A Chance At Redemption (Madison Square Book 3)

by Samatha Harris

  He stepped in front of me and framed my face in his large, masculine hands. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly against mine before pulling away to meet my eyes.

  “I thought we didn’t mess around in the bar.”

  “I made an exception. You looked upset.”

  I smiled and leaned forward, brushing my lips against his one more time. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”

  “Good,” he said as he gave me another quick kiss. “Now, back to work.”

  I smiled and took a step back. “Yes, boss.”

  He playfully smacked my ass and I jumped, a small squeal escaping my lips. “And don’t you forget it.”

  Chapter 18

  Liam

  The scent of honey filled my nose, waking me from a peaceful sleep. I opened my eyes and smiled as strands of her blonde hair tickled my cheeks. Gwen was sound asleep on my chest softly snoring with her hair a tangled mess in my face.

  She snorted and shifted in her sleep. I chuckled, tightened my arms around her, and pressed a kiss into her hair. Waking up beside her was easily becoming one of the best parts of my day.

  I shifted out from under her, trying to discreetly slide from the bed, but she stirred and groaned as I got up.

  “Where are you going?” she whined.

  I laughed. “I have to meet my sister for lunch.”

  She groaned again and clutched my pillow to her naked chest. “Do you have to?”

  “Yeah, babe. Go back to sleep.” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  In the bathroom, I let my boxers fall to the floor, stepped out of them, and turned on the shower to let the water warm up before I stepped in. The hot spray felt good on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as the water rained down on my sore muscles.

  The curtain pulled back and Gwen stepped in, her arms wrapping tight around my waist. I smiled and looked down into her clear blue eyes, still half asleep. I smiled at the incredibly beautiful naked woman wrapped around me, and felt like the luckiest son of a bitch alive.

  Gwen released me and slid her hands up my chest to my neck, pulling me to her lips for a long, slow kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her against me as she giggled into my mouth. Fuck, what this woman was doing to me was criminal. A lifetime of being with her wouldn’t be enough.

  The thought was crazy. A lifetime with Gwen? We hadn’t even known each other that long and already I was thinking of a future with her. I couldn’t help it. In that short time she’d burrowed deep inside my heart and I wanted her to stay—forever.

  I broke the kiss and set her back on her feet as the water rained down on us. “I thought you were tired?”

  “I’m never too tired for you,” she said.

  I smiled, kissed her again, and pressed her against the shower wall. Her skin was slippery and warm making my hands slide easily against her tight little body.

  She pushed on my chest, forcing me to back up, her eyes full of mischief as she sank to her knees before me. Her hands slid up my thighs, then gripped my cock, her hold firm as a low growl rumbled deep within my chest.

  She flicked her tongue lightly against the head and looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers. It was intense the feeling, of her lips against my cock and those eyes watching me as she worked my shaft, sucking and licking and making me completely surrender to her. I was a goner. I was hers.

  I thrust my fingers into her hair as she took me further into the back of her throat. My hand slammed against the shower wall as I braced myself for the orgasm that crawled its way up my legs.

  “Fuck, Princess,” I groaned. “I’m gonna come.”

  She gripped my ass and pulled my hips as I thrust into her hungry mouth. I was close, insanely close.

  I pulled myself from her mouth and fucked my hand until I came hard spilling out onto her chest.

  “Fuck, baby. That was…”

  “Mind blowing, incredible, to be repeated often,” she said with a breathtaking smile.

  I leaned forward and smiled against her lips whispering, “All of the above.”

  ***

  “Hey, Maddie.” I smiled and took a seat in the small café chair opposite hers.

  “Hey,” she smiled.

  I picked up a menu, briefly glancing at it before I heard her clear her throat.

  My eyes flicked up at her over my menu. She was watching me with a smirk that took over her entire face.

  “What?”

  “Anything you want to tell me, little brother?” she asked as she folded her arms across her chest and watched me closely to gauge my reaction.

  I frowned. “Um, No.”

  “Really? Nothing new at all in your life?” She was baiting me into something I was sure wouldn’t be good.

  “I bought a new toaster the other day.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “You should see it, it’s pretty sweet. Its toasts Darth Vader’s face into the bread.”

  Madison growled in frustration and tossed a breadstick at me.

  “Whoa, chill, cougar.” I laughed.

  “Don’t start that.” She pointed her finger at me. “I get enough of that crap from Margot.”

  “Okay,” I said as my laughter died down.

  “So you really have nothing to share?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like what’s going on with you and Gwen.” She smiled, her eyebrows disappearing beneath her bangs.

  “Oh, that.” I ducked my head to hide my smile.

  “Yes, that.”

  “Who told you?”

  “Sean.”

  “What? Who told him?”

  “I don’t know, someone at the bar I guess,” she said with a dismissive wave.

  “The bar?”

  Madison shrugged. Then it hit me. “Sam,” I sighed. “Great now everybody knows.”

  “Were you hiding it?”

  “No. Not really. We just didn’t want things to be weird at work.”

  “Well, here’s a tip, if you don’t want the people you work with to know, don’t have sex in your office.”

