by Melody Anne
“Yes. It was a good place to grow up. This side of the country offers a lot of opportunities.”
“And you obviously had a lot of land to play on,” she said with a forced laugh. “Pretty impressive when you live on the East Coast. There aren’t that many wide open spaces around these parts.”
“Granted. Still, I’ve never quite understood my father’s obsession with owning property. So much of it.”
“Maybe because he likes the freedom it gives him,” Whitney told him.
“The man you’ve met is far different from the man I grew up with,” Liam said. “I don’t think it’s about freedom. I think having the home and land made a statement.”
“Why do you say that?”
She had been at Frederick and Liam’s place for only a week, and so much confused her. She had no doubt in her mind that Frederick loved his grandchildren, that he deeply missed the son he’d lost, and that he hoped for his other son to quit being so bitter. But she didn’t understand Liam at all.
“It’s nothing,” he told her as they and their horses went around a bend.
Another mansion, all kitted out with stables almost as impressive as the property she’d been staying in, loomed before them.
“Where are we?”
“This is my place.”
“What do you mean? I thought you lived with your father.”
He led the horses toward the barn, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.
“I’m thirty-four years old, Whitney. Do you honestly believe I would still be living with my father? This isn’t that old TV show Dallas.”
As Liam jumped down, a man suddenly appeared and took the reins of his horse.
“I just … well, I assumed you lived there because you’re there so often, eating with us, and … I don’t know. You’re just always there,” she finished lamely as he held out a hand to help her dismount. “I really shouldn’t get off. I need to get back to the kiss … kids, I mean kids!” She absolutely didn’t want to go into this man’s home.
The look he sent her definitely told her that he’d caught her Freudian slip. No, nothing Freudian about it. It was a mere slip of the tongue, one that she couldn’t account for at all. She didn’t want to kiss this man. No way!
“The children are fine, as you well know. I need to make a few phone calls, and you need to warm up before we head back to my father’s place.”
How could Whitney argue with that? “I could just stay in the barn while you make the calls. It’s warm in here, and I can brush the horses down.”
“You can brush your mare when we return.”
He moved a few inches closer, and unless Whitney wanted an all-out fight, she had little choice but to go with him. He would have plenty of staff in his house, she was sure. It wasn’t as if the two of them would be all alone and he could have his wicked way with her.
She felt only a small measure of comfort at that, but she gave him her hand, this time more prepared as the tingling zip, the electricity, shot through her body at his barest touch.
They went quickly toward his house, and then they were out of the cold. He ushered her down a hallway, still holding the hand he’d grabbed when helping her from the horse.
He let go of her only when they entered a large room with a burning fireplace, the warmth drawing Whitney immediately to it. Still, a shiver traveled down her spine when he let his hands rest on her shoulders, and she had to fight not to turn around and propel herself into his arms.
“Consider taking off your coat. We’re going to be here a little while.” Liam’s breath brushed across her ear.
“I’m still a bit cold,” she said, barely able to get the words past the tightening in her throat.
He reached around her and began slowly unzipping her jacket. Her eyes were drawn to the movement as another shudder passed through her.
Liam pulled the coat off, sliding it down her arms and then tossing it to one side. It landed on a couch.
“I’ve waited long enough to do this.”
That was her only warning before he drew her around, then yanked her against his body. And now his lips were pressing against hers.
It took only milliseconds before she felt her lips parting, before he claimed her mouth and made her knees shake with the intensity of the kiss he was sharing with her.
Liam’s hands moved down from her shoulders, traveled to her back, and fell on the top of her nicely curved behind. He couldn’t help himself, and he followed the same journey up and back down again.
The kiss was all-consuming, and when he broke away, leaning back only a couple of inches so that when her eyes opened, she could clearly see the need burning in his, she wanted nothing more than to pull him back to her.
“Let’s go upstairs, Whitney. This has been inevitable since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
It took a few moments for his words to sink past the lust-filled haze she was in, but when they did, she stiffened all the way through, and then her hand came up and she pushed against his chest.
He didn’t fight her when she drew away from him, and she was grateful for that.
“You’ve been nothing but rude to me from the moment we met, so why in the world would I ever think that?” she almost hissed. “And besides, nothing is inevitable, Liam. Nothing.” She was still trembling, but her temper helped her speak. “And, dammit, I’m most certainly not the kind of woman to jump into bed with a man just because he thinks it’s somehow inevitable.”
“Why would you resist? I can feel the way your body reacts to mine,” he told her. His eyes held no anger, only puzzlement.
“You kiss me once and then assume I’m ready to jump into your bed? What sort of world do you live in?”
“The real world, Whitney. If you don’t want me, that’s one thing, but it’s more than clear that you do.” He finally moved away to a cabinet in the corner. Pulling out two glasses, he poured them each a stiff drink of bourbon.
