BANG!
A window blew out, sending glass flying in all directions. “Liam! The fire! It’s inside the house!”
“There’s a fire extinguisher in the closet where you found the boots, and another in the kitchen!” I yelled. “Pull! Aim! Squeeze! Sweep! Aim at the base of the fire, but be careful—if it’s too much for you or the smoke gets too bad, come back out!”
I had almost half the branches removed and could finally start on the trunk. I needed it in pieces small enough to push off the roof before I could help Maggie inside. I prayed the fire didn’t get too out of control before I was done. If I didn’t get the rest of the burning tree off the roof, the whole cabin would be lost.
Steam rose from my back as I began to sweat faster than the rain could fall. The fire’s heat dried the front of my shirt, my face, and eyes. Blisters rose on the palms of my hands from the friction as I swung the ax, but I kept going. “Watch out!” I shouted into the rain as I pushed a big chunk of burning pine off the roof. It landed with a thud on the wet ground below.
Time passed in a blur. When the job was done, I didn’t stop to celebrate the last of the tree falling from the roof. Instead, I flew down the ladder and into the house to find Maggie.
Coughing from the smoke, I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen and sped down the hall where I found her fending off the fire. She had successfully confined it to one room. While she hadn’t stopped it, she had managed to keep it from spreading to the rest of the house.
As I approached, the house creaked, and a giant ceiling beam fell, landing just inches to the right of where Maggie stood. She didn’t even flinch. Bravely, she turned the fire extinguisher on the new flames at her feet as she coughed and hacked.
I rushed to help her, advancing into the room I had avoided ever since we’d arrived. Grabbing the extinguisher from her hands, I shouted to be heard over the crackling flames. “I’ve got this! Go outside!” Aiming the nozzle, I began sweeping low and slow.
Again and again, I pushed the fire back. Sweat dripped from my brow, and sparks singed holes in my shirt and raised red blisters on my exposed skin. Swapping my spent extinguisher out for her partial one, I battled the flames for what seemed like forever until I was left standing in a ruin.
The roof overhead sagged and the ceiling was blackened. Wind whipped rain-heavy air through the missing exterior wall. It had burned completely away under the pine tree before I could stop it. Drywall from the ceiling hung in wet strips, and the hardwood floor was charred and buckled beneath my feet. The contents of the room were totally unrecognizable, sitting in soggy heaps, bent and twisted from the fire and heat.
I dropped the empty extinguisher with a clang, and it rolled to a stop against the one remaining wall. The wet, chilly wind cooled my scorched skin as I slowly spun around, taking in the ruin. Who would have thought a dream could end like this.
Maggie appeared in the gaping hole where the wall had been. Her face was black from the soot and smoke. “Liam?”
“It’s over, Maggie. Come back inside.” Shoulders slumped, I turned my back on the mess and walked back into the rest of the house.
Chapter Twenty-One
Maggie
Liam stood in the center of the room. Around him, the entire corner of the cabin was reduced to rubble. The metal roof remained in place, the section above him blackened and melted. The rain poured off in it in gray streams, splashing and sizzling on the superheated wood below.
I walked back to the porch and slowly climbed the steps. My adrenaline fading, I was exhausted a mere hour after my nap. It felt like weeks had passed since I woke in Liam’s bed sated and happy.
I kicked off the heavy boots and dropped the rubber coat in a heap on the back porch before stepping inside the living room. The stench of smoke permeated the house, but the room looked unchanged from when I’d left it earlier.
“Come here.” Liam appeared in the doorway, his arms spread wide. I ran to him and fell into his embrace, my face pressed into his filthy shirt. I didn’t care. I just wanted him to hold me.
“When will it end?” I asked, too tired to even cry.
“What do you mean?”
“All the bad things that keep happening. I try and live a good life, to help people, to be a good person. Why do these things keep to me? To people close to me?”
