by Paula Cox
Cliff’s arms tightened in their circle around her waist. She leaned into him, inhaling his scent and absorbing his heat. He was what she wanted. She felt like she’d been waiting for him her whole life. But could she have him? Would he let her have him?
“We should eat,” Cliff murmured into her hair.
Liana pulled back and looked up at him, pressing a light kiss to the underside of his chin. “You’re sure that’s what you want to do?” she asked. “I mean, it’s not like burgers can’t be reheated.”
Cliff’s eyes burned. “Are you not hungry?”
“Ravenous,” Liana replied. “Just not for food.”
And she was. Her core had been smoldering with residual heat from their last encounter for days now. Keeping at a distance had been torture. She was ready to surrender.
Cliff’s lips stretched into a cocky smirk. She loved that smirk on him. He looked at her like he owned her; like tonight would give him everything he could ever ask for. She hoped it would.
“If the lady insists,” he murmured, dipping to press his lips against hers.
The kiss started out slow and gentle. Despite the fact that Liana was sizzling with desire, she was happy to take things slow at first. This wasn’t like their last kiss or even their first. It had no pent up frustration in it. It had no irritation. No primal rage.
It was sweet. Gentle. It was exactly what she needed.
Cliff seemed happy with the pace too. He worked his lips slowly with hers, slipping his tongue between her teeth and retracting before she got the chance to allow him proper entry. His hands rubbed her back gently, even though she knew it wouldn’t be long before they moved down to her ass. She felt secure there. She felt safe.
She felt wanted.
But soon being secure wasn’t enough. She wanted him to ruin her, just like he’d said he would. She wanted his passion. So Liana slipped a hand down the front of his sweatpants, noting with pleasure that he’d gone commando.
Cliff groaned, hardening in her hand. Liana loved the silken feel of him, how his skin was hot and soft and he fit perfectly in her hand. She nipped at his lip, feeling him grow.
God. She wanted him.
The kiss grew in tempo. What had started slow was now a frenzy of lips and tongues. Cliff roughly shoved Liana back toward the counter, boxing her in with his arms as he ground himself against her hand. He was just as hungry for her touch as she was hungry to touch him.
“God, you’re so hot,” he hissed.
Liana moved her face to the side and trailed hot kisses down his neck, settling in just over his pulse and stroking him luxuriously. He was completely erect now, bulging out of his sweatpants like a signpost. And he was no longer content just to let her touch him.
Cliff grabbed at Liana’s wrists, yanking them onto the counter beside her. “Stay put,” he ordered.
A jolt of electricity went straight to her core.
Cliff tore at the opening of her jeans. She thought he was just going to slip his hand inside, but instead, he yanked the garments down to the floor—underwear included.
Liana panicked, looking toward the kitchen window. It only led to the yard, though, and it didn’t seem possible for anyone to see them. The thought that someone might though was surprisingly not as scary as it was erotic.
Cliff’s fingers found her clit in zero seconds flat. Where she’d had more control before, he demanded it back. Cliff could rein her in like nobody else ever could. Liana moaned with delight as he stroked her, rubbing at her most sensitive areas with expert precision.
His lips mashed against hers wildly. He was loving this just as much as she was. Maybe even more.
Liana’s body quivered. She needed him so badly. She rolled her hips up in an attempt to get him to spare her with his fingers, but he didn’t. He chuckled against her mouth and pressed his body hard against hers, securing his hand and her hips in place.
“Please, Cliff,” she begged.
He growled, biting her lip and pulling slightly. The pain sent a shockwave of complementary pleasure through her body. She gasped, eyes screwed tight with bliss.
Cliff removed his hand, stepping back to give her room. “Upstairs,” he said.
Liana went to pull her pants back on, but he stopped her with a click of his tongue.
“What if somebody sees me walking around like this?” she asked.
His smile was deadly. “Then I’ll kill them. But don’t you dare put those pants back on.”
Liana could have melted into a puddle on the floor. Her legs shook as she began to walk, conscious of Cliff’s eyes on her body as she went past. He didn’t have to tell her that he wanted her to walk upstairs first. Truth be told, she wanted him to watch her ass as she went too.
Cliff resisted touching her until they were at the top of the stairs. Once there, though, he exploded. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tight until his hard cock was grinding against her ass through his pants. There were so few barriers between them, but it was still too many. It would always be too many. He urged her to walk forward. This became a difficult task when he slipped a finger into her pussy mid-step.
“I can’t walk with you doing that,” she panted.
“Too bad. Walk.”
