“It has everything to do with it. If he can’t control me, I’ll destroy him.”
“Then we need to get out from under him.”
“You got any bright ideas?”
“I don’t know. There has to be something. Isn’t he running for governor next year?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Dude,” Garrett says. “This is fucked up.”
Liam glances at me. “You have no idea.”
~ ~ ~
Liam isn’t talkative at dinner. “Listen,” I say. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done this, considering what just happened.”
He sips his beer. “I know I’m shit company.”
“You have every right to be. You got robbed.”
“But I didn’t.”
“You know what I mean. What happened to you is scary, Liam. What if he comes after you some other time?”
“Let him. He’ll never find the flash drive.”
“What if he hurts you?”
“He won’t.”
“But you said he knows shady people.”
“He’s smart enough to know if he touches me, I’ll end him. I should have driven out to Stamford and confronted him.”
My heart falls, knowing that could put him in danger. “You were smart not to. You don’t know how far he’ll go. You should definitely cool off before you talk to him.”
“You don’t think I’ll be this mad tomorrow?”
“Maybe not. Please tell me you’ll be careful.”
“I won’t do anything stupid, so don’t worry. Can we not talk about this anymore? It’s really putting a damper on my appetite.”
“What do you want to talk about instead?”
“How are your illustrations coming along?”
“Good. I’m about to start on the third book.”
“Wow. You got through the second one fast.”
I shrug. “Didn’t have much else to do this week.”
He looks guilty.
I remember something. “You wanted to show me something at your apartment. What was it?”
“It wasn’t show as much as hear.”
I straighten. “You wrote another song?”
“Garrett wrote the lyrics and gave them to me Monday. I didn’t work on it until this morning.”
“Until this morning, huh?”
“Like that should surprise you, Mrs. Campbell. I did sleep next to you last night.”
Why is it every time he calls me Mrs. Campbell, tingles shoot through me? It’s pretty much my name, but when he says it—oh lordy.
“Garrett wrote the lyrics?”
“That’s what I said. But they’re good. I wanted to run the tune past you. See what you thought.”
“I’m sure it’s great. Everything you compose is perfect.”
“You’re biased.”
“I’m not. Liam, I thought your music was great even before this.”
This. Us. We. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Couple. Exactly what are we? It’s the question that has plagued me for weeks.
“I’m glad you feel that way, but I still want you to hear it.”
“I can’t wait.”
A man at the next table kisses his companion. Liam sees it too. He looks at my hand like he wants to hold it. Like maybe he longs to be that couple.
“Has Corey contacted you?”
I take a drink, eyeing him over the rim of my glass. “Since you ran him off last night? No.”
“Good.”
I suppress a smile. “Are you jealous?”
“No.”
I glance around to make sure no one is listening. “Liam, do you want me?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“But one I’d like you to answer.”
“Of course I do, but—”
“I’m tired of your buts. You want me, and I want you. So let’s go have each other.” I slip a shoe off and run my foot up his leg. His eyes widen in surprise. “What? You never said anything about my feet touching you.” I can’t reach the place I was aiming for, but I know he’s turned on. “Can we go back to my place and try?”
“Try what?”
“I don’t know. Something. Anything.”
He looks out the window for a few long seconds, then back at me. “I can’t make any promises.”
“I don’t expect any.”
He motions for the check and I smile.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Liam
Ella comes out of the bathroom wearing a T-shirt. I had a taste of her a week ago. It was the most vanilla experience I’ve had. In many ways, that made it the best.
She keeps the lights on and stands in front of me as I sit on the edge of the bed. She works her way between my legs. “You have too many clothes on.”
I smile up at her. “What are you going to do about it?”
She untucks my shirt and pulls it over my head. “Can I sit on you?”
I nod.
She climbs on my lap. I’m already getting hard, and feeling her on top of me has my dick pulsating. She removes her tee, revealing her breasts. All that remains are her panties.
Her wavy hair falls to where it almost touches her nipples, and her eyes, well, I swear I’m under their spell. I hope the enchantment is strong enough to get me through this without running away like a fucking scaredy cat.
I touch her face, absently brushing my thumb across her cheek, and then I kiss her. Before her, I never dreamed of kissing a woman. Now it’s all I think about. But in my dreams, she touches me. In my dreams, I’m normal and we do all the things other people do when they get intimate.
I put my hands on her breasts. They’re as nice as I remember. It’s like they were made to fit perfectly in my hands.
Ella touches my shoulders, and when I don’t protest, she weaves her fingers through my hair. I try hard not to flinch. I don’t want to scare her away. But sometimes when people touch my hair, it reminds me of him. How he used to grab onto it right before he blew his load into me.
As I start to go flaccid, I get pissed at myself for letting him into my head. I look at Ella, intent on thinking of nothing and no one but her. She’s the one touching me.
I lick her nipple. She inhales sharply and arches into me. The more demanding I am, the tighter she grips my hair. I reposition us so I’m lying down and she straddles me. “You’re beautiful, do you know that?”
