by Emma Renshaw
Savannah comes toward me. “When are you supposed to be at your parents?”
I look back and forth between Harper and Savannah, completely lost. “What’s going on?”
Savannah’s octave reaches the highest level I’ve ever heard it. “I can’t show up to your parents empty-handed. I need to bring something.”
“No, you don’t. My parents have the barbecue handled, trust me.”
Harper scoffs. “No, she really can’t. So, tell me how long.”
“About an hour and a half. Okay, so you want to bring something to their house?”
“Yes,” Savannah and Harper say in unison.
“No offense, Harper, but what do you have to do with that?”
Harper bursts out laughing while Savannah’s cheeks turn crimson. Harper throws her arm around Savannah’s shoulder, pulling her deep into her side. Savannah is already rolling her eyes before Harper even opens her mouth.
“Our girl here,” Harper says, shaking Savannah. “Can’t cook. Like, anything. She caught our toaster on fire two months ago.”
I look over at Savannah, trying to contain my chuckle. She’s looking at the floor, glancing up at me through her lashes. “That wasn’t my fault! It was a faulty toaster.”
I can’t hold in the boom of my laugh that escapes my chest.
“Fine, fine,” Savannah says. “It’s true. I can’t cook or bake, but Harper is here to save the day.” Savannah kisses her cheek. “Thanks, Harp. I have to get ready.”
“Anytime, girl. You’ve saved my ass so many times. It’s time to return the favor.”
My chest warms seeing their interaction. I like that my girl has good people in her life. “Come with me, Liam,” Savannah says, walking toward her bedroom.
After she shuts us in her room, she goes to her bathroom, saying over her shoulder, “Don’t think I forgot that you have secrets to tell me, too.”
“I know, I do, baby. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll spill,” I promise her.
“I’m ready now.”
36
SAVANNAH
L iam chuckles. “I got to say, I didn’t expect you to say that.”
I comb my hair that has dried since the shower at Liam’s. It looks better if I get a chance to blow dry before styling, but we don’t have tons of time. I need to get ready, but I also need to hear this.
I can hear everything Liam is telling me without speaking. He’s taking me home to meet his family, just hours after I spilled every last part of myself. I need to have that same secret from him, the one he’s keeping locked away from anyone else in his life.
He huffs out a long breath, rubbing his palms together between his knees. He’s looking down at his hands, taking a few deep breaths.
I stand in the doorway, curling iron in hand, waiting for him. I would have started questioning him earlier, but he distracted me when he sprung a visit with his family on me. He distracted me again in the shower, though that was definitely a different distraction. My thighs clench, reliving the memory under the spray.
Liam’s eyes meet mine. His shoulders square, nodding his head once. “Remember when I told you, I don’t do bets?”
I think back to that small interaction on our first date. I suggested a silly bet; he flat-out denied me. I remember his constant smile leaving his lips in that split second. I replayed what I said, wondering if I offended him. A smile quickly fell back into place, but it wasn’t the same, sexy grin that graces his face effortlessly. It only took a couple of minutes before his forced grin turned back to something genuine, but I nod. “Yeah, I remember that.”
“Some shit happened while I was living in Chicago.” He rubs his hand along the back of his head. “I really had been missing my family a lot. I’m man enough to say that it hurt like hell each time my sister had to remind Tanner, my nephew, who I was. It got better, the older he got, but it was hard in the beginning when he would cry. The shit that went down helped push my decision to come back home.”
Liam gets up from the bed, walking toward me. He brushes his knuckles along my cheek. I lean into his touch, staring up into his eyes. They’re so open and pleading, begging for me to keep looking at him the same way I do now. Our connection was strengthened tenfold last night. I may not know every detail about this man, but I know him deep in my bones. “Get ready, baby. Just listen.”
I step away from the doorway and in front of the mirror. He follows me into the bathroom, looking at me through the mirror. He leans against the wall, waiting for me. I put down my curling iron and begin to section my hair, my eyes jumping back and forth in the mirror from my task to his eyes.
