Loving Liv

by Stacey Kennedy

  That was tough to do when she caught another glimpse of the Miles imposter across the bar. He hadn’t disappeared. Hmm. She blinked. Twice. And yet…he remained. The laughter and splashing from the pool all disappeared under the weight of that gaze. The power of those eyes. Damn. This wasn’t working at all.

  With another deep sigh, she looked back at Grace and Ben, who still chatted, trying to ground herself. A quick look over her shoulder, and Miles still sat there. Fuck. The memory of him and his spectacular everything caressed her. She swore she could hear his voice and feel his touch, pulled in so deep she felt like the world simply slipped away. Goosebumps raced down her neck, need overwhelming her. She quickly cleared her throat, trying to shake off the feeling.

  Determined to numb herself with booze, Liv interrupted Benjamin and Grace, “I’m going to get another drink. Want one?”

  Both shook their heads, but Grace said, “I really want to get settled in my cabin.”

  “Go ahead,” Liv replied. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

  Benjamin winked. “Unless some hot guy grabs you first.”

  Liv pointed at him. “No men. I already told you. I’m done with your kind.”

  Benjamin laughed, and that warm sound she’d missed these past years followed her as she moved toward the other bar. She needed to get a closer look at the man who resembled Miles. She’d stay away from him for the next seven days, but she wanted to see him first. She didn’t need a reminder of the guy she’d been trying so hard to forget. Really, it was silly. Most women would love the fact that they met a guy who made the molecules in their body explode, but Liv was not that woman. She’d already given her heart to a bad boy, and he’d given his body to any woman who would take him. And the truth was, Miles, and the way he captivated her, terrified her to her bones. That hurt, that strangling pain she’d endured with Gavin, she wouldn’t put herself in that position again.

  Not ever again.

  She slowly drew closer to the man, and he never looked away. Heat rolled through her, puckering her nipples with every step, making warmth build between her thighs, just that easily, until she finally stood in front of him. She swore she could smell the hints of a warm leather in his cologne. But she’d experienced this before. Dozens of times over the last three months. She swore Miles stood there in front of her, only to be mistaken. She lifted her hand and poked his chest, expecting the face to morph in a way that she didn’t recognize, followed up by a “Sorry, do I know you?”

  That’s not what happened.

  Miles arched a single eyebrow at her. “Interesting way to say hello.”

  “Shit.” She yanked her hand away. “You’re real.” She shook her head, taking another full step back, blinking rapidly. “I mean, it’s you.”

  Miles chuckled. “Were you expecting it not to be?”

  She blinked. Twice more. It had been three months since she’d seen him, but he looked exactly the same. Her cheeks flushed at being reunited with the guy she’d blatantly rejected every single time he called to try and come see her in San Francisco. Sure, they weren’t her finest moments, but she didn’t trust herself with this guy. At all. “How did you…what is…why are you on this cruise?”

  Something crossed his face, maybe confusion. “You didn’t know I was coming?”

  She paused, her thoughts reeling. “Should I have known?”

  He nodded and frowned. “Two weeks ago, I got an email from you telling me that you wanted me to join you on this cruise.” He angled his head, those intense eyes boring into hers. “I guess it’s right to assume you never sent the email.”

  Liv’s mouth dried, the ground falling out from beneath her. “Someone sent you an email inviting you here?”

  “Yes, they did,” he said with a slow nod. “And I thought that someone was you.”

  Liv racked her brain, trying to understand who would do that. But then it all made sense, and Aubrey was the most likely candidate. Aubrey…who had so conveniently disappeared when they all decided to come to the pool bar. Her best friend from college knew all about Miles. “Those busybodies, meddling—”

  “Friends from college that you’re here with,” Miles offered, obviously aware of who she came with on the cruise.

  Liv gave a firm nod. “Friends that I plan to murder.”

  Miles laughed, a low rumble that made Liv’s heart skip. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re too gorgeous to go to jail. They’d eat you alive.”