He stroked my hair. “Mother Nature isn’t after you, Maggie. These things just happen. We were actually lucky it happened today.”
I backed up a step and looked up at him. “What do you mean?” How could he think this was lucky?
“If we hadn’t been here, Mags, I would have lost the whole thing. Because I was here with you, yes, there’s damage, but my cabin is still standing. I can rebuild.”
I blinked back tears. Trust Liam to see the bright side. The loss of his leg, his fiancé’s defection, the fire in his cabin—none of it could dim the bright light inside him. I stared up at him in awe. What is it like to feel that confident?
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Liam took me by the hand and led me down the smoky hallway to his room. “Into the shower with you,” he commanded. “You’ll feel better once you’re warm and dry.”
I numbly followed, letting him strip the wet clothes from my body and guide me under the warm spray. I stood there and watched as he peeled his ruined clothes from his body. Sparks had eaten holes through his shirt and the skin underneath was speckled with red, weepy blisters that peeked out through the black soot covering every square inch of him.
He joined me under the warm spray and let the water wash away the dirt and grime. Filthy gray water pooled at our feet before circling the drain and disappearing. He reached for the soap, lathered a cloth, and slowly smoothed it across my skin. Starting at my neck and working his way down my body, his touch massaged the tension away with the dirt and soot.
I raised my head to see the damage the fire had done to him. Blisters dotted his arms and chest, and his hands were raw from swinging the ax over and over in the rain. His legs were virtually unscathed, the prosthetic still shiny silver metal. A special military prototype, it was designed to survive an apocalypse.
We didn’t exchange a word as we finished our shower. Liam dried us both off and carried me to bed. The sheets smelled slightly of smoke, but they were cool and refreshing on my damp skin. Curling up in Liam’s arms, I fell asleep immediately and dreamed of singing, my song filled with love rising from the ashes.
Liam
"Yeah, Maggie is sleeping," I told Ben. I had tucked her in, warm and wet after our shower. Her silence betrayed her exhaustion.
She’d fallen asleep curled up in my arms, and I wanted nothing more than to stay there with her, breathing in her alluring scent, but I needed to solve our problems. I needed to make arrangements to protect the cabin. I still had to find her stalker. I wanted nothing between the two of us other than the choice to be together. As long as she needed my protection, I couldn’t completely trust us.
“Give me an update.” I lowered my voice as I glanced at my watch and then back at the bedroom. If Maggie needed rest, she’d get it.
“Sure, boss.” Ben ran through everything the team had discovered during surveillance of our suspect over the last twenty-four hours. “We found him living in the basement of a house his grandmother had inherited. It wasn’t on any property records. He never filed a change of ownership.”
“How did you find it?”
“We found an electric bill forwarded to his mother. We followed up on the address and discovered an apartment building. All the units are rented to long term residents—all except the basement. I put a man on it, and we found him sneaking in late last night.”
“Did you call the team and infiltrate the place to be sure?” I tapped a few keys, pulling up the specs on the building as a plan formed in my mind.
“Officially?”
“What did you find?”
“It’s our guy, boss. He hadn’t been there in a while, but the w
alls are papered with articles and pictures of Maggie. He had her tour schedule and photos, proving he’s been following her. How long has she been getting the letters?”
“Six months.”
“Boss, he’s been following her a lot longer than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“A lot of the articles and photographs are well over six months old. I think he’s been stalking her from the beginning.”
I swallowed, thankful we had finally figured out who the guy was. With so much evidence, we were easily going to put him away. It turned my stomach just thinking about the creep watching Maggie, following her, breaking into her bus, invading her space.
“I’ll have law enforcement raid it in the morning.” I pulled up my encrypted messenger program and sent a quick note to Ryder. He was one of my pseudo-brothers and my contact in the FBI. As the threats followed Maggie on her tour, crossing state lines, it was no longer a matter for a single local police department but for a multi-jurisdictional FBI task force. I’d already copied Ryder on all the evidence. He was just waiting for the word to pull the trigger.