“I analyze people and situations very well. I’m good at reading a room, knowing underlying issues without anyone saying anything.”
“I’ve noticed,” I grumble. “I hid a lot before you waltzed your way into my life. It was working pretty well for me.”
“I don’t waltz, baby. And, it’s going to work even better for you now that I’m in your life.” He shoots me his easy, sexy grin. “Anyway, I analyze. This translates well into poker. My dad taught me to play poker when I was young and started to show an affinity for math, numbers, and knowing when someone was lying to me. He taught me how to be patient, persistent, and calm.” He arches an eyebrow, letting me know he knew every time a lie, even the half ones, passed my lips.
I give him my most innocent expression as I continue to ready my hair to curl.
He chuckles, shaking his head softly. “I was good. Really good, and always had a lot of fun playing with my dad. I’m just like him, able to bluff with the best of them. We analyze every room we walk into, often being able to communicate with each other without speaking. Every important talk my dad had with me was over a game of cards.” Liam looks down at the floor, his hand landing on the back of his neck. He squeezes then looks back up into the mirror.
“The first time I saw my dad after moving back here, he poured our favorite whiskey and grabbed our deck of cards. It was my fucking welcome home and I had to be a bastard and turn him down. I lied to my dad. I never lie to him, and even if I did, he can tell when I’m lying. He knew I was lying that day when I tucked tail and left their house. I saw it in his eyes. I felt the weight of the disappointment all the way home.”
My heart breaks at the pain in his eyes.
“A guy from work in Chicago introduced me to an underground poker ring. I’m a guy who will try anything once. He told me this ring was run by some notorious crime family and to not ask questions. I thought it sounded interesting, thought I would only go one time. It was high stakes poker. The money I won that first night fucking fueled me in ways it shouldn’t have. I had been bored for a long time, doing the same thing over and over again. That night was like throwing a match into a vat of gasoline. I left that poker den, high on the money lining my pockets.”
The curling wand hangs mid-air, shock coursing that Liam willingly walked into a poker den run by a crime family. “Oh, my God, Liam. That’s so dangerous.”
He chuckles darkly. “Believe me, I know.”
Fear seeps into my pores. I gulp, trying to go back to my task.
“I did this for about a year. I made a lot of money, but I also lost a lot of money. It became an addiction. I needed to fuel that spark for each win. My friend from work was descending even farther down that dark rabbit hole. He started buying and using some of their product.”
“Product?” I ask, confused.
“Drugs, mostly blow.”
I’m trying to picture Liam in a place like that. I can’t imagine the guy looking at me in the mirror surrounded by dirty money and drugs. The two absolutely do not connect in my mind.
Reading my thoughts again, he says, “I was a different person when I was there. During the day, I was the man standing right here.” He makes a sweeping motion in front of his body. “On poker night, I was someone different. The moral compass my mom pounded into me flew out the window. Sure, I didn’t touch the drugs, but that was only be
cause I wanted to stay sharp to win as many hands as possible. My friend, high out of his mind, started losing money. They will let you borrow money, but it comes at a high cost.”
Liam sighs, coming up behind me when I finish the last curl. He brushes my hair to one side, kissing my neck, breathing me in. “Don’t think differently of me. I don’t like the person I became in there.”
I look at him in the mirror. “I don’t, Liam. I’m terrified that you were in some dangerous underground thing with scary guys, but I know who you are.” I turn toward him, laying my hand on his chest. “You’ve shown me who you are and I’m happy I get the chance to learn more.” Standing on my tiptoes, I kiss him on the mouth. He breaks the kiss, going back to leaning against the wall while I start my makeup.
“So, my friend borrowed too much money, kept losing. He was in debt in his own life. He took out credit cards in his wife’s name, maxing them out at ATMs, maxing himself out with the crime family. When the debt with the family was due and he couldn’t pay, he was beaten pretty badly, among some other things I’d rather not fill your head with.”
