“Last night was awful,” I admit. “I wanted you with me. I missed you in bed. I wanted to be able to comfort you. I wanted to know what was going on. I couldn’t reach you, and I tried, to call you, that is. It felt wrong to have things end like that. So, so suddenly and so angry. I know that that seems so weird because we don’t know each other very well, and you’re not mine, so you don’t owe me anything. I have no right to demand these parts of your life.” I pause. My heart is hammering so hard that I’m sure Liam can feel it. “I’d like to spend more time getting to know you, but I’m scared at the same time. Does that make sense?”
Liam nods. “We come from completely different worlds. Mine is dangerous. Too dangerous for you to be a part of.”
I lift my hand to the side of his face, where the mask is covering the bruise I know is on his cheek. My heart is shattering. He’s right, of course. He’s an ex-con and a Doyle. I’m the daughter of a detective who wants to take his family down. Whatever crime he took the fall for, it wasn’t his time to do, but that doesn’t erase the reality of his life. Right? No matter how great he is with me, the bruises on his face tell me that there’s a darkness connected to him that I will never be able to accept. A life of crime that just doesn’t fit with my world, no matter what kind of man he is on the inside.
“I wish it were different, Maggie.”
Me, too. I lay my head against his chest, and we stop moving. We just stand there holding each other in the middle of the dance floor. I breathe him in. I love the way he smells, and I want to tattoo it into my nose so that when this is all over I won’t ever forget.
“You two aren’t doing it right.”
My dad’s booming voice startles a laugh out of me. I look up, and he’s there with Mom, already making moves to switch partners. “Liam, I have some things to say to my daughter if you don’t mind.”
I look up at Liam, who is nodding at Dad, and without much of a say, I’m shifting from one partner to the other and Mom is doing the same. She looks almost giddy as she drapes her arm over Liam’s shoulder. Whatever she’s saying to him I can’t hear, but he throws his head back and laughs.
In my dad’s arms, I’m a little girl again. I don’t know why that happens, but every time I dance with him, it takes me back to a time when I’d be too small to actually reach his shoulders so he’d lift me up and swing me around that way. He’s not lifting me up now, but with my hand in his hand and my arm loosely draped over his shoulder, I feel like I’m ten and almost carefree.
“I wanted you to have a good weekend, sweetie,” he starts, “but I realize that I betrayed your trust where Liam is concerned. As a dad, I should have told you. Liam, he’s a good guy, and I knew that about him before he even stepped foot here. I made a judgment call based on that information and kept it to myself. I didn’t even give you a chance to consent to the knowledge.”
He lets that sink in for a minute.
“I’m sorry, Maggie. Forgive me?”
I’m looking up at him and feeling all kinds of different things. Confusing things, yes, but not when it comes to forgiveness. I nod then lay my head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat for a bit. It’s a strong heart and a familiar sound. Another thing I used to do as a child was fall asleep listening to my dad’s heartbeat. Any time I was scared or sad, I would seek him out and lie on his chest then just listen. His heart would always remind me of how much I am loved. Just as it is now. I know my dad’s intentions were good. I know he was thinking of keeping me happy at a family event that had promised to make me miserable. I can’t be mad at him for that.
The masks are Dad’s idea. He bought them hoping that Mom would reconsider his desire to have some kind of masquerade ball. Using them now, so that Liam can be here without anyone knowing about the damage to his face, is Dad’s way of making things right. Not even Mom will be the wiser once this dance is over and Liam leaves, because I’m assuming that Liam will leave again. He only came back for this dance so he could fulfill his promise to me.
I lift my head and glance across the dance floor where Liam is holding my mother. The two of them are chatting away. I feel a pang in my heart.
Liam is back. I want to be with him because I know our time is running out. And yet I need to talk to Dad about this, too. I need to know the things he didn’t tell me.
“Dad, what did Liam go to jail for?”
My dad looks over at Liam and Mom. “He got caught with counterfeit purses.”
