It shouldn’t matter, because she didn’t want him to keep looking at her or touching her the same way at all. She was trying to keep a professional relationship with him—despite the fact that she kept falling into heated, passionate kisses with him. So, it should be fine. It should even be good that seeing who she truly was had given him pause and caused him to pull back from her. Now she knew for sure that she’d been right. He liked her and was attracted to her, and he was willing to have a good time with her, but it didn’t go any deeper than that for him. She had been a fool, she now realized, to let herself hold onto the possibility that maybe he could convince her that he was interested in more than sex.
Hannah hadn’t even realized that she’d been holding out that hope, but she had been. And it hurt to have it crushed. It did.
Why did she keep getting involved with these men who were only looking for something fun? Maybe Liam was just a better-looking, more charming version of Alex. He hadn’t wanted her for her, either.
“You’re being ridiculous,” Hannah told her reflection after spitting out the toothpaste and splashing water on her face. “You don’t even know him, but you’re acting like you’ve had some big heartbreak all over again. Get a grip, Reese. That’s what Jordan would tell you, isn’t it?”
Hannah felt a longing for Jordan and her other friends, but she pushed that aside, smoothing her hands over the oversized t-shirt she was wearing with a pair of boxer shorts. She was ready to walk back into that bedroom, and when she did, she was going to play it cool and be normal. She was going to pretend like it didn’t matter that everything was different between them now. She was going to pretend like it didn’t matter that Liam wasn’t going to try to steal kisses or get her to share too much with him. She would sleep on the floor beside the mattress, and he could have the mattress to himself, and in the morning, they would go back home and figure out who had killed Trinity so that Winnifred would leave Liam alone.
And then it was back to business as usual. She could do this. She could be as businesslike as Jordan, or as practical as Quentin, or as relaxed and easy-going as Ryan.
She could.
Hannah left the bathroom and made her way back to the bedroom. When she walked in, Liam had already changed, and he was sitting on the bed. She glanced at him before walking over to closet and finding another blanket. “I’ll sleep on the floor. No arguments—your back is injured and you almost drowned tonight.”
“Hannah,” Liam said, his voice low and gentle. “Come here.”
She was holding a blanket, and she glanced back at him. She’d intended to walk back towards the bed anyway, to lay the blanket at the base of it, but now she was unsure of his intentions. “What?”
“Come here,” Liam said, patting the edge of the mattress. “Sit with me. Please?”
Hannah’s thoughts told her not to do it. He was going to say something that was going to undermine the resolve she felt to put this connection between them behind her. He was going to awkwardly try to explain why he’d reacted to her revelation with such stunned and disapproving silence. She didn’t want to hear it.
But her gut told her to walk over.
Liam held a hand out towards her, and Hannah looked down at her blanket. If she had been the type, she would have sworn quietly under her breath.
She walked over, not sitting down and not taking his hand. Her arms stayed wrapped around the blanket she still had every intention of transforming into a pallet for the floor. “Liam, we don’t need to talk about this.”
He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, tugging her arm lightly until it released from the blanket. Then he laced his fingers through hers and kissed her knuckles. “I’m sorry.”
Hannah’s heart flipped over in her chest. “Liam.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t know what words to say,” he said, turning her hand over and pressing a kiss to her palm. “I was shocked. Not in a bad way, Hannah. I just …I could never have expected that or prepared for it. It’s incredible. I have a million questions. I want to know everything—everything. Or as much as you can tell me.” His eyes lifted to hers. “I’m sorry that I made you feel vulnerable. You put yourself out there, and I didn’t do my part.”
It was such a heartfelt apology. Hannah felt her resolve weaken slightly, and when Liam kissed her fingers again, she closed her eyes, pulling her hand away. “Dammit.”
“What?” Liam asked, standing up from the bed, so that he was in front of her. “Damn what?”
“Damn you,” Hannah said, opening her eyes to look at him. There was no real force in her words—they were more tired than anything. “Damn this. Damn the fact that I thought I had you put in a box again. You should be in a box, locked away. Filed appropriately.”
He smiled slightly, reaching out to touch her hair. “I don’t file away well.”
“This is too much,” Hannah whispered, her eyes pleading with him. “I don’t know how to do this with you, Liam. Thank you for saying what you said. It means a lot to me to know that you aren’t …afraid of me or repulsed by me.”
“I could never be either of those things,” Liam said. “I’m in awe of you, if anything, Hannah. You’re incredible. Absolutely incredible.”
Hannah looked away, shaking her head. “This doesn’t change anything, though. About past conversations we’ve had. We’re just going around in circles.”
Liam took her chin between his fingers and tilted her face back towards his. “Then let’s stop going around in circles,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Let’s break the cycle.”
“Liam,” Hannah whispered, her heart thudding, and her resolve melting. Just moments ago, she had been so determined, and now with just a few words—perfect words—he had cut through her defenses. It was exactly the kind of thing that was going to leave her hurt in the end if she didn’t protect her heart, and she didn’t seem able to protect her heart from him.