  Heat licked through her at the compliment. “I…”—she cleared her throat—“I need to go get settled into my cabin.” She looked over her shoulder, finding Grace and Benjamin heading toward the glass elevators. “My friends, they’re leaving.”

  “Before you run off, we need to discuss our current predicament.”

  His confident, deep, seductive voice lured her back to him, and she gulped at the intensity in which he watched her. Like he was a lion, and she was his toy. “What’s to discuss?”

  He held her gaze. “If your meddling friends were right and you wanted to see me again? Or if I should get off this ship?”

  Those traitors. Whoever did this, whatever game they were playing, someone was going to pay. She’d told them all about how she was seeing Miles everywhere after their hot night together. And then she told Aubrey how life felt dull since that night. Still! No one had the right to make this decision for her. She fought to pull together her thoughts. “No…yes…I…”

  His eyebrows slowly drew together at her stumbling. “It’s yes or no, Liv. Either you want me to leave this ship or you want me to find another wall to fuck you against.” His grin dripped sex.

  Sweet Jesus.

  She parted her lips to tell him to leave. That this was a huge misunderstanding. That it could never work between them, and she wouldn’t repeat her mistakes. But she was pulled in by the heat he exuded. Months she’d thought of him, needed him again. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him closer.

  The entire cruise ship began to vanish as Miles closed the distance between them. He didn’t touch her. Oh, hell no, he dropped his head into her neck, drawing in her scent like he’d been craving it, and now that he’d gotten his fill, all was right with the world again. When he finally leaned away, one look into those eyes, that heated promise, and her knees went weak.

  He took his time looking at her parted lips before meeting her eyes. “I’m glad to see you again, Liv,” he finally murmured. A hard shudder ran through her as he dropped a single kiss to her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut, and the memory of his touch sent need straight between her thighs, making her wet and desperate. When he leaned away, he gave her that panty-dropping grin—like he’d gotten the answer to whatever question he had. “I think I’ll stick around. Something tells me it’s going to get interesting.”

  As he walked away, she could finally talk again. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Miles entered his luxury cabin at the back of the ship, undecided if he should laugh at the situation or dive into the ocean and swim back to shore. For two weeks, he’d been clamoring to see Liv again. Their night together had shifted something inside him, opened his eyes to new possibilities, making him realize how small his world had been. Meanwhile, Liv was hellbent on killing whoever had tricked them into reconnecting on this trip. To be honest, Miles was right there with her. He slammed the door behind him, taking in the sheer size of the suite. He never usually spent money like this on himself, but he had planned for Liv to spend the trip with him in this room and he had wanted the space, and the balcony. His gaze shifted there, the white curtains dancing in the wind with the warm breeze. He had plans for that balcony, which included bending Liv over the railing and taking them both where they wanted to go.

  He cursed, frustrated that wasn’t happening, and he kicked off his shoes, ready to figure out his next steps. The last thing he wanted to do was make a wrong move now. Since their night together, Miles had tried to fly out to San Fra
ncisco to see Liv again. She’d shut him down every damn time. Even though he finally gave up texting her after all of her excuses, not a day had gone by that she wasn’t on his mind. Hell, she was there in the blood in his veins. A hunger he couldn’t could quench. And none of it made any sense. Miles liked freedom. He loved women even more, specifically submissive women. Liv was pure vanilla, with guards up around her heart that made it impossible to get anywhere near her. He liked his women open emotionally and sexually free, and she was neither. She was all wrong for him, and yet, he couldn’t get her out of his damn head. Enough so, that when the email came inviting him on the cruise, he didn’t think twice about joining her.

  The balcony drew him out, but as he grabbed a beer from his fridge, his phone rang. He reached for his cell in his pocket and snorted at the screen. Preparing himself for the storm facing him, he stepped out onto the balcony and dropped into the lounge chair. Off in the distance, he spotted the twinkling of lights on land, precisely why he’d booked this cabin. The position on the back of the ship offered a one-eighty-degree view over the stern’s wake. “Hello, ladies,” he answered the Facetime call.