I turn my head to look at Dad again. “What?” When Liam said he was an ex-con, that he did time for his brother, I just assumed the worst, well maybe not the worst, but definitely something along the lines of assault and battery or armed robbery.
Dad nods. “Believe it or not, it’s a felony. Got ten years but was out in four.”
I process that for a minute. Liam isn’t some thug. He isn’t a low-life criminal. He got caught with something he shouldn’t have had, sure, but he could have snitched on his brother and he didn’t.
“He came back today for you, Maggie, to see you, to make things right with you,” Dad continues. “But he also came back to help me. I can’t tell you the details, I wish I could, but I can’t. What I need you to know, though, is that Liam is sacrificing a part of himself so that I can do what needed to be done four years ago.”
“The tip? That’s what that meant, right? The tip he left you was so that you can catch his brother, right?”
Dad nods. “And there’s likely a guy watching us, keeping tabs on where Liam is. We have to keep things normal here for another couple of hours, and then it’ll all be over. Liam will have to leave at that point.”
“A couple of hours?” That’s all the time I have left with Liam.
“If everything goes as planned, he’s going to get called back to the city.”
“Will he go back to jail, Dad?” Panic rises. “Is this plan you two have cracked up going to send him away again?”
“Not if I can help it. But sweetie, there’s going to be a trial, a circus most likely, and Liam’s brothers, they’re going to have to testify. What Shawn’s been doing, it’s really bad, honey.” Dad’s whole body tenses. “But if we get him, he’s going down for a long time. I’m telling you this so you know. No more secrets that will impact your happiness. Here’s the thing, though—it will be too dangerous for you and Liam to be seen together.”
“He’s going to go into hiding, isn’t he?”
That’s the only way to be safe. I know this in my gut. Liam will disappear, and I’ll never see him again.
“Dad…I…” I need to talk to Liam. I need to be with him. Two hours. That’s all I have left.
Dad stops moving and squeezes me tight. “Go. I’ll come find you two when the time is right.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Liam
Maggie leads me away from the banquet hall after giving her mother some excuse about needing to get something from the room. Her mother isn’t that easily put off, but the detective steps in, distracting her so that Maggie and I can escape.
“We need to talk,” I say. “I need to explain some things better.”
She has my hand and is moving so fast we’re practically running. “You’re right, there are, but right now all I want is to get you into my bed.”
That throws me. “Uh…”
She turns on me and wraps her arms around my waist. “You’re being watched, right?” Her words are soft, quiet. She’s on her tiptoes and kissing along my neck. “We’ve got to keep things normal for another two hours. I can’t think of a better way to spend that time than in my bed. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I’m so dumbfounded all I can do is nod and let her lead the way to the elevator. Once we’re inside, she lifts my mask from my face. I wince as the hard plastic pulls at my stitches.
“You got someone to fix you up?” She reaches up, her fingers not touching m
y skin, just tracing along where the stitches are.
“My brother’s nurse.”
“How is he?” She runs her fingers lightly over my bottom lip, biting her own in the process.
Fuck, I love it when she does that.
“Still pretty out of it but being taken care of.” I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer. Her body warms me with the familiar heat of lust.
The elevator stops on our floor, and the doors slide open. Maggie’s lips curl, and she winks. “Do you think he’ll listen at the door?”
“Who?”
She leads me down the hall. “The guy who’s keeping tabs on you.”
I laugh. “Nah, I think he knows what we’ll be up to. He’ll be watching your dad and the parking lot.”
“Too bad, because I think this time we should be really, really loud.”
For the first time, I realize that she’s seriously going to fuck my brains out, and I can’t help but wonder how the hell I got so lucky with this girl. After everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, she still wants me?
“Maggie…I don’t think…” Shutup-shutup-shutup.
She turns into me, stopping me from taking another step, her warm body rolling up mine, jolting my cock to attention. Her eyes are hooded, her lips parted, and she drops her arms over my shoulders. I slide my hands to her ass, a now-familiar movement that makes my lust spike harder and my cock pulse against her.