Ding! A message popped up with his response almost immediately.
Team assembled.
Waiting on your call.
Green light, 0600.
“Ben.” I switched back to his call. “Ryder says it’s a go. I’ll tell Maggie and pack us up here."
“Roger that, boss. I’ll alert the team.”
“Raid at Oh-six-hundred.” I ended the call, and a rare smile lit my face as I felt relief rush through me. It looked like Maggie’s nightmare would be over soon. My team had done an excellent job of tracking this guy across the U.S., piecing together tiny clues, and narrowing it down to this one suspect.
This guy had a long criminal history. His threatening letters to Maggie traced back more than six months. I stood and stretched, confident we had enough to put him away for a long time. I couldn't wait to tell Maggie the good news when she woke from her nap. Maybe I should go join her.
I slipped into the dark bedroom where Maggie lay naked and sprawled out in the center of the bed. She made little snorting sounds, barely audible but endearing nonetheless.
I hadn’t taken the time to do anything other than dry my prosthetic, replace the wet stump cover, and put on a pair of pants. It was easy to step out of them and crawl in next to Maggie’s warm form. There are definitely benefits to going commando.
“Hey,” I whispered in her ear.
“Mmmhhhh.” She rolled into my arms and snuggled against my chest. “You feel good.”
“So do you.” I kissed her forehead. “But can you wake up a minute? I want to talk to you.”
“Too comfortable,” she mumbled. “Want to stay right here.” She buried her nose in my neck, her breasts pressed against my chest, and twined one leg between mine.
“Maggie…” I tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, tracing the shell shape with one finger and enjoyed the sight of her shudder.
“Mmmmh, that’s nice.” She stretched like a cat under my care. My finger traveled from the delicate lobe of her ear to the delectable nape of her neck, then traced down to that delicious hollow where her neck joined her shoulders. “Mmmm… keep doing that.”
She arched her back, pressing one luscious breast into my hand. My fingers involuntarily closed around it, my thumb rubbing over her nipple which pebbled instantly.
“I’m not going to let you distract me.”
“You sure?” she purred, opening her green eyes and lazily rubbing one hand down my chest to pull on the waistband of my pants. “You should take these off.” She wriggled closer, closing her eyes again.
Pushing her hand away so I wouldn’t forget why I was there, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my rising desire. “We found him, Maggie.” I leaned over and placed a kiss on her collarbone. I just couldn’t resist. “We found him.” I continued, stroking the side of her breast.
Her eyes flew open. “What?” I had her full attention. “You found him?” She pushed herself up and leaned back against the headboard.
“We did. My team goes in tonight. It should all be over in the morning.” I crawled up on the bed with her and kissed my way down her shoulder.
“Oh, thank God!” She threw her arms around me. “So I can go home?”
“If everything works out, we can head back tomorrow, and you can get back on tour.”
“OOOH!” She squealed and clapper her hands. “I never thought I’d say this, but I miss my tour bus!” She kissed me and rolled on top of me. “Not that I don’t like this house—I do! It’s been amazing, but I am going absolutely stir crazy!” She reached for my waistband again. “I think we need to celebrate!”
Maybe packing up and leaving could wait a few more hours.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maggie
Liam always seemed to know what I needed, but now I needed him. I wanted him to touch me, to make my body come alive again. This might be our last chance.
Fingers fumbling with his pants, I unbuttoned them and started sliding the zipper down to expose his black boxer briefs. I could feel myself growing moist at the sight his arousal. My breath increased to rapid little pants, and a silly grin lit my face.
Electricity coiled low in my belly as I pulled his pants down his hips and exposed the sexy trail of hair leading down that delicious V at the base of his abdomen. I sucked in my breath at the sight and hooked his underwear with my thumbs, dragging it low enough for his growing erection to spring free.
“Mmmm… Somebody is happy to see me!” I giggled, eager to explore him.