  I cringed. Hearing my older sister discuss my sex life was disturbing on a lot of levels.

  “So?” she asked.

  “So, what?”

  Madison let out a frustrated groan and rolled her eyes. “What’s going on between you and Gwen?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer her. Hell, I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure I knew how. I sat back in my chair and played with the edge of my napkin. I was stalling and the look on my sister’s face said she knew it too.

  “I’m not exactly sure,” I said.

  She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. “Aren’t you living together?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Kind of?” She scoffed. “Her clothes are there, she sleeps in your bed, eats your food, uses your shower.” I nodded and she sat back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “Sounds like living together to me.”

  “It’s not like we’d been dating for a while and I asked her to move in. She needed a place to crash. Everything else came later.”

  “Everything else?”

  I shrugged. “You know what I mean. We were spending a lot of time together, and it just happened.”

  “What happened?”

  “Sex, Madison. We had sex.” I leaned back in my seat and relived some of our more creative positions in my head as a grin crept across my face. “Lots and lots of sex.”

  “Okay.” She held her hand up between us. “I don’t need the details. So, it’s just a sex thing then?”

  I frowned. “No.”

  “No?”

  “It’s more than that. At least, I think it is.”

  “You think it is?”

  “Fuck if I know.” I groaned. “The woman drives me completely insane. She challenges every move I make. She frustrates me to no goddamn end, and yet I can’t get her out of my head. She is the only woman I have ever met who is both a colos
sal pain in my ass and completely irresistible at the same time.”

  Madison’s expression softened into that puppy dog look she used to give me when I was a little kid. “Aw,” she said. “She’s your Sean.”

  “My what?”

  “Your Sean, your soul mate. You know. The one you’re meant to be with.”

  I shook my head. “My…” I stopped I couldn’t even say it.

  “Admit it. You’re falling for this girl.”

  “I admit nothing.”

  Madison smirked and her lips turned up into an evil grin. “You don’t have to, little brother. It’s written all over your face.”

  With Gwen, I never knew what to expect. It was exciting and completely terrifying, but I just couldn’t get enough of her. She was adrenaline and I was a junky.

  “It’s intense,” I said. Madison frowned and confusion took over her soft features. “This thing with Gwen and me, it’s consuming. She’s under my skin, Maddie. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

  Madison leaned across the table and rested her hand over mine. “Then you need to tell her.”

  “I know.” I sighed.

  We sat in silence for a moment as my head spun with thoughts of Gwen. Was I falling for her?

  “Mom called,” she said. The words broke through the haze, and brought my attention back to my sister.

  “And you answered?”

  She looked down at the table, fidgeting with her napkin. Her relationship with our parents was just as strained as mine. After that last disaster of a brunch, I thought for sure they were done with me forever, but leave it to my mother to keep pushing until she got her way.

  “She’s reaching out,” Madison said. Her eyes seemed both hopeful and doubtful at the same time.

  “You know she’s just trying to manipulate you,” I said.

  Madison sighed. “I think it’s different this time, Liam.”

  I scoffed.

  “Seriously! She wants to come for a visit. Meet Sean, see the bar.”

  “You told her no, right?”

  Madison ducked her head.

  “Maddie. Seriously? I thought you were past all that bowing to Mom and Dad. Where is the woman who told Mama to go to hell? I think I liked her better.”

  “Hey,” she whined. “That’s not fair. They’re still our parents, Liam.”

  I folded my arms across my chest with a humorless laugh. “Unfortunately.”

  “Come on. All I’m asking for is one day. You owe me, Liam.”

  “Jesus, Madison, I’ve paid you back the money you put down on the bar. Since when does your help come with conditions, anyway?”

  “You’re right,” she said. I raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t fair, but aren’t you tired of the fighting? I really think they’ve come around. They’re starting to realize that we aren’t going to fall in line and that they need to accept the choices we’ve made in our lives.”

  I leaned forward, propped my elbows on the table, and rubbed at my eyes in frustration. When I looked up, Madison was staring at me again, her eyes pleaded with me to comply.

  “Fine,” I said. “But if I even hear the words ‘law school,’ I’m out of there. Got it?”

  She nodded. “Understood.”

  I shook my head. “How do you always manage to talk me into these things?”

  She shrugged. “Just a gift, I guess.”

  Chapter 19

  Gwen

  I folded my arms across my chest, admiring my handy work. I made one final adjustment on the table settings and stepped back with a smile. The door opened and Liam came in, dropping his keys on the table by the door.

  “Surprise,” I said as I threw my arms open wide.

  “What’s this?” He looked over the coffee table I had set for dinner.

  “Dinner.”

  “You cooked?”

  “God, no. I ordered pizza.”

  Liam laughed and nodded as he made his way toward me with a smile. I took a slow step forward, closing the distance between us. “But I did set the table,” I said, my voice smooth and flirty.

  Liam looked at me with that sweet smile of his. “I can see that.”

  He wrapped me into his arms as a rush of pure joy filled me. “Opened the box and everything,” I said.

  “Wow. Impressive.”

  A slow smile spread across my face as I looked up at him. When everything was going wrong and I felt like the world was against me, Liam was what brought me relief.