“I’m going to lose you after today. I know. So let’s not waste this time, okay? I want this. I want you. If I’m going to have a memory to carry me through the next while, it’s going to be a good one. Can you do that for me? End this weekend they way it should be ended. With a bang?”
I grin, grip her ass harder, and haul her up so I can kiss her. She opens her mouth and lets me devour her. We’ve only been apart for hours, and I can honestly say that I missed this. Her taste, the heat of her mouth, her soft lips, everything. It’s hard to accept that this is the last time. And with that thought, I kiss her harder. I pull her closer. I want to imprint this in my memory, too.
Someone clears his throat. We pull apart, out of breath, and start laughing and apologizing to the hotel worker who’s pushing a cart toward us. He smiles indulgently as we move past him.
“Better take this into the room.” Maggie’s face is bright red. She fumbles with her key card. I reach out and steady her hand so we can slide it in together.
We’re barely in the room when she pushes me up against the wall and kisses me again, fiercely, urgently. Her hand is on my cock, rubbing me through my pants. It feels so good just to have her touching me. My cock is aching for her, to be inside her. I have my hands on her ass and nudge her up, but instead of lifting her weight up, she drops it down, sliding away from my lips, down my body, and to her knees.
She’s grinning up at me while she unzips my pants. My dick is right there waiting for her, eager for her lips. I watch as lust consumes her, her eyes hooding once again as she flicks her gaze from my face to my cock. I can hardly take the anticipation. I want her to suck me off. I want to feel her salvia coat my shaft. I want—ahhh, yeah, like that. She takes me down her throat, pushing to her limit, I know, my dick is almost entirely in her mouth, and her lips are stretched, and her tongue is pressing against the length of my shaft. She just stays there like that for a bit, my dick encased in her warm, wet mouth, and it feels so damn good that I could explode just from that.
She moves back slowly, letting my shaft glide along her tongue. She slides one hand up to cup my balls and the other to encircle my girth. It’s a full sensation kind of blowjob, the best I’ve ever had…today. Maggie’s blowjobs are to die for. I can’t help but buck into her, to feel every nerve ending zap along my dick. She’s moving with me, pumping her mouth, sucking me off, stroking my balls, rubbing my dick. She flicks my head, licking my slit, coaxing me to come down her throat with all of her attention.
I grip her hair and stare down at her. I just can’t contain myself. My balls get hot and tight and fill with cum.
“Maggie,” I moan.
She flicks her eyes up to me and lifts her hands, gripping my ass and pushing me forward so that my dick is wedged in her mouth once again. She closes her eyes, relaxes her throat, and lets me in all the way. It’s the best fucking feeling of my life, and I spew my cum deep into her belly, shooting jets of it until I’m bellowing so loud that anyone outside the door is sure to hear me.
She eases herself back, letting my dick slide out of her mouth slowly, teasingly, so that there’s no way I’m not hard as she finally frees me from her lips. The cool air hits my flesh, and my dick bobs, questing for the heat of her mouth.
“My turn,” I say and then help her stand. I kiss her deeply, and my dick brushes against the fabric of her pants. The flesh is so sensitive it almost hurts. A good kind of pain, though, so I rub against her more.
She has her hands on my chest, her fingers tracing my pecs, so I do the same, cup her breasts, rub along the top with my fingers. Her nipples bud like hard little pebbles, and I circle my thumbs over them.
She breaks away so she can take her clothes off, teasing me as she walks toward the bed without taking her eyes off of me. She whips her shirt off and tosses it my way. I catch it, inhale deeply. Fuck, I love the way she smells. I growl into the fabric before throwing it over my shoulder. She flicks her pants off, using her foot to send them in my direction. I kick them aside.
“Take off your panties. I want to see you.”
