“Your office hours are booked solid through the end of the semester,” she pouted, her bottom lip popping out like a toddler’s.
“Liam, are you ready for dinner?” Rachel bounced happily into the room, and my face automatically broke into a happy grin. Then she skidded to a halt as she noticed we weren’t alone. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were meeting with a—” Her eyes landed on Hillary and her face twisted into a scowl. After a second, Rachel’s expression cleared, replaced by an overly-bright smile. “I guess you aren’t busy then. Ready for dinner?”
I had to cough to cover my sharp burst of laughter. I knew I shouldn’t encourage her behavior and tried to give her a disapproving frown. Clearly, I failed because her eyes danced with amusement and she winked at me.
“Thank you, Dr. Bennet,” Hillary snapped as she shot to her feet. She yanked her portfolio off of the desk and threw Rachel a scathing look as she stomped by her on the way out the door.
“Baby, you and I both know you are better than that,” I censured.
“Maybe,” Rachel replied with a tinkling laugh as she sidled up to me. “I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to her.” Her porcelain skin tinged with pink at her confession.
There was no possible way to contain my delight, and I smirked as I grabbed her waist and tugged her into my lap. “Are you jealous, baby?”
Rachel buried her face in my neck, and I felt her warm breath when she huffed. Then she muttered, “If I say yes, you’ll never let me forget it, will you?”
“Nope,” I said, popping the p at the end. She groaned, and I chuckled while I hugged her close. “How about I let you in on a little secret?” I offered. Her head bumped my chin as she sat up and eyed me, her curiosity piqued. “Ouch,” I grumbled playfully as I rubbed my beard over the offended spot. Rachel giggled and raised an impatient eyebrow, making me grin.
“I’m jealous too,” I stated matter of factly.
Rolling her eyes, she braced her hands on my shoulders for support and hopped out of my lap. “That’s not a secret,” she said dryly. “I think your caveman tendencies have been very well established considering you practically growl at every man who gets within five feet of me.”
My grin was unrepentant. “Just staking my claim, baby.” Following her up, I dropped an arm over her shoulders and started walking her toward the door to the hallway. “Let’s get outta here.” I shut and locked my office, and when I turned around, I saw Dr. Rosenthal sitting at her desk in the room directly across from mine. “I need a second, baby,” I told Rachel.
She nodded and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll meet you by the parking lot.”
I grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop and when she looked back at me, I pinned her with a stern look. “Do not go outside without me.” It was dark, and I didn’t like her being out in the parking lot at night alone. She gave me a thumbs up, and I couldn’t help chuckling when she spun back around and skipped down the hall.
“Hey, Paula.” I knocked on her doorjamb as I entered her office.
She looked up in surprise, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, then smiled warmly. “Dr. Bennet. How are you?”
I gave her a quick rundown of what had been happening with Hillary, and she agreed that she should have a talk with her. “I’m sorry about this, Liam,” she said regretfully. “I’ll make sure she stays away from you.”
“I’m more concerned about her staying away from Rachel,” I pointed out.
“Of course,” she replied.
“I didn’t want to have to come to you, but I didn’t want to go straight to the department chair since you’re her direct superior, and she hasn’t responded to anything I’ve said about it all…”
Paula waved a hand dismissively. “No, no. I’m glad you did. We are lucky to have you here, and I’d hate for her to jeopardize that. If she continues to bother you, please let me know, and I’ll take it to Dr. Leonard.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Paula. Enjoy your weekend, and welcome back. We missed you around here.” I winked, and she blushed. Paula was at least sixty, a happily married grandmother of six, but she still got flustered when I turned on the charm. Her husband glared daggers at me when he saw it, so I tried not to be deliberately flirty with her after that. Still, it happened from time to time, and it was adorable.
Rachel was waiting for me at the building entrance, and when she saw my expression, she shook her head and peered at me in suspicion. “You made her blush didn’t you?” I shrugged and slipped my arm around her waist. “Her husband is going to kick your ass one of these days.”
I threw my head back and burst out laughing. “Damn, I love you.”
13
Rachel
“Shut the front door!” I blurted. Everything around me started spinning, and I stumbled but was kept from falling flat on my face by Liam’s tight grip on my waist.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
I bent over and put my hands on my knees, taking deep gulping breaths. Was I having a panic attack?
“Baby, calm down.” Liam’s tone was soothing, and he was rubbing slow circles on my back. “You don’t have to say it, but I’m not going to take it back.”
Finally, my dizziness began to pass, and my heartbeat slowed, although it was still pumping hard. “Liam,” I said in a tremulous whisper as I straightened back up.
“Yeah, baby?”
Facing him, I tipped my head back to look him in the eyes. The brown pools were churning, and I knew I needed to get a grip and put him at ease. He was assuming my reaction was bad, but it was just the opposite. “You love me?” I croaked.
Big hands were suddenly cupping my face and velvety lips brushing across my own. “More than anything,” Liam whispered before kissing me deeper this time.
Before I could get lost, I wrenched away and grabbed his wrists, holding on for dear life. “I, um.” Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I love you too.”