Liana shuddered with pleasure and took another step. Her knees felt like jelly, but he held her up as she moved. Each step was rewarded with another thrust of his fingers, another brush of his thumb against her clit. By the time they reached the bedroom, Liana was about ready to explode.
Cliff ripped her shirt and bra off in one smooth motion the moment they stepped through the bedroom door. Liana’s nipples zinged at the sudden cool air, already erect. She turned to face him, to see why he’d released her.
Cliff was stripping, removing first his shirt and then his sweatpants. Liana licked her lips. He was a fine specimen of a man, possibly the finest she’d ever seen. His muscled chest was tanned and virtually hairless, but with a little scruff right between his pecs and a treasure trail leading to his proud and erect cock.
He caught her looking and smiled smugly. “Come here.”
Liana went forward without even a second’s hesitation. She flung her arms around him and kissed him for all her worth, trying to speak the words she couldn’t say with her tongue alone. She needed him. She wanted him.
She loved him.
Shit. Where did that come from? How long had she felt like that?
In the haze of their passion, it hardly seemed important. Liana left that thought by the wayside and let herself be swallowed by their kiss, by the feeling of his hands gripping her butt and pulling her close.
All of the sudden, Cliff lifted Liana into the air. She yelped in surprise, unsure of what he was doing. When he wrapped her legs around him, it all became clear. Slowly, Cliff sunk her down onto his length. His hold on her was so firm and steady that she wondered why they ever bothered with a bed. She was so close to him, so surrounded by him like this.
Their hips met, and Cliff groaned, already hoisting her up and letting her fall back down again. He reached a point so deep inside of Liana that she cried out in pleasure, arching her back into him and letting her head roll back on her shoulders. She should have been afraid he would drop her, but that thought never crossed her mind. He had her. She knew he did.
Cliff walked with her over to the wall, pressing her back against it and driving in again. It was easier for him to move now. He held her in place and continued pressing into her with long, deep strokes.
“Why’d you even want to go to the bedroom?” Liana asked, chuckling.
Cliff grunted, nipping her neck. “So I could do this.”
He turned and roughly flung her onto the bed so that she landed on her stomach. Before Liana even had time to scramble up, Cliff pulled her up by the hips and plunged in again.
Liana’s orgasm hit her like a bus.
She screamed, burying her face into the pillow to muffle her cry. Cliff pressed down over her, his chest fitting neatly agai
nst her back. Both of them were slick with sweat. Liana barely registered his driving thrusts as she spun down and down into her pleasurable abyss. She felt great waves roll through her body, one after the other.
Cliff secured his hands on her hips and took up a punishing pace. He hammered into her a few more times and then tensed, fingers pressing into her flesh as he released. He collapsed forward and began to nuzzle into her neck, placing delicate kisses under her ear and along her jaw.
Liana panted, chest heaving with the effort. Without even needing to be asked, Cliff rolled over and allowed her some space to breathe. She looked up at him through her lashes and smiled.
“Wow.”
He nodded in agreement, smiling back.
Liana crawled up the bed toward him, coming to rest with her face on his muscled chest. They lay there in silence, his arm wrapped lazily around her back, his fingers drawing slow circles on her skin.
“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Liana whispered.
She wasn’t sure whether she was saying it to him or to herself. She did wish they could stay like that forever. Because she loved him. Holy crap. She loved him. It hadn’t just been something that had popped into her head in the heat of the moment.
Liana Catarina loved Cliff Aurello.
How the hell was this going to work?
Chapter 19
Liana drifted off to sleep eventually, the dinner she’d pestered him to make long forgotten. Cliff thought about getting up and getting some for himself since he hadn’t eaten all day for obvious reasons, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her.
She looked so peaceful. Sounded so peaceful. Her breath flashed hot against his skin with each exhale, sending a warm shiver up his spine. She had said she wished they could stay like that forever. For her, he would try.
Because he loved her.
Cliff hadn’t thought he would ever fall in love. He didn’t see himself as being the type. Not just because he didn’t think himself capable, but also because he didn’t think there would ever be a woman crazy enough to fall for a man like him.
But she had.
And now, as she slept in his arms, Cliff had no idea what to do.
First and foremost, he needed to combat the threat against both of them. That was something he could check in on without bothering her, thankfully. He reached out his arm and pawed at the top of the side table looking for his phone.
He had three missed notifications. Two phone calls from Peter and one text, also from Peter. All they said was that he needed to call Peter back right away. Since his line was secure, he decided to do that now. He slipped out of bed and draped a blanket over Liana, smiling as she turned over and wrapped herself up in it.
Then he padded out to the hallway and called Peter.
“What’s up?” Cliff asked.
