"I'm going to be what?"
"I'm thinkin' about how to say this. By the end of tonight you're gonna be very, very happy, and all those insecurities you're feelin' right now, they'll be history. I promise."
"Can you hit the fast forward button and make me feel that way now?"
"That particular button on my superpower suit is out for repair, but I can ravage you. Would that help? It would sure help me, because I've been achin' for you every single minute since we were together on the plane."
"Yes, please," she bleated, "I've missed you so much."
Liam moved his lips to hers, and as he softly kissed her, his fingers slipped to the buttons on her thick woolen cardigan and methodically unfastened one after the other, then traveling his mouth to her neck he tongued his way to her bra-covered breasts.
"I've gotta get these dang jeans off," he suddenly grunted, rolling off the bed.
He quickly stripped, then retrieved a condom from the bedside table drawer. Summer had peeled off her clothes, and softly whimpering she raised her arms.
"Hey, baby, you need me?" he smiled, rolling the sheath on to his engorged member.
"So much, so much," she murmured as he returned to the bed and kissed her again, but this time with fervor, crushing her lips and taking her breath away.
"It's so good to be naked with you," he purred. "Damn, girl, I love your body."
She moaned her response, and journeying his mouth to the hollow of her neck he softly tickled it with his tongue, then continuing to her breasts he drew in her nipples. As he moved his lips from one to the other, his hand slipped between her legs, and as his finger twirled around her clit she cried out and threw her arms around his neck.
"Baby you are so wet," he purred, lifting his face and gazing at her. "I wanna do so many things to you, and when you're stayin' at my house I will. That's another promise."
"Like what?"
"I wanna wrap rope around your body," he said huskily, "I wanna suck on your titty tops until you're squealin', I wanna flog your beautiful backside and hear you beggin' for more, I wanna bend you over a bench and tie your legs apart and tease you for an hour…and that's just for starters."
As he'd growled his wish list he'd been massaging her clit, and letting out a plaintive wail she raised her hips, chasing his hand, wanting more.
"Tell me," he ordered, his lips hot at her ear. "Tell me what you want, sugar. You ain't gettin' it 'til you ask real nice."
"Please, Liam, please slide your cock inside me."
"Then what?"
"Fuck me, please, please, fuck me."
"You beggin'?" he pressed, moving his hand from her pussy and lightly pinching the inside of her thighs. "I'm not doin' it until you're beggin'."
"Yes, I am, I'm begging," she bleated. "I swear, I am."
"You believe that I'm nuts about you? That you're gonna be the prettiest girl in the room? You gonna hold your head up high knowin' you're with me and I'm so dang proud of you I can't hardly stand it?"
"Yes, yes, I promise. I believe you and I will."
Rolling on top of her he pushed her legs apart with his own, raised up his hips, and taking hold of his member he placed it against her pussy and thrust home. Letting out a grateful groan she moved her hands above her head, and accepting the invitation he grabbed them, held her down, and began to pump.
Liam could barely contain himself. Summer affected him like no other woman ever had. Her whimpers and moans, the way she moved her body, her unbridled joy underneath him, all joined together to feed the fever overtaking him. For a moment she opened her crystal blue eyes, and as they sparkled up at him he could see her need, her hunger, her lust.
"Liam," she whispered, "I love this so much. I do, so much."
"Me too, baby," he breathed dropping on top of her, "more than you can know."
He paused to kiss her, to devour her lips, to make her feel the intensity of the passion burning through him, then rising up he grabbed her knees, pushed them towards her chest, and vigorously fucked her until they exploded into their orgasms.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A few minutes later, having caught their breath and quietly resting entwined in each other's arms, Summer propped herself up and gazed down at him.
"Thank you for making me feel better. I'm sorry I got all weird on you."
"You've got nothin' to apologize for. I should've realized. I'm the one who's sorry."
"Why? You didn't do anything."
"That's the point. I didn't do anythin'. I'm an idiot sometimes."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but can I ask you something?"
