“I really like him and Liam,” Sam said.
“Me, too, sweetie,” Serena said. “You be good for Lisa. I’ll come get you on Sunday night.”
“I love you, Mommy,” he said.
She smiled. He hardly ever called her Mommy anymore. “I love you, too.”
“Don’t forget to feed the fish!”
“I won’t, sweetheart,” she assured him.
After she hung up, she went over to the fish tank and was distressed to find Sunny floating lifelessly near the bottom of the tank.
“Fuck!” she cried.
Liam came up behind her. “What’s wrong?”
“Another stupid fish is dead!” she snapped. “Why are the damn things so hard to keep alive?”
Liam bent down to look in the tank. “You bought this from the other place, right?”
“Yes,” Serena said.
“Maybe their stock wasn’t that great,” he said. “Did it look sick?”
“No,” she replied, taking the net from under the table. “And I put medicine in and everything! I didn’t want more of them dying!”
“What did you put in?” Liam asked.
“Fungus guard, parasite medicine, and a general cure.”
Liam winced. “Did you actually see any parasites?”
“The one had this long stringy thing hanging from the bottom of it. I thought it was a worm.”
Liam laughed and pulled her into his arms. “It was probably just poop,” he said. “It can look like that.”
“Ew!” Serena said.
“You shouldn’t ever really need to put that much stuff in the tank,” he said. “It probably just needs some time to cycle through. Leave it for a bit before you try to add any more fish.”
Serena sighed. They took care of Sunny and then went into the bedroom.
“I need to get rid of these clothes,” Liam said as he began stripping.
“I’m not really in the mood for sex right now,” Serena said.
He grinned. “That’s okay. We can just cuddle. But naked cuddles are better.”
She grinned back and began taking off her own clothes. She couldn’t help but admire Liam’s body anyway. They crawled into the bed and snuggled up together. She loved feeling the heat of his bare skin against hers. It was warm and comforting. Even though it was still afternoon, they eventually drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the day’s events.
* * * *
The phone ringing jolted Serena awake. She glanced at the clock. Eight thirty, she thought. I feel like I’ve slept longer than that. She rolled over to grab the phone and saw sunlight streaming through the window. Holy fuck! We must have slept right through the night!
She pressed the talk button and said, “Hello.”
“Serena! Oh my God, I just heard the news!”
Serena struggled to identify the voice of the person on the other end, but the sleep fog still gripped her and made it difficult. “Who is this?”
“It’s Angela! I just read the paper and heard about what happened to Lance! Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Serena said. “Just exhausted. Yesterday was a long day and it was hard having to wait around for news. But Lance’s doing better.”
“Oh, thank God!” Angela said. “I felt so awful when I heard. I knew Jenna was upset, but I never dreamed she’d do anything like this.”
Serena frowned in confusion. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
Angela took a deep breath. “Jenna is a friend of mine,” she said slowly.
“What?” Serena said, sitting up. She was wide awake now. She glanced down at Liam, whose eyes were open and looking up at her.
“She and I met at a function last year,” Angela said. “We were introduced by a mutual friend.”
“I didn’t know that,” Serena said.
“I talked to Jenna on Thursday after I saw you with the Dalton brothers,” she said.
Serena’s stomach tightened uncomfortably. “What did you say?”
“I told her that I thought she should try dating again, since Liam was.”
“What?”
“Don’t be upset, Serena!” Angela said hurriedly. “I was trying to help her get over him! I mentioned that he and Lance were dating a woman and that she should try to find someone else, too.”
“So you told her about me and Liam and Lance?” Serena asked, incredulous. “The woman is unbalanced! Didn’t you think that she might react badly?”
Liam was sitting up now, his eyes blazing. He gestured toward Serena for the phone, which she gladly gave him. She felt sick. If Angela knew Jenna so well, she should have known what news like this would do to the woman.
“I don’t care if you were trying to help!” Liam thundered into the phone. “Do you realize that what you did could have cost my brother his life?”
Serena winced.
“Consider our contract with your agency terminated,” Liam said, his voice now low and threatening. “I’ll have my lawyer contact you.” He clicked off and flung the phone across the room. It hit the wall and left a small chip in the drywall before falling in pieces to the floor below.
“Fuck!” he yelled.
“Liam—” Serena began, reaching for him.
“Don’t!” he exclaimed, pulling away from her and jumping out of bed. He stormed across the hall and into the bathroom.
Serena sat stunned. Her head spun. She felt as though she was on an emotional roller coaster and the ride was showing no sign of ending. She watched as Liam returned to the bedroom a moment later, yanking open the dresser drawer where he and Lance had left their clothes last week. He pulled them on in stormy silence.
“Liam,” Serena said. “Please, talk to me.”
“What am I supposed to say?” he roared. “Thanks for telling your boss about us so she could go and tell my fucked-up wife who then came after us with a gun?”
He hadn’t touched her, but Serena felt as though he had kicked her in the gut. She couldn’t breathe, her face was flushing red, and a loud ringing was beginning in her ears. “What did you say?” she said quietly.