Liam stared at me, his eyes searching intently and I stayed still, hoping he would read the sincerity in my voice and expression. “You aren’t just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear?” he asked guardedly.
I tried to shake my head, but he had a firm grip. “I love you, Liam Bennet.”
Liam lit up like he had swallowed the sun and he crushed his mouth over mine, kissing me with more intensity than he ever had before. We stood like that for a few minutes until someone cleared their throat and we broke apart. Liam shoved me behind his back so I didn’t see who it was, but they both murmured greetings, then the heavy metal door opened and swished shut. I started giggling uncontrollably, and Liam looked at me over his shoulder, grinning.
“I feel like a teenager that just got caught necking in the high school parking lot.”
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and leered at me. “How about we try not to get caught necking in a college parking lot?” I laughed, but he just grabbed my hand and dragged me outside before scooping me up into his arms and jogging out to his jeep.
His assigned spot was in a row reserved for professors, and it was pretty crowded, so I hoped he wasn’t really considering having sex in his car where it was parked. He must have read my mind because when he stopped at the passenger door and set me on my feet, he tugged on a lock of my hair and tucked it behind my ear before saying, “There is no fucking way that I would give anyone the opportunity to see any part of you that should be for my eyes only. And that includes what you look like when you come. I don’t share.”
Cheese and crackers, this guy knew just how to ruin my panties.
Liam unlocked the Jeep and boosted me into my seat, buckled me in, and then jogged around to his side. His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel and drove carefully out to the main road. Once we were away from the pedestrian-heavy area, he hit the gas, and we sped down the road. To my surprise, he drove past the turn that would take us home and kept going until he reached a dirt road that looked vaguely famil
iar to me. It took me a few minutes, then I recognized where we were, especially when I saw the view of our town below us.
“Did you seriously just bring me to The Overlook?” I asked incredulously, practically choking on my laughter. “Our high-school make-out point?” Liam’s smile faded at my words, and he glowered in my direction.
“I don’t want to know if you’ve ever been here and with who,” he rumbled darkly.
I raised an eyebrow haughtily and snipped, “Ditto.” He nodded firmly, but I could see that it was bugging him. “For the record though, I’ve only been here once, and it was for a photography project with Rosa.”
Relief flooded his features, and I almost laughed, but I could understand what he was feeling, so I kept it in. I forced myself not to consider whether or not Liam had been here with girls, how many, and who they were. He was five years older than me, so it’s not like I’d even known him then.
Liam’s finger ran down my cheek, leaving a path of heat that gave me goosebumps. “Baby, I’m not going to lie to you and say I never spent time out here as a teenager.” I frowned, and he trailed his finger across my lips. “But, I promise you that it was only a few times and I don’t even remember more than one thing about any of them.” I didn’t want to know, and I was about to tell him that, but he didn’t give me the chance. “They weren’t you.”
I’m not sure who attacked who at that point, but the next thing I knew, the Jeep was rocking, and we were fogging up the windows. “Tell me again,” Liam demanded when I was balancing on the precipice of bliss.
“I love you,” I breathed, and he groaned before filling me one last time and falling over the edge right behind me.
* * *
“Oh, Shit!” I shrieked. “Triple Drat! Frick! Frick! Frick!”
Rosa came running into our dorm room looking like her behind was on fire. “What? What happened?” She came to a dead stop when she saw me just standing at my desk staring at my phone. “What the hell, Rach? You scared the crap out of me! I thought maybe you were having a fu—freaking heart attack or something. Jeeze! You can’t swear unless your life is in mortal danger, woman!”
“Did you see the email from the school?” I yelled, waving my cell frantically. “I’m screwed, Rosa.” I stalked forward and shoved the phone into her hand. “SCREWED!”
She quickly scanned the email I had pulled up, and her face paled. “Oh, shit.”
“Exactly.” I pivoted and fell face first onto my bed. Tears of anger and despair leaked from the corners of my eyes and seeped into my bedspread.
I’d just received an email detailing increases being made to school expenses. The cost of room and board was going up, and I didn’t have enough to cover it. Beyond expenses like my phone and the occasional bus ride, I’d saved every single penny I’d made over the last couple of months. I was finally able to breathe when I realized I would have just enough to cover all of my last semester’s expenses. My happy bubble had just been spectacularly burst.
“Rach, seriously, please let my parents—“
I groaned loudly and cut her off. “Don’t start, Ro!”
She sighed, and I felt the bed depress next to me when she sat down. “Okay, so you’ll squat in here with me. If I get a roommate, then we’ll share my bed.”
Turning to my side, I gave her a sad but grateful smile, more tears trekking down my cheeks. “If we got caught, we would both be in trouble, and I’m not risking that for you. But, you know I love you for being willing to let me be your stowaway.”
“Now, Rosa. I thought you were on my side and now I hear you’re willing to help her become a stowaway somewhere?”
Rosa and I both jumped at the sound of Liam’s deep voice. He was standing in the door that Rosa had left wide open when she came running in here.
He took in the scene before him and frowned. “What the hell? Baby, are you crying?” Before I could answer, he was at my side, lifting me into his arms and cuddling me into his chest as he sat in my spot.