"Sure, always."
"Can I show you the dress?"
"Of course, and I'd love to see it."
"But you have to promise me you'll tell me if it's not right. You have to promise. Don't say you like if you don't. I'll know."
"I promise."
"Okay, wait, uh, where's my stuff?"
"Probably in the closet."
"You think?"
"Sure. They would have brought your bags here first, then gone to Harry's room."
Pulling on her thick cardigan, she walked across the beautiful blue bedroom to the closet alcove, and sliding open the door she saw her garment bag. Unzipping it she reached in and carefully pulled out the silk burgundy dress.
"Here it is," she said nervously, returning to the bed and holding it up for his inspection.
"Sugar, what's not to like? I love the color, and I love the beads and rhinestones around the neckline. They look like pearls and diamonds. Dang, girl, that dress looks like it was made for you."
"How do you mean?"
"It's feminine, like you. I can't wait to see you wearin' it and—whoa!"
"And whoa?"
"I, uh…I've got somethin' I've gotta do. No, I can do it with a phone call."
"Liam, what are you talking about?"
"It's the most perfect dress you could be in, you've gotta believe me. I swear, it is, and you're gonna find out just how perfect real soon."
"Seriously?"
"Yep. Why don't you take a long hot bath?" he suggested as he pulled on his clothes. "There's all kinds of great smellin' stuff in there. I've gotta turn my phone on and the minute I do it won't stop yellin' at me."
"Ooh, Liam, I'd love to take a bath, and you're sure about the dress?"
"As sure as I am the sun's comin' up in the mornin'."
"Thank you," she exclaimed, hugging him with one arm as she held the hanger with the other. "I feel so much better."
"If you want anythin' just call down to room service. Don't go thinkin' twice, you hear?"
"Okay. I might have some coffee brought up, and maybe a snack."
"Whatever you want, sugar, if you hear a bunch of noise in the sittin' room, don't worry. They'll be settin' it up soon. I'll put the Do Not Disturb sign on the bedroom door, and you can lock it."
"Oh, right, thanks."
"Gotta go, but trust me, you're gonna be such a hit tonight, you have no idea."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Summer stared at her reflection. Thanks to Liam's fervent reassurances her insecurities had evaporated, and she thought the sensuous burgundy dress looked even lovelier than it had in the boutique. It was sleeveless, and the fabric fanned out from a pearl beaded and sparkling rhinestone collar to a form-fitting bodice. A matching beaded sash encircled her waist, then the dress floated into a floor-length full skirt, but the back also caught the eye; it was a series of criss-crossing straps.
Using her curling iron she had rolled her long straight hair to produce flowing waves, then pulled back one side and secured it with a burgundy rhinestone comb. Applying smoky grey eyeshadow, black mascara, and a dark red lipgloss the picture was almost complete. The final touch was the diamond and ruby tennis bracelet her mother had given her a couple of years before. As Summer placed it around her wrist it made her smile. It would remind her of her mother's love and support through the evening. She ha
d locked the bedroom door, and when she heard the gentle tapping she walked across the spacious bedroom and opened it up. It was Harry.
"Holy cow, Summer. You look amazin'."
"You don't look so bad yourself," she grinned. "I wasn't sure when you put that outfit together, but now I am. You're tall enough to carry off that long jacket, and that silver bolero against that dark green shirt really jumps out. You'll be batting the girls away with a stick."
"No, I won't, I'll be reelin' them in."
"Very funny."
"Where's Liam? He said to meet you guys here at 8:30 p.m."
"There he is," Summer said, seeing Liam walking towards them. "I'm very happy to see you, Mr. Taylor. You've been gone so long I thought I'd lost you."
"Not a chance," he winked, "and sugar, you look…wow…I'm speechless."
"I'm acceptable? You like it."
"Like it? Honey, you look glamorous enough for the Oscars."
"You clean up pretty good yourself. Where did you change?"
"In the other bedroom. I wanted to give you plenty of space. Harry, I'm gonna steal your sister for a minute."