“You heard me!” he yelled.
“I wasn’t aware that our relationship was a big secret,” she said, getting out of bed and standing naked in front of him. “I had no idea that Angela knew Jenna! And you were the ones kissing me in my office! You took me out for that first fucking ‘business’ dinner and she was the one who babysat!” Serena’s voice had become gradually louder, and she was yelling so much her throat hurt. But she continued. “This was all just a big series of unfortunate events. The most unfortunate one was me ever setting foot in your stupid fucking fish store!”
Liam was now the one who looked like he’d been hit. “Serena, I didn’t mean that.”
“Well, that’s just too fucking bad, isn’t it!” she cried. “You said it, it’s out there, and it’s too fucking late to take it back. So get the fuck out of my house and don’t bother trying to come back!”
“Serena—”
“Get out!” she screamed.
She watched Liam stand there for a moment as he tried to decide what to do. Finally, he turned and strode out of the bedroom. A moment later she heard the front door slam shut. She collapsed on the bed in tears again.
* * * *
Lance lay in his hospital bed, looking around. He hated hospitals. He hated the tubes stuck in him all over the place, and he hated not being strong enough to even get up to go to the bathroom. He felt like shit, although he supposed that was par for the course after getting shot. He was thankful to be alive, definitely. He just wished the healing process could speed up just a bit. Or a lot, actually. He didn’t want to stay longer than necessary.
The doctor had checked him over this morning and said Lance was doing quite well, for which Lance was glad. They were going to move him out of ICU and into one of the medical wards later today. He would get to have the IV out and start to have small meals, although they would start with broth and gelati
n at first. He was thinking that it would also be nice to have a TV in his room so he wasn’t so bored.
“Hey, bro,” said a voice from the door.
Lance looked over to see Liam standing there, clasping his hands nervously. Lance frowned. Something was clearly bothering his brother.
“Hey, yourself,” Lance replied. “Come have a seat.” When Liam had settled himself in the chair, Lance asked, “Where’s Serena?”
Liam winced and Lance frowned more. “We had a fight,” Liam said softly.
“What did you fight about?” Lance asked. When Liam didn’t answer right away, he prompted him again. “What did you fight about?”
Liam took a breath. “Her boss called. It turns out she’s a friend of Jenna’s and she’s the one who told Jenna about the three of us.”
Lance closed his eyes. He thought he could see where this was going. Liam had trouble controlling his emotions and his temper was no exception. “What did you say to her?”
He heard a sniff and looked up. Liam was wiping his eyes. “I didn’t mean it!” he insisted. “I was just so mad!”
“What did you say, Liam?”
“I said, ‘Thanks for telling your boss about us so she could go and tell my fucked-up wife who then came after us with a gun.’”
Lance let out a long breath that turned into a coughing fit. Liam jumped up and came over to him. “Are you okay?”
When Lance’s coughing subsided, he said, “What did Serena say to that?”
“What do you think she said?” Liam replied glumly.
“I would imagine she told you that we never said our relationship was supposed to be a secret and that we pretty much asked her out in front of her boss. And then she would have told you to fuck off.”
Liam nodded. “That’s it, almost word for word.”
“Liam, you’re a fucking idiot,” Lance said.
“I know,” Liam said. “What do we do now?”
Lance sighed. “I think we just need to give her some space,” he said. “She realized last time that she missed us. She knows you’re an idiot, and when she calms down, she’ll realize that you didn’t mean it.”
“I’m sorry, Lance,” Liam said.
“It’s okay,” Lance said.
They sat together the rest of the day, Lance napping occasionally. In the late afternoon, they let Lance have some soup. He managed to keep it down, so they unhooked the IV. Shortly after that, they moved him to the medical ward. Liam hung out for a little longer, but Lance could see he was going a bit stir crazy.
“Why don’t you go home?” he suggested.
“I want to stay with you,” Liam said.
“You’re bored out of your tree,” Lance said. “And I’m not exactly the best company right now. Just go home and relax and see if you can think of how to make things right with Serena.”
Liam resisted a little more, but eventually he left. Lance dozed lightly, but awoke a little while later when he heard a chair clattering, followed by a mumbled, “Fuck!” He opened his eyes to see Serena, water stains on the front of her shirt, setting down an arrangement of flowers.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied. “I knocked over your water.”
He smiled. “Same old Serena.”
She moved up beside him and took his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, surprisingly,” Lance replied. “I can eat a little bit now and stay awake longer. It doesn’t hurt as much when I breathe. But I am a little bit pissed off at my idiot brother.”
Serena looked away. “He told you about that?”
“He was upset with himself,” Lance said gently. “He knew he fucked up.”
“I was so angry,” Serena whispered.
“Believe me, I know the feeling,” Lance said. “Liam pisses everybody off. It’s a special gift.”
Serena laughed softly, though Lance could see tears shining in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying that,” Lance replied. “And no matter what Liam says, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m going to get going. I have to pick Sam up. But I wanted to bring you some flowers and see how you’re doing.”