I was about to give him a lame excuse when Rosa shot me a warning glance and ratted me out like the traitor she was. “The school is raising costs, and Rachel can’t afford room and board next semester.”
“Rosa!” I gasped in outrage.
She glared at me and folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t ‘Rosa’ me, Rachel Hill! You’d sleep on the fucking street before you admit you need help. Well, I’m not going to let you do it, damn it.”
“I can’t believe you, Ro. I would have figured something out.” We argued for another minute until I realized Liam was awfully quiet. I shut my mouth and glanced up, expecting his silence to be due to paralyzing fury. My expectation was blown to bits when I found him grinning like a loon.
I sat up completely straight and pursed my lips in confusion. “Um,” I started as I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “You’re not mad?”
Liam laughed, and I was even more bewildered. “I’m going to send the board a freaking fruit basket,” he declared.
“Come again?”
“Liam, have you been drinking?” Rosa asked, her expression showing she was just as lost as I was.
“No. But, I’ll be breaking out the champagne tonight after I move Rachel into our house.”
“P-pardon?” I sputtered.
Rosa looked smug when she leaned over to kiss my cheek, then jumped up and pointed a finger at Liam. “My threat still stands. But, also, it’s about fucking time.” I watched in shock as she pulled out my suitcases and started throwing stuff in them.
Finally, my speechlessness dissipated and I opened my mouth to vehemently protest what was happening. “Stop right now, Rosa!”
“No,” Liam growled. “This has gone on long enough, Rachel. I’m taking you home where you belong.”
I stared into his beautiful brown eyes, filled with determination but also brimming with love and everything else melted away. Why had I been fighting this so hard?
“Because you are strong, independent, and stubborn as hell,” Liam answered with a lopsided grin.
Oops. I must have said that out loud.
Breaking out of Liam’s embrace, I went to work helping Rosa gather my things. When we were done, I gave her a tight hug and we both teared up over not living together anymore. Even though, I’d been staying most nights at Liam’s.
At last, I felt ready when I turned to Liam and said, “Take me home.”
* * *
“Ms. Hill, Dr. Leonard would like to see you in her office.” My eyes lifted from my textbook to see the department chair’s assistant standing in the door to Liam’s studio where I was studying while he worked. I glanced at Liam, but he shook his head and shrugged. “I’ll be right there,” I told her as I started to pack up.
“She’d like to see you as well, Mr. Bennet,” she added before leaving abruptly.
“You don’t know what this is about?” I asked him, verbally this time.
“No clue.” He crossed to a deep utility sink and started scrubbing his hand. “Maybe they’ve altered something with the TA positions and she wants to go over them. It wouldn’t surprise me with all the changes happening.” He was probably right. The semester would end in two weeks, and everyone would be headed home for Christmas, so if it had anything to do with next semester, it was likely they’d be handling in now.
I packed up my books in my bag, then walked over to a row of hooks by the sink where my purse was hanging with Liam’s aprons, smocks, and ratty shirts. One of the aprons was completely clean, without a speck on it and I fingered it absently while I waited for Liam to get ready. It had been a present from me right after I officially moved in a month ago. It was black with white writing that said, If at first, you don’t succeed, try doing what your art teacher told you to do the first time. He’d laughed hysterically and told me it was perfect, just like me. Later that night, he asked me to model it and nothing else. It had been…wow didn’t begin to describe how the rest of that night had gone. We’d gotten carried away, and I had
a feeling that’s the night that had me all twisted up inside the last few days. But, that was a problem for another time.
“Alright, baby. This is as good as it’s going to get right now, so let’s go.” His clothes were still spattered with paint, but it was dry. He smiled and held out his clean, but stained hand and I grabbed it, lacing our fingers together. The roughness of his skin felt warm and familiar against mine, and it soothed me, like always. We made our way to Dr. Leonard’s office and entered the outer area where her assistant was sitting at her desk talking with two campus security officers.
“Excuse me.” I jumped at the sound of another voice from right behind me and whirled around. Two officers from the Sheriff’s department were standing there, and I quickly stepped out of their way. They swaggered over to the other security team and began talking in low voices.
What in tarnation was going on? Liam ran his hand down my back and guided me over to sit in one of the wooden chairs lined up on the wall with a water cooler at the end of the row. He sat beside me and took hold of my hand once more, brushing his thumb over my pulse point in soothing strokes.
Another handful of minutes passed before Dr. Leonard opened her door and stepped out of her office. She gestured toward us and beckoned us with two-fingers. “Mr. Bennet, Ms. Hill, come in, please.” Then she stepped into the crowd of security and said something before returning to her office, followed by one of the campus security guys and one police officer. Liam let go of my hand when we reached the door, allowing me to enter first, but he stayed close. “Have a seat,” Dr. Leonard ordered, waving to a round cherrywood table with four matching chairs in one corner of the room. We shuffled over, and Liam pulled out a chair for me. As I lowered myself into it, I noticed what was on the table in front of us.
Until the Lightning Strikes: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 9