"Sure, go ahead. Can I help myself to that buffet over there? I'm starvin'."
"That's what it's there for."
"Cool. Can I have a beer?"
"Summer? Is it okay?" Liam asked.
"One," Summer said firmly. "Pace yourself."
"Yeah, I know all about that."
"Famous last words," she muttered.
As Harry walked away, Liam guided Summer back into the bedroom and closed the door.
"Don't worry about Harry," he assured her. "I have someone watchin' over him. If he tries to order any of the hard stuff he'll hit a brick wall name Sam, and his limit is three beers."
"Thank you. That's a relief. I wasn't quite sure how to handle that. I've never seen him drink heavily, but he could get loaded at college and we'd have no idea."
"He probably does. It's a rite of passage."
"I guess. Is that what you wanted to tell me, or is there something else?"
"Uh, yeah, there's somethin' else."
"What is it? Why do you look so serious? Did I do something wrong?"
"What? Lord no. It's…the thing is…"
"Liam, you're starting to freak me out."
"Sorry. I have somethin' for you."
"You do?"
"Yeah, uh, let's sit."
Taking her hand he led her to the couch across the room, and as they sat down he ran his fingers through his hair, then cleared his throat.
"Liam, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothin', I'm just trying to figure out how to, uh, do this."
"Do what?"
"Explain about what I have for you."
"Now you've really got me curious! How about you start at the beginning, does that help?"
"Yeah, good suggestion," he nodded. "The beginnin'. Okay, a few years back I was in England, and I took off by myself to explore the countryside. I was off the beaten track in the middle of nowhere and I stumbled across this antique shop, and when I say antique shop, I mean the real deal. I found somethin' there, somethin' special, and I, uh, the thing is…"
"You're giving me something you found in an antique store in England? Oh, my gosh."
"Just wait a second."
"Sorry, but this is kind of nerve-racking."
'No kiddin'," he muttered under his breath. "As I was sayin', the thing is, I want you to know, I need you to know, how special you are to me," he said, his voice falling soft and low as he pulled the burgundy velvet box from his pocket. "I've missed you like crazy these last few days, so, anyway, here, I want you to have this."
"What?"
"Open it."
A ring box was the last thing Summer had expected, and as she took it between her fingers an unexpected wash of goosebumps rolled across her skin. Trying to calm herself she slowly pushed up the lid, then gasped as she gazed at the ruby ring staring up at her.
"Liam…it's…it's…so beautiful. Oh, wow, it matches my dress, it even matches my bracelet."
"I didn't know about the bracelet, but yeah, I knew about the dress. When you showed it to me earlier, I swear, I felt like I was bein' told to go home and get that ring and bring it back here for you. I didn't have to as it turned out. My sister picked it up for me. She was out runnin' an errand so she just swung by. Sorry, I don't know why I told you all that," he said, shaking his head, thinking he'd just been babbling like an idiot.
"I'm totally blown away. It's gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it."
"It dates back to the 17th century. I had it researched and found out it belonged to a Countess named Victoria Beaumont."
"Liam!" she whispered, darting her head up and staring at him wide-eyed.
"Why are you lookin' like that?"
"That's my middle name. Victoria."
"Say, what?"
"Summer Victoria Brown."
He was about to speak, but a chill rattled through his body. It had to be a coincidence, or was it?
"This is really weird, Liam. It's wonderful, but it's really weird."
"Yeah, it is."
"What do you make of it?"
"All I know is, the minute I laid eyes on that ring I had to have it," then pausing to take a breath, he lowered his voice. "I knew it was gonna be for the woman I…uh…the woman I was gonna love, and that's you, Summer. There, I've said it. Sorry, I made a total mess of that," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair again. Rarely did he feel out of his depth, but suddenly he did, and it was embarrassing.
"You didn't make a mess of anything," she said softly, "this is amazing. The ring is amazing, and you must know I'm totally in love with you too, right? I have been for ages."