He smiled down at her, grazing his fingers along her jaw, then sliding them back into her hair, tangling them in the brown waves. “Kiss me, Hannah. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Hannah’s breath caught, and she meant to pull away and tell him no—once and for all, no. But she didn’t. Instead she threw her arms around his neck, cupping the back of his head and pulling him into a desperate kiss. His mouth crushed down onto hers, and his arms locked around her, and she was lost. Completely lost in his touch. It felt wonderful, and perfect, and so natural. And it also felt like she would never be able to find herself again.
Liam picked her up, laying her down on the mattress. His body covered hers, and he kissed her fiercely, his hands trailing up and down her sides, his palms gliding over her curves. Hannah groaned, her hands sinking into his hair, as his mouth ravished hers. Resistance was absolutely futile now, and whatever the consequences were going to be, they were already guaranteed. So, Hannah gave herself to the moment, determined to enjoy it fully while she could.
Her legs locked around his waist, and his hands slid beneath her shirt, finding her warm, soft skin. Hannah shivered as his fingertips stroked at her sensitive belly, and she pulled her mouth from his, to trail hot kisses down his neck. Her hips arched against his, eliciting a groan from him that pulsed through her. The idea that she could make a man like Liam groan like that was exhilarating, and she tightened her hold on him, her teeth catching his earlobe and tugging.
Liam swore, pulling her closer still. “Fuck, Hannah. I need you so much.”
She tugged again, wanting to unravel him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
“You want me?”
His response was a low growl, his hand tightening around her waist.
“Then take me.”
Chapter 20
Liam
Liam didn’t need a second invitation. He’d barely been able to wait for a first invitation. The moment that he knew he had her permission, his hands were all over her, as he kissed her again and again. His lips plundered hers, and h
is hands pulled her shirt up, exposing her bare breasts to his gaze. She was beautiful. Perfect. Her breasts were round and pert and tipped with pebbled, peach nipples.
Lowering his head, Liam fastened his lips around one, suckling gently at first and then more urgently as desire rushed through him. Her breasts were so soft, pillowed against his face, and he swirled his tongue around her hard nipple, making her squirm with need. Her wriggling stoked the fire within him, and he lightly scraped his teeth against the bud of her nipple, making her cry out.
“Liam!”
He smiled, repeating the light scrape again and again until she was clutching him, groaning with need.
Then he pulled back, looking down into her beautiful, flushed face as she whimpered with disappointment. “You like that?” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers.
“Uh-huh,” Hannah said, mumbling the affirmation against his lips. “Shirt off.”
He pulled back, heeding her orders and pulling his shirt over his head with one hand. He tossed it aside, baring his chiseled chest to her, and her hands immediately stroked over his skin, her eyes glued to his body.
“Beautiful …,” Hannah murmured, sitting up, so that she could begin to pepper kisses along his chest, her hands stroking along his well-defined abdomen.
For a moment, he just reveled in the touch of her hands and her lips, both moving all over his skin. But he was too desperate for her to linger too long, and he reached out, pulling the shirt she was wearing all the way over her head and casting it over beside his. When they were both topless, Liam pulled her up into his arms, so that they were both kneeling on the mattress, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply.
His hands slid down to cup her ass, pressing her into him, as his mouth moved with hers, their tongues tangling, and their breath mingling. The curve of her ass was firm beneath his hands, and he squeezed, groaning against her lips, as he anticipated holding onto her hips, as she rode him hard. The thought made his length even more rigid than it already was, and Hannah must have felt it pressing against her.
She slipped her hand between them, stroking her fingers over his cock, as she looked up into his eyes. It sent a shudder shooting through him, and he dropped his head against her shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. No woman’s touch had ever undone him so completely, and she had only just begun. As he held onto her, she slipped her fingers into his boxers, touching his length skin to skin. Her fingers wrapped around him, and she began to stroke her hand up and down at a smooth, steady, urgent pace.
Her lips pressed to his ear, and she sighed, squeezing her hand around him. “Liam, I want you.”
“If you keep doing that, you’re going to have me sooner than you mean to,” he said, thrusting himself into her hand. “You drive me insane, Hannah. God—I just—.”
His hands moved over her, a groan cutting off his words. He shoved her own borrowed boxer shorts down and smoothed his palms over her long, slim, toned legs, feeling the sweet softness of her skin before he reached higher to grip the curves of her ass more fully. He lifted her, yanking her legs around his waist and tumbling her back down on the bed, resting between her legs. He thrust against her, grinding his hard length against her center, as he devoured her breasts again. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and she threw her head back, moaning softly and urging him on.
“Yes, yes, yes …” Hanna whispered over and over again. “Liam! Yes!”
Liam lifted his head and looked down into her eyes, his own fierce with intensity. “Hannah …” He kissed her hard. “Hannah …”
Gripping her hips, Liam flipped her over so that she was lying on her stomach, her hands splayed on the mattress. He slid his hands over her ass again, squeezing the full curves and watching the skin pale beneath his fingertips then flush as he released her. He was throbbing in the boxers that he still wore, and he pulled them off, positioning himself over her, and sliding his hand from the back of her knee, up her leg, over her ass, along her side, and then around to fondle her breast. As he did, he pressed kisses down her spine, making her shiver with each one.