Her skin is so creamy, so lush. She hooks her fingers into the sides of her panties, but instead of pulling them off, she pulls them up so that they wedge into a vee between her pussy lips. My cock likes that. It twitches and pulses, and I have to do everything in my power not to pounce on her and rip those panties off. She laughs then turns around and slides her panties over her hips, bending at the waist and giving me a good view of her plump ass.
I do pounce on her now. I lift her by the hips and set her on the bed. I grip her panties, which are now around her ankles, and twine them so that she can’t move. “Spread your knees. Keep your ass up high.”
She does as she’s told. Her pretty ass is up, her pussy on display with her knees spread wide. I’ve got my hands on her panties, twisting so that her ankles are immobile. Without my prompting, she reaches up and unhooks her bra. Her tits sway, still somewhat encased but no longer bound. With a growl, I reach forward and slip my hand under her dangling bra so I can squeeze her flesh. Her nipple is hard, begging to be sucked, but that will come later. Right now, all I can see is her glistening, pink pussy, and I want to bury my face in there and eat her until she’s screaming.
I flick her nipple one more time and then move both of my hands to her pussy. I splay her with my thumbs, opening her up. She’s so wet that my dick will glide in there with no problem but not yet. I need to taste her again. One more time.
I push her forward and lick her from clit to asshole then back again, digging in with my tongue once I’m coated in her arousal. It drips down my chin, and I suck it back. She’s so wet. So hot. I rub my thumb over her clit, and she bucks backward, knocking me away from her flesh.
I swat her ass. My hand on her skin makes a nice smacking noise. “Don’t move.”
She whimpers as I dig my tongue back inside of her. Licking, flicking, teasing. I slide two fingers deep inside and search for the little nub of raised flesh, her g-spot, such a receptive little button. Ahh, yes, there it is. Just like what she did for me, I give her the full service treatment. My tongue, my mouth, my fingers, all working at the same time to amp her up until she’s writhing and moaning, clearly trying not to move but failing.
“I can’t…I can’t…” She’s panting, trying to lift her head, trying to pull away from me. “Don’t stop! Liam!”
I slide one hand to her tit and tease her nipple, and suddenly she’s crying ou
t and bucking, going wild as she climaxes, hard.
I wring every last shudder from her, not stopping until her body isn’t quivering, and she collapses to the bed, her limbs like jelly, so relaxed that I wonder if she can even move.
“Holy shit,” she moans. “That was awesome!” Her voice is hoarse. She flops to her back, her tits jutting, her chest still heaving.
I grin proudly. “Feel good?”
She’s nodding, her eyes bright and cheeks flushed. “It felt so good, Liam.”
I take my clothes off. Jacket, shirt, pants. I just want to sink into her now. Encase myself and fuck her proper.
I turn, grab a condom, and quickly slip it on. My dick is aching for her. Wrapping it up is agony, but when I turn back, her pussy is right there, plump and ready.
I grab her ankles and pull her toward me, lifting her slightly so that I can pierce her with my dick. She cries out, and so do I, because fuck, it feels so damn good. Her muscles still quiver and clench, and my dick feels wedged in tight. I take it slow for about thirty seconds, that’s all I can handle, and then I just can’t. I just can’t do anything but pound her sweet body. Her tits bounce, and I lock one forearm over her legs so I can play with her nipples with the other hand. They’re so pink, like ripe berries. I flick and pinch then rub and sooth, moving from one to the other before cupping her breasts, covering her nipples with my palm. I grind my dick against her clit with each stroke and watch her eyes glaze over. I know it’s too much for her; it’s too much for me. Every part of our flesh that touches is like electrically charged pulses of pure pleasure.
I pull out, let her legs go, and then lift her and flip her. She’s standing on the floor now, her ass up, her waist bent, and I enter her from behind, fucking her so I can knead her ass, gliding my finger over her puckered hole. She’s bracing herself on her elbows, and her tits are swaying. I pop my thumb into her asshole, tweak her nipple with my other hand, and fuck her brains out.
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