by Jordan Marie
“He fell in love with Annie.”
“So? I mean you said they were happy together. He and Sabre obviously had to love each other. It sounds like the perfect situation. Unless, Annie didn’t care—”
“I don’t think I’ve met one person that Annie doesn’t care for. She’s a good woman with a big heart, Ice.”
“Then, I don’t understand.”
“Latch and Sabre respect each other, they’re brothers in every sense of the word except by blood, but they don’t get off on each other’s dicks. Their threesome is all about Annie and giving her pleasure.”
“Oh, wow. That’s kind of amazing if you think about it. Annie’s a lucky woman.”
“That something you want, Ice?”
“What?” I gasp, my face heating, because I was imagining being a woman that had two men in her bed, focused completely on me. It seems like the ultimate fantasy. I don’t think it’s something I could do, but I can see the appeal.
“Fuck, you do,” Liam says, as he tilts his face down to look at me.
“Liam—”
“You want that, Ice. I’ll give it to you.”
“You would?” I ask, completely shocked. There are many things I know about Liam in the bedroom, but none of those screams that he shares well with others. I’ve always kind of liked that. This is a revelation and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m a little excited, maybe even scared, but weirdly disappointed, too. Mostly, I’m overwhelmingly confused.
Definitely confused.
“I love you, Ellie. If you want that, then I’m going to give it to you, but it will be on my terms.”
“Your terms?”
“I pick the man. It has to be someone I trust, implicitly. Also, I control what happens and it only happens in a hotel, not our bed. Our bed is ours. You and me. I don’t want to be fucking you and some other fucker be there, ever.”
I pull back to listen to Liam, and watch him as he lays it out. I don’t know how I feel about it, but I can tell he’s got very clear feelings about everything and I want to watch his face. I prop my head up on my hand, my elbow pushing into the mattress.
“What else,” I murmur, sifting through everything he says, while trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Liam is saying all of this. I mean I was married to him. We were together for a while and yet, this completely shocks me.
“His dick never gets inside of you. You have a baby, it’s mine. I come inside of you, it’s my cum. I don’t want some fucker’s there hanging out before me.”
“I uh…I’m not sure that’s how it works. The just hanging out inside of me thing, because…eww.”
“I’m serious, Ellie.”
“I can see that,” I whisper, because I can. Actually, he’s getting kind of worked up about it the more he talks, and not in good ways. He seems…upset. Heck, he might even be pissed off. “What about my mouth?” I ask, knowing I’m poking the bear at this point, but I need to see where this goes.
“Fuck, no,” he growls. “You never suck another motherfucker off. I’m not kissing my woman only to taste some other man’s jizz. That’s never happening,” he declares absolutely. “I’ve made it all this time without tasting some ball bag’s cum and I’m not changing that now.”
“I…okay, so let me get this straight. You’ll give me a threesome, but the guy isn’t allowed to actually…do me and I can’t get him off, do I have that right?”
“He can touch you, but only when and how I tell him,” Liam allows. “And you can use your hand on him, but only if you want to. He has to have a condom though. His cum is not allowed to touch your body.”
I let out a startled laugh.
“What?” Liam asks, defensively.
“It doesn’t sound like much fun for him, Liam. I doubt you can find a man to agree.”
“Bullshit. He gets to touch you and see you come, Ellie. Trust me, finding someone who wants that is the easy part.”
It’s a weird compliment, but a compliment all the same. It makes me lean up and kiss the tip of Liam’s chin—mostly because that’s all I can reach from this angle. Then, a thought occurs to me and I frown.
“Would you want that?” I ask.
“What?”
“Would you want me to bring another woman into our relationship, because I have to tell you, Liam, I don’t think I could handle that at all. I don’t want another woman anywhere near you. Ever.”
I watch as his lips slowly stretch out into a sexy smile and if I wasn’t terrified of the fact that he could possibly want another woman in our bed, I’d definitely enjoy that smile and try to keep it on his face.
“Fuck, no, Ice. You’re the only woman I want. I haven’t wanted anyone else since the day I first saw you,” he says softly, his hand coming to my neck, as his thumb brushes against my pulse. His gray eyes go dark and intense and my entire body tingles. Heck, I think even my toes curl.
“I don’t think I want another man in our relationship either, Liam. It’s a good fantasy, but the reality of it doesn’t really appeal to me,” I confess. “You were my first and I’m praying this works out so that you’ll be the last.”
“Ellie,” he hisses, leaning down to take my mouth. This kiss is different than the others we’ve shared since he came back into my life. This kiss is sweet and slow, thoughtful, and reminds me of the kiss he gave me on our wedding day.
Full of love.
When we break apart, he settles me back against him, reaches over and turns out the light. We lie there in the darkness for a bit and I go over everything we just talked about.
“We could finish what we started earlier, if you wanted,” I offer him, knowing he has to have a case of blue balls. I hate that we got interrupted.
“Your head is full of worry over your sister, Ice. I think I could pull you out of that, but I’d rather our first time back with each other was because we’re both where we need to be emotionally and mentally.”
“Whatever happened to Latch?”