“Liam, please,” Hannah whispered, arching back towards him. “I need you.”
“You need this?” Liam murmured, putting his lips close to her ear and sliding his hand around to her center. He stroked his fingers over her, sliding them between her body and the bed, to begin to tease her wet folds. “Is this what you need, Hannah?”
“Oh, God,” Hannah whispered, pressing against his hand and beginning to buck her hips against his fingers, as he slid them inside of her. The heel of his hand rubbed against the sensitive bud at the peak of her center, and she ground against him, desperate for the pleasure he was bringing her. As she moved, he teased her more, and he watched her beautiful body, amazed at the way that her hips moved, and her ass shook and her legs strained. He kissed over her shoulders, listening to the way she sighed and groaned, waiting for the exact moment that she was about to reach her climax.
And when she was right there, on the cusp, he pulled his hand away, eliciting a groan of protest.
“Liam!”
He smiled, and he answered her without words. Shifting over her, he thrust his cock into her ready and wet center, filling her with one smooth stroke. It made her arch and cry out with pleasure, but he barely registered her response. The sensation of being inside Hannah was all-consuming, and he had to rest over her, pressing his face to her hair, as he settled into the sensation of her body wrapped around his. He was pulsing inside of her, already throbbing and on the edge of his own release, but he clamped down on his urges and used self-control to slowly slide out of her and then thrust hard within her once more.
He was rewarded with another moan and the buck of her hips back against his body.
Liam gripped her hip with one hand, thrusting into her again and again, his head dropping down to rest against her hair. He kissed over the back of her neck and her shoulders, and when her hand reached back to grab his ass and push him harder against her, he shuddered with need.
“Come for me,” he whispered in her ear, thrusting hard as he spoke. “Come for me, Hannah, and I’ll lose myself inside you. Let me feel you fall apart.”
His words had their desired effect, and Hannah bucked, burying her moans into the mattress as she thrust backward again and again, reaching her peak with power. Her inner walls tightened around him, and it pushed him over the edge. He gripped her to him hard, pressing the full length of his body against hers, and he thrust once more, spilling himself inside of her, as she shattered around him.
They muffled their moans and their gasps, shuddering down from their highs together. Liam lay gasping against her back, his face buried in the back of her neck and his length still buried inside of her as his hand stroked over her skin. “God, Hannah,” he whispered, blown away by the power of the desire and emotion that had overtaken him, as he made love to her.
Because that’s what he had done. He had made love to Hannah the way he had never made love to a woman before. And it had never, ever felt that way with anyone else. He wanted her again already, but even more than that, he wanted to turn her over in his arms and kiss every sweet spot on her body to bring her gentle, easy pleasure that would let her fall down easily from her high. He wanted to look into her eyes and tangle his fingers in her hair, and then he wanted to make love to her over and over again.
So, that’s exactly what he did.
Chapter 21
Hannah
Hannah hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before. She and Liam had stayed up all night, unable to get enough of each other. Every time that she thought that they would drift off to sleep, one of them would touch the other, and everything would start all over again. By the time that seven o’clock in the morning rolled around, there was no point in attempting to get any sleep, given that they were supposed to be on the road by eight o’clock.
But as Hannah drove Liam and Agnew back to Baton Rouge, she didn’t feel the exhaustion she should hav
e felt. Instead she felt energized. Loose. Comfortable. She had never been with a man who had made her feel so much, and she knew that no matter how much it was going to hurt to let Liam go at the end of all of this, she was always going to be glad that she had shared her secrets with him, and that they’d had that one night together. She had warned him up-front that she couldn’t prevent her heart from following after her body, and she’d been right. But he’d been upfront with her as well about what his dating life was like, and what he was looking for. Hannah wouldn’t hold it against him when they said goodbye. She would just always carry a night of beautiful memories with her.
“When we get to Baton Rouge,” Hannah said, knowing that for the time, she had to focus on what was ahead of them rather than what had happened the night before. “We need to get to work immediately. It’s only a matter of time before Winnifred realizes that she still hasn’t successfully killed Liam. She’ll come after him again.”
Liam turned his head from looking out the window, and his handsome face made her heart flip over in her chest. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel of her car, but she made no other outward sign indicating the fluttering that she felt inwardly.
“I was thinking about that,” Liam said. “I’m not surprised that she found out last night that I wasn’t dead. I’m assuming that she waited all day, thinking that there would be some announcement that I was found dead in my house. If she’d called to check up on whether I went to work, my office would have said that I was out sick. She could have interpreted that as them not wanting to release the news yet. But after waiting all day and not hearing that I was dead …she realized that she wasn’t successful. So, she enacted another curse. And—I was thinking about that as well. Did she know that I was near the ocean? I remember having a craving specifically for saltwater. Ocean water. Did she track me somehow?”
Hannah glanced in her rearview mirror, looking to Agnew for answers. “Can your grandmother track someone?”
Rockwell Agency: Boxset Page 85