“I’m the one living in the real world, Liam. You live in some sort of fantasyland where you get everything you want at the snap of two fingers. And I’m not enjoying being here in your sad world. I would like to go back to your father’s house now,” she told him as he approached.
Just then a boom of thunder exploded right over them, or what felt like it, and the lights went out. A shiver of fear ran through her as she looked at Liam in the gray light coming in through the windows.
“It doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere for the moment,” Liam said, his smile of victory unmistakable.
“I think I’d rather face a storm than face the evening in here with you.” She was surprised, though, when she realized that she’d said those words aloud.
“You would probably be safer,” he told her before setting down his glass and moving back toward her.
Whitney had no idea what to do. She only knew that if he touched her again, she just might melt right into his arms, so she panicked and did the only thing she could think of — turned and ran.
She didn’t make it far before Liam caught up to her, and when he hauled her into his arms, his look was perfectly clear. He was willing to use any and all means to seduce her.
She hoped she had the strength to resist.
Chapter Ten
A few minutes later, Whitney was quite aware she didn’t have that willpower — not at all — because as Liam pressed her against the wall and sipped from her lips, she was jelly in his hands.
Within seconds, her knees buckled and only the hardness of his body was responsible for holding her up.
Whitney knew with every fiber of her being that this was wrong, that she didn’t even like the man, that there was no way she should be giving herself to him, but she couldn’t seem to stop the madness.
After he plundered her mouth for a few moments, he shifted, and then she was being lifted into his arms and carried to the very inviting couch sitting in front of the burning fireplace.
He laid her down and then str
etched his body out across her, pushing his hips against hers, making her moan with the pleasure of having his arousal cushioned right where she wanted it to be.
On the tip of her tongue were the words that would stop this, but she couldn’t force herself to say them. Not when it felt so good, so right.
He tore his lips from hers, but only so he could trail his tongue down the side of her neck. He sucked her skin into his hot mouth and scraped his teeth over the point where her pulse was pounding.
“Liam …,” she moaned as his fingers made quick work of slipping beneath her sweater and traveling up the taut skin of her stomach.
“You taste so incredible, Whitney,” he moaned before drawing the sweater over her head and letting it slip to the floor.
This would be a great time to come to her senses, but as his mouth found her lace-covered nipple and he sucked it inside, all she did was arch up against him, overcome with pleasure.
He reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, leaving her upper half bare to him. He massaged her tender breast with one hand while his mouth continued making magic with that swollen nipple.
When he left the sensitive peak and his mouth slid back up her neck, she writhed against him, feeling an ache unlike anything she’d ever imagined feeling before. Pressing her hips upward, she reveled in the feel of his hardness seated against her.
Thoughts evaporated as his lips captured hers once again, burning her up in a passion so intense that colors flashed behind her eyelids.
Just as he reached for her jeans, the lights suddenly flashed back on, and the phone began ringing. It took a second for Whitney to realize what was happening, and Liam was unaware of any of it.
But the distraction was exactly what she needed to come to her senses.
“Liam, stop!” she cried out, her voice hoarse and thick with passion.
But he did stop. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes hooded, blazing with lust and confusion.
“Don’t make me stop, Whitney. We both want this, and you know it.”
“This has gone way too far, Liam. Please … please get off me,” she said, suddenly on the verge of tears.
This wasn’t the type of woman she was. She didn’t make out with strangers, and she certainly didn’t allow them to strip her and nearly ravish her. The only thing she could blame this on was temporary insanity.
“The phone is ringing,” she told him.
For a brief moment she saw anger and then frustration rage through his eyes, but then he blanked his expression and sat up. As soon as he was walking toward his phone, she shot up and grabbed her bra and sweater, turning her back to him as she threw the garments on. She was grateful there wasn’t a mirror anywhere in the room.
She had no doubt her hair was a mess and the little makeup she was wearing was smeared. A woman didn’t get ravished so thoroughly — okay, not quite ravished, but why put a fine point on it? — without looking like it.
Running her fingers through her hair to smooth it out, she listened to the clipped tones Liam used with the caller on the other end of the line. When he hung up, she looked in his direction without looking into his eyes.
“That was Mr. Smotter. My father’s concerned and is sending him over here right away to give you a ride home.”
There was no emotion at all in his tone. That was so like Liam’s usual style.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
She turned and moved toward the door, afraid to even look in the man’s direction. She should have realized, though, that she wasn’t getting away quite that easily.
“Whitney.” Those two syllables were spoken in a tone of utter command.
She turned slowly back toward him, afraid of what was coming next. And she had every right to feel that fear. Because the look in Liam’s eyes assured her that he wasn’t finished with her — not even close to being finished.
She fled.
It didn’t take long for Mr. Smotter to arrive, and when he did, she sprinted to his car and didn’t say a word on the short ride back home. She gave him a quiet thank-you when they arrived, and she went straight to her bedroom and practically fell into her bathroom.
