by Claire, Ava
Even though I knew the answer, I asked anyway. “What are you thinking?”
He leaned down and lowered his voice. The other women was wedged as far away from us as possible, which, in an elevator, wasn’t that far.
“I’m wondering if you taste as good as you look.”
The woman gasped and I blushed the deepest red. He usually seemed so controlled, but this was Liam feral, and I liked it. It was hard to be witty when he was making my brain overheat with all the things I wanted him to do to my body...and tasting me just got upgraded to the top of the list.
“W-well, in a little bit, you’ll find out.” I winked.
“A little bit?” he repeated, biting his lip like he was mulling it over. He dismissed it with a disapproving sound. “Nah...I think I’ll find out now.”
He wouldn’t—“Oh my God!” I hissed as he unbuttoned my jeans and unzipped my fly in a nearly seamless move. Before I could regain my senses, his hand cupped my sex and I could do nothing but moan as his fingers stroked my slick opening. Just when I started to swivel my hips, a whisper away from taking that finger and forcing it inside me, he pulled away. I watched in stunned silence as he brought the finger to his lips. He suckled it, a baritone moan rocking me to my very core.
“Mmm,” he sighed deeply. “Even better.”
The elevator dinged as it opened on the woman’s floor, and I watched her watching us with a mixture of horror and fascination until the doors shut. Liam watched nothing but me, his hands exploring my body. He started with my neck, fingertips drawing down the line of it, skating over my collarbone, then focusing on the good stuff. My body was already enslaved to him and when he massaged my breasts, my nipples eagerly pebbled against my oversized shirt.
I threw my head back, cries of pleasure echoing around us, the pitch heightening when I felt his mouth on my neck, his tongue swirling and teasing me as he pinched my nipples.
The elevator dinged a second time and he pulled me out, the two of us flying down the hall. He almost didn’t bother with closing the door, but I kicked it shut. My pants were already half off, so I finished the job and tore off my top.
He paused, his eyes glazing over me before they rested back on my face. “You’re beautiful.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I giggled, rushing forward to remedy his lack of undress. He stopped me, tilting my chin up.
“I’m not stroking your ego, Mia. I mean it.”
“Well,” I whispered seductively. “How about I stroke a little something...” I reached inside his boxers and gripped him. His eyes darkened with approval, then he grinned and went back to the lovey dovey stuff.
“Why does it make you uncomfortable when I try and get serious, get real with you?”
I kept stroking him, ignoring the flash of fear that cut through me. “Well, at the moment I’m not uncomfortable as much as impatient.” I glared up at him. “Five seconds ago you were going to fuck me—”
“Oh, that’s still happening,” he said thickly. “I’ve tasted you and I’m going to have you. It’s just a matter of where I’ll have you first.”
Goosebumps raced over me. Well then.
He tucked my hair behind my ear and planted a deep, soulful kiss on my lips. “When I say you’re beautiful, it’s more than the fact that you make the world stand still when you walk into the room.” His fingers traced down my arms, bringing my electric flesh to a fevered hum. “It’s what’s inside you that makes me undone. Your kindness. Your heart. Your passion. You’re beautiful, Mia.”
His words brought tears to my eyes, which was un-sexy, so I injected a little humor. My go-to armor. “You’re just saying that because you want to get in my pants.”
I saw the frustration color his eyes. He thought I wasn’t listening. That I didn’t believe him, and his words were just going in one ear and out the other. How could I tell him that I was terrified to let him in? Terrified that I’d hurt him, because I wasn’t sure how all this love stuff worked or if it was worth the inevitable heartbreak?
I didn’t know where to begin, but I could feel we were on the same page about one thing. Our hearts might not be in tune, but he was ready for me and I ached to be with him. I kissed him, soft and pleading at first, until he roped an arm around my waist and crushed my body against his.
I was propped in the perfect position to watch him as he watched me. His face was filled with such longing, such hunger, and I unconsciously attempted to close my legs.