“Good news,” Peter announced. “We’ve got security footage of the guy who broke the bottle.”
“Can you send it to me?”
“I can do you better than that,” Peter said. “I can tell you who the guy is.”
Cliff glanced back in the room. Liana was still sound asleep. He closed the door gently and headed downstairs to the living room.
“How? And who is he?” Cliff asked.
“There’s some pretty nifty facial recognition software on the market these days for those who’ve got the dough,” Peter replied.
Cliff smiled. “And I do. Good call.” He settled into the wingback armchair by the front window. A streetlamp across the street glowed dully in the darkness, but otherwise the area was quiet. It wasn’t even late out yet. If they were still in the city, it would never get quiet outside.
Cliff imagined all the little families who lived out here. They were probably just finishing up their dinners and settling down for an evening of TV or board games, or whatever it was people did with their time when they didn’t have to worry about carrying the heavy structure of a crime syndicate on their backs.
It was probably really nice.
Peter, unaware of Cliff’s wandering attention, continued. “So his name is Colin Leary. He lives out pretty close to where you are right—”
“What?”
Cliff’s attention had now completely returned to the present and to the matters at hand. But it couldn’t be…
“Colin Leary,” Peter repeated. “Do you know him?”
No. Not anymore, anyway. Cliff hadn’t seen Colin for over a decade.
“We were childhood friends,” Cliff replied. He furrowed his brow, heat rising in his veins. “Why would he be doing this? I don’t understand?”
“You mean he’s not a contact of yours through your work?”
Cliff exhaled through his nose. “Not even close. He was the wimpiest kid on the playground back then. I took him under my wing for a bit until he moved.” He scowled. “I guess I wasn’t as easy to forget for him.”
“That’s creepy,” Peter said. “Do you want me to send some guys out to his address?”
Cliff thought it over for a minute. He could have his guys eliminate Colin and thus snuff out the threat. It would be so easy. But easy wasn’t necessarily right. Cliff had been in hiding for too long. He’d put his problems in too many other people’s hands.
He wanted to fix this one himself.
“No,” Cliff finally said. “I’ll deal with this myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Cliff rose from the chair. “Send me his address. I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Right away, boss.”
Peter didn’t even work for Cliff at present. Not really. But he would definitely hire him when all the dust settled with this Lando bullshit. One could never have too many good men around.
Then again, perhaps Cliff wouldn’t need to hire anyone after this. There was another option for him. Hopefully, anyway. He could retire from the syndicate, maybe even move out somewhere quiet like this. Or stay in the city. Just as long as he was with Liana.
Cliff grabbed a couple of burgers from the counter and nearly swallowed them whole from hunger. Afterward, he climbed back up the stairs and crawled back into bed with his sleeping angel. Even when she wasn’t conscious, she still wrapped around him like a koala bear. And even though his blood was still boiling from what he’d learned about Lando, having her near him made Cliff smile.
Chapter 20
Liana had the best sleep she’d had in what felt like months. Years. Decades. Had she ever slept so well? She was away from the city noises and the endless flashing lights. She was away from the danger. And she was with Cliff.
She also woke up happy and excited, like she was about to go on a trip to Disneyland or something. And Liana was not a morning person. Working nights at the catering company meant her mornings mostly consisted of trying to escape the light that crept into her room before she was ready to get up, and spending half the day groaning into a cup of coffee.
But Liana woke with a smile on her face.
Cliff’s arm was looped around her, holding her to his chest like a teddy bear. It was hot under the covers, but not so warm that she was sweating. Anyway, she would take any form of torment if it meant getting to stay close to him. They could be sleeping outside in the cold for all she cared. She would probably still wake up with a stupid grin and a flutter of excitement for her day.
Cliff looked so different when he was asleep. He wasn’t so guarded. He wasn’t so stern. His face was pure peace. He reminded Liana of a Greek statue in that way. All the youth that hid during the day surfaced at night, and he transformed from a force of nature into just a man. A man she loved.
But he also was a light sleeper.
“Why are you watching me?” Cliff asked.
The light not blocked by the blinds fell across his face in strips. When he blinked awake, it shone through his eyelashes and turned them nearly blond.
“Is it creepy if I say I like watching you sleep?” Liana asked.
“Yes.”
“I
n that case, I thought I saw a spider on your face, but it turned out to just be one of your nose hairs.” She kissed his chest.
Cliff’s low laughter rumbled through his chest. He hugged Liana tighter and closed his eyes. “I don’t have any nose hairs. Liar.”
Liana giggled. “Everybody has nose hairs. They’re one of the body’s defense mechanisms.”
“You know what I mean.”