He looks at me, pleading to not make him tell me exactly what happened to that other man. I give him a small nod. I don’t need the gory details of this other man, just of the one I’m falling for. Falling for? How can I fall for someone I’ve only known a few weeks? But, there it is. I am falling for him.
“I still don’t know how to this day, but he convinced the family that I agreed to take on his debt.”
37
LIAM
Savannah gasps, turning toward me, makeup flying through the air. The black stuff that flew off the wand in her hand lands on the wall next to me. She doesn’t even flick her eyes to the spot, just stares at me. “He didn’t.”
“He did,” I say. Her hand covers her open mouth. I grab a towel off the rack, walking to the sink and wetting it. I go back to wipe off the makeup from her wall. When I finish, Savannah is still staring at the same spot with her hand on her throat.
“Did they hurt you?” she whispers.
I sigh. “A bit.”
She crosses over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, squeezing me. The tenseness in my body melts away. I wrap my arms around her, holding her head to my chest, silently promising her that I will never enter into anything like that again.
“Finish getting ready, we really do need to leave soon.”
She squeezes me even tighter, pressing a kiss to my chest.
“Some guys showed up at my place in the middle of the night, demanding the money. I was confused and told them they had the wrong guy. That’s when the first blow landed. It didn’t take long before I knew my friend had sold me out.”
“What’s his name?” Savannah demands. Her eyes are fierce, hands on her hips. I smile, despite the story and anger rolling off of her. I like that she’s protective of me, just like I am of her.
“I don’t know their names. Didn’t exactly ask in between punches.”
“Not them. Your ‘friend.’” She uses air quotes.
I smirk. This sassy girl. “Rich. Richard, but he went by Rich.”
“Should’ve gone by Dick. Sounds more accurate. In debt up to his eyeballs, calling himself Rich. Dick is a fucking dick.”
A laugh breaks free from my chest, filling the small space of Savannah’s bathroom. I can’t help myself as I gather her up and kiss the top of her head. “I’m wild about you,” I murmur into her hair.
Her cheeks turn crimson while her lips break into a brilliant smile.
I keep watching her for long moments, not able to drink enough of her in. I could watch her get ready every damn day.
“Keep going,” she says shyly.
“They gave me twenty-four hours to pay. I had a set of cracked ribs and a broken arm. I’m lucky they left without taking my fingers or one of my limbs. I called Rich ... Dick,” I smirk when she smiles. “I called Dick over and over again. He didn’t answer, eventually it went to voicemail when he turned off his phone. Instead of heading to the hospital, I went to his house. His wife answered the door with their baby on her hip. A sweet little girl, barely old enough to talk.”
Savannah’s face casts into a frown.
“I met his wife a few times at company functions. She was shocked by the state of me, to say the least. She had no clue what her husband had been up to. She thought his injuries were from a car crash. I hated myself in that moment. I should’ve stopped him before he got so bad. I hated him, too. He had this beautiful wife and gorgeous daughter at home waiting for him and there he was most nights playing poker, doing blow, and having sex with call girls.”
I look down, not wanting to see the same shame I’m feeling reflected in Savannah’s eyes. I can’t keep my eyes away from her for long, knowing that it’s the coward’s way, to avoid the inevitable. I look up, shocked to see admiration in her eyes, not shame. She should feel shame. She should walk out that door. No, I’m not the man I was, but that doesn’t hide the truth. I was able to turn into that man, even if it was for a short while.
“She told me he was on a business trip. Our company never went on business trips. My gut told me the fucker fled the country. That was confirmed when I told his wife everything right there on their doorstep, and she told me to come in when I finished. She handed me her baby. I’m not sure she was even in her right mind after everything I told her, but she did. She handed me her baby. I held that little girl close with my one good arm while his wife searched their room. She found a note on his nightstand, telling her that they would be better off without him and he was in danger, so he had to leave.”
