeremy had been the best decision I had made so far. The transition had been quite smooth and he was good at keeping me abreast of any major developments.
But I had to ensure that things would continue to go this smoothly even after I…well, just after. I had watched my father work too hard to build Madewell and I myself was quite invested in the company as well. I had always hoped to succeed dad in the seat of CEO but now I had to do the next best thing to take care of our family’s legacy.
I reached down into a drawer and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. With a smooth hand, I wrote on the top of the page, “Sophia Emily Madewell’s Last Will and Testament.”
I would call my lawyers later today and have them write up the official version once I had finished here. I would make sure it got p
robably notarized and filed safely. I wondered if my lawyers would find it odd that a twenty-seven year old was filing a will.
But then again, after what happened to my parents, I’m sure they would understand.
With a deep breath, I wrote my final words, “I, Sophia Emily Madewell, being of sound mind and body….”
Chapter Fifteen
It had been my idea to come but I still felt hesitant nonetheless. I knew Liam was behind me, standing by the car. He had driven me. It was only a twenty minute drive and I didn’t want to hire a stranger to drive me to such an intimate space.
I had told Liam to stay by the car. He had not argued or said anything smart in return. He had only nodded and stood silently on guard.
It was quiet. And solemn. And achingly sad.
Devilish - A Demon Stepbrother Romance Page 9