“He went back into service for a while. It hurt him to be in love with Annie, but only be able to see her when they asked him.”
“Are they still together?”
“Last I heard, yeah, but Annie’s pregnant with her second child. I’m not sure Latch is dealing with that all that well. Maybe they’ve sorted it out by now, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him in a couple of months. I just know my man was seriously nursing a broken heart, even still being in their lives.”
“That’s sad,” I whisper, feeling my heart hurt for Latch.
“That’s why rules for bringing another person into a committed relationship need to be stated. It’s most definitely why, a couple needs to be solid to even entertain the idea.”
“Do you think it can work?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“But, you don’t think it will work for Dawn,” I murmur, my voice laced with sadness. I had hoped this was a turning point for my sister. I don’t want to say she’s been selfish in her life, but she’s definitely the type of person to put herself first. Sometimes that’s not bad, but all the time?
“No, Ice, I don’t. This isn’t something that both of them want. This is something she’s doing to try and save her relationship.”
“Which is also probably the quickest way to lose it, because Dawn will hate everything about it.”
“She’ll be okay, Ice.”
“I’m not so sure,” I murmur.
“I am.”
“How?” I ask, hoping he can convince me.
“Because she has you and you will be there to pick up the pieces.”
“You have a lot of faith in me, Liam,” I mutter with a sad, exhausted sigh.
“All the faith in the world, Ellie. All the faith in the world.”
He kisses the top of my head and I close my eyes feeling secure and loved. Liam and I have a lot to work out, but right now I feel nothing but hope and happiness when it comes to the two of us.
I pray that Dawn gets that feeli
ng one day. I really want that for her.
Fury
One Week Later
* * *
“Hey, Ice.”
“You don’t look like you’ve had a good day, honey.”
I slide onto the barstool, thinking her words might be the understatement of the century. She hands me a cold beer. It doesn’t escape my attention that it’s the brand I always drink. She remembers. Since having her back in my life, everything has just clicked into place. Does she realize that? Does she feel the same emotions that I feel?
“You can say that again,” I mutter, twisting off the top, taking a deep pull.
“No sign of Wolf?”
“Not one. He could already be headed to Chicago,” I mutter, frustrated because I was hoping to catch this motherfucker and finally giving Devil and Torrent some good news.
“But, if he didn’t get the information from the church, he wouldn’t know to do that, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. It just doesn’t make any sense that he would disappear.”
“Maybe he’s tired. You said it had been over a year. Maybe he just decided enough is enough,” she suggests.
“He’s not the type to give up. If he thought he could do something to cause trouble for Devil or Torrent, he’d move heaven and earth to do exactly that. He’s as fucking twisted as they come.”
“So, you think he’s still in town.”
“I’d bet good money on it,” I reply.
“Well, if what you say is true, he’ll show up again, Liam. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do. That doesn’t mean I like sitting around here, holding my damn dick in my hand. I hate waiting for this twisted asshole to make a move.”
“I don’t know,” Ellie whispers, leaning in closer to me. “It doesn’t sound so bad being stuck holding your dick in my hands.”
Despite the stress and frustration of the day, I find myself grinning.
“You are a fucking tease, Eleanor Lane.”
“Way to break the mood, Liam. You know I hate my first name.”
“I love it. It makes you sound all prim and proper. We both know what a freak you can be in the bedroom.”
“Uh…I’m not sure I’d use the word freak.”
“I would.”
“Jerk,” she says, shaking her head and smiling at me. “Besides I wasn’t teasing. We have the house alone tonight. I was thinking maybe we could pick up where we left off a week ago.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope, she’s not,” Dawn says sitting beside me and just like that my cock-stand begins to deflate.
“Dawn, where’s your girl?”
“She’s home packing our shit. Her and I are going away for the weekend.”
“The whole weekend, huh?” I ask, enjoying the way Ellie blushes when I grin at her.
“That’s right, so you can pork my sister all weekend, Ape Hanger.”
“Didn’t realize I needed your permission,” I mutter, wondering how her and Ellie had the same parents because they’re nothing alike.
“I guess you don’t. Ellie makes up her own mind. If she listened to me she wouldn’t give you the time of day.”
“Dawn, don’t start, please.”
“Good thing she doesn’t listen to you then. I don’t want to fight with you, Dawn, but you need to get used to the fact that I’m back in Ellie’s life and I’m not going anywhere.”
“We’ll see. It’s not like you seem to have good staying power, Liam. After all, you disappeared when Ellie needed you most.”
“Dawn,” Ellie snaps, her tone full of warning and more forceful than I can remember her ever using. When I glance up at her face, she’s staring straight at her sister and the irritation and anger is clear to read on her face.
“Relax, Ellie. Liam and I are just coming to an understanding. Am I right?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I mumble.
“Good, now that we have that out of the way, I have a present for you, Liam,” Dawn says.
“Now you’re just fucking with me,” I say with a dry laugh. I don’t know what Dawn has up her sleeve, but I know her well enough to know that it’s something to piss me off.
“Trust me, Liam, the last thing I ever want to do is fuck with you in any way, shape or form,” she replies, setting a brown paper bag on the bar and shoving it towards me.