What the hell, Mia! It's a little late to be self-conscious. He just saw you in all of your glory.
And it's what I wanted. I wanted his mouth on me, his cock buried deep inside my warmth, but there was a niggling worry in the back of my mind. I'd been dreaming about him, about this, since we met. And something in his eyes told me he did the same. What if I disappointed him?
Both his hands were perched on my knees, his thumb stroking me softly. “Talk to me, Mia.”
I bit my lip. “I'm sorry. This is supposed to be the part where there's no talking. Just a lot of—” Desire raced through me. “Moaning.”
His smile slayed me. So devilish. So ridiculously hot. “And there will be. But I want you to enjoy every moment. So tell me what's going on in your head.”
I looked down at his hands, nerves tightening in my stomach. “I don't want to be displeasing.”
I looked back up and his expression was so open, so caring, it stole the air from my lungs.
“That's impossible, Mia.” He gripped my knees, pulling them apart. “Let me show you.”
I watched him intently, determined to spot any sign of the truth, but when I felt his breath on me, stroking the lips of my pussy, that was the only truth I needed to know. He inhaled and exhaled, making me tremble and push my hips closer. Needing his mouth there.
He teased. “You smell so sweet. And you forget – I've tasted you. I know how delicious you are.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered as his tongue made a wet trail up and down each nether lip, saving the entrance to my core for last. He devoured me, hungrily lapping at my juices, his mouth relentless. His lips circled my clitoris and hummed, sending a torrent of pleasure over me. I brought my legs up, fingers knotted in his hair and pulling his mouth closer. I needed more of him and at the same time, I was going out of my mind with pleasure.
He rose up, his eyes piercing me with such intensity that I was enslaved to him. He took my legs, vaulting me to the edge of the cushion, one leg perched on his shoulder, the other wrapped around his waist. His cock was poised at the entrance, his mushroom tip just inside my wetness. Close, yet so far away.
I looked into his eyes. He was waiting for me to say the words. I said them without hesitation.
“Fuck me, Liam.”
He thrust into my sex and my warmth grasped him. I dug my feet into his back, smiling when he growled his approval and pumped in and out of me. Every delicious inch of him was sheathed inside me, and every part of me cried out for more of him. All of him.
Usually I closed my eyes, losing myself in the erotic dance of bodies colliding, crashing into one another, but I didn't dare shut my eyes. I wanted to see him unravel. I wanted to watch him watching me. I wanted him to see how hot he made me. How my body melted around his cock.
His hands cupped my ass, vaulting me toward him, hitting a new angle that made me pant his name, raking my nails down his chest, watching our bodies merge, pleasure possessing me wholly. Completely.
His rhythm slowed as he rocked his hips and slowly pulled out, then slammed his cock back inside my quivering hole.
“Flip around,” he breathed heavily, licking his lips.
I wasted no time, pivoting on the couch with my hands on the top of the cushion, knees bent, ass in the air. I tossed a dirty grin over my shoulder, complete with biting my lip. It didn't last long because he came forward with a force that left me breathless. I nearly came on the spot. He wound my hair around his fist, tugging it tight as he pounded into me, sending shock waves of pleasure over
me. The possession was devastatingly hot, leaving me spent and shuddering. I was so close to coming that I could feel the bliss racing through me.
“I'm coming,” I said hoarsely, the slice of pain of his grip and the consuming pleasure pulling me under the waves of my climax. My mouth fell open in a silent cry of ecstasy as my body shook. I clasped him tight as his grip deepened, his muscles corded and tense before he bellowed, coming with me.
Escape. Sighing. Panting. Gripping.
Until there was nothing left but a whisper that sounded a lot like love.
We collapsed on the couch, my head on his chest. When I realized what I was doing, something I never did with anyone else, I pulled away. He didn't let me go, pulling me back to his chest.
I wanted to melt into him, but there was still the worry that forced me to put the wall back up.
“I don't do this, Liam.”