Her cheeks pink.
“I’ve never said that to anyone before. You’re the first.”
She smiles. “I want to be the first to do a lot of things with you.” She leans down until her breasts squish against my chest. “I want you.”
I tense. “I want you too, but not until we can do it the right way.”
“We don’t have to do everything.” She rolls off me. “Take off your pants.”
“You do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do it, Ella.”
She unbuttons my jeans and pulls them down, careful not to touch me. It makes me both happy and sad at the same time. She’s respecting my boundaries. But damn it, I wish there weren’t any boundaries to have to respect.
She drops my jeans on the floor. “Can I touch your feet?”
I nod.
She watches me as she caresses my foot for a few seconds before moving higher to massage my calf. It feels great. Maybe I can do this after all.
“Can I put my lips here?” she asks, touching the inside of my knee.
I swallow hard and nod again.
She kisses the spot, flicking her tongue against my skin. I’m getting hard again. I want to touch her, but she’s too far away.
She accidentally grazes the scars on my thigh, and I flinch. “Jesus,” I say, embarrassed by my reaction. “Sorry.”
She stares at the scars. I know she wants to ask me how I got them, but she won’t. She never asks me about anything. Unlike most people, she understands that my past is private. And nobody’s business but mine. “It’s okay, Liam
. I won’t touch you there if you don’t want me to.”
“I want you to, El. I want you to touch me everywhere. But when you do, sometimes I can’t help but think of other shit I shouldn’t be thinking of.”
She straddles me again, undulating on top of me, two scraps of fabric the only things between us. I’m instantly hard. If I pulled aside her panties, I could slip right in. I don’t even think she’d object. But I can’t do it quick and dirty, not with her.
I fondle her breasts. Her head falls back, and the sexiest little noise comes out of her mouth. Not a moan. More like a chirp. Holy shit.
I work a finger under her panties. She’s so wet. I slip it inside her and work the wetness up around her clit. She arches her back again and braces her hands behind her on the bed, opening herself to me. I work my fingers harder. She pushes down on me. I can tell she’s close. I reach up and pinch her nipple, then release, then pinch again. She cries out, and her walls clamp down on my fingers.
“Put your hands on me,” I say.
She opens her eyes. “Where?”
“Here.” I point to my chest.
She carefully works her fingers over my pecs and nipples but doesn’t go any lower. She won’t test my boundaries without asking. I’ve never met another woman like her.
I move her hand down to my abs. I keep my hand on top of hers as I move it around. It feels good. Somehow this seems okay, like I’m the one in control. I wonder if—
We have the same idea at the same time. “Could we try it like this?” she asks, glancing lower.
I shrug.
“You can stop me any time.”
I think about it. “We can try.”
She takes my boxers off, careful to only touch the fabric. Then she straddles me again, sitting on my thighs. “Show me.”
I cup her hand in mine and put it on my dick. It’s such a foreign feeling. My eyes close, and he’s here, telling me how much I like it because I get hard. Because I come. My heart races and bile burns my throat. I swallow over and over, trying to push him away. “No!”
Suddenly, I’m alone on the bed. My eyes fly open to see Ella next to me. Tears coat her lashes.
“I’m not going to do it,” I say.
She moves for the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to.”
I grab her arm and pull her back. “That’s not what I meant. I meant I’m not going to let him ruin this for me.” She looks hesitant as I guide her back on top of me. “I want this, El. You have no idea how much.”
I put her hand back on me. I’m completely soft, so I rub up and down, her hand under mine, like how we did it in Florida, only in reverse. So many emotions bombard me. The feel of her hand is amazing and terrifying at the same time.
I focus on our hands, mine rough with calluses, hers as soft and smooth as the finest silk. Then her breasts, her face. I get hard again. She smiles and bites her lip when I grow in her hand.
It’s sick and twisted to have to do it like this, but at the same time, her hand is on me, and I never thought this could happen.
She puts my other hand on her breast. Oh, yeah. That makes it even better.
“You feel so good,” she says.
I love her sultry sex voice. “So do you.”
My balls tighten. Her hand moves faster. I make sure not to lose my grip on her, as I don’t know what would happen. I try hard not to close my eyes. I focus on her. She’s doing this to me. Ella.
I shout as come spurts across her chest. Our hands fall away. She gets on all fours and hovers over me, giving me a smug little grin.
“Don’t get cocky,” I say, as she lies on top of me, smushing jizz between us. I chuckle. “Now I need a shower.”
“Me, too. Let’s take one together.” I’m hesitant, so she adds, “I’ll use the loofah. It’ll be okay.”
“You’re kind of bossy.” She looks taken aback. I pull her closer. “But I fucking like it.” I lean up and kiss her. “I like it a lot.”
Confident again, she hops off the bed, leading the way to the bathroom. And suddenly, I get the feeling I’d follow this woman anywhere.