  Four beautiful faces were squished together. Cora, Presley, Kenzie, and Ella, the wives of his closest friends, and fellow Dominants who belonged to the exclusive Las Vegas BDSM dungeon, Club Sin.

  Cora’s bright blue eyes sparkled. “Tell us everything that’s happened,” she said.

  “Don’t leave anything out,” the strawberry blonde, Kenzie, added.

  By the red velvet fabric behind them, Miles knew they were sitting on the big circular chair that rested in the middle of Club Sin. The lack of noise, both music and screams of pleasure, told him that the club was either between scenes, or the night hadn’t begun yet. Miles hadn’t looked at the clock since he’d gone onto the deck in search of Liv. “I’ve got very little to tell you,” he answered them honestly. “Liv had no idea I was coming here.”

  “What?” Ella gasped, her long hair was swept to the side in a braid. “How is that possible? I thought Liv sent you the email.”

  “You and me both,” Miles grumbled.

  Presley’s emerald colored eyes softened as she twirled a dark blond ringlet around her finger. “Do you have any idea who did send the email?”

  “No, but I plan to find out.” He looked like a damn idiot chasing a woman on a cruise who didn’t want him there. Someone needed to answer for that. The only reason he wasn’t jumping ship and hunting that person down was because Liv hadn’t told him to leave. Just being near her again sparked that burning passion between them, making absolutely no sense. Miles knew lust. The pull he had to Liv, a woman he’d only touched once, exceeded lust. She was as alluring as she was the night he’d met her. He wanted her. Her innocence didn’t push him away like it had with any other woman. Her guards didn’t make him flee. He’d called every few weeks to see her, knowing she’d likely shut him down. Liv was different. He’d only wanted to understand why, and regardless of how he’d gotten here, he’d take the chance fate had given him.

  Kenzie, always the loudest one of the bunch, asked, “Well, what are you going to do now? You’re not going to leave, right? You’re still going to go after her?”

  They wanted gossip. Now their lives were filled with babies and playdates and routines, and for the last couple weeks, Miles’ love life had become their entire focus. Not that he’d indulged them. “A Dom never tells his secrets, ladies. You should really know this by now.”

  Pouts followed.

  “Harassing Master Miles again,” Dimitri said firmly, yet his voice was tinged with amusement. Club Sin had been Dmitri’s brainchild, and he only handed over the reins to Miles when he realized he couldn’t have it all. The club. The family. And be the CEO of one of Las Vegas’s top casinos. “Now, ladies, don’t you have anything better to do? Or shall I give you something to do?” All sets of eyes flicked up at Dmitri and the women promptly cringed.

  Miles smiled as they shot up from their seats, the phone moving until Cora’s face showed on the screen. “Don’t be your easygoing self about this. You deserve happiness. Don’t leave that ship without her.”

  He didn’t give Cora the confirmation she was looking for, but he acknowledged her affection with a soft nod. “Be well, Cora.” All four women were kind and sweet, and also, incredibly nosy when they wanted to be.

  The phone jiggled some more until Dmitri’s sharp blue eyes regarded Miles. His longtime friend smiled warmly. “They are determined to make sure this works out for you.”

  “I was determined to make sure this works out for me, too, until I found out she didn’t want me here,” Miles admitted.

  Dmitri frowned. “Obviously, someone thought she wanted you there, or why would they have sent that email? Seems to me Liv isn’t being honest about not wanting to see you. Maybe she needed a push, and that email was it.”

  Miles had considered the same thought. “Possibly.”

  “Did she tell you to leave?”

  “No,” Miles said. “But she also didn’t tell me to stay either.” He ran a hand over his face. “I’ve never in my life met a woman who melts when I get close, and at the same time, does not want to see me.”