“Have sex?” he quipped, then winked. “Could have fooled me.”
I jabbed him with my elbow and hid my smile. “This mushy gushy stuff.”
He dusted my dark strands from my eyes. Crap. I couldn't hide from him.
His fingers lingered on my cheek. “Letting someone in isn't a weakness. It takes a strong person to let someone see all of them, good and bad.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. “And if there's more bad than good?”
“I don't believe that. I see you, Mia.”
My heart fluttered, but my head – it didn't believe him. It wouldn't let go. “We fucked and what? We're supposed to ride off into the sunset?”
“Damn right.”
I gaped at him, not expecting that answer at all. “W-what?”
A smile teased his lips. “I think you heard me.” Before I could react, he pulled me into his lap. I gave him a smoldering look that he answered with his own, dousing the fire with a look of such yearning. I couldn't lie to him if I tried. I wanted this. I wanted love.
I wanted him.
“I've only told three people I loved them my whole life,” I murmured, not meeting his eyes. “My dad left and has a whole new family. My mother couldn't even bring herself to say it back.” Tears built in my eyes. “And my little sister? She said it back, but the last time we saw each other, she told me she hated my guts. She said that the next time I OD'd, I should do it right and put everyone out of their misery.”
I clapped a hand over my mouth, tears splashing on my cheeks. I'd never told anyone that. I'd done a pretty good job locking that memory up tight and burying it deep. I dropped my hand, my heart knotting as I tried to explain it.
“She was just frustrated. All our lives, my mom picked me over her. I was the star of the family and they always treated her like a second thought. A burden.” A painful truth cut my tongue. “And eventually, I treated her like a burden, too. I promised I'd be there for her, but I got so caught up in my own shit, I abandoned her.” I faced him. “I don't want you to ever look at me the way she looked at me, Liam. She hates me.”
He held my face steady, his eyes intent. “Listen to me. I couldn't hate you if I tried. And neither does your sister.”
“But you didn't—”
“And I don't need to,” he continued. “People make mistakes. They do terrible things. They say horrible shit to one another. It's what you do after you screw up that counts.”
Falling in love was dangerous, but I couldn't help falling for him. I think I'd been falling since the day he showed up with the wildflowers. The day he told me I deserved to be loved.
So I did something crazy.
“Wanna come with me to North Carolina?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I slid behind the wheel of our rental car, flashing Liam a wincing smile. “It’s quite charming once you get on the road. Scenic.”
He tugged at his t-shirt, the muggy weather making it stick to his muscled chest. It would have been a sexy sight if my face wasn’t melting. The heat was oppressive and the dewy AC wasn’t doing much, even though it was on full blast.
Liam clicked his seat belt and brought his eyes to mine with a smile, minus the wincing. “You don’t have to sell North Carolina to me, babe. It’s—” he paused, searching for the right word. “Quaint. And hot.”
The ‘babe’ made butterflies swarm my stomach. My first inclination was to make a joke or shrug it off, but there was nothing funny about the way that word made me feel. If I wasn’t strapped to my seat, I’d float right out the sunroof, fading into the blistering hot sun.
I punched the button to close the shade and pulled toward the exit. I had to get a hold of myself because he’d been doing all sorts of romantic things during the trip. Holding doors, buying my coffee, attempting to hold my hand. Was this what it was like to truly date someone? Was this what it was like to fall in lo—
I cranked the volume on the radio, and of course it was ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails. Right when Trent Reznor explicitly said the signature line. My face was red as I gripped the wheel and kept my eyes trained on the road. What was happening to me? There was a period of my life when I fucked so often that I should have bought stock in Trojan. But I was blushing like a virgin, the warmth intensifying when Liam’s hand rested on my thigh.
“Nervous?”
The music was loud enough that I could have convincingly pretended I hadn’t heard him, but then he’d repeat himself or worst...start stroking my thigh and I’d pull over and let him have me on the side of the road.