Reluctantly, I put my beer down with a thud against the bar and pick up the bag. The top has been rolled down and crinkled so I quickly open it. When I look inside I shake my damn head. I reach inside and grab a hand full of rubbers and put them on the bar. The size clearly states small and I shake my fucking head.
“You’re a bitch, Dawn.”
“If I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me. I’m not buying your damn condoms. You buy them for yourself, don’t be a lazy fuck. If you want to pork my sister, then make sure you protect her, too. Do we understand each other?”
“We’re crystal.”
“Good. Now, I’m off to spend the weekend with Glenna and some fucking man with a dick that she met on Tinder.”
“Christ, you’re fucking kidding me,” I growl.
“Don’t act like you care, Ape Hanger.”
“Believe it or not I do. You shouldn’t do this shit if it’s not what you want. Bitch needs to acknowledge she committed herself to you and that should be enough for her.”
“Yeah, well, in a perfect world,” Dawn mutters and Ellie puts a drink in front of her.
“I don’t like this at all. I don’t think you should do this, Dawn.”
“Just let it go, Ellie. It’s not like I’m enjoying all of it, either. Still, Glenna wants this and I love her.”
Ellie and Dawn stare at each other and it feels like there’s some nonverbal conversation passing between them.
“You need to be careful,” Ellie cautions, apparently giving in.
“You got it, Mom,” Dawn says, rolling her eyes.
“I want pictures, name and address of the man you’re meeting and where you’ll be, Dawn.”
“Jesus, we’re hooking up, I’m not marrying the motherfucker. If there’s any luck, this weekend will show Glenna that she doesn’t need a man to be happy.”
“Just get me the information, please, especially a phone and address of where you’ll be this weekend.”
“Fine, I’ll do it. Will you let it drop now?”
“For now,” Ellie mutters and I reach out and grab her hand, giving it a squeeze. She stares at our hands, and there’s something on her face that I can’t read. I wish I could fix this so Dawn could finally be happy, but there’s nothing I can do.
“What if you give me this guy’s name and date of birth? I can at least get Scorpion to run a background check on him,” I offer.
“Jesus, you two,” Dawn growls. “It’s a fucking hook up.”
“Still, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry, right?” Ellie says hopefully.
“I don’t even know his date of birth,” Dawn mumbles. “We’ll be fine.”
“Call and get it. If he’s a good man, he won’t mind that you’re taking care of you and Glenna,” I tell her, hoping she’ll see the common sense in what I’m suggesting.
“You’re both being ridiculous,” she says, but she picks up the phone and I’m rewarded with the look of happiness on Ellie’s eyes.
For some reason, I feel like I’ve won a war for her and it’s a really damn good feeling.
Ellie
“There’s no sign of her?”
I listen as Liam talks to Scorpion on the phone. It sounds like things aren’t going his way. I know he’s getting frustrated and I’m afraid this means that he’ll be forced to leave Arizona soon. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
We’ve been playing house more or less. Living together, but not making love, ignoring the things that put the rift between us in the first place and, at least on my part, hiding from the past. I love Liam. I’ve always loved him and I know the time is fast
approaching when I’m going to have to get my shit together. I’m either going back to Tennessee to try again, or let Liam know that I can’t go back.
If I stay here, will he? Heck, even if he does, can I live with the fact that he chose the club over me? Once, that was all I wanted, but I knew the club was the only family he had ever known. He loves his brothers. Is it fair to ask him to give all of that up? Has anything really changed? What happens if he finds out my secret?
All I have are questions. My head probably knows the answers, but I’m scared of those, too.
“Okay, keep me updated, man. Yeah, and thanks again, Ellie will sleep easier knowing this shit. Whatever. I’ll tell her. Later.”
I listen to the one-sided conversation, then watch as he hangs up. I’m left staring at him. I mean, it’s a great view. He’s stretched out on my bed, lying with the cover over the lower half of his body. His hair is rumpled and he’s reclined so that the headboard and pillows are at his back. He carefully tosses his phone onto the nightstand, staring at me. I feel a familiar chill of anticipation run through me, as our gazes lock. My breath quickens, while my heart stutters in my chest. Liam is back in my bed. He’s really here, after all of this time.
“Does that mean, this guy checks out?” I reply and it’s selfish, but the guy that Dawn and Glenna have found to join them in the bedroom is really the last thing I want to talk about. I’d rather concentrate on the fact that there’s a miracle going on and Liam is back in my bedroom and I have a second chance. Things can be different this time. Can’t they?
I hope I’m not fooling myself.
“Reginald “Reggie” Cleary is squeaky clean. He’s never been married, has a great credit rating and no arrest record that Scorpion can find anywhere. He’s a computer programmer and is based in Phoenix. He pays his taxes, as well as, his credit card bills. Scorpion says they all have extremely high charge limits, too. He checks out, Ice.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
“It’s a lot. What your sister is doing sucks for her, because I think she’s going to end up on the short end of the stick, but as near as my guy can tell, this Reggie is safe and it could be a lot worse. You know?”