Chapter Forty
Ella
I’m hot. I go to take the covers off and realize I’m trapped. Liam’s arm is around me, and he’s spooning me. I hold still, wanting to keep the connection as long as possible.
Last night was incredible. It felt like a real date, with real intimacy, and a real sleepover. I know he said no promises, but the way he looked at me in bed after our shower, it sure as heck felt like one.
He shifts behind me and inhales deeply. Is he smelling my hair?
“I know you’re awake,” he says.
“I was just enjoying lying here.”
He chuckles. “It’s new for me, too. But it’s nice.”
“I’m glad you think so. Not to scare you off, but you do realize this is the second time you’ve slept over.”
“Kicking me out already, Mrs. Campbell?”
My insides flutter. “Hardly.”
He quickly pins me beneath him. He circles my wrists with his long fingers, locking my hands to the bed. I can feel his erection. “How can you be so different from every other girl?”
“I don’t think I am. Maybe I’m just different from the girls you’ve been with.”
“It’s not that. You’re different, El.”
“As long as it’s a good thing.”
His lips almost touch mine. “It’s a great thing.”
He kisses me. All sorts of feelings course through me. I want this. I want it every morning. How can I feel like this after only two months? I knew Corey for eighteen months and still wasn’t ready to move in with him. With Liam, every time he leaves, I feel like a part of me is missing. Every time I see him, I become whole again.
He hops out of bed. “I should get going. I have to drive out to Stamford today.”
My happiness sours. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
“He tossed my apartment, Ella.”
“And what is confronting him going to accomplish?”
“It’s going to show him he can’t control me. I want to see his face, knowing he didn’t find what he was looking for. It’s not often Dirk Campbell doesn’t get his way.”
“You want to go there to gloat?”
He pulls his pants on. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“If you insist on going, take me with you.”
He stills and turns, a frown snapping between his brows. “No fucking way.”
“Why not?”
“One, because Dirk is an asshole. And two, I don’t want you anywhere near that part of my life.”
I run a finger along his arm. “Am I part of your life?”
He stares at the bed. I wonder if he’s thinking about what we did last night. He looks back at me. “Yes, of course.”
“Then take me with you.”
“It’s not a good idea,” he says.
“Neither is you going alone.”
He sits on the chair and pulls his socks on. “Why do you want to go? Tell me the truth.”
I get up, put on my robe, and sit on his lap, straddling him. “Because you’re part of my life, Liam. You are important to me. I want you to be safe.”
“And you think you can keep me safe?”
“I’ll be your buffer. Neither of you will do anything stupid if I’m there. Besides, you’re trapped. I’m not letting you go without me.”
“You can’t keep me from going, El.”
I open my robe and expose my breasts. “I suppose not, but I can do everything in my power to make you stay.”
He outlines my breasts with his fingers, sending chills through me.
“Take me with you.”
“God, woman, you’re demanding.”
I shimmy on top of him. He’s going to say yes.
He appraises me like a starving man in front of a steak dinner. “And after last night, I think I trust you more than anyone I’ve ever known.”
My heart leaps, and
it takes all my willpower not to tell him how much I love him.
~ ~ ~
I fiddle with the radio as we drive to Stamford in Crew’s old Nissan. “You don’t have your own car? Or did you sell it when you moved to the city?”
“I used to drive one from Dirk’s car lot. He took it back when I moved out. Since Crew and Bria live and work together, they only need one car, so he lets me use this one.”
“I’m surprised it still runs.”
“He’s taken very good care of it. Do you have a car?”
“I don’t even have a license.”
“You’re twenty-three, El.”
“I’ve lived in the city all my life. There’s never been a need.”
“Everyone should know how to drive.”
“I know how to drive. I learned from watching TV.”
“You can’t learn how to drive from watching television.”
“Want to bet?” He exits the highway even though we’re nowhere near Stamford. “Where are you going?”
“To win the bet.”
“You want me to drive?”
“Why not? It’s an old piece of shit. What better way to start?”
“You’re crazy.”
“Don’t think you can do it, eh?”
“Oh, I can do it.”
He pulls into a large empty parking lot, parks in the middle of it, and turns off the car. “Prove it,” he says, smiling ear to ear.
We get out and switch seats. I put my seatbelt on and turn the key. It makes a god-awful grinding noise. Liam laughs.
“Shut up.”
“Sorry. When the car starts, stop turning the key. Okay, go ahead.”
I place my hand on the gear shift, determined to do this without any help. I put it in drive and press on the gas. We surge forward and almost run into a light pole.
“Ella!” he screams.
I slam on the brakes, and Liam has to brace himself or hit the front window.
I turn to him. “That’ll teach you for not wearing your seatbelt.”
He puts it on. “We’re in a fucking parking lot. I didn’t think I’d need one. Are you trying to kill me? This time ease your foot off the brake and the car will move forward slowly. Then lightly touch the gas, don’t stomp on it. I thought you said you knew how to do this?”
Reckless Invitation (The Reckless Rockstar Series) Page 21