I suck in a harsh breath, reliving the anger. “Dick knew these fucking guys. If he hadn’t pawned his debt off on me and just left, they would have killed her and the baby. It wouldn’t have mattered to them. He left them in even more danger than if he stayed. He left them clueless about the danger they were in.”
Savannah’s tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Oh, my gosh. What did they do?”
“I did what I had to do to keep them safe. My original plan before showing up on Dick’s doorstep was to beat the shit out of Dick and then convince the Boss it wasn’t my debt. That the fucker lied. I couldn’t do that now, though. I had the money, baby. I left their house, paid the debt in full, including extra money, in hope of guaranteeing their safety. I stayed in Chicago for the next few months until I found a job here and found Kristen a safe place to go. I moved after she did. I also told myself I would never play poker again.”
Savannah turns to face me, leaning against the sink. “Not even with your dad?”
“I don’t want to risk it.”
“But your dad isn’t some underground mafia king.”
I laugh. “No, he’s definitely not that, but I can’t remember the last time I played poker for fun. Every time, it started to be about the money, even if it was very low stakes at a guys’ night. Don’t want to be that guy again.”
Savannah nods, biting her bottom lip. She sighs and steps forward, putting her hands on my hips, looking up at my face. “You have to tell your dad. The game meant too much to the both of you to just continue to brush it away.”
I close my eyes, sighing, knowing she’s right, but dreading that conversation.
She hugs me close to her body. “I’m glad Kristen and the baby are safe.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.” I kiss the top of her head. “Do you think differently of me?” I feel like a pussy for even asking the question, but I need to know.
“Yes,” she says.
I tense, pushing her away and breaking our hug. I look down at her, ready for anything that she’s going to throw at me. My arms cross over my chest, muscles coiled tight.
“I think even better of you than I did an hour ago. You were a hero to Kristen. Did you do things you shouldn’t have? Yeah, probably, but we’re human. We all do that. In the end, you did the right thing. You did better than the right thing without thinking a selfish thought. I’m guessing it was
a lot of money you parted with. You didn’t question handing it over with a bonus to keep them safe. You stayed in Chicago until she found a better place to go. You’re a wonderful man, Liam, which I already knew, but I do think of you differently. My opinion of you has only grown.”
My arms drop to my sides, stunned that this gorgeous girl can see anything in me other than the prick that I was. I don’t deserve her, that’s for sure, and a better man would let her go to find someone who does. I wrap her in my arms, determined to keep her. Every day I will wake up working my ass off to be the man she deserves.
“I’m leaving,” Harper yells through the door.
“Hang on,” Savannah calls. She walks to her bedroom door, opening it and allowing Harper inside.
“I made a three-layer salted caramel chocolate fudge cake.”
“Holy shit,” I mutter, my mouth watering, wondering if I can convince Savannah to leave it here and just the two of us can eat it.
“You’re a godsend,” Savannah tells her, hugging her close. Harper smiles at me over Savannah’s shoulder, shooting me a thumbs up. I grin back her and nod, letting her know that I’ll take good care of Savannah.
“I have to get back to the store. Later, kids.” Harper waves over her shoulder as she walks out of the room. Savannah closes the door behind her, going over to her closet. I follow her, watching as she changes her bra. She went commando this morning because she didn’t have any other underwear. My cock hardens watching her, and my chest heats with the knowledge she is comfortable enough to let me see her as she changes.
I groan when she puts on a matching lace bra and panty set. I stalk toward her, set on being even later than we are. She puts her hand on my chest. “Oh, no you don’t, barbarian. Get out of here.” She pushes my chest, trying to back me up, but I don’t move. Finally, she takes her hand away, letting me move toward her. I wrap her in my arms, my hand going to her bare ass cheek, kneading it. Savannah kisses her way up my neck, sucking on my earlobe. I growl, using the hand on her ass to grind her into my cock.