“You have no idea.” He gasped as I leaned over and took the tip of him in my mouth, and his hips bucked at the hot contact. The scent of his musk filled my nostrils while I rolled my tongue around his tip. I could feel him swell in between my lips. “Oh!” He groaned with pleasure before pulling back and scrambling to his feet.
In the blink of an eye, he divested himself of his pants and underwear and crawled back in bed with me. Rolling me over onto my back, he positioned himself above me. Supporting himself on his hands, he claimed my mouth in a hungry kiss. His tongue probed the seam of my lips, dipping inside between tiny nibbles. A frisson of electricity shot through me, connecting to the coiled heat in my center. I felt a sudden flush sweep across my skin, leaving behind an excited dampness.
Liam broke our connection, and I felt a hitch in my throat as he slid down my body, peppering my breasts with kisses. Then he took my nipple into his warm mouth. At his touch, a shiver ran through me, and I moaned as the feeling in my belly coiled tighter and tighter. Releasing me with a wet pop, he blew gently on the moist tip, and it puckered in the cool air. I began to ache as the pressure built between my thighs. Want consumed me until I could think of nothing else.
“Oh!” I let out an airy gasp as I felt his breath across my stomach. He leaned to the left and began circling my belly button with one finger, making my skin quiver. Reaching lower down my pelvis, his fingers touched the soft mound between my legs. With his knee, he nudged my thighs apart and positioned himself on his elbows between them. There, he held me open and exposed to his hungry gaze.
At the touch of his tongue to my center, the fire inside me burned hotter. First he explored my outer lips, stroking me gently, hesitantly, before moving closer and closer to my nub. Need pulsing through me as he teased my sex.
My release, buried deep inside me, surged to the surface as his tongue found my clit. “Please,” I begged. “Please.” I could feel the wetness drip from my opening. My entrance trembled as he continued to make contact, repeating his licks and strokes with increasing pressure.
“Not yet,” he whispered. With his head buried between my legs, his voice sent little vibrations through me in all directions.
I almost came undone when I felt a single finger probe my center, meeting no resistance as it slid in, already slick with my dew. He set up a rhythm, pumping one finger and then two in and out of me
in time with the strokes of his tongue. “Oh God, Liam.” I squirmed right on the edge of climax, the need to come overwhelming me.
“Not yet.” He chuckled, withdrawing from me and sitting up on his knees.
“No!” I cried, my legs splayed and chest heaving. The feeling of loss brought tears to my eyes. “I’m so close!”
“I’m not done with you yet.” He rolled me over on my belly and stuffed two pillows under my hips. He stuck another one under my bad shoulder, shifting my weight to the good one.
I felt him settle between my knees, his erection bumping up against me as he spread my cheeks. Cool air hit my steaming center and I whimpered in need. He leaned toward me, and his breath raised goosebumps on my ass cheeks. The throbbing head of his prick slipped along my seam, and I surged forward as I felt his cock bump against my opening. He withdrew for only a moment and then plunged himself into my center, making me cry out in ecstasy. “Ahhhhhh!”
He gripped my hips, holding me in place as he began to pump in and out. His thrusts made my breasts sway, and my sensitive nipples brushed against the sheets as a million zings of pleasure swept through me. “Liam!” I hissed, unable to form complete sentences.
“Yes, baby,” he grunted, his thrusts increasing in tempo.
“I’m so close,” I bit out. Dragging myself from that incredible place long enough to form whole words caused me physical pain.
“Come for me, baby,” he grunted. His hands squeezed me tighter as he surged in and out of me. I began to spasm around him. The pressure inside me peaked, and I came apart. A rainbow of exploding colors lit the back of my eyelids, and my entire body shook and beaded with sweat. My hips slammed back into him, meeting him thrust for thrust as my insides gripped him tighter, and I rode him to completion.
Liam: The Lost Billionaires, Book 3 Page 10