Lifting his gaze he stared into her bright blue eyes.
"I've been crazy about you too, for weeks," he said huskily, then holding her face between his hands he pressed his lips against hers, hoping she could feel all the raw emotion that was sweeping through his heart.
"I feel like I'm living a dream," she murmured as they broke apart, "the best dream I could never have."
"Yeah, it does kinda feel like that, and I need to tell you more about the ring."
"Oh, please do. I want to know everything."
"It was given to Victoria by her lover. Oh, I should tell you, she was a countess and he was an earl. Anyway, they couldn't be together because their families were enemies and he wanted her to know that he loved her, and that he'd find a way for them to be together."
"Oh, that's so romantic. Do you know if they were? Ultimately together, I mean."
"Yep, they managed it, and I wanna give it to you as my promise. I'm totally committed to you, and I want us to be together. I want you to wear and never take it off. If we reach that, uh, next step, then, uh, I'll go shoppin' and—"
"Stop," she said softly, cutting him off. "If we reach that next step this ring will go from being a promise ring to an engagement ring. Yikes, I can't believe I said that."
"Hey, I love that idea. It's perfect. Let's see if it fits."
Lifting it from the box Summer tried to place it on the middle finger of her left hand, but it was too small. She paused and looked up at him.
"We could have it sized."
"Nope, try it on your ring finger. It's okay, go ahead. I've gotta feelin' it's meant to be."
Feeling her pulse tick up, she took a breath then did as he asked; it slipped perfectly into place.
"I knew it," he murmured, "it's exactly where it belongs."
"I feel all funny," she whispered. "Like, really emotional and so unbelievably happy I feel like I'm going to burst."
"Yeah, me too."
"So, what now?"
"Now it needs to be sealed with another kiss, and somethin' else. Somethin' to keep you warm and toasty."
"Something else?" she grinned. "Why do I think I'm about to get my ass spanked?"
"Just enough to spice you up and carry you through the
night."
"But I'm all dressed, and neat and tidy, and my hair's perfect."
"Come into the bathroom with me. I promise I won't muss you up."
"Oh, good grief," she muttered, her butterflies suddenly kicking up as he took her hand and led her into the bathroom.
"Put your elbows on the counter," he said firmly as he closed the door, "and scoot your feet back."
"I can't believe this."
"Sure you can," he grinned, carefully lifting her skirt and laying it over her waist. "Those are some pretty panties but I'm gonna pull them down to your thighs. There you go. See there. Your backside is much too pale. Is that your hairbrush?"
"Why?"
"I'll take that as a yes," he quipped, shooting her a wink. "I'm gonna give you a quick sting and I can do that faster usin' that, but don't worry, I'll be usin' my hand when we get back."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Are you sayin' it doesn't?" he asked, picking up the oval wooden brush.
"I plead the fifth," she giggled.
"You want this just as much as I wanna give it to you. Go on, admit it."
"Never."
"You sure about that?" he asked, landing his first swat.
"OUCH. Okay, yes, I do, but damn, that stings."
"Yep, like I said, this is faster, besides, you should know what it feels like."
He began peppering her bottom with quick, sharp taps, and though they were lightly applied, the alacrity of the delivery soon had its impact.
"Liam, ouch, ouch, ouch, please can you, ouch, stop now?"
"Yep, I can always pick this up again later," he declared pulling up her lacy underwear.
"Now I need a hug," she said softly, straightening up and turning to face him.
He opened his arms, and moving into them him she closed her eyes and sank against his chest. She didn't care about the party, or the famous people with whom she'd be rubbing shoulders, or anything else. All she cared about was how she felt at that moment. Everything about it was perfect, even the bright bathroom light and her freshly spanked bottom.
Liam knew he needed to be downstairs. He was always there to greet people as they arrived, but he was lost in the beautiful woman melting into him. He wanted to make love to her in her beautiful dress, and take an hour to peel it off her body.
A Country Music Christmas (Country & Western Suspense) Page 13