This was a first for me; wanting anything from a guy besides sex. With Liam, I wanted everything: awkward silences and moans that made the neighbors give us side-eyed glances in the morning, sweet tender touches and fierce grips as he took me hard from behind. I wanted the panty dropping, legs shaking sex, and I wanted the pet names and romance. I turned down the volume of the radio, needing to say something before I lost my nerve.
“I like you.”
His fingers twitched and I glanced over, half expecting his eyes to be round with horror. Instead, he had the sexiest little smirk on his lips.
“I didn’t catch that.”
I rolled my eyes and refocused on the road. “No do-overs.” I smiled to myself and repeated it, barely above a whisper. “I like you.”
“Aww,” he sighed. “I like you too.”
If I wasn’t driving, I would’ve pinched him. “Don’t make me take it back.”
“You can take it back if you want,” he said nonchalantly, “But I’ve already committed the moment to memory. Confetti, candied hearts and all.”
“There’s no confetti or candied hearts,” I laughed, then the car went quiet when I realized there was one thing. My face went serious. “I won’t regret this, will I? Liking you, letting you in?”
“Never,” he said firmly. “All joking aside, this is a big deal to me, too. The last relationship I was in...” he trailed off. “Let’s just say it didn’t end well. After all the shit settled, I made a promise that I’d never take that kind of commitment for granted when I said I lo—”
“Like,” I interjected quickly, rubbing my lips together to camouflage my smile.
He chuckled. “When I said I liked someone, it would be real. I’d know that we both meant it, and we were ready to build something amazing together.”
I stole a look at him. “And you’re sure I’m ready to build something?”
“I’d hope so,” he answered. “You flew me out to North Carolina to go with you to see your estranged sister. Either you like me and you’re serious or that’s one hell of a booty call.”
I didn’t say anything for a long moment, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. He was right. I’d told him things I thought I’d take to my grave. Spilled my heart and soul in ways I’d never done before. I’d opened up to him before we ever slept together, so I knew that I wasn’t cock whipped or so drunk of him that I wasn’t in possession of my mental faculties. I trusted him. I wanted to confide in him, to tell him all my secrets and hear all of his.
“You’re right.” I surrendered. �
��I’m serious. I’m not sure what it is, but...I want to find out.” I put my hand over his. “I’m glad you came.”
“Me too.” He lifted his fingers and stroked mine, and a shiver of lust rippled through me. Who knew that holding hands could be so freaking sexy?
We talked for over an hour about everything from Carolina, California to his career; from my mother to his strained relationship with his parents.
Just as we hit Greene County, the conversation steered back to the reason for our trip: my sister.
“When was the last time you saw Jenna?” he asked.
“Almost a year ago.”
I remembered that day with brutal clarity. It was Christmas, but no one was feeling particularly jolly. We used to have a standing rule that no matter what, we spent Christmas back home in North Carolina. It was one of the few ‘family first’ gestures my mother had ever made. Last year, she’d broken the rule and flew Jenna to our house in Hollywood Hills for the Christmas from Hell.
First, I was the target. My latest film Chrome Knights, an action thriller about a motorcycle gang, bombed in the box office. I was in a really dark place, and of course, I got no sympathy from Mom. The most shocking thing was that Jenna ganged up on me, too. When I broke down and she came after me, there was a spark of hope, then she all but told me to off myself.
I looked out the window, the familiar country road bringing back memories. I rolled down the window and inhaled deep. From the way Liam coughed, I don’t think he was as charmed by the pungent aroma of the hog farm up the road. But the smell, along with oak and rust and dirt, felt like home. When we turned down the long driveway that led to our house, the nostalgia withered and died.
The road used to be all dirt, our modest brick house surrounded by knee-high grass and ancient oak trees. All the charm was covered up. Mom had the driveway paved. A huge obnoxious tennis court was off to the side, flanked by a lush garden and gazebo. The modest home was torn down, replaced by a characterless McMansion.