Even after a hot shower, a cup of soothing tea, and hours of lying in bed wide awake, she still couldn’t find sleep. She wasn’t sure whether she was more upset that she’d nearly made love to Liam or that she hadn’t completed the act.
Either way, she spent the entire night tossing and turning — and incredibly angry with Liam for making her suffer this way.
Chapter Eleven
Where were you last night, Auntie?”
Whitney rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand and used the other to try to contain a very wiggly niece. She wasn’t a morning person on the best of days, and she was particularly not a morning person when she’d spent a night tossing and turning.
She’d somehow managed to resist falling into Liam’s bed the day before, but she would never know exactly how. Such temptation … Just thinking about it again sent her into a near panic.
“Auntie? Hello? Are you okay?”
“I’m so sorry, Ally. I zoned out. I just didn’t sleep very well last night. You see, I got stuck in the storm, and then the thunder kept me awake …” She trailed off at the innocent look on her niece’s face. Why was she trying to explain herself? Ally wouldn’t and shouldn’t have a clue about the kiss and more that her aunt and uncle had shared.
Just the thought of her niece knowing anything about it horrified Whitney even more.
“You promised to make a snowman with me today; remember?”
“Yes, of course I do, baby girl. Why don’t you go and get snow clothes on? I’ll take a shower. Then we’ll have some breakfast and go outside.”
Ally jumped from her bed, more than happy to accommodate her aunt now that she knew she was getting what she wanted. Whitney threw herself back on the pillows and took several deep breaths. She couldn’t keep staying in Felton territory. It was messing with her mind.
But the thought of taking away the kids when they were doing so well made her heart ache. And the thought of leaving them there, even though she knew they would have a much more privileged life than she could give them — well, even knowing that, the idea almost made her heart stop.
Closing her eyes wasn’t the best idea, though, because the second she did, all she could see was Liam’s face moving toward hers as he prepared to kiss her.
“No. This isn’t going to happen. Today I won’t have inappropriate thoughts about Liam Felton. Not once,” she said as she climbed out of bed.
Whitney finished her shower, dressed with warm clothes for the nasty day, and walked down the quiet hallway to search of Ally. She saw a group of the household staff at the large windows on the rear side of the home, and her curiosity drew her to the spot. One of the servants turned at the sound of her footsteps and gave her a welcoming smile.
“Come join us, Ms. Steele,” the woman said.
Whitney walked to the window and looked outside. It took her a moment, but she spotted Liam and Brayden riding on horseback in the lower pasture. Her heart swelled with joy when she saw Brayden’s face blossoming in a beautiful smile.
He looked so at ease down there with Liam, and had the air of a budding young man; he no longer seemed like the angry little boy he’d become this last year.
All her worries really were unnecessary. It was more than clear that she’d made the right choice in bringing the children to their grandfather’s home, even if her heart was breaking a bit each day at the thought that she might lose them to this family.
No. It wasn’t about her; it was about their happiness and safety. And if being with their lost family was best for them, she’d somehow be able to accept that. She’d do anything to make sure her sister’s two children had the happiest possible life, filled with love, laughter, and opportunity.
“It’s so good to see him smiling,” Whitney whispered.
“Yes, I agree with you, Miss. It’s also nice
to see that smile on Mr. Liam’s face. It’s been a very long time,” the maid said with a sheen of tears in her eyes. “I shouldn’t say this, but he was given so much responsibility after his brother left, and he’s taken that on his shoulders with no complaints. But I haven’t seen joy on his face in a long time. He really does like having you and the children here.”
“Oh, I’m just along for the ride. This is all about the kids,” Whitney said with a laugh she didn’t feel.
“You’ve brought a brightness to these cold walls that was really needed here, and we’re all thankful for that,” Mr. Smotter said as he joined them.
Whitney hadn’t even heard the man approach. A blush spread over her cheeks.
“You have all been so kind to me since I got here. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Thank you,” Whitney told them, and then she fled.
If they’d said anything more to her, she might have fallen apart. And with Christmas not that far away, and with the happiness of her niece and nephew on the line, she didn’t have time for that sort of weakness.
Right now she needed to find her niece, and she needed to build a snowman. If she focused only on the small stuff, took each moment one at a time, she might just manage to make it through all this.
Doubtful, but she was determined to try anyway.
Chapter Twelve
It’s been two days, and while I applaud your creative ways of avoiding me, don’t you think it’s time we speak about this?”
Whitney jumped at the sound of Liam whispering in her ear. She’d seen him come into the house an hour earlier, and she’d managed to escape his notice — or so she’d thought.
Apparently she wasn’t as stealthy as she’d hoped.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she told him. “I’m just trying to go about my day.”
“We both know that’s a lie. We nearly made love the other night. You’re obviously overobsessing about it, though I don’t understand why.” He literally backed her into a corner.
“I’m not overobsessing, as you so delicately put it,” she snapped. “I’m just uninterested in this topic. I have things to do.”