  Dmitri chuckled. “Women are complicated creatures. Passion can’t be faked. There’s a reason she’s trying so hard to keep you out. Find out what that reason is, and I bet you’ll find the answer you’re looking for.”

  Miles gave a slow nod. “Thank you, Dmitri.”

  “Of course. Let us know if you need anything.”

  The phone shook again, and muffled voices filled the line, obviously Dmitri catching up the others.

  Then Kyler was grinning at him. A cop, and a royal pain in Miles’s ass on most days. “How’s that vanilla treat of yours?” Kyler asked, his messy brown hair falling over his brow.

  “As vanilla as ever.” Miles smiled. Which, in truth, was still a shock to him. Miles never had vanilla sex. Sure, taking Liv outdoors in a back alleyway at the wedding wasn’t exactly boring sex, but it was as vanilla as Miles had gotten since he’d turned twenty-one. He got off on erotic play, but touching Liv felt very similar. The high was just the same.

  Nothing looked the same after their night together. Everything shifted. Club Sin lost its flavor. Running the nightclub lacked its usual excitement. Miles felt restless and bored, not the right state for any Dominant. But his biggest problem? He hadn’t had sex with a single woman since Liv, no matter how many willing submissives crossed his path. Sure, he’d done scenes with submissives for demonstrations and when a submissive requested him personally, but he’d used toys in the scene, never himself. And there lay his problem. He needed to either make a go with Liv or put his curious interest in her to bed and make the changes necessary in his life to bring that excitement back.

  The phone shuffled around again, and Porter, a private investigator, suddenly appeared on the phone, standing behind Kyler. “What’s the plan now?”

  Miles took a long sip of his beer and glanced out at the dark, rippling water, considering. The odd thing about Liv was that he understood she was running. Once she told him she’d had a heartbreak, he’d felt this odd tug to understand her past. Emotions had never been his thing, but when he touched Liv, his entire soul changed, fully in tune with her. He needed to explore that, understand why this vanilla woman had him all caught up. “The plan is simple. Remind her of this wild fucking thing between us. And now that we’re on a cruise ship, and she’s got nowhere to run, I can work on those guards she’s got up.”

  “That simple?” Kyler grinned.

  Miles nodded. “That simple.”

  “Nothing is ever that simple,” Dmitri said, off in the distance.

  Miles acknowledged his remark with another nod, knowing that was true. For three months, he’d wanted to see Liv to no avail. But that thought only reinforced his decision now. He’d seen the desire in her eyes tonight. She was worth the fight and the hits to his ego. “Porter, can you do me a favor
and find out who sent me that email?”

  “Consider it done,” Porter said. “I’ll text details when I have them.”

  “Thank you,” Miles said.

  The phone shifted again.

  Dark-haired Aidan took the phone next. “Listen, I’m not sure who would be stupid enough to trick you like this, but Cora had it right. This one, she’s different. You’re different with her. Don’t leave that ship without her.”

  These men were his friends. They’d had many years of friendship between them and understood him the way only another Dominant would. Together, as Masters of Club Sin, they had built a fine establishment with a flawless reputation. But something was missing. In the last year, Miles had sold his construction company in a multi-million-dollar deal in order to oversee Club Sin. But what he hoped he’d find in the nightclub—the personal life he’d been missing—he hadn’t found. His six closest buddies were married, settled with children. Miles’s life had stalled. He needed change. And no matter what happened with Liv on the ship, change would come after the cruise ended. “Now if you’re all done sticking your noses into my business, can I go and see about getting myself this woman?”

  “Wait…” Cora called and then gasped.

  Kyler appeared laughing. He looked into the phone and winked. “Cora had something to say, but she’s currently indisposed.”

  “I’m sure she is,” Miles said, imagining exactly what her Master made her mouth busy with.

  Dmitri took the phone again. “You’ll keep in touch?”

  “I will.”

  “Enjoy yourself, all right?”

  “I’ll do that too.” And just before the screen went dead, Cora’s scream of pleasure echoed across the phone line.