  “You did all this for me?” he asked with a smirk.

  “No,” I said. He frowned. “I was actually hoping you would clear out tonight. I kind of have a date.” I bit my lip and looked up at him, trying to contain my laughter.

  “Oh, you have a date, huh?” Liam asked as he pulled me tighter to his chest.

  “Yeah, so…” I tilted my head toward the exit.

  Liam smiled and shook his head. “You’re such a pain in the ass,” he whispered, then leaned in and kissed my breath away.

  I broke the kiss and smiled. “Aw, you know you like me,” I teased and playfully poked him in the ribs.

  He laughed and tried to dodge me. “Don’t do that.”

  “Do what? This?” I gave another poke to his side. He squirmed away from me and fought to contain his laughter.

  “Liam, are you ticklish?” I asked as I took a step toward him. He retreated until his back was against the wall.

  “No,” he said, his arms folded in an attempt to protect his ribs from my fingers.

  “I think you are,” I said with a smirk.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Princess,” he warned.

  “Is that a threat, Sinclair?”

  “It’s a promise.”

  I smiled and pressed my hands against his chest. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and looked up at him from beneath my lashes. His eyes dipped to my mouth and I knew I had him. I leaned forward and brushed my lips softly against his.

  It wasn’t long before he began to relax and his arms left his side to wrap around my waist as he deepened the kiss.

  That’s when I attacked. I dug my fingers into his ribs, kneading every ticklish spot I could. Liam broke the kiss and tried to fend me off while doubled over with laughter.

  “Admit it,” I said, continuing my attack, which became more and more difficult as he fought to hold me back. “You like me.”

  Liam caught hold of my wrists, but I wiggled free long enough to attack again. “Come on, Liam admit it,” I said. “You like me.”

  He laughed, moving quickly, trying to hold me at bay as I laughed and went for any opening I could to get to his vulnerable spots. “I love you,” he blurted.

  I froze.

  Liam’s eyes widened as he slowly straightened to his full height. For a moment, he looked like he was just as surprised by what he said as I was. Then he brought his hand to my cheek, his face growing soft but serious. “I love you,” he whispered.

  I watched his face and waited for some sign that he was joking, but his expression never changed. His eyes were clear and focused, not a hint of hesitation. My skin felt like it was on fire. This strange tingly feeling took over my entire body.

  I smiled up at him. “You do?”

  He nodded. “I’m in love with you, Princess.”

  He pressed his lips to mine, crushing me to his chest, holding me tightly as he deepened the kiss. Fireworks burst behind my eyes and I could practically hear the cartoon birds singing in the background.

  I laughed and smiled, but never broke the kiss. He loved me. Liam loved me. How in the hell had I gotten lucky enough for this incredible man to love me? I didn’t deserve him. I was sure that I never would deserve him, but for some insane reason, this man—this crazy, sexy, infuriating man—loved me, and nothing could have made me happier.

  A tear slipped down my face, trapped between our cheeks. Liam pulled away and wiped away my tears with the pad of his thumb. “I love you,” he whispered.

  �
�Why?” The question slipped out, and I slapped my hand across my lips. I was elated, his words were overwhelming, but as much as I desperately wanted them to be true, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  “Why?” He took a step away from me. His hand dropped from my face. “I tell you I love you and you ask me why?”

  “I just…” I looked down at my fingers. How had I screwed this up so quickly?

  “You just what, Gwen?” He turned his back to me, his hands braced on his hips. I stayed silent, terrified that if I opened my mouth, I’d make it worse. “I’m so fucking stupid,” he said. “I can’t believe I actually thought…” He let the sentence drop. “You’re still the same manipulative—”

  “Manipulative?” I sneered. I blinked my eyes wide, my face frozen in shock. “Wow, you switched gears pretty fast, huh?”

  “What the hell did you expect?”

  I braced my hand on my hip. “I don’t know, but I never expected you to say ‘I love you.’”

  His face fell and his eyes were full of pain. I stepped toward him, cupped his cheeks, and forced him to look at me. He started to turn his head and pull away, but I tightened my grip on his face.

  “I love you too, you jerk!” My eyes locked with his. “I just never expected you to love me back, let alone say it first. It’s hard for me to believe that someone like you could love someone like me, Liam. So calm the fuck down and kiss me.”

  He didn’t move. Just watched me. His eyes searched mine, probably for the exact same reason I was searching his. “You love me?” he asked.

  I nodded. “God only knows why.”

  His lips crashed to mine. He wrapped me in his arms, lifted me off my feet, and swung me in a circle.

  He set me back on my feet and rested his forehead against mine. “Such a pain in my ass,” he whispered.

  “Back at ya, babe.”

  ***

  Cold pizza and crazy hot sex was just the ticket to make the night completely perfect. I felt him staring as I licked the sauce from my fingers. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “You missed a spot.” He grabbed my wrist and brought my fingers to his lips. His eyes locked with mine as his tongue licked at the sauce on the pad of my thumb. That little lick sent shock waves through my body and I whimpered in anticipation of a repeat performance.