“What are you going to do about Liam?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “I just need some space.”
“That’s what I told him.”
She looked down at him and smiled. “How is it you get me so well and he’s completely clueless?”
“That’s my special gift,” Lance said.
Serena leaned down and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he replied.
As she left, Lance hoped that they could work everything out.
* * * *
The next couple of weeks were agonizing for Serena. She was still determined to avoid Liam, though she went to visit Lance often. If Liam happened to be there, she ignored him until he left. Lance kept trying to get her to talk to his brother, but Serena was determined not to. She missed him terribly, but he had to realize that he’d been an ass, and until he apologized, she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Sam made this difficult. He kept pestering her to go to the fish store, even though she explained that it was closed so they could clean it and get it ready again. Unfortunately, that hadn’t taken as long as she thought it might, and it was getting harder to refuse him, since she desperately wanted to see Liam. Thankfully, Hippy was still alive and well in their aquarium and though Sam was anxious to add more fish, he understood that the tank needed to settle itself down before they introduced anyone new.
Work was horrible and awkward. Angela kept glaring at Serena as though it were her fault they’d lost the Dalton contract. And Serena did enough glaring back, because she knew it was Angela’s fault that Lance had been shot. Serena really didn’t think she could keep working for the woman, but she had a child to support and no other immediate prospects. She would have to stick it out, but she began checking the want ads and the online career sites anyway.
Ten days after the shooting, Lance had been released from the hospital. Serena hadn’t seen him since, though she had talked to him a couple of times. He sounded better each time, almost back to normal. One night, he called and asked if he could come over. Serena had agreed, but only if he came alone.
When she answered the door, he stepped into the room and pulled her into his arms. His mouth met hers and he kissed her thoroughly, his tongue exploring her mouth and leaving her gasping. He kicked the door closed behind him.
“Is Sam here?” he asked. When Serena nodded, he said, “Damn.”
She laughed softly as the child in question came running from the living room.
“Lance!” he exclaimed. He hugged the man tightly.
“Hey buddy,” Lance said. “I thought I’d come and hang out for a bit tonight.”
“Awesome!” said Sam.
The three of them selected a movie to watch and ordered pizza. Serena had a nice time but couldn’t help thinking it would have been better if Liam had been there, too. When Sam fell asleep on the couch, she gently woke him and led him to his room, where she tucked him in. He promptly fell asleep again. She smiled at the sleeping boy, and then closed the door as she left.
Lance was standing in the hall, waiting for her. He took her hand and pulled her into her own bedroom. He shut and locked the door and then kissed Serena. Her heart raced as their tongues touched, need settling deep inside her. Her panties were damp, and she suddenly needed to be naked. Pulling back from him, she hurriedly stripped out of her clothes and then went back into his arms. As his mouth explored hers, and her neck and ears, his hands moved down her body. He cupped her ass and squeezed gently. He stroked the skin at her hip and brought his hands up to her breasts. She arched her back so she could press them more fully into his hands, and he rolled her nipples between his fingers, tugging them into stiff points.
“Ow!” she said, when he pinched gentl
y. He looked questioningly at her. “They’re a little sore,” she said. “I don’t know why.”
“I’ll be gentle then,” Lance replied as he lowered his mouth to first one, then the other tight pink tip. “You know, they seem bigger than I remember,” he said between licks.
Serena moaned as his tongue swirled around her nipples, the sensation racing straight to her clit, which throbbed with need. She grabbed the hem of Lance’s shirt and tugged it up. He pulled away from her and lifted his arms over his head so she could pull the shirt off. Then she dropped her hands to his waist and quickly undid his pants. She pushed them down and began stroking his cock, the skin soft to the touch, even though he was rock hard. He groaned.
“I want to be inside you,” he growled, sending shivers through her.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” she asked. “You’re recovered enough?”
“The doctor gave me the all clear,” Lance said. “We just need to keep it relatively unathletic.”
“Okay,” she said.
She pulled him into the bed where they continued kissing and touching each other’s bodies. His hands between her legs quickly brought her to orgasm, and she cried out into the pillow. Then she pushed him over onto his back and lowered her mouth over his cock. He groaned as she slid her lips up and down the length of his shaft, swearing softly when she pulled the whole length of him in. He laughed when she gagged and pulled away from him.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m out of practice.”
“I’ll let you get all the practice you want later,” he said. “Please, let me make love to you.”
She nodded. He sat up and reached into her nightstand for a condom, quickly rolling it on and then moving on top of her. Serena grabbed his hips and pulled him into her, loving the feel of his thick rod in her pussy. He kissed her again and began thrusting gently in and out of her. They kept the pace slow for as long as they could, but eventually Serena got impatient.
“Can you fuck me harder?” she said.
He responded by increasing the tempo and slamming more deeply into her. His balls were slapping her ass, and the bedsprings were squeaking.
“Yes!” she cried out. “God, yes!”
Landing the Big Ones [Hedon